Endangered & Protected Species

 

Court Rejects Critical Habitat For Jaguar. According to E&E News, “In a significant victory for New Mexico ranchers, a federal appeals court yesterday rejected the Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of critical habitat for the endangered jaguar. Reversing a trial judge’s 2017 opinion that had been hailed by environmentalists, a unanimous three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded the federal agency was ‘arbitrary and capricious’ in its decisionmaking. ‘The agency did not comply with its obligation to designate unoccupied critical habitat ‘only when a designation limited to its present range would be inadequate to ensure the conservation of the species,’ Judge Carlos Lucero wrote, adding that FWS ‘did not follow its own regulations or provide a rational explanation for failing to do so.’ Lucero, a Clinton administration appointee, was joined by Judge Harris Hartz, a George W. Bush appointee, and Judge Scott Matheson Jr., who was named to the bench by President Obama. The case, Lucero noted in his opinion, involved a ‘complex regulatory history’ for the jaguar that includes assessing the meaning of ‘occupied habitat’ and the appropriate date of the animal’s listing under the Endangered Species Act. ‘The Service must find designation of occupied areas inadequate as a prerequisite to designating unoccupied areas,’ Lucero wrote. The jaguar was listed as a foreign endangered species under the Endangered Species Conservation Act in 1972, even before the 1973 passage of the ESA. FWS listed both foreign and domestic jaguar populations as endangered in

1997.” [E&E News, 3/18/20 (=)]

 

Endangered Gray Wolf Population On The Rise In Southwest US. According to Associated Press, “A voice interrupted the crackle of the radio at basecamp: ‘Starting pursuit.’ The rest of the team on the ground was anxious to hear those words after the low-flying helicopter crew had been working all morning to get close to one of the Mexican gray wolves that had been targeted as part of an annual survey of the endangered predators. For months, crews combed the rugged mountains of the southwestern United States, tracking collared wolves and looking for evidence of new packs to build the most accurate picture possible of just how many wolves are roaming the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. The results of the painstaking effort were finally released Wednesday, revealing there are more wolves in the wild than at any time since federal wildlife managers initiated efforts to conserve the animals decades ago. Since the first wolves were released in 1998, the program aimed at re-establishing the species across its historic range has had its share of fits and starts due to illegal shootings, courtroom battles and politics. The challenges are mounting as ranchers and rural residents say the situation for them has become untenable as 2019 marked a record year for livestock kills. At least 163 wolves were counted during the recent survey. That marks a nearly 25% jump in the population from the previous year and puts wildlife managers about half way to meeting the goal that has been set for declaring the species recovered.” [Associated Press, 3/18/20 (=)]

 

Judge Asked To Force Decision On US Wolverine Protections. According to Associated Press, “Wildlife advocates on Wednesday asked a U.S. judge to force the government into deciding if the snow-loving wolverine should be federally protected as the rare predator becomes vulnerable to a warming planet. The request comes in a lawsuit filed in Montana almost four years after U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen ordered wildlife officials to take swift action to protect the animal. Wolverines, also known as ‘mountain devils.’ need deep snows to den. Scientists warn such habitat could shrink as the Earth heats up. Once found throughout the Rocky Mountains and in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, wolverines were wiped out across most of the U.S. by the 1930s following unregulated trapping and poisoning campaigns. An estimated 250 to 300 wolverines survive in remote areas of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state, according to wildlife officials. Populations also are in Canada and Alaska. Wednesday’s lawsuit was filed by attorneys for the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and more than a half dozen other groups. The case was assigned to Christensen. … A final determination on whether the wolverine should be protected is expected by late summer 2020, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Assistant Director Gina Shultz said in the letter to Earthjustice attorney Amanda Galvan.” [Associated Press, 3/18/20 (=)]

 

Boat Restrictions Implemented Near Boston To Protect Whales. According to Jurist, “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented new boat restrictions on water east of Boston on Monday to protect migrating North Atlantic right whales. NOAA announced a new voluntary vessel speed restriction zone after North Atlantic right whales were spotted 18 nautical miles east of Boston. The whales are currently migrating along the Atlantic coast of the United States. With only an estimated 400 remaining, North Atlantic right whales are one of the rarest marine mammals in the world. They are currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. With the implementation of the new restrictions, there are now three voluntary slow speed zones and three mandatory zones. Mariners are asked either to go around or to go less than 10 knots inside the areas in which the whales have been spotted. These restrictions remain in place until March 29.” [Jurist, 3/18/20 (=)]

 

Wildlife Corridors

 

Safe Passages - Rocky Mountain Animals Will Move As The Climate Warms. These Corridors Could Give Them An Easier Path. According to The Washington Post, “Long-haul trucks roar along Interstate 80, a transportation backbone that stretches from San Francisco to just outside New York City. Traffic is so heavy here that the state’s transportation department recently counted a passing vehicle every 10 seconds, on average. This vital, four-lane corridor of commerce also threatens wildlife. It blocks the ancient north-south paths of mule deer, elk and pronghorn, creatures that embody the American West. Animals that try to complete annual migrations, which their species have made for thousands of years, risk deadly encounters with passenger cars or 18-wheelers. And as the climate changes, altering where animals graze and find suitable habitats, migration corridors are more important than ever to their survival. ‘We can’t predict exactly what the impacts of climate change are going to be, or what species are going to be impacted,’ said Hall Sawyer, a research biologist at Western Ecosystems Technology. ‘We do know one fundamental truth: That if we can keep this landscape connected, improve that permeability, they’ll be better off.’ Wyoming officials and scientists have a plan: Build wildlife crossings to preserve migrations. Bridges, tunnels and other structures — imagine protected bike lanes, but for animals — can protect animals from hazards like highways and help them navigate a warming planet.” [The Washington Post, 3/3/20 (+)]

 

 

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