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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Development Threatens Endangered Southern Steelhead

Case Updates:

August 1, 2003

Southern steelhead, a federally listed endangered species, is a unique variety of rainbow trout that spends most of its adult life in the ocean, but spawns in freshwater streams and rivers. Tens of thousands of the prized sport fish once returned to southern California streams every year, but today only a few hundred fish make the yearly pilgrimage. The National Park Service has concluded that Solstice Creek could support a spawning run of the endangered fish and is currently removing man-made barriers in the creek and reintroducing steelhead. However, the Malibu City Council has recently approved a large development so close to Solstice Creek that it threatens to undermine the steelhead restoration project. The Sierra Club has filed a state lawsuit challenging the proposed site and size of the new development.

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