E N D A N G E R E D P

March/June 1998

BULLETIN Vol. XXIII No. 2-3

.ioneering naturalist Aldo Leopold once wrote with regret about watching "the fierce green fire" dying in the eyes of a Mexican wolf he shot during his early days in Arizona. A government-sponsored campaign eventu-ally eliminated the Mexican wolf from the American southwest. But that green fire returned to the wilds of Arizona early this spring when the first group of cap-tive-bred Mexican wolves was released. Their return helps to mark 1998 as the 25th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. Across the country, other rare species, such as Califor-nia condors, southeastern fishes, and unusual Hawai-ian plants, are also being reintroduced to the wild. The road to recovery is seldom straightforward or easy, but with patience and the neces-sary resources, there is hope.

r U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE Washington, D.C. 20240

li

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director Gerry Jackson, Aaaistmit Director for Ecological Services

E. LaVerne Smith, Chief, Division of Endangered Species Richard Hannan, Deputy Chief Division of Endangered Species Kathi Bangert, Chief Branch of Information Management Susan Linner, Chief Branch of Conservation & Classification Cynthia Dohner, Ch ief Branch of Recovery & Consultation

REGION ONE Eastside Federal Complex, 911 N.E. 11th Ave, Portland OR 97232

(70:^8-2171 (70m58-2171 (70S)S58-2S90 (70;i):i58-2i0r> (70il)S58-2106

California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Am erican Samoa, Commonwealth of the N(rrthern Mariana Islands, Guam and the Pacific Trust Territories

Michael J. Spear, Regional Director (50:1)231-6118 http://www.rl.fws.gov

REGION TWO PO. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 8 7103

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas Nancy Kaufman, Regional Director (505)21,8-6282 http://sturgeon.irml.r2.fws.gov

REGION THREE Federal Bldg., Ft. Snelling, Ttvin CitieH MN 55111

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin

William Hartvdg, Regional Director (612)715-5301 http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/

REGION FOUR 1875 Centunj Blvd., Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 3031,5

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Sam Hamilton, Regional Director a0i)679-7086 http://wvTO'.fws.gov/r4eao

REGION FIVE 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadleij, MA 01035

Connecticut, Delaivare, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virgin ia

Ronald E. Lambertson, Regional Director (1,13)253-8659 http://www.fws.gov/r5fws

REGION SIX PO. Box 251,86, Denver Federal Center, Denver CO 80225

Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, andWyoming

Ralph 0. Morgenweck, Regional Director (303)236-7920 http://www.r6.fws.go^

REGION SEVEN 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503

Alaska Dave Allen, Regional Director (907)786-351,2 http://www.r7.fws.gov/

E N D A N G E R E D

B U L L E T I N Telephone: (70S)S58-'2S90 Fax:(70S)S58-1735 Internet:

R9FWE_DES.ESB(i>)fws.gov http://mmv.fws.gov/r9eyidiipp/endspp.html

Editor Michael Bender

Associate Editor Martha Balis-Larsen

Art Director David Yeargin

10

Turning the

Corner Towards Recovery

How Americans

Value Wildlife

Contributors Michael Bender Karen Day Boylan E.LaVerne Smith Kim Mitchell Jennifer Gilbreath Robert Robichaux Joan Canfield Frederick Warshauer Marie Bruegmann Elizabeth Friar Jane Hendron Peggy Shute J.R. Shute Patrick L. Rakes Richard G. Biggins David Harrelson Michael Hutchins EdDiebold William Waddell Mike Wallace DougWarmolts Anne Hecht Mark Phillips

On the Cover The Mexican wolf, or el lobo, took a big step towards recovery this spring when captive-bred groups were released into the wild for the first time at sites in eastern Arizona Photo by Richard Forbes

Oppositepage In search of Mauna Kea silverswords above the clouds. Photo by Joan Canfield

The Endangered Species Bulletin ivelcomes manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to endangered species. We are particularly interested in nezvs about recovery, habitat conserva-tion plans, and cooperative ventures. Please contact the Editor before preparing a manuscript. We cannot guarantee publication.

The Fish and Wildlife Service distributes the Bulletin primarily to Federal and State agencies, and official contacts of the Endangered Species Program. It also is reprinted by the University of Michigan as part of its own publication, the Endangered Species UPDATE. To subscribe, un-itetheEndangeredSpeciesUPDATE,SchoolofNatural Resources, University of Michigan, InnArbor, MU8109-1115; (yrcallS13/76S-3'US.

^ ^ Printed ivith vegetable-based ink on recycled and recyclable paper. If you do not keep W T f t back issues, please recycle the paper, pass them along to an interested person, or

donate them to a local school or libra n/.

18

21

12 Mexican Wolf Returns to the Wild

U The Act of Saving the Wolf

Jim Clark

A Bright Decade for the Red Wolf

Restoring Mauna Kea's

Crown Jewel

Condor Soars Toward

Recovery

30

86

Building Partnerships With Zoos and Aquariums

Threatened Species in New York City!

00 African Elephant Conservation Act

Departments

u Regional News and Recovery Updates

Listing Actions Richard A. Arnold

by Michael Bender, Karen Day Boylan, and E. LaVerne Smith

Tlirning the Corner Towards Recovery

7 w -wenty-five years ago, Congress gave two Federal agencies—the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Na-tional Marine Fisheries Service—a responsibility that was breathtaking in scope. The assignment was noth-ing less than this: to reverse a plant and animal ex-tinction rate that had grown for centuries and threat-ened to leave future generations with a biologically impoverished world. To accomphsh this enormous task, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), the most comprehensive of all our envi-ronmental laws.

Scientists estimate that more than 500 species shpped to extinction in the United States in the two centuries preceding passage of the ESA, most of them due to habitat loss. This estimated extinction rate makes the following fact even more impressive: Of the more than 1,650 species of plants and animals that have been listed under the ESA as threatened or endangered worldwide, only seven, or less than one percent, subsequently were recognized as extinct. Preventing the extinction of the remaining 99 percent is one of the ESAs biggest successes thus far It is also a vital first step toward the ultimate goal of the endangered species program: to restore imperiled plants and animals to a safe, secure status.

One of many conservation tools The ESA is one of a suite of Federal

conservation laws enacted over many years to protect and restore species, habitats, and ecosystems. For example, the Lacey Act was originally passed in 1900 to outlaw interstate traffic in birds and other animals illegally killed in their

State of origin, and today it is a vital tool that allows the Federal government^ to aid other governments (State, foreign, and Tribal) in enforcing their own conservation laws. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects most native wdld birds found in the United States. The Water Pollution Control Act, also knovra as the Clean Water Act, originally enacted in 1948 and amended extensively since then, requires that due regard be given to the wetland habitats of fish and other aquatic life via water quality programs and permit requirements during development planning. The Marine Mammal Protec-tion Act of 1972 was designed specifi-cally for the conservation and manage-ment of sea otters, polar bears, dug-ongs, manatees, cetaceans (whales), and pinnipeds (seals). Altogether, more than 150 U.S. laws and international treaties cover fish, wildlife and habitat conserva-tion, management, protection and restoration. If these measures do not prevent a species from declining toward extinction, there is an ultimate safety net: the ESA.

4 ENDANGERED SPECIES BULL?;TIN MARCH/JUNE 1<»8 VOLUME XXIII NO. 2-3

The ESA has been characterized as an ecological "emergency room." When other laws covering the conservation and maintenance of biological diversity

J"ail to keep a species out of imminent Ranger, the ESA is often the last hope for its survival. But saving a "patient" in such desperate condition, and eventually restoring it to health, is seldom an easy or straightforward task. The threats to a species' survival may involve several centuries of habitat loss, and environmental restoration takes time. In other cases, extensive research may be needed to identify and reverse the often complex factors leading to the decline of a species. Habitat protection or rehabilitation, contaminants analy-ses, development of captive propagation and reintroduction methods, control of harmful non-native species, genetic management, law enforcement, and monitoring are some of the tasks neces-sary in all too many recovery efforts.

With limited funding and personnel resources available for the more than 1,100 U.S. plants and animals currently jfsted as threatened or endangered,

"relatively few species thus far have recovered to the point that they can safely be delisted. There has been some progress, however; 8 U.S. species have been removed from the list due to recovery and another 18 species (all but 3 of which are native to the U.S.) have been upgraded in status from endan-gered to the less critical category of threatened. But, more importantly, at least half of all species listed for a decade or more are now either stable or improving in status. The 25-year period since passage of the ESA feel like a long time in the fast-paced late 20th century, but on nature's scale it is not long at all. Perhaps the 25th year is a good time to take a look back and a look forward to see how we can expedite recovery.

Tapping the flexibility of the ESA Over the past several years, and in

'response to a national dialog on endangered species conservation, the Fish and Wildlife and National Marine

Fisheries Services have taken major steps toward mak-ing the ESA work better by tapping into the flexibility already contained in the current law but seldom used in previous years. The originating point for these new initiatives was a list of principles known as the 10-Point Plan, which was issued in 1995 to minimize im-pacts on landown-ers, grant greater authority to States and local g o v e r n m e n t s , make implement-ing the law sim-pler and more ef-ficient, and im-prove the species recovery rate. The 10 principles are:

1. Base ESA decisions on sound and objective science.

2. Minimize social and economic impacts.

3. Provide quick, responsive answers and certainty to landowners.

4. Treat landowners fairly and with consideration.

5. Create incentives for landowners to conserve species.

6. Make effective use of limited public and private resources by focus-ing on groups of species that depend on the same habitat.

7. Prevent species from becoming endangered or threatened.

8. Promptly recover and delist threatened and endangered species.

9. Promote efficiency and consis-tency.

10. Provide State, Tribal, and local governments with opportunities to play a greater role in carrying out the ESA.

Habitat protection, reestablishing

young eagles into former habitat, and

the ban on DDT have promoted the

recovery of our national symbol. In

recognition of the bald eagle's

comeback, the Fish and Wildlife

Service expects to propose within a

year to remove it from the endangered

and threatened species list

Photo by B. Moose Peterson/WRP©

5 ENDANGERED SPECIES BULL?;TIN MARCH/JUNE 1<»8 VOLUME XXIII NO. 2-3

Among the animal and plant species for which the FWS plans action in the next two years for delisting or reclassification, at least in part because of recovery progress, are the following:

Animals • bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus)—delist • American peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum)—delist • Aleutian Canada goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia)—delist • brown pelican (Gulf Coast) (Pelecanus occidentalish-delist • Tinian monarch (Monarcha takatsukasaej— delist • island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana}— delist • tidewater goby (Eucych-gobius newberryi)—delist • Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes)— delist • Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucuru)— delist/reclassify • Hawaiian hawk (Buteo solitarius}—d e I i st/rec I ass ify • gray wolf (eastern U.S.) (Cam's lupus)—delist/ reclassify • Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabri-nus fuscus)—reclassify • Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos}— reclassify

Plants • Ash Meadows sunray (Enceliopsis nudicaulis var. corrugata)—delist • Ash Meadows gumplant (Grindelia fraxino-pratensis)—delist (continued on opposite page)

The following summarizes some of the actions taken in recent years to make the ESA work better:

Sound science and peer review The Services have always been

responsible for, and proud of our record of, basing ESA actions on the best available scientific information. A notice published in the July 1, 1994, Federal Register reinforced this practice by formally describing procedures for ensuring scientific peer review of all proposed hsting actions and recovery plans by experts in species biology and habitats. Peer review and comments from the public often produce new scientific information that strengthen these actions. The Services' commit-ment to science was recognized by a 1995 report. Science and the Endan-gered Species Act, which was prepared by the National Research Council at the request of Congress. This report concluded that there has been a good match between sound science and the ESA since its passage in 1973. A report issued by the Ecological Society of America further endorsed the science used in implementing the ESA.

Involving the public and stakeholders Recognizing that the contributions of

all affected stakeholders are critical to developing successful recovery plans and minimizing the economic and social impacts of such plans, the Services provide affected local interests the opportunity to participate in the recovery planning and implementation processes. Private landowners can become involved in a variety of ways, large or small. For example, Paul and Rosie Schluter, a couple who own a 40-acre farm in Minnesota, have become caretakers for an endangered wild-flower, the Minnesota dwarf trout lily, that gi'ows on their land. On a larger scale, John Anderson, owner of the 500-acre Hedgerow Farms in California's Sacramento Valley, has shown initiative in restoring habitat for endangered species on his farm through working

with State and Federal conservation agencies in the national Partners for Fish and Wildlife program.

Candidate conservation Placing greater emphasis on the

conservation of candidates for listing makes obvious sense; it is easier to recover a declining species before it reaches the brink of extinction. The Services are providing earlier protec-tion for species to help ensure their long-term survival and, when possible, prevent the need to list them under the ESA. For example, approximately 40 Candidate Conservation Agreements were completed between 1994 and 1997. These agreements benefit more than 200 proposed and candidate species. State-listed species, and other species of concern. To date, these agreements have enabled the withdrawal of seven proposals to list species. In one of the most recent examples, a proposal to list the Atlantic salmon in seven Maine rivers under the ESA was withdrawn after the State of Maine developed an Atlantic Salmon Conservation Plan. (See Bulletin Vol. XXIII, No. 1.)

Listing species Despite the greater emphasis now

being directed toward candidate conservation, ESA protection is still appropriate for species that have already declined to a perilous state. Despite a year-long Congressional moratorium in 1995-1996 on listing, nearly 400 plants and animals have been added to the endangered and threatened species list since 1992. The Service's goal is to recover these species so that they can safely be removed from the list.

Recovery The number of listed species covered

by recovery plans is expected to pass 1,000 before the year 2000. Both Services have developed new poHcies and procedures to make the recovery process more effective. Reforms have focused on increasing the involvement

6 ENDANGERED SPECIES BULL?;TIN MARCH/JUNE 1<»8 VOLUME XXIII NO. 2-3