Silvery Minnows Return to Texas

Photo by Raymond Skiles/NPS

January 28, 2009
One of America’s most critically endangered species, the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus), began to face a brighter future on December 17, 2008, with the release of more than 430,000 hatchery-raised fish into former habitat in the Big Bend region of west Texas.  A bucket brigade of volunteers met a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish transportation truck near Rio Grande Village, one of four release sites in and near Big Bend National Park.  The Service plans to release additional fish there over the next four years to establish an experimental, self-sustaining wild population in the lower Rio Grande. 

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Ultralight-Led Whooping Cranes Reach Florida

Seven of 14 in flight led by ultra-light arrives at Florida’s St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Joe Duff/Operation Migration

January 22, 2009
Seven of 14 ultra-light led migrating whooping cranes arrived at Florida’s St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Saturday, January 17 after traveling more than 1,200 miles from their summer grounds at Necedah NWR in Wisconsin. Half of the flock is expected to remain at St. Marks NWR for the winter. The rest of the birds will continue south to Chassahowitzka NWR, 65 miles north of St. Petersburg.

News Release

Video Journey of St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. (c) Drew Smith

Service Releases Interim Update on Status of Greater Sage Grouse

Greater Sage Grouse. Photo by Gary Kramer / USFWS

January 16, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is making available an interim update reflecting the Service’s ongoing synthesis of the biological information currently available regarding the status of the Greater sage-grouse. The final decision on whether the Greater sage-grouse should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) originally due in May 2009, has been delayed pending new information about the species and its habitat. Publication of this new information is currently expected during the summer of 2009.

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Service Removes Gray Wolf Populations from Endangered Species List

Gray wolf. Photo by Gary Kramer / USFWS

January 14, 2009
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced today the removal of the western Great Lakes population and portions of the northern Rocky Mountain population of gray wolves from protection under the Endangered Species Act. The success of gray wolf recovery efforts in these areas has contributed to expanding populations of wolves that no longer require the protection of the Act.

News Release

Great Lakes-Big Rivers Regional Office

Mountain-Prairie Regional Office

Southern Sea Otters Steadily Increase in Number

Southern Sea Otter, USFWS photo

January 9, 2009
Hunted for its luxurious pelt during the 18th and 19th centuries and nearly extinct by the early 1900s, the southern sea otter was listed as threatened in 1977 under the Endangered Species Act. The California subspecies now numbers more than 2800 animals.

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Listen to an interview with the lead sea otter researcher from the U. S. Geological Survey

California Sea Otter Surveys: USGS Web site

Partial Finding Announced on Major ESA Petition

January 7, 2009
The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a negative 90-day finding on a petition that would add hundreds of species to the Federal Lists of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants. The Service made the determination as a partial response to a petition requesting 475 species be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The action found that the petition does not contain substantial scientific data for 270 species.

News Release

Question and Answers

Male Chilean woodstar. Photo by Cristian Estades / USFWS

January 7, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed to protect three species of birds from Latin America and the Caribbean under the Endangered Species Act.

News Release