Environmentalists on Wednesday petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to provide Endangered Species Act protections for a legless lizard that leans upon the continued good health of Southern longleaf pine forests.
Citing threats from habitat destruction to the reptile’s risk of becoming road kill, the Center for Biological Diversity urged the FWS to list the mimic glass lizard as threatened or endangered. The filing starts an initial 90-day clock running, though it landed in an agency that is largely closed along with the rest of the federal government.
“The mimic glass lizard’s plight is a warning that the health and integrity of our southeastern forests is unraveling,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Bennett added that “these charming little legless lizards need healthy, well-managed forests” and said the ESA protections sought in the 53-page petition can “drive better management of the forests where these lizards live, benefiting us all.”
