Wildlife Weekly Wrap-Up

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Proposal to Downlist Manatee: This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its proposal to downlist the West Indian manatee from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. In response, Defenders former president and CEO, Jamie Rappaport Clark said: “The West Indian manatee population is increasing in Florida thanks to the dedicated work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and other conservation partners in the state. Endangered Species Act protection is crucial to ensuring the survival and success of this species, which was in serious danger of extinction at the time of its listing in 1967. It is vital that all of the protections that helped the manatee begin to recover up to this point remain in place, even if its legal status changes from endangered to threatened.”

Bison catch a much deserved break: Bison once roamed in massive wild herds across the West. But, by the late 1890s, only 1,000 bison remained in North America. Yellowstone National Park was one of the few places genetically pure bison survived, reduced at one time to 25 individuals. A century later, this tiny herd has increased to a population of approximately 4,900, making Yellowstone home to the largest wild herd in the nation. In the past, these bison were confined to Park boundaries as a result of outdated management policies which denied them access to low elevation winter habitat outside the park. The result was a contentious program of harassment and shipment to slaughterhouses. We’ve been fighting tooth and nail to reform these outdated policies and we have some great news to share! In December, Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced a proposal to expand the areas bison can roam in Montana outside of Yellowstone, thereby reducing pressure to “ship to slaughter” and endless hazing of bison. We’re thrilled to see the Governor take a stand and chart a new course for bison conservation in Montana. This new policy is a significant step in our continued work to restore bison to public lands in Montana and throughout the West.

Pallid Sturgeon spared for now: This week, we made meaningful progress on our litigation to save one of the nation’s last wild populations of pallid sturgeon. This population, comprised of approximately 125 fish in the upper Missouri River basin, is at risk of local extinction due to dam operations that block their access to prime spawning habitat. To add insult to injury, federal agencies have actually been planning to move forward with a new dam proposal that would worsen this already serious problem for sturgeon. In response to litigation brought by Defenders and Natural Resources Defense Council, a federal judge blocked this dam from going forward last September. And this week, the judge told federal agencies they must re-evaluate the impacts of potential alternatives to provide pallid sturgeon passage under federal environmental laws. As Defenders’ McCrystie Adams puts it: “We’re hoping the agencies take a real hard, realistic look at just taking that dam out of the river altogether. There’s no reason for that dam. You take out the dam, and you fix the problem.” At Defenders, we believe there are other ways to ensure that water is diverted to the local irrigators. We’ll use this court mandated “time out” to show these agencies there are better options that would actually enable fish passage for sturgeon and ensure that irrigators also have a reliable water supply. Stay tuned in the coming months for more!

New UCLA study on lobos’ historic range: A study from UCLA demonstrates that Mexican gray wolves had a greater historic range than previously known. The study shows that lobos roamed far to the north, including into southern Colorado and southern Utah. The study is timely in light of the fact that the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission’s main argument in favor of passing an anti-wolf, anti-wildlife ban on Mexican gray wolf reintroduction is that lobos never roamed in the Centennial State. The Commission will be voting on this politically-driven wolf ban on Wednesday, January 13 at 4:00 pm. And we need your help! We’re hosting briefings for folks who live in the Denver area who want to attend the commission meeting next week. Even if you choose not to speak, it’s important to pack the room with wolf supporters. If you can join Defenders and other wolf advocates for the briefings and/or the commission meetings, click here for more information.

A video we know you’ll love: Don’t miss this short video of Elizabeth Ruther, Defenders’ northwest representative, helping the effort to restore imperiled fisher to a public lands in Washington! We love showing you some of the neat opportunities our staff have on the ground to protect our nation’s most imperiled wildlife, all possible because of people like you! Ready more about this effort here. Happy viewing!

Oregon Officials Take Wolf Plan Under Review: Next Friday Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will have their quarterly meeting, and guess what’s on the agenda? Wolves. When wolves were removed from the state list of protected species last November, the Commission assured everyone that it would work quickly to complete an overdue update to Oregon’s state wolf management plan. First drafted in 2005 and renewed in 2010, this plan sets the regulatory standards for managing wolves in the state. It is the primary tool for ensuring wolf recovery in Oregon, providing specific protections for our fragile wolf population and detailing rules for minimizing conflicts between wolves and human activities. We’re glad to see Commission make good on its promise to review the plan, and we’ll continue to work with officials to ensure any revisions maintain the high level of precautionary and protective measures for Oregon’s still vulnerable wolves.

California fails to meet water targets – again: The state of California has once again missed its mandated reductions in water use. With fish and wildlife still feeling the effects of the drought, this kind of result puts endangered species and fragile natural areas in California in even more danger. Defenders has been working tirelessly on water conservation issues, and while California missing its target for the second time isn’t the best news we all hoped for, we continue to encourage Californians to keep doing their part to conserve water even in the winter. No matter how big or small – every effort makes a difference!