Regional News and Recovery Updates

Region 2

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) New Mexico Ecological Services State Office has been working with Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the FWS Albuquerque Regional Office (Division of Water Resources), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service), The Nature Conservancy, and the New Mexico Natural Heritage Inventory to develop conservation agreements for three springsnail species that are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Chupadera springsnail (Pyrgulopsis (="Fontelicella") chupadae), Roswell springsnail (Pyrgulopsis (="Fontelicella") roswellensis), and Koster's tryonia (Tryonia kosteri) are all endemic to New Mexico. The Chupadera springsnail is found only on private land, while the other two species are known from springs on Bitter Lake NWR and on private land. FWS biologists are participating in efforts to determine the current status of these species and are working with private landowners to protect springs that support the snails.

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The U.S. Department of State has agreed to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to address the cumulative impacts of bridges over the Rio Grande between Texas and Mexico. The FWS, along with other Federal agencies (General Services Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, Border Patrol, Customs Bureau), is participating in the effort. Currently, 15 bridges span the Rio Grande in the stretch from Del Rio to Brownsville alone, and another 9 are proposed for construction. At least 20 listed species of plants and animals, and hundreds of rare or peripheral species, occur in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Since the turn of the century, approximately 95 percent of the native Tamaulipan thornbrush habitat once found in this area has been cleared for agriculture and urban development. The remaining 5 percent of the Lower Rio Grande area of Texas still supports many unique and rare species. Because of the need to protect the remaining native habitats, three national wildlife refuges are located in this area. In fact, the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established specifically to preserve habitats along the lower Rio Grande and to establish a "wildlife corridor" to connect larger "islands" of habitat in the United States. Unfortunately, additional bridges or other development proposed for construction along the Rio Grande in this area may inhibit the movement of wildlife along the narrow corridor of habitat between the U.S. and Mexico. Secondary and indirect impacts associated with construction of an international bridge (increased highway construction and other development) are often as detrimental to wildlife resources as the direct impacts of the bridge itself.

Representatives of the FWS Lower Rio Grande Ecosystem Team attended an interagency scoping meeting for the PEIS last spring in Austin, Texas, along with about 20 other State and Federal agencies. Three public scoping meetings were held in May 1995 in Harlingen, Laredo, and El Paso, Texas. The FWS provided written comments to the State Department on June 12, 1995. The final PEIS on the bridge construction projects is expected by March 1996.

Region 3

In July 1995, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the FWS Bloomington, Indiana, Field Office initiated much needed conservation efforts for the endangered Mitchell's satyr butterfly (Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii). Only five apparently viable populations remain rangewide (Indiana and Michigan). At the time of its listing, two populations existed in Indiana. Unfortunately, recent surveys failed to locate the butterfly at one of the two previously occupied sites. In an attempt to strengthen the Indiana population, efforts to reintroduce the butterfly to a nearby TNC-owned property were completed this year. Biologists will monitor the site next year to determine if the project was successful.

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In an effort to determine the movements of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Wisconsin's Wolf River, large sturgeon were collected and implanted with radio tags for tracking over a 3-year period. The fish were released upstream of the Shawano Hydroelectric Dam. If they are found to migrate downstream through the Shawano Dam and the next downstream dam (Shawano Paper Mills Dam), then the installation of fish ladders at these dams will likely be required to allow lake sturgeon and other fish species to move back upstream to Menominee Indian Tribal waters on the Wolf River. The Menominee Reservation was a historic spawning area for the lake sturgeon before fish passage was blocked by the two dams.

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Approximately 11,000 visitors learned about endangered species recently during a "Conservation Fest" at the Kansas City, Missouri, Zoo. The FWS Columbia, Missouri, Field Office hosted an endangered species booth during this 2-day event.

Region 5

In August 1995, the FWS New Jersey Field Office concluded informal consultation with the EPA regarding changes in plans for the clean-up of the Gloucester Environmental Management Service's (GEMS) Superfund site in Camden County, New Jersey. The EPA's original design for removal of contaminated groundwater at the GEMS landfill could have damaged adjacent wetlands supporting over 25,000 clumps of the swamp pink (Helonias bullata), a threatened wildflower. Working with FWS biologists, EPA modified the project by reducing the number of groundwater extraction wells to avoid draining the critical wetlands while allowing capture of the contaminant plume. Long-term hydrological and vegetative monitoring will be conducted to ensure that the redesigned clean-up plan does not adversely affect swamp pink habitat.

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The Freshwater Mussels of Vermont, a new publication resulting from years of joint effort by the FWS, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, and private groups and individuals, is now available. It describes the distribution and status of all freshwater mussels known to occur in Vermont, and includes distribution maps and photos (in both color and black-and-white) of each species. Introductory sections discuss ecology and life history, threats, and historical and current mussel surveys. The price is $6.00 (postpaid). To order, contact The Nature Conservancy, 27 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 (ATTN: Chris Fichtel).

Region 7

Work during the summer of 1995 focused on pinpointing the cause(s) of the spectacled eider's (Somateria fischeri) precipitous population decline in Alaska. Twenty adult male eiders were collected from St. Lawrence Island in early May during migration to their wintering areas. Satellite transmitters were implanted in 9 males from Russia, 10 females from the Yukon Delta, and 10 females from Prudhoe Bay. Tissue samples were collected to screen for contaminants, and prey items collected from these birds are being identified.

Research conducted by the National Biological Service has included tissue analysis of lead levels in spectacled eiders from the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge and North Slope in Alaska, as well as eiders from Russia. Blood samples and x-ray images were collected from females at hatching time and again 30 days later, and from ducklings at 30 days of age. The X-rays indicated that some females and ducklings had ingested lead shot.