 This edition of the Endangered Species Bulletin commemorates 2008 as "The Year of the Frog," and focuses on the efforts of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and other partners to conserve imperiled amphibians.
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| Photo Credit: Patrick Connor, USFWS |
Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes to Remove Snake from Endangered Species Act Protection
July 8, 2008
The non-poisonous Concho water snake -- found in portions of the Colorado and Concho Rivers in central Texas -- has a relatively short life that rarely exceeds five years. Despite its name, it doesn't live under water. It breathes air through its lungs (not gills) just like other snakes, but never strays too far from water. On July 8, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed rule (for more information visit the Ecologoical Services site) in the Federal Register to remove the Concho water snake from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted through September 8, 2008.
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| Dr. Tuggle presents Warner Glenn with an award for his recovery efforts of the Jaguar and borderlands. Photo Credit: Bill Radke, USFWS |
US Fish and Wildlife Service Honors Arizona Conservationist for Dedication to Protecting Jaguars and Borderland Habitats
June 12, 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Warner Glenn of Douglas, Arizona, “Regional Recovery Champion” for his outstanding contributions to threatened and endangered species in the Southwest. Benjamin N. Tuggle, PhD, Director of the Service’s Southwest Region, presented Glenn with the award at a meeting of the Malpai Borderlands Group in southern Arizona.
Critical Habitat Proposed in Coastal Counties for Migratory Piping Plovers
May 19, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites comments on its proposal to re-designate critical habitat for the wintering population of a rare bird, the piping plover, in nine counties along the Texas coast.
Proposed Rule
News Release
Fact Sheet
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| Photo Credit: Scott Williams, USFWS | |
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| Dr. Tuggle, Director, Southwest Region and John Huffman, Texas Coastal Program Coordinator review imagery of the coast. Photo credit: Woody Woodrow |
Habitat for Endangered and Threatened Birds Saved by Shoreline Restoration Project
May 2008
Eight years ago, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Houston Audubon Society and the Galveston Bay Estuary approached the Fish and Wildlife Service seeking help in restoring important wildlife and bird habitat on North Deer Island. We welcomed the opportunity to join in. Healthy habitat is critical in our efforts to save species. When we restore habitat – like North Deer Island – we are not only ensuring the survival of our wildlife, but benefiting ourselves because viable islands like one this help buffer the shoreline from aquatic impacts. We find it so often in our work – what’s good for wildlife habitat is good for people.
Please see our National Fish and Wildlife Service Web site for more information on our activities in other areas of the country.
Please take the time to email Lisa Whittle, Southwest Region Web Manager with your comments regarding the Southwest Region website redesign.
Refuge Features
The San Andres National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern New Mexico recently burned over 7,000 acres to improve wildlife habitat for desert bighorn sheep. The refuge has the largest concentration of desert bighorn sheep in New Mexico.
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| Flames from a prescribed fire burn across the San Andres Mountains in southern New Mexico. Photo Credit: USFWS |
Firefighters from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management used both ground and aerial ignition techniques. The burn was closely monitored to ensure public safety.
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| A firefighter with the Fish and Wildlife Service uses a drip torch as part of a cotrolled burn on San Andres National Wildlife Refuge. Photo Credit: USFWS |
Fire is used as a proactive land management tool throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System . Prescribed fire reduces the future possibility of catastrophic wildfires and enhances critical wildlife habitat. Prescribed fire mimics natural processes that restores native grasslands and opens corridors for wildlife to use for escape from predators and for migration.
To learn more about fire activities throughout the Fish and Wildlife Service visit our national fire program website.
Fish & Wildlife Service Partners with Private Landowners to Protect Prairie Chickens
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Male lesser prairie-chicken. Photo credit: Nancy Riley, USFWS |
April 2008
Because of the dramatic decline in lesser prairie-chicken numbers over the last fifty years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has identified the lesser prairie-chicken as a Candidate Species for Federal listing under the authority of the Endangered Species Act. Researchers studying mortality factors for the birds in the southwestern United States found that collisions (mainly with fences) account for 35 percent of the hen mortalities in New Mexico. During the 7th Annual Prairie Chicken Festival in Milnesand, New Mexico, this April, the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program installed three miles of fence markers on private landowners’ fences in the heart of the New Mexico lesser prairie-chicken population in an effort to reduce adult hen mortality and improve nesting and brood-rearing success. Read the complete article by Nancy Riley.
Last updated: September 2, 2008
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