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CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
<www.biologicaldiversity.org>
10-10-01
#286
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AGREEMENT RESULTS IN LISTING OF THREE SPECIES
AS
ENDANGERED,
PROPOSED LISTING FOR FOURTH
§ SCALESHELL MUSSEL: (AL, AR, IA, IL, IN, KY,
MN, MO, OH,
OK, SD, TN, WI
§ OHLONE TIGER BEETLE:
CA
§ SPALDING’S CATCHFLY: BC, ID, MT, OR, WA
§ ROTA BRIDLED
WHITE-EYE: PACIFIC ISLANDS
§ BONNEVILLE CUTTHROAT TROUT DENIED
PROTECTION
§ ESA LISTINGS: CLINTON 62, BUSH 7
Fulfilling an
agreement reached with the Center for Biological
Diversity, the Southern
Appalachian Biodiversity Project, and the
California Native Plant Society to
issue rapid Endangered Species
Act listing decisions on 29 species from the
Pacific Islands to Florida,
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed three
western species and one
eastern species as endangered in the past week and
published a
proposal to list a pacific island bird. In the weeks prior to
this, it listed
two southwestern plants (Holmgren milk-vetch and Shivwitz
milk-vetch)
and proposed to list a southwestern butterfly
(Sacramento
checkerspot butterfly).
For more information and maps of
the 29 species:
www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/activist/ESA/settlement.html
SCALESHELL MUSSEL: 13 EASTERN STATES
The
scaleshell mussel was listed as an endangered species on 10-9-01.
It
historically occurred in 55 rivers in 13 states within the
Mississippi River
Basin. It has declined to just 14 rivers in three
states: the Meramec,
Bourbeuse, Big, Gasconade, and Osage Rivers
in Missouri; Frog Bayou and the
St. Francis, Spring, South Fork
Spring, South Fourche LaFave, and White
Rivers in Arkansas; and
the Little, Mountain Fork, and Kiamichi Rivers in
Oklahoma. In 11 of
these rivers, only single or very few mussels have been
found.
Scientists hope to find it in six additional rivers (Cossatot,
Little
Missouri, Saline, and Strawberry Rivers, and Myatt and
Gates
Creeks) in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The scaleshell mussel’s
dramatic decline is due to habitat loss, water
pollution, sedimentation,
channelization, sand and gravel mining,
dredging, and reservoir construction.
It is one of many freshwater
mussel’s and clams approaching extinction in the
eastern U.S. As
an assemblage, eastern freshwater bivalves are among the
most
endangered species in North America.
As they can not swim
upstream, freshwater mussels would eventually
be washed out to sea were it
not for an amazing distribution strategy.
They spray their eggs onto the
gills and fins of the specific fish
(sometimes luring them with appendages
shaped like bait fish).
When the fish swim upstream (barring the presence of
dams) the
eggs mature, fall off, and cling onto river bottom cobble, thus
keeping
the “immobile” mussels well distributed. The scaleshell mussel
has
evolved to use the freshwater drum as it upstream taxi.
OHLONE TIGER BEETLE: CALIFORNIA
The Ohlone tiger
beetle was listed as an endangered species on 10-9-01.
It is a colorful,
predatory beetle which occurs in only five
locations within Santa Cruz
County. It is threatened by suburban
sprawl, including recreational
development, and incursion of non-native
species into coastal terrace
prairies. Only 2,000 to 10,000
adults remain.
The Center won an
earlier lawsuit to obtain a listing proposal for the
beetle which has been
waiting for federal protection since 1997.
SPALDING’S CATCHFLY: BC, ID, MT, OR,
WA
Spalding’s catchfly, a plant in the carnation family, was
listed as
endangered species throughout its range in BC, MT, ID, WA, and
OR
on 10-10-01. Only 52 populations remain: seven in west-central
Idaho,
seven in northeast Oregon, nine in western Montana, 28 in
eastern Washington,
and one in British Columbia. Population sizes
range from one to several
thousand, with only 18 containing more
than 50 plants and only six containing
more than 500 plants. In
totality, less than 17,000 plants still
exist.
Spalding’s catchfly is one many grassland species which
has
declined due to urban sprawl, agricultural expansion,
fire
suppression, livestock grazing, herbicides, and non-native
species
encroachment. Its particular grassland habitat, the Palouse
prairie
subdivision of Northwest bunchgrass, has declined by 98%.
Some
populations also occur in canyon grasslands.
Following a
familiar pattern of delay, the catchfly was first petitioned
for federal
listing by the Smithsonian Institution in 1975 and proposed
for federal
listing in 1976. Twenty years later, it was still languishing in
bureaucratic
limbo, prompting the Biodiversity Legal Foundation and
Montana and Washington
Native Plant Societies to file another listing
petition in 1995. After more
delays, BLF sued to obtain a proposed
listing rule. After more delays, BLF
sued to obtain a final listing rule.
The funds to issue the final listing
rule were made available through
the national 29 species listing
agreement.
PACIFIC ISLAND BIRD PROPOSED FOR ESA
PROTECTION
The Rota bridled white-eye, a bird, was formally
proposed for listing
as an endangered species on 10-3-01. It is endemic to
the island of
Rota within the Mariana Archipelago under the jurisdiction of
the U.S.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Formerly common
in forest throughout the island, the bridled white-eye
has declined by over
90% and is now restricted to just four small
patches of mature forest. It is
threatened by habitat fragmentation
from sprawl, agricultural expansion and
typhoons.
BONNEVILLE CUTTHROAT TROUT DENIED
PROTECTION
On 10-9-01, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
announced a decision to
not protect the Bonneville cutthroat trout as a
federally endangered
species. One of many declining western cutthroat trout
species, the
Bonneville has disappeared from streams throughout its range in
UT,
WY, ID, and NV. The Fish & Wildlife Service, however, declared
that
the 291 remaining populations (occupying 852 stream miles and
70,000
acres of lake habitat) are not threatened with extinction.
As in its
politically motivated decisions to not list the Rio Grande,
Yellowstone, and
Westslope cutthroat trout, the Service tallied up
every possible population
without taking into account their precarious
status. It ignored a recent
doctoral dissertation which concluded: "the
majority of isolated populations
do not have adequate space for
long-term persistence."
The Bonneville
cutthroat trout was petitioned for federal protection by
the Desert Fishes
Council and American Fisheries Society in 1979,
the Desert Fishes Council and
the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance in 1992, and the Biodiversity Legal
Foundation in 1998.
ESA LISTINGS: CLINTON 62,
BUSH 7
While the Clinton administration listed 62 species under
the
Endangered Species Act by October 10th of its first year in office,
the
Bush administration has listed just seven: six in response to
petitions,
lawsuits, and agreements with the Center for Biological Diversity
and
one in response to a lawsuit by the Biodiversity Legal Foundation.
The Center has protected 121 species and 35.3 million acres of
critical
habitat under the ESA since 1993.