Action timeline

February 28, 1996 – Ten of the 12 imperiled picture-wing species were classified as candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.  

January 17, 2001 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed rule to list the 12 species of Hawaiian picture-wing flies as endangered.

September 19, 1997 – The two picture-wing species not already classified as candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act were made candidates.  

February 28, 2005 – The Center filed a lawsuit over the Service’s failure to list the 12 picture-wing flies and its failure to designate critical habitat.

May 9, 2006 – The Center and the Service reached a settlement for a timeline for listing the picture-wings species and designating critical habitat. The Service listed 11 of the imperiled picture-wing flies as endangered and one as threatened, and a finalized critical habitat designation — proposed by the Service to be just 18 acres — was due in April 2007.

November 28, 2007 – The Service proposed expanding the Hawaiian picture-wings’ final critical habitat designation to include 9,238 total acres on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai, with 78 acres under military control on Oahu exempted.

December 5, 2008  – The Service issued a final critical habitat designation for the picture-wings of approximately 8,788 acres in Hawaii’s Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties.