Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): endangered species act success stories

Trump attacks vital conservation tool for threatened and endangered species, misses real problem

By Holly Pearen / Bio / Published: September 19, 2018

Critical habitat designations are an essential tool in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) toolbox. They are the primary mechanism Congress created to accomplish the goal of the act, “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved.”

Critical habitat is the science-based determination of specific areas that are essential for a species’ survival. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service designate critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, like the marbled murrelet and piping plover, to signal to federal agencies, landowners, industries and conservationists where habitat protections should be prioritized and impacts avoided. Photo credit: Kathy1006

Because habitat loss and fragmentation is currently the leading cause of extinction, it’s vital to protect areas that currently contain the physical and biological features that are essential for species survival today.

Supporting imperiled species also requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) identify and protect historic ranges that can be restored or rehabilitated, provide key features or dynamic forces essential to species, or potentially become suitable habitat due to climate change. Critical habitat designations are the tool the Services use to do this.

As important as they are, critical habitat designations don’t come without controversy. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged climate change, conservation, critical habitat, dusky gopher frog, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, National Marine Fisheries Service, piping plover, polar bear, red-cockaded woodpecker, regulation, Supreme Court, Trump, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife | Comments are closed

As much as Trump would like, economics do not trump science. These laws say so.

By Holly Pearen / Bio / Published: September 7, 2018

The Trump administration has made several attempts to remove science-based decision-making at multiple federal agencies, including those responsible for keeping the American public and our nation’s vital ecosystems healthy.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

The latest proposal to insert economic considerations into Endangered Species Act (ESA) decisions is not only illegal – prohibited by the act itself – it’s also a misplaced attempt at incorporating economics where they simply do not belong.

It’s the latest in this administration’s politicization of science and, if successful, will ultimately interfere with efforts to craft durable, realistic solutions to public and ecosystem health. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged Clean Air Act, donald trump, economic considerations, ecosystems, ESA, ESA reform, Fish and Wildlife Service, FWS, listing decisions, National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, Trump | Comments are closed

Raise a glass (of tequila!) to celebrate this endangered bat’s recovery

By Kjellen Belcher / Published: April 27, 2018

When the lesser long-nosed bat was first listed as an endangered species 30 years ago, there were fewer than 1,000 bats in existence. Today, the bat’s population has grown to an estimated 200,000 bats living in 75 roosts across the southwestern United States and Mexico.

A lesser long-nosed bat feeding on an Agave blossom at night in Tucson, Arizona.

The lesser long-nosed bat is one of only three nectar-feeding bat species in the U.S. – uniquely providing valuable ecosystem services through bat pollination and the dispersal of fruit seeds, including for agave plants used in tequila production.

The relationship between bats and tequila may seem obscure at first, but the bat-plant association is so strong that the disappearance of one would threaten the survival of the other.

– BATS Magazine

The lesser long-nosed bat is the first bat species to be removed from the endangered species list due to successful recovery. How the bat bounced back is not your typical conservation success story. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged agave, delisting, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, lesser long-nosed bad, mexico, tequila, Tequila Interchange Project, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Read 1 Response

A rare desert wildflower is no longer endangered, but the law that saved it may be

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 20, 2018

When most people think about the Endangered Species Act, they picture the bald eagle, the sea turtle or the grizzly bear. They don’t think as often about the grasses, ferns, flowers and conifers that the ESA also protects.

That makes sense when you consider that there are approximately 26 known animal species for every known plant species. But animals, including humans of course, rely heavily on plants for food, oxygen, shelter and more.

Just like animals, plants increasingly face habitat loss, pollution, disease and climate change, which threaten their existence.

There are currently 949 species of plants listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA, including several species of cactus, mint and milkweed – a vital plant for monarch butterflies. But even the more obscure and isolated plants demonstrate how closely plant resilience is tied to the health of both local and broader ecosystems. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged biodiversity, death valley, delisted, delisting, dune grass, ecosystems, endangered species, Endangered Species Act, endangered species act success story, eureka valley, evening primrose, national park, plants | Read 2 Responses

The wild turkey may be America’s greatest wildlife conservation success story

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 16, 2017

Three male wild American turkeys displaying full plumage. The turkey’s bald head can change color in seconds with excitement or emotion. The birds’ heads can be red, pink, white or blue. [Photo credit: Larry Smith2010]

When most Americans think about great wildlife success stories, they think about the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, or possibly the recent news of sea turtle recovery.

What many people forget, or perhaps never knew, is that America’s wild turkey population was once estimated to be approximately 30,000 – a number comparable to today’s estimates for polar bears worldwide.

Thankfully for us (and the gobblers), American wild turkeys now number close to seven million.

So how did the turkey bounce back? The answer lies in what some consider America’s greatest wildlife conservation success story. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged American wild turkey, bald eagle, conservation, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, forest service, hunting, National Wild Turkey Federation, Thanksgiving, theodore roosevelt, turkey, wildlife | Read 1 Response

A plume of hope for an endangered bird and its forest

By Michael Bean / Published: October 10, 2017

The red-cockaded woodpecker is a keystone species of the longleaf pine ecosystem. (Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region)

In the pine forests of the Southeast, a small black and white bird spends its days hammering out cavities in the trunks of mature longleaf pine trees. The red-cockaded woodpecker is endangered, and its status reflects the condition of the entire forest ecosystem upon which it depends.

It was the gradual but steady disappearance of the region’s unique longleaf pine forests due to increased settlement, timber harvesting and development that initially raised concerns about the decline of the red-cockaded woodpecker population in the 1960s.

Since then, collaborative efforts between the federal government and private landowners initiated an encouraging uphill comeback for the keystone species. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, longleaf pine, national wildlife refuge, red-cockaded woodpecker, Safe Harbor, Safe Harbor agreements, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Read 1 Response

Sea turtles swim towards a brighter future

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 29, 2017

Sea turtle populations are showing promising signs of recovery after years of decline. (Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region)

There’s some good news in the animal kingdom. Sea turtles, the beloved green jewels of the world’s vast blue oceans, appear to be bouncing back after decades of decline.

Six of seven sea turtle species are currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) – the green, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, hawksbill, and leatherback – and many of them have been on the list since 1970. Since then, conservation efforts have made significant strides in protecting nesting beaches, reducing mortality in fisheries and establishing marine protected areas.

Recent research suggests there is hope for beleaguered sea turtles. Important recovery in some local populations has shown that we can turn things around for sea turtles, especially with effective endangered species policy and improved management.

This comeback is promising, not just for turtles, but also for marine ecosystems and the marine economy at large.

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged ecosystems, endangered species, Endangered Species Act, fishermen, green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, kemp's ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, sea turtles, wildlife | Comments are closed

The secret survival of the “masked bandit” in the vanishing prairie

By Michael Bean / Published: September 13, 2017

The black-footed ferret is known for its bandit-like mask of dark fur around its eyes. (Photo credit: USFWS Mountain Prairie)

The black-footed ferret, nicknamed the “masked bandit” for its racoon-like markings, is one of the most endangered mammals in North America – so scarce it was once thought to be extinct.

The last of the wild population of black-footed ferrets was thought to have died in 1974 in South Dakota, and the last ferret of the captive breeding program died in 1979.

Somehow, though, a number of ferrets were secretly surviving near the small town of Meeteetse, Wyoming.

In 1981, a cattle dog named Shep brought a dead ferret home to his owners. The ranchers took the ferret to a local taxidermist, who identified it as the once “extinct” black-footed ferret.

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged black-footed ferret, conservation, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, north american zoos, Safe Harbor, wildlife, Wyoming | Read 1 Response

How the fastest American raptor nearly nosedived into extinction

By Michael Bean / Published: August 30, 2017

“Peregrine” comes from the Latin word for traveler, an apt name for this raptor species. Peregrine falcons are limited only by extreme heat, extreme cold, or exceptionally high elevations. (Photo credit: Beth Fishkind)

The peregrine falcon is renowned for its ability to reach diving speeds up to 200 mph. It’s also known for having one of the longest migrations in North America, reaching up to 15,000 miles.

Peregrine falcons are one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica. This extensive range is what made the American peregrine’s dive into near-extinction so worrying.

The peregrine’s swift descent

Historically, there were estimated to be approximately 4,000 breeding pairs of peregrines in the United States. Despite its eminent speed and strength, the population reached alarmingly low numbers in the 1970s when the bird completely disappeared from the eastern U.S. and only 300 breeding pairs remained throughout the rest of the country. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged bald eagle, conservation, cornell lab of ornithology, Endangered Species Act, environmental defense fund, peregrine falcon, wildlife | Comments are closed

A bird has united thousands. It will not divide us.

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 18, 2017

An icon of the sagebrush sea, the greater sage-grouse is a sight to behold. Males often gather in large numbers to woo females and strut with chests puffed and spiky tails fanned. (Photo credit: Tatiana Gettelman)

It was a sunny, cool morning – a typical September day in Colorado. I pulled up to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and walked towards a stage where the state flags for Colorado, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming waved in the wind alongside the American flag.

It was a good morning. Then-Secretary of the Interior Department, Sally Jewell, had announced earlier that morning that the greater sage-grouse – a bird with habitat spanning parts of 11 western states – was “not warranted” for listing under the Endangered Species Act, thanks to one of the largest collaborative conservation efforts in America’s history.

A success story in the sagebrush sea

Sixteen million sage-grouse once roamed the American West. The Plain Indian tribes lived among the birds, hunting them for food and mimicking the males in their ceremonial dances. Meriwether Lewis spotted them “in great abundance” in 1805 during his expedition with William Clark, providing the first written account of the species.

As of 2010, there were approximately 200,000 to 500,000 birds remaining.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged conservation, department of interior, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, endangered species list, greater sage-grouse, mitigation, Partnerships, sage grouse, sagebrush ecosystem, secretary zinke, western governors, wildlife | Comments are closed