Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

On September 7, 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the availability for public review and comment of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Columbia Basin distinct population segment of the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). The Draft Recovery Plan, Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the plan, and other documents related to our efforts to recover the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the links provided below.

Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Draft Recovery Plan

Federal Register NOA for the CBPR Draft Recovery Plan

Final Template Safe Harbor Agreement

2006 CBPR Captive Breeding and Management Plan

2006 Reintroduction Plan for the CBPR in Washington

Federal Enhancement of Survival Permit Application (download to use)

Final Rule to List the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit as Endangered

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Warren at (509) 893-8020, or Michelle Eames at (509) 893-8010.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public meeting to discuss the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Draft Recovery Plan at the North Central Washington Fairgrounds in Waterville, in the District Den room, on October 11, 2007, from 7 pm to 9 pm. Agency representatives will be there to discuss the plan and answer questions.

 

More Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit information:

On October 24, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) signed a Template Safe Harbor Agreement for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit (CBPR). The Agreement provides a process by which non-federal and non-WDFW land owners and managers can voluntarily contribute to state and federal recovery efforts without incurring additional regulatory burdens. In exchange for their contributions, participants will be provided with regulatory assurances that they will not be subject to future land-use restrictions or additional management requirements if their voluntary actions result in increased numbers or distribution of CBPR above the “baseline” conditions of enrolled property.

The Agreement identifies USFWS and WDFW responsibilities and commitments for implementing the Agreement and working with interested land owners and managers who enroll their property. The Agreement also documents background biological information and fulfills other administrative responsibilities to streamline the enrollment process and to reduce the necessary workload for interested land owners and managers.

Under the Agreement, land owners and managers must apply for a federal recovery permit from the USFWS, agree to have their property surveyed for pygmy rabbits in order to establish the property’s baseline conditions, and develop a detailed site plan for their properties being considered for enrollment. Any pygmy rabbits that may be found during surveys, up to approximately 30, could be removed from the property to be included in the captive breeding program. Any pygmy rabbits removed would not be counted toward the baseline conditions for the properties involved. Once the baseline is established, the USFWS will assist the land owner or manager with development of a site plan for the subject property. When the site plan and permit review process are completed, the USFWS can then issue the recovery permit that authorizes “incidental take” of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits that could result from land-use activities on the enrolled properties.

The area covered by the proposed Safe Harbor Agreement includes portions of six counties in central Washington, Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Adams, Franklin, and Benton. Properties that are most likely to be enrolled under this Agreement would have existing shrub steppe habitat and/or soil conditions that may be capable of supporting Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits, either currently or in the foreseeable future. These lands, as well as adjacent properties that may receive intermittent use by pygmy rabbits for exploratory behavior or dispersal between suitable habitats, total approximately 750,000 acres.

Implementation of the template Agreement would be conducted with emphasis given to eligible land owners and managers on or within five miles of a recovery emphasis area, and those whose properties may currently harbor purebred Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits. In the near-term (up to 10 years), approximately 160,000 acres of eligible property might be expected to be directly affected by implementation of the template Agreement and issuance of Permits, which amounts to roughly 6% of the covered area.

Background:

The pygmy rabbit is the smallest rabbit species in North America, with mean adult weights ranging from 0.8 to 1.1 pounds and lengths from 9 to 12 inches. The pygmy rabbit is most similar in appearance to cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.), but is distinguishable from other rabbit species by its small size, short ears, small hind legs, and lack of white on the tail.

The historic distribution of the pygmy rabbit included portions of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington. The pygmy rabbit has been present within the Columbia Basin ecosystem, a geographic area that extends from northern Oregon through eastern Washington, for over 100,000 years. This population segment, referred to as the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, is believed to have been separated from the remainder of the species’ range for at least 10,000 years, as suggested by the fossil record and population genetic analyses.

There are no recognized subspecies of the pygmy rabbit. The Service recognizes pygmy rabbits within the Columbia Basin (see Historic and Present Distribution, below) as a distinct population segment pursuant to the Act.

The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit was considered to be extirpated from the wild in mid-2004. On March 13, 2007, 20 captive-bred animals were reintroduced to habitats historically occupied by the species. As of December 31, 2006, there were 98 individuals included in a captive breeding program for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, three of which were purebred Columbia Basin animals. The balance of the captive population and those recently released to the wild consist of intercross progeny from controlled matings between Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits and pygmy rabbits of the same taxonomic classification from a discrete population in Idaho. Intercross breeding will facilitate genetic restoration of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit and is considered essential for recovery efforts. Currently, proposed measures to recover the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit in the wild include additional releases of captive-bred progeny with at least 75% Columbia Basin ancestry.

Use of intercross animals for reintroduction efforts is considered essential for Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit recovery efforts. The Service and WDFW anticipate that, as a result of reintroduction efforts, Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits will occupy and may become established on non-Federal and non-WDFW properties, which prompted development of the Template Safe Harbor Agreement for private landowners.