Agencies will re-examine `faux fur hoax'

Under fire from Western politicians, the heads of the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior are promising a more thorough investigation into what one Seattle editorial writer has termed "the faux fur hoax."

At issue is whether seven federal and state biologists in Washington's Cascades tried to skew a study to determine the range of Canada lynx, an elusive forest cat that is protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The biologists have acknowledged they sent samples of fur collected from captive lynx to the lab that tests fur samples collected from the wild. They said they were testing the lab's ability to properly distinguish lynx fur from other animal species because inaccurate tests had tainted an earlier study.

The Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the biologists told their supervisors what they were doing didn't taint the study and couldn't have misled anyone for long, if that's what they had intended.

The study, which involves northern-tier states from Maine to Washington, incorporates several safeguards to assure accuracy, said Doug Zimmer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesman in Olympia. But, Zimmer said, the scientists did not follow protocol by submitting the samples.

The federal agencies have refused to release the names of the three Forest Service employees and two Fish and Wildlife Service employees now barred from the lynx study. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife earlier this week identified the two state biologists as Jeff Bernatowicz of Yakima and Tom McCall of Wenatchee.

"Although the intent of the (state) biologists was to test the abilities of the DNA laboratory ... their approach was inappropriate and has significantly tarnished the scientific reputation of this agency," three top scientists for the Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote in a statement issued Thursday.

That assessment pales in comparison to the tough talk of conservative Western politicians and groups critical of the Endangered Species Act.

"The practice of planting bogus evidence shows how politicized and unscientific the application of the endangered species program can be," wrote Bob Gordon, director of the National Wilderness Institute, a property rights group in Washington, D.C.

Said state Rep. Bob Sump, R-Republic: "The people who perpetuate these hoaxes ... have no compassion for the citizens and taxpayers who have farmed, ranched and logged these lands for generations. Their sick minds have finally led them to believe lying is OK."

Sump and some other critics allege the biologists were trying to mislead the public into believing the lynx is widespread in Washington. If that were the case, federal agencies might impose restrictions on snowmobiling, logging and some other activities.

As it is, the ongoing study has confirmed lynx only in the Okanogan National Forest, where they previously had been confirmed. State biologists say lynx also are found in portions of the Colville National Forest, which isn't part of the study.

Other outspoken critics of the biologists include Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah, and Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo. The pair sent a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton earlier this week calling the biologists' actions "professional malfeasance of the highest order."

Hansen chairs the House Resources Committee, and McInnis chairs the House Forests Subcommittee.

Republican Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon and Larry Craig of Idaho on Thursday asked the Senate Energy and Natural Resources' forests subcommittee for an oversight hearing about the issue. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the chairman, hadn't received their request but said he would look at it.

Spokespersons for the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that the biologists were "counseled" and barred from the lynx survey after an investigation last year. Further punishment was not warranted, they said.

But after four days of criticism, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth called for deeper investigations by inspectors general for the Interior Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"I am committed to determining all the facts," Bosworth wrote in a statement. "We should not allow an isolated incident to overshadow the hard work and dedication of our body of land management professionals."

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