Endangered Species Bulletin articles from July 2003

Endangered Species Bulletin archives from July 2003

Three decades of recovery.
July 1, 2003... The theme of this issue of the Bulletin is the foundation of the Endangered Species Act: recovery. In the ESA, Congress declared that threatened and endangered "fish, wildlife, and plants are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical,...

A journey of a thousand steps.
July 1, 2003... The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) requires the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Fisheries to develop recovery plans for listed endangered and threatened species and to implement these plans to...

Species on the brink of recovery.
July 1, 2003... The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The ultimate symbolic action in a species' recovery effort is taking the species off the endangered and...

Saving species on the brink of extinction.
July 1, 2003... According to paleontologist Niles Eldredge, Earth is experiencing its sixth major wave of extinction. (1) Our nation has not escaped the forces threatening plant and animal species. Of the more than 1,200 species in the United States currently...

Recovering a prairie orchid.
July 1, 2003... A partnership of stakeholders and the Fish and Wildlife Service's Chicago Ecological Services Field Office took root over 10 years ago and has blossomed into an active recovery program for the eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera...

From cage to rainforest.
July 1, 2003... The Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, is one of the 10 most endangered birds in the world. This emerald-green parrot is one of nine native species of Amazon parrots found in the West Indies, and the...

Partners for running buffalo clover recovery.
July 1, 2003... In the space between forest and prairie, shade and sunshine, calm and disturbed, grows an unassuming endangered plant with historical ties to the buffalo (Bison bison). Running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) once occurred over a broad...

Recovery planning for the white abalone.
July 1, 2003... The white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni), a marine mollusk highly prized for its tender white meat, is native to the Pacific coast of North America from Point Conception, California, to Punta Abreojos in Baja California, Mexico. It was listed as...

Recovery champions.
July 1, 2003... I often takes many individuals and organizations to accomplish the steps that move a threatened or endangered species away from the brink of extinction. Yet, it also takes the passion and dedication of individuals to promote and direct the...

Dick Biggins, recovery hero.
July 1, 2003... You wouldn't expect one of the Service's most accomplished biologists to readily share embarrassing stories about himself. Retired Fish and Mollusk Recovery Coordinator Dick Biggins is responsible for getting 29 rare species on the threatened...

"Sea Otter" and the geese.
July 1, 2003... Robert "Sea Otter" Jones first came to the Alaska's Aleutian Islands while serving as a radar officer in the U.S. Army during World War II. He moved to Kodiak after the war, but turned his attention to the Aleutian archipelago again in 1948...

A plan for Hawaiian plants and their ecosystems.
July 1, 2003... The native plants and animals of the Hawaiian Islands comprise one of the world's most remarkable examples of insular evolution. However, since colonization of these islands by humans, starting with the Polynesian voyagers over 1,500 years ago,...

An unconventional approach to habitat conservation.
July 1, 2003... Last year, biologists in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Chesapeake Bay Field Office tried something new to protect a rare reptile, the bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii). They began their work one tree at a time. They were not saving the...

Progress in riparian brush rabbit recovery.
July 1, 2003... Although it was once pervasive in the dense riverside forests of California's San Joaquin Valley, the riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius) nearly disappeared in the 20th century as forests were cleared for farms and cities. With...

Stakeholders unite for flycatcher.
July 1, 2003... Q: What do you get when yon cross 14 scientists from various disciplines, numerous Native American tribes, 15 federal agencies, and over 200 community representatives, including ranchers, farmers, water and power interests, environmental...

A butterfly's magical reappearance.
July 1, 2003... The Fenders blue butterfly pulled its own magic act. After being described in 1931, it disappeared for 50 years, only to reappear in the late 1980s. Endemic to native prairie habitats in the Willamette Valley, we now know the species exists in...

CPR for species.
July 1, 2003... Have you ever wondered how to give CPR to a plant? Would it be easier with a butterfly? Yes, we are talking about resuscitating species in trouble. However the abbreviation in this case stands for Cross Program Recovery. This program began when...

Partners in butterfly conservation.
July 1, 2003... When the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service conceived of organizing the Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI), it was, in many ways, a good idea because of the expertise that already existed within...

Proposed listing rules.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... From January through June of 2003, the Fish and Wildlife Service published the following proposed and final rules in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The full text of each action can be found through our website:...

Final listing rules.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Scotts Valley Polygonum (Polygonum hickmanii) On April 8, we listed this plant, a small annual in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae), as endangered. It is at risk of extinction because of habitat damage caused by erosion, soil compaction,...

Proposed reclassification.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Missouri Bladderpod (Lesquerella filiformis) The Missouri bladderpod is an annual plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) about eight inches (20 centimeters) tall with bright yellow flowers that bloom in late April or early May. The species...

Final reclassification.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) On April 1, a steadily growing gray wolf population in the western Great Lakes states and a highly successful reintroduction program in the northern Rocky Mountains prompted us to change the status of gray wolves in...

Proposed delisting.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Johnston's Frankenia (Frankenia johnstonii) We proposed on May 22 to remove this plant--a low growing, grayish-green perennial shrub native to southern Texas and adjoining areas in Mexico--from the federal list of endangered and threatened...

Listing withdrawal.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) On January 3, we withdrew our earlier proposal to list this reptile as threatened, based on a determination that listing is not warranted at this time under the terms of the ESA. The threats to the...

Critical habitat.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Critical habitat, as defined in the ESA, is a regulatory term for a specific area that contains physical and biological factors that are essential for the conservation of a listed species. Critical habitat designations do not a establish a...

Final critical habitat designations.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) We designated critical habitat on June 23 for this threatened subspecies, which has an extremely long tail, large hind feet, and long hind legs. The designation includes 8 habitat units...

Proposed critical habitat designations.(Listing Actions)
July 1, 2003... Five Southeastern Mussels We proposed on June 3 to designate critical habitat in for five endangered species of freshwater mussels. The designation would include portions of rivers and streams totaling some 544 miles (875 km) in Alabama,...

Box score.
July 1, 2003... Listings and Recovery Plans as of December 31, 2003 ENDANGERED THREATENED GROUP U.S. FOREIGN U.S. FOREIGN MAMMALS 65 251 ...