Implementation of Recovery ActionsThe following is a sampling of recovery actions demonstrating successful cooperative efforts among private landowners, federal and state agencies, local governments and non-government organizations for species on the road to recovery.
Division of Endangered SpeciesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-January, 1995-
Hawaiian Forest Birds.During 1994, almost $2 million was provided under a cooperative agreement to The Peregrine Fund for construction and operation of a captive propagation facility on the island of Hawaii that may eventually work with as many as 19 endangered Hawaiian forest bird species. Land for the facility was provided by the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate. Construction is scheduled to begin during 1995, and in the interim, The Peregrine Fund is incubating, rearing and releasing the critically endangered Hawiian crow, or `alala, in temporary facilities. In cooperation with the State of Hawaii's Olinda Endangered Species Propagation Facility on Maui, nine new `alala chicks have been raised in 1994. Upon their release, at least 19 Hawaiian crows will exist in the wild, an increase of about 60 percent in a two-year period. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Biological Service, Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii for studies of the breeding biology, demographics and behaviors of several endangered forest birds on Maui. The Service is providing $60,000 toward the effort. A grant of $97,150 was provided to the Conservation Research Foundation (formerly Greenfalk Consultants) to conduct surrogate forest bird research aimed at recovery of the `alala and other endangered passerines in Hawaii and the Pacific Region.
Northern Spotted Owl.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff from the State of Washington, Oregon and California provided support to the recovery team in preparation of the draft recovery plan. Agencies charged with implementing the plan established three working groups, under the authority of the 1990 Interagency Agreement, to reduce future conflicts with the northern spotted owl and with other species.
Desert Tortoise.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel in Nevada, California and Utah have worked with local governments and state and federal agencies in developing Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) for this species. Participants in the planning efforts included Clark County, Nevada; China Lake Naval Weapons Center and Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base in California; Washington County, Utah, and state wildlife resource agencies and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in all three states. The Management Oversight Group, comprised of Service, BLM and state managers and biologists have identified research needs and recommendations for funding, reviewed research proposals, developed a manual to educate and aid law enforcement officials and developed a compensation policy for loss of desert tortoise habitat.
Lost River and Shortnose Suckers.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated contacts with private landowners in the Klamath Basin to establish voluntary habitat restoration projects on their lands.
Brady Pincushion Cactus and Navajo Sedge.Funds were provided to the Navajo Nation for conducting surveys to better define the distribution and abundance of these species to aid in their recovery.
Johnston's Frankenia.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided information to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service), landowners and the local media to further public awareness of this species and its habitat.
Aplomado Falcon.A cooperative agreement between the Corpus Christi Field Office and New Mexico State University enabled a study to identify habitat requirements and population status for this species in northern New Mexico.
Little Aguja Pondweed.In cooperation with the Mercer Arboretum and Buffalo Trails Boy Scout Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted surveys for this species and determined actions that the Boy Scouts of America can carry out on their property to conserve the species.
Sea Turtles.The number of nesting Kemp's ridley sea turtles at Rancho Nuevo increased for the fifth consecutive year. This increase is attributed to 15 years of joint United States-Mexican protection and management of nesting beaches and the increased use of TEDs by the American shrimping fleet. Another season of increased nest protection and hatchling escapement to the Gulf of Mexico resulted from Service-supported protection efforts. Research work was supported to distinguish Western Atlantic hawksbill populations and provide data to help evaluate potential harvest proposals from individual nations. The Florida Department of Natural Resources has proposed revisions to strengthen sea turtle protection requirements during beach armoring and nourishment activities.
Ozark Big-Eared Bat and Gray Bat.A 255-acre tract of Farmer's Home Administration property containing caves and land important to the recovery of the Ozark Big-Eared Bat was transferred to the Oklahoma Bat Caves National Wildlife Refuge. An agreement was negotiated with the Cherokee Nation to protect 120 acres of tribal lands for the benefit of these endangered bats.
Karner Blue Butterfly.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on two Section 7 consultations in Wisconsin regarding the Karner blue butterfly. One is with Fort McCoy, and the other is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Jackson County Forestry and Parks for the Lake Wazee project. All parties are working cooperatively to identify and develop conservation plans for the Karner blue butterfly.
Karner Blue Butterfly HCP.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the forest industry and other stakeholders on a statewide Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Karner blue butterfly. The HCP will allow for ecosystem planning as well as integration of conservation measures with forestry practices.
White Cat's Paw Pearly Mussel.The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Indiana Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Management and Ohio Department of Natural Resources have joined with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an effort to maintain and enhance the quality of the Fish Creek Watershed in Indiana and Ohio. Fish Creek exhibits outstanding biodiversity and supports one of the most diverse and rare mussel populations in the Midwest and the only known population of this endangered mussel species.
Least Tern.The Canadian River Least Tern Preserve was established to protect 16 miles of the South Canadian River for nesting least terns. This project, undertaken jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, the City of Norman, and the Cleveland County Audubon Society, focuses on work with private landowners for the conservation of this species. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation developed a least tern public service announcement for television, advising river users of the impacts of human disturbance on nesting least terns.
Piping Plover.Intensive cooperative protection efforts by federal, state and private organizations has resulted in Maine piping plovers having the highest average productivity (1.95 chicks per pair) between 1988 and 1993 of any state on the Atlantic coast.
Least Tern and Piping Plover.Both species nest on sandbars in the Platte River and much of this habitat has disappeared. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has assisted the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust and the Nebraska Public Power District in creating sandbar habitat in the Platte River channel. Vegetation is cleared from existing tree and brush-covered islands and a dredge sidecasts sand and gravel onto the cleared island to simulate the natural nesting habitat of both species. To date, six of these habitat complexes have been constructed along the central Platte. The Service has also worked with the Loup Power District to achieve similar least tern and piping plover conservation.
Kirtland's Warbler.A record number of jack pine seedlings -- 4.5 million -- were planted in 1994 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service on about 2,500 acres. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to remove parasitic cowbirds from warbler breeding colonies to increase the survival of young Kirtland's warblers. More than 4,600 cowbirds were removed in 1993.
Florida Panther.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service participated in a public awareness event sponsored by Mariner Capital management of Marco Island, Florida, and in a television program arranged by the Robert Plan Corporation of New York. The Plan Corporation printed 50,000 copies of the publication, "Save The Florida Panther," and the Service cooperated with the Atlanta Braves baseball team in co-hosting an Earth Day Expo with an endangered species theme. A Florida panther from Wildlife Rescue, Inc., was viewed by a Braves audience of 45,000 fans. The Service and the Florida Panther Interagency Committee held a series of three public meetings to inform the public of the captive breeding program.
Red Wolf.The first second-generation red wolves were produced in the wild at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Eight public meetings were held in North Carolina counties to review the accomplishments of the first five years after release and present a proposal to expand the project westward into Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. An educational package was prepared and distributed to 500 schools in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park area in Tennessee to explain red wolf releases and the recovery effort in general.
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.Artificial cavities have been highly successful in increasing the red-cockaded woodpecker population in the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina. Artificial cavities have also been used to expand or stabilize small populations in the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi, the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky and other National Forests in Texas. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation completed a management plan for the McCurtain County Wilderness Areas, the last remaining red-cockaded woodpecker population in the state.
Louisiana Black Bear.The 50-member Black Bear Conservation Committee, representing the forest industry, agricultural interests, private conservation groups, landowners, the academic community and federal and state agencies, has worked to make bear restoration within the region a reality and is widely viewed as a cooperative model. The committee completed habitat management guidelines for forestland owners wishing to provide bear habitat.
Mississippi Sandhill Crane.A Population and Viability Analysis Workshop was held to discuss management of the wild population, captive breeding, habitat manipulation, genetics and health concerns. Participants included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Captive Breeding Specialist Group, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, International Crane Foundation and the Audubon Park Zoo.
Florida Scrub Jay.Implementation of improved management plans on public lands and protection of this species on private lands through Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) is making significant strides toward achieving recovery of this species.
Green Pitcher Plant.Numbers of plants and flowerings have increased in several locations. Protection has been achieved through land acquisition by The Nature Conservancy and voluntary protection agreements with private landowners.
Puerto Rican Plain Pigeon.The captive breeding program, a cooperative effort among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, has resulted in new breeding facilities in Hammock. A study of the wild population and its habitat is underway to determine which areas are being used for breeding, roosting and feeding and to identify areas essential to the recovery of the species.
Freshwater Mussels.Artificial propagation research using non-endangered mussels is being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority and a private aquatic research facility. A study to help predict the potential distribution of the exotic zebra mussel and its impact on native mussels was initiated.
American Burying Beetle.A pilot effort to reintroduce the beetle to historic habitat on Penikese Island, Massachusetts, was completed. Additional lab-reared beetles were released and trapping confirmed that reproduction by release stock had occurred. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a new unit within the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, in Rhode Island, to protect the only known natural population of the beetle in the eastern United States.
Puritan Tiger Beetle.The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has worked to develop a management agreement with a private landowner for one of three sites of the Connecticut population of the Puritan tiger beetle.
Penland Beardtongue.Seeds have been collected for storage and propagation studies and recovery actions include transplanting studies, habitat purchases, land exchanges and special management designations. The public and local agencies have been informed about the species and are supportive of protection and recovery efforts.
Welsh's Milkweed.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation to change their off-road vehicle management in a state recreation area to protect this species.
Osterhout Milk-Vetch.Seeds have been collected for storage and popagation studies. Recovery actions include transplanting studies, habitat management and population monitoring. Other agencies have been supportive of recovery efforts.
Pallid Sturgeon.The Missouri Department of Conservation has successfully developed and tested a method for captive propagation of the pallid sturgeon under hatchery conditions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Missouri have worked together to develop guidelines under which captive propagation and stocking will become an integral part of the species' recovery program.
Wyoming Toad.Mortenson Lake, which supports the last remaining wild population of the Wyoming Toad, was purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from The Nature Conservancy in order to establish a National Wildlife Refuge. In an attempt to establish a second wild population, captive individuals were bred in cages at Lake George at Hutton National Wildlife Refuge to facilitate imprinting.
June Sucker.A cooperative propagation effort by the Bureau of Reclamation, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Provo water users, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in the production of 6,000 fry. The Utah Correction Institute has been converted to a June sucker rearing facility and more than 400 fish are being raised there with excellent results.
Bald Eagle Viewing Program.More than 400 bald eagles congregate on the Missouri River below Canyon Ferry Dam between mid-October and mid-December to feed on spawning salmon, the largest concentration of fall migrant eagles in the lower 48 states. A cooperative Management Plan and public education program has been developed to enable viewing of the eagles while minimizing disturbance to the birds. Recreational and other activities such as dredging or mining are coordinated and managed to facilitate viewing of the birds by the public. Extensive local, state and national media coverage brings more than 10,000 people each fall to view the eagles. Cooperators include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and city and county representatives and private landowners.
Logging and Bald Eagle Nest Conservation.Louisiana-Pacific Corporation owns land adjacent to Nevada Lake where an active bald eagle nest occurs. The Corporation was aware of the bald eagle nest and the potential to displace the birds, possibly resulting in abandonment of the nest to due to their proposed logging operations. The corporation contacted the Montana Field Office and arranged a meeting to schedule and coordinate their logging. Agreements were reached on the timing and type of logging. Monitoring after the logging confirmed successful nesting by the eagle pair.
Whooping Crane.Through the Partners for Wildlife program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has restored whooping crane roosting habitat on the Platte River, which serves as habitat for migrating whooping cranes which prefer to roost in wide channels free of vegetation and other obstructions. Much of the wide channel of the Platte has been altered to a thickly forested channel due to extensive water impoundment and diversion throughout the Platte River system. Agreements have been signed with the National Audubon Society and individual private landowners to clear trees and other vegetation from the channels and open up habitat not only for the endangered whooping crane but sandhill cranes, waterfowl, shorebirds and other migrating waterfowl dependent upon such habitat. In conjunction with the Prairie Plains Resource Institute, Central Platte Natural Resources District, the Platte River Whooping Crane Trust and individual landowners, the Service is experimenting with techniques to restore wet meadows and associated prairie, where many birds feed.
Greenback Cutthroat Trout.The greenback cutthroat trout was once abundant in Colorado, but by the late 1800s, had been eliminated from most of its native range due to overharvesting and the introduction of exotic trout species. In 1973, two small populations of approximately 2,000 individuals were found in one stream. Through the recovery effort, captive broodstocks were established, non-native fish were removed and greenbacks were reintroduced. There are currently 51 sites that support greenbacks, with 29 of those open to catch-and-release fishing. Nineteen populations are now considered stable. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the greenback cutthroat trout is on the road to recovery.
Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly.The Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly was discovered in 1978 on U.S. Forest Service land at Mt. Uncompahgre in Hinsdale County, Colorado. In 1982, another colony was found on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land at Redcloud Peak about 10 miles south of Mt. Uncompahgre. With no new major colonies discovered and with those that were known showing population declines, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service emergency-listed the species as endangered in 1991. Listing increased protection from collectors and placed greater emphasis on managing the habitat in which the butterfly lives. The Service eventually entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and partnerships were formed with the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Colorado Natural Heritage program to carry out the recovery plan. Since the listing, the butterfly has shown an increase in population and a large new colony has been found a little more than a mile from the original discovery site.Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
