Rare Falcon Spotted On Otero Mesa

ABQjournal: Rare Falcon Spotted On Otero Mesa
The Associated Press

SANTA FE— An endangered northern aplomado falcon has been spotted on Otero Mesa in the southern part of the state, according to an environmental group trying to stop plans for oil and gas drilling in the area.
Forest Guardians reported last week that a young falcon was seen about two miles from where a pair of falcons was spotted in August. The young bird was photographed by an environmental consultant who is conducting falcon surveys.
The sighting was the eighth in as many months, and environmentalists are calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hold off on a reintroduction plan that would remove habitat protection for wild falcons in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
Environmental groups have said the falcon is being threatened by oil and gas drilling in its habitat— including Otero Mesa, site of a challenged Bureau of Land Management plan for drilling.