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Endangered Species ConservationEndangered Species Act of 1973
Requires the Secretary of the Interior (through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service) to identify and publish lists of species that are endangered or threatened
The lists include both U.S. and foreign species, and include animals, plants and invertebrates.
Decision whether to list must be based solely on the biological evidence
Anybody that can provide adequate evidence can make a proposal for listing.
Recognizes that species have aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value to the nation and its people.
The Supreme Court has interpreted the ESA to mean that the value of species cannot be calculated, and that listed species should be protected whatever the cost
Definitions
• An endangered species means any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range
– other than a species of the Class Insecta determined by the Secretary to constitute a pest whose protection under the provisions of this chapter would present an overwhelming and overriding risk to man.
• A threatened species is one that may soon become endangered if its situation is not improved.
• A candidate species is one that is being considered for listing as an endangered or a threatened species, but is not yet the subject of a proposed rule. This designation does not confer any protection on the candidate species
Steps involved in listing a species
Endangered species
Cannot be "taken ".
"Take" means harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in such conduct.
Such activities directed against animals are illegal even on private land (not true for plants!)
A recovery plan must be developed and the recovery of the species must be monitored.
The species or its products cannot be exported or imported.
Species, Subspecies, and Evolutionarily Significant Units
• The original ESA applied only to named species and subspecies.• Some species exist as multiple reproductively isolated population
segments, that might represent enough evolutionarily significant genetic diversity to make all of the segments worth preserving.
• Anadromous fish populations (e.g. salmon) associated with specific rivers represent some of the main examples of such subdivided species.
• In 1978 the ESA was amended to allow listing of "distinct population segments" of vertebrates. – populations that are reproductively isolated from other populations of the same species and might provide the genetic raw material for future evolutionary changes
• 26 populations of West Coast salmon and steelhead were listed as endangered or threatened.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/fish-193070-creek-steelhead.html
Admin. Period Number of species
Species per year
Ford 74-77 47 15
Carter 77-81 126 32
Reagan 81-89 255 32
Bush 1st 89-93 231 58
Clinton 93-01 521 65
Bush 01-08 60 8
Obama 08-09 2 2
Species given protection(Endangered + Threatened)
Endangered and Threatened Species
(As of 5/14/2008)
U.S. animal species listed 608
U.S. plant species listed 744
U.S. species with designated critical habitat 506
Animal species candidates for listing 144
Plant species candidates for listing 138
Habitat conservation plans approved 894
Species with approved recovery plans. 1117
Endangered Species Committee (1978): Can decide on extinction
Secretary of the InteriorSecretary of AgricultureSecretary of the ArmyChairman of the Council of Economic AdvisorsHead of the Environmental Protection AgencyHead of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationA representative from the affected state.
Applications for exemption from the ESA
• Tellico Dam in Tennessee (Snail Darter fish) - exemption refused; later approved by Congress and President Carter. 1979.
• Grayrocks Dam, WY (whooping crane) granted in 1979.
• Bureau of Land Management for timber harvesting in Pacific Northwest (Northern Spotted Owl) : Led to a compromise: the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) 1993
Penguins:17 species, feed mostly on krill
Center for Biological Diversity sued to get protection for 11 species threatened by loss of sea ice.
USFWS listed seven species:
•African penguin•Yellow-eyed penguin•White-flippered penguin•Fiordland crested penguin•Humboldt penguin•Erect-crested penguin•Some populations of southern rockhopper penguin
USFWS declined to review Emperor Penguin (star of “March of the Penguins”), despite 50% decline in population
Island fox subspecies
Total in 1994: 6,000Total in 2001: <1,660. San Miguel Island Fox:Historic: 4501999: 15 (14 in captivity)
Was 14 – now 54
Was 15 – now 38 <100
• All four subspecies of Island Fox are threatened by introduced diseases, such as canine distemper, habitat alteration related to the introduction of pigs, goats, deer, cattle, sheep, and elk, and predation by golden eagles
• 4-17-03: The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to list the island foxes as endangered species.
• 3-4-04: Channel Island Fox listed as Endangered
Endangered Species at Upper Newport Bay
3
Clapper RailRallus longirostris
Light-footed clapper rail Rallus longirostris levipes FE, SE
Least TernSterna antillarum
California least tern Sterna antillarum browni FE, SE
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
http://www.arkive.org/black-skimmer/rynchops-niger/video-08.html
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/black-skimmer-rynchops-niger/several-birds-skimming-canal
Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
Belding’s savannah sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi SE
Tidewater Goby
Riverside Fairy Shrimp
Other Endangered Species of Southern California
Santa Ana Sucker
California gnatcatcher
California GnatcatcherPolioptila californica
Coastal California gnatcatcher Polioptila californica californica FT
Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae),
Tidewater Goby
Scientific Name Eucyclogobius newberryi
Vernal Pool Fairy ShrimpBranchinecta lindahli
(Picture of a close relative)
White: Listed as Endangered in 2001 (first federally endangered marine invertebrate). No critical habitat designation (might increase poaching)
Black: Listed as Endangered, January 2009. Declined by 99%, Critical Habitat under review.
Abalone (8 species in E. Pacific)
Red Abalone (Cabrillo Marine Aquarium)
Sea otter decline in the Aleutian Islands
Alaska
Aleutian Islands
Decline Continuing 2000-2003
2005: (In response to lawsuit from Center for Biological Diversity) Southwest stock listed as Threatened2006: Center for Biological Diversity sued to compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitatSoutheast stock is increasing!
Status of Sea Otter StocksReintroduced in 1969 and 1970:
• Overfishing• Decline in Steller sea lions and
harbor seals (usual food of Killer whales)
• Increased predation on sea otters by killer whales.
• Decline in Sea Otters• Population explosion (8x increase) of
sea urchins (usual food of sea otters)• Depletion of kelp beds (food of sea
urchins)• Depletion of king crabs, shrimp,
smelt • Less food for seals and sea lions
Ecosystem collapse in the Aleutian Islands (N. Pacific) 1977-2000
California Sea Otter•Thought to have numbered 20,000 before exploitation
•Thought to be extinct until about 300 discovered in 1938
•Listed as Threatenedsince 1977
•Slowly recovering: 2007 count: 3,026
The California Endangered Species Act (1970)
Reauthorized 1997
• California has the largest number of rare plant and animal species of any State in the nation
• California was the first State to establish an Endangered Species Act
• Parallels the main provisions of the Federal Endangered Species Act
• Administered by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG)
• Limited to species or subspecies native to California
• Consultation: State lead agencies are required to consult with DFG to ensure that any action it undertakes is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or result in destruction or adverse modification of essential habitat
• California law allows the designation of a species as Fully Protected, which is a greater level of protection than is afforded by the California Endangered Species Act.
– Such a designation means the listed species cannot be killed, nor can its habitat be destroyed if this would ultimately lead to its death or destruction.
– Fully Protected Species has been given to the Southern Sea Otter, California Condor, California Least Tern, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Bighorn Sheep, Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and many others.
Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
1. Prevent extinction
2. Move toward recovery
3. Achieve full recovery
● 52 listed species potentially extinct, but…● Only 21 (1.5%) disappeared after listing, and…● Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing
● ESA at least 99.6% successful by this measure
CENTERFOR
BIOLOGICALDIVERSITY
Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
1. Prevent extinction
2. Move toward recovery
3. Achieve full recovery
● 52 listed species potentially extinct, but…● Only 21 (1.5%) disappeared after listing, and…● Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing
● ESA at least 99.6% successful by this measure
CENTERFOR
BIOLOGICALDIVERSITY
● 17 species fully recovered and removedfrom endangered list
● ESA only 1.0% successful by this measure
Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
1. Prevent extinction
2. Move toward recovery
3. Achieve full recovery
● 52 listed species potentially extinct, but…● Only 21 (1.5%) disappeared after listing, and…● Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing
● ESA at least 99.6% successful by this measure
● 17 species fully recovered and removedfrom endangered list
● ESA only 1.0% successful by this measure
● 97.5% not extinct or recovered● population trend anecdotes (bald eagle, grizzly bear, etc.), but no comprehensive data…
Listed species that are reported to be possibly extinct as of the 2002 Report to Congress include:1. Alani (Melicope balloui). According to the recovery plan, “[s]pecies is rare and known from only 9 collections, the last occurring in 1927…” and there is “…little accurate information regarding size and distribution of population.” 1052. Alani (Melicope quadrangularis). According to the recovery plan only 13 individuals of species known as of 1994. 1063. Bachman's warbler (=wood) (Vermivora bachmanii). According to the recovery plan it is “presumed near extinction--no known localities of regular occurrence in since early 1970's (Cuba)” [sic] 1074. Black clubshell (Pleurobema curtum). According to the recovery plan “fresh dead” specimens were last found in 1989. 1085. Bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus conspicillatus). According to the recovery plan it was last observed June 1983. 1096. Eastern Puma (=cougar) (Puma (=Felis) concolor couguar). According to the recovery plan there have been no breeding cougar populations substantiated since the 1920’s. 1107. Eskimo curlew (Numenius borealis). 8. Flat pigtoe (Pleurobema marshalli). According to the recovery plan none were found alive during 1987 and 1988 surveys. 1119. Fosberg's love grass (Eragrostis fosbergii). According to the recovery plan it was thought extinct until 6 individuals were rediscovered in 1991. 11210. Green blossom pearlymussel (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculums). 11. Guam broadbill (Myiagra freycineti). (This species was delisted as extinct in 2004.) 11312. Haha (Cyanea copelandii ssp. copelandii). According to the recovery plan it was last collected 1957. 11413. Ha`iwale (Cyrtandra crenata). According to the recovery plan a “[p]opulation has not been observed since 1947, and there are no other known individuals.” 11514. Holei (Ochrosia kilaueaensis). According to the recovery plan it was last collected in 1927 and the last sighting was in the1940s. 11615. Ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis). This species has been recently rediscovered.16. Kauai akialoa (honeycreeper) (Hemignathus procerus). According to the recovery plan the species was last seen and collected in late 1960s. 11717. Kauai o`o (honeyeater) (Moho braccatus). According to the recovery plan there have been no sightings or observed vocalizations since 1987. 11818. Large Kauai thrush (Myadestes myadestinus). According to the recovery plan the last sighting was in 1989. 11919. Liliwai (Acaena exigua). According to the recovery plan the species has not been found since 1957. 12020. Mariana mallard (Anas oustaleti). (This species was delisted as extinct in 2004.) 12121. Maui akepa (honeycreeper) (Loxops coccineus ochraceus). According to the recovery plan there has been no “reliably detectable population” since 1970. 12222. Molokai thrush (Myadestes lanaiensis rutha). According to the recovery plan the species was last seen in a “fleeting glimpse” in 1988. 12323. Molokai creeper (Paroreomyza flammea). According to the recovery plan there have been no sightings since 1963. 12424. Oahu creeper (Paroreomyza maculate). According to the recovery plan the last “well documented sighting” was in 1985. 12525. O`u (honeycreeper) (Psittirostra psittacea). According to the recovery plan the last confirmed sightings were in late 1970’s. 12626. Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis. According to the recovery plan the species was last collected in 1914. 12727. San Marcos gambusia (Gambusia georgei). According to the recovery plan the last specimen was found 1982. 12828. Scioto madtom (Noturus trautmani). According to the recovery plan the species is possibly extinct. 12929. Southern acornshell (Epioblasma othcaloogensis). According to the recovery plan the species has not been found in decades. 13030. Stirrupshell (Quadrula stapes). According to the recovery plan a fresh dead shell was last found in 1986. 13131. Tubercled blossom pearlymussel (Epioblasma torulosa torulosa).32. Turgid blossom pearlymussel (Epioblasma turgidula).
Peregrine Falcon recovery
The fastest animal on earth (180 mph)
American and Arctic subspecies; both affected
1970: only 39 pairs in lower 48 states, none east of Mississippi.
Caused mainly by eggshell thinning as a result of DDT spraying
Listed as endangered 1970
Captive breeding program started - 20 chicks hatched in 1973
6,000 captive-bred birds released in 34 states 1974-1977
Over 1960 mating pairs in 1997
Delisted in 1999
Successful because the single major threat could be addressed
Video
Delisting of California Brown Pelican• Species population
plummeted in the 1950s and 60s, largely due to eggshell thinning by DDT
• Entire species, including California subspecies, listed as endangered in 1970.
• Population recovered after DDT ban in 1972
• Delisted in 2009
DDT Ban
GRAY WHALE RECOVERY AND DECLINE
Bald Eagle Delisted!Lower 48 pairs
417
7,280
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
63 67 71 75 79 83 87 91 95 99 03
• Original: 25-75,000• Suffered from habitat loss, illegal shooting, eggshell thinning by DDT• 1960s: <450 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states (40,000 in Alaska)• In 1967, listed as endangered (under a law that preceded the ESA) • Species saved by new laws against lead shot, plus captive breeding and reintroduction, and banning of DDT in 1972• 1995: Downlisted to threatened• June 28, 2007: Delisted!• Now breeding on Catalina Island and other Channel Islands
DDT Ban
• 1890– Wild California condor population
estimated at 600.• 1940
– Wild population estimate drops to 100.– Species disappears in Mexico.
• 1960– ~ 60 condors estimated to exist in the
world.• 1967
– Listed as an endangered species under the precursor to today’s ESA.
• 1975: California Condor Recovery Program– USFWS– Audubon Society– U.S. Forest Service– San Diego and Los Angeles zoos– California Department of Fish and Game.
California Condor
1982: 22 birds.
1984-85: wild population dropped from 15 to nine.
1987: last nine wild condors captured.
1988: first captive-bred condor chick.
1980: 27 birds.
Double clutching:Remove first egg – female lays another.
Allows higher numbers, BUT after reintroduction these birds show behavior problems:• Tendency to approach humans and human structures• Accept food from humans• Vandalize human property (e.g. tents)
One has to be puppet-reared
1992: first reintroductions, Sespe Condor Sanctuary, Santa Barbara County. The Pinnacles Flight Pen
1996: reintroductions at Castle Craig, San Luis Obispo County, and at Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Canyon, Arizona
1997: Ventana Wilderness Society (non-profit org.) Reintroduction Program in Big Sur and Pinnacles National Monument
Los Padres National Forest, 9/8/07
Condor chicks hatch in wild -news releases:
• June 22, 2001: Chick hatched in a nest in Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County.
• April 11, 2002: For the first time in 18 years, a condor egg laid in the wild hatched in the wild (Ventura County, CA)
• 2002: Six puppet-reared condors released in Baja California• August 2003: Chick hatched in Arizona• April 2004: Three chicks hatched in Ventura County• June 2004: One chick produced at Grand Canyon, another at
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. • 2005: Four captive-reared condors released in Baja California• 2007: First egg since reintroduction laid in Mexico• July 2008: 332 California condors, with 156 living in the wild.
• http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-condor.html
Transmitters and number tags
July 31, 2008
Persistent Threats
• Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for reintroduced condors
• At least 10 deaths in CA and AZ since 1992 known or strongly suspected to be due to lead poisoning.
• Mostly due to condors feeding on carcasses that were killed with lead ammunition.
• ~ 75 incidents in which poisoned condors required chelation therapy to remove lead from their blood.
• Lead ammunition is also toxic to > 48 other species, including Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles.
1996-2004 in AZ: 54 released; 20 died:
Legislation on non-lead ammunition
• September 2007: AB 821, Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act - requires the use of non-lead ammunition when taking big game or coyotes within condor habitat.
– Passed by California Senate and Assembly, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
• December 8, 2007: Stronger regulations adopted by the The California Fish and Game Commission. – Bans lead ammunition in .22-caliber or smaller guns – often
used to kill smaller animals such as squirrels and rabbits– Smaller guns not included in AB 821because there are no non-
lead bullets on the market for them. • Commissioners said they hoped their rule would encourage
manufacturers to make alternatives.
Condor Recovery Imperiled by Lead and Trash
• Birding Briefs -- December 2005
• Adult condors are carrying microtrash - bits of metal, glass, plastic, and other junk - back to the nest, where their chicks are eating it, with dire consequences.
• The problem was illustrated dramatically in August, when biologists discovered a dump's worth of refuse in the crop and gut of a chick taken from a nest in Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in California.
• The young condor had ingested bottle caps, remnants of plastic bags, electrical fittings, shell casings, broken glass and plastic, small pieces of fabric and rubber, and other indigestible items.
• Three hours of surgery at the Los Angeles Zoo were required to remove it all.
• The chick survived and was expected to recover, but another chick in California died after eating trash.
Criteria for Downlisting to Threatened
1. At least two non-captive populations (one in California, one in Arizona) and one captive population must be established.
2. Each population must consist of at least 150 birds and contain at least 15 breeding pairs.
3. Each population must have a positive growth rate and must contain individuals descended from each of the 14 founding birds to ensure maximum genetic diversity.
4. The non-captive populations must occupy separate territories and not interact with each other.
American Peregrine Falcon:Recovery due to Banning of DDTCaptive breeding and reintroduction
American Alligator: Corrected status
Arctic Peregrine FalconRecovery due to Banning of DDT
Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus anatum SE
Tinian monarch:Corrected status
40 species delisted: Why?
Hoover’s woolly-starCorrected status
Eastern Population of Brown Pelican
Recovery due to Banning of DDT
Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis SE
Gray Whale:Recovery due toHunting restrictions (mostly prior to ESA)
ESA and Habitat Protection
•ESA protects habitats by requiring that federal agencies, through their own actions or actions funded or permitted by them, must not jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered species or its habitat.
•Before any federal agency can begin a project or provide funds or permits for a project that might affect a listed species or its habitat, they are required to consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife or NMFS over ways to avoid jeopardizing endangered species.
•Jeopardy can be avoided by rejecting the project, modifying it, or mitigation
Endangered species - protecting habitats
California gnatcatcher - coastal sage scrub in southern California
Least Bell's Vireo - riparian wetlands in southern California
Stephens kangaroo rat - desert areas of Riverside County
Louisiana black bear - hardwood forests in Louisiana
Red-cockaded woodpecker - eastern pine forests
Mt. Graham red squirrel - mountaintop forest islands in Arizona
Delta smelt - Sacramento river delta
Northern spotted owl - old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest
Critical Habitat
• ESA amendment 1978• Designated minimal area for species survival• Can include private property• Cannot be destroyed • No federally permitted or funded project
(including large private developments) are allowed in critical habitat areas (Filling of wetlands and drainages require federal permits).
• Economic factors are considered
Review: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr5071.pdfhttp://www.fws.gov/sacramento/ea/news_releases/2005%20News%20Releases/CRLF_re-pCH_2005_NR.htm
Economic factors may be considered when designating critical habitat: For example, economic impacts
considered on:
• Hydropower dams
• Non-hydropower dams and other water supply structures
• Federal lands management, including grazing
• Transportation projects
• Utility line projects
• Instream activities, including dredging
• EPA NPDES-permitted activities
• Sand and gravel mining
• Residential and commercial development
Example: Salmon
Critical Habitat Designations and Recovery Plans affecting Orange County, CA
• Six Plants from the mountains surrounding the Los Angeles Basin in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties
• Riverside fairy shrimp: 12,060-acre area in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura counties.
• Santa Ana sucker: Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana River drainages.
• Coastal California gnatcatcher: ~ 513,650 acres in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties.
• Tidewater goby: 10 coastal stream segments in Orange and San Diego Counties, California, totaling ~9 linear miles of streams.
• Arroyo toad: ~182,360 acres in Monterey, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties
• Quino checkerspot butterfly: ~301,010 acres in Riverside and San Diego Counties (Orange County could be involved in recovery plan).
Coastal California GnatcatcherCritical Habitat 2002
http://crithab.fws.gov/
Arroyo Toad critical habitat (500,000 acres proposed June 1, 2000;
Final rule 02/06/01protects 182,360 acres)
Map of proposedcritical habitat
Arroyo Toad Critical Habitat 2005
The arroyo toad (Bufo californicus):in the path of the proposed extension of
the Foothills Toll Road(as is the California gnatcatcher)
San Mateo creek
Critical Habitat Metropolitan areas
Critical Habitat Designated in Southern California
Economic Impact of Critical Habitat Designation• California Coastal Gnatcatcher, $915 million over 20 years; • California tiger salamander, $105 - 411 million; • Inyo California towhee, <$100 million"; • San Bernardino Merriam's kangaroo rat, $4.4 - 28.2 million; • Quino checkerspot butterfly, $3.5 - 14.1 million; • Bay checkerspot butterfly, $6.5 million;
Critical Habitat ReversalsMarch 2002: Withdrawal of Critical Habitat
designation for Salmon and Steelhead
More Critical Habitat Reversals• March 8, 2002: A federal judge in Los Angeles, responding to a
Bush administration request, invalidated the critical habitat designation for the Riverside fairy shrimp
• and the Coastal California gnatcatcher
•May 9, 2003: A federal judge threw out critical habitat designation for Alameda whipsnake (Homebuilders Association of Northern California v. USFWS).
•June 2007: San Bernardino kangaroo rat: Critical Habitat proposed reduced from 33,295 acres to 9,079 acres
November 2004: Proposal for Critical Habitat designation for Salmon and Steelhead
(this time, economic impacts – on development, logging and grazing -were considered)
BUT: The area is reduced to only 20% of what was originally proposed! – This proposal includes ONLY occupied areas,
NOT additional areas important for species recovery!
Sep. 2004: Under court order, USFWS designated Critical Habitat for Endangered Bull Trout: 1,748 miles of streams and 61,235 acres of lakes BUT: Originally proposed: 18,450 miles of streams and 532,700 acres of lakes
Color = Final designationGray = Proposed but excluded
Expensive!
USFWS Litigation workload (2005):35 active lawsuits with respect to 57 species, 42 court orders involving 87 species, and 36 notices of intent to sue involving 104 species
• Cost projection for the 283 current candidate species exceeds $150 million.
• These activities are followed by other program actions like recovery, consultation and law enforcement that consume a much larger share of the implementing agencies’ budgets.
•Provides for voluntary cooperation among DFG, landowners, and other interested parties to develop NCCPs which provide for early coordination of efforts to protect listed species or species that are not yet listed. •Purpose is to preserve species and their habitats, while allowing reasonable and appropriate development to occur on affected lands.
•Set aside large areas of habitat to protect multiple species (both endangered and not endangered)•In return, the landowners are allowed to develop outside the conservation area even if it means killing endangered species. •The first one was established to protect Coastal Sage Scrub in Orange and San Diego counties
An alternative An alternative approach: approach: Natural Communities Conservation Planning (NCCP)NCCP Act, 1991California Department of Fish and Game
Natural Community Conservation Planning:
Subregional Planning areas
Orange County Central/Coastal NCCPOrange County Central/Coastal NCCP•Partnership including federal and state wildlife agencies, county and city governments, major landowners and the environmental community
•Approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in April 1996.
•Creates reserves of more than 38,000 acres
•Protects 12 major habitat types and 42 species including the three "target species" (the federally listed California gnatcatcher, the Coastal Cactus Wren, the Orange-throated whiptail lizard), and 39 others (including three mammals, eleven birds, six reptiles, three amphibians, and nine plants).
•Managed and monitored by The Nature Reserve of Orange County, a non-profit corporation.
• Polar bears are threatened with extinction because global warming is causing melting of the polar bear’s sea ice habitat.
• February 2005: Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to force them to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
• February 8, 2006: Status review.
• January 9, 2007: Proposed Rule To List the Polar Bear as Threatened. Final Rule to be published within one year after close of the comment period
• January 9, 2008: Interior Department MISSED THE DEADLINE!
• Conservation groups claim the Administration delayed the ruling to avoid addressing global warming AND to allow oil leases in the Chukchi Sea to proceed. Filed suit on March 10, 2008 to end the delay.
• April 28, 2008: District Court orders the Interior Department to decide by May 15.
1979 2003
Polar Bear listing
Kempthorne announcement
1979 to 2000 1979 to 2000
http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html
Distribution of Polar Bear Populations in the Arctic
Arctic Ocean could be entirely ice-free during the summer months by 2013
Polar Bear Listing
Thursday May 15, 2008
• No Critical Habitat designation• No Recovery Plan (it would have to address the climate change Problem)
1. Threatened status is effective immediately2. “scientific data currently available does not draw a causal connection between GHG emissions resulting from a specific Federal action and effects on listed species or critical habitat by climate change”- the listing would not lead to restrictions on emissions of greenhouse gases from any specific source such as power plants, cars or oil drilling in Arctic waters.
Views of the Oil Industry
RuleListing
Challenges for the Obama Administration
• Backlog of almost 300 candidate species• “Mass listing petition” to list 681 species
under the Endangered Species Act, from WildEarth Guardians, March 2008
• These 681 species represent species in only 12 states, include no subspecies, and are only the "most imperiled" in the U.S.
• Estimated total is 6,000-9,000 endangered species in the United States today.
