Groups claim miners, developers destroyed panther habitat

Federal regulators illegally allowed developers and miners to destroy crucial habitat for the endangered Florida panther, a trio of environmental groups charged in legal notices Wednesday.

The National Wildlife Federation and two other groups notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers that they will sue in the next 60 days if the agencies do not halt a 6,000-acre mine and other projects in Lee and Collier counties where panthers prowl.

"We realized we can't afford to sit on the sidelines as the panther's last remaining habitat is chipped away," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, senior vice president of the National Wildlife Federation and former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A spokesman for the Corps of Engineers said it could not comment because no one had received the notice yet. A spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service defended his agency's actions.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has done nothing in the past but keep the Florida panther's best interests in mind," said spokesman Bert Byers. "We've got a long way to go but it's not like we're doing things that would endanger the Florida panther."

The panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Although panthers once roamed the South, fewer than 100 now exist, most hemmed into Southwest Florida -- an area that over the past decade has experienced some of the most rapid development in the country.

The mine, owned by Florida Rock, has proven particularly controversial. It will destroy about 5,000 acres of panther habitat near Fort Myers, producing limestone to be used in building shopping malls, roads and other projects that use concrete.

The two federal agencies approved the destruction of so much panther land because Florida Rock promised to leave 800 acres for a wildlife corridor.

The National Wildlife Federation, the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Florida Panther Society are trying to force the agencies to stop construction of the Fort Myers mine until its effect on the panther is more thoroughly investigated.

In the second case, the National Wildlife Federation and the Florida Wildlife Federation said they intend to sue the Corps of Engineers for issuing blanket permits for some types of development without individual environmental reviews.

The permits are intended to be used when there will be minimal impacts on the environment, but the groups say they have been used for development that has been harmful to the panthers and their habitat. The corps failed to verify information from developers, the environmental groups say.

"We really don't know the full extent of the damage to the panthers under these permits, because developers are able to go forward without even checking in with the Corps," said John Kostyack, senior counsel for the National Wildlife Federation.

-- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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