News Release

See photos http://www.fws.gov/northeast/images.html

The endangered West Virginia northern flying squirrel no longer faces the threat of extinction, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to propose removing the squirrel from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, according to Marvin Moriarty, regional director of the Service's Northeast Region.  

"Our review of the status of the flying squirrel clearly portrays a story of survival, resilience and the benefits of Endangered Species Act protection," Moriarty said.

The regulatory requirements of the act undoubtedly provided protection to the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, formerly known as the Virginia northern flying squirrel, along with two crucial elements, according to Shane Jones, endangered species biologist in the Service's West Virginia Field Office in Elkins.

"The cooperative conservation efforts led largely by the Monongahela National Forest and natural regeneration of the spruce forest ecosystem were essential ingredients in the squirrel's resurgence," Jones said.

The Endangered Species Act requires periodic assessment of all protected species to verify the continuing need for protection. The Service's review of the flying squirrel's status involved examining all existing scientific and commercial information about the species.

The small, nocturnal flying squirrel lives in the Allegheny highlands of West Virginia and Virginia. Like other flying squirrels, it glides rather than actually flying. In 1985 when the act first protected it, biologists were able to find only 10 squirrels in four separate areas. They determined that habitat loss, human disturbance and competition with the more common southern flying squirrel threatened the species. Since then, the threats have largely decreased, the population has grown, and by the end of 2005 biologists had found more than 1,100 squirrels at 107 sites throughout much of its historic range.

The flying squirrel review document is on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/flysqrev.pdf  Hard copies are available upon request from the Service's West Virginia Field Office, phone 304-636-6586.

For additional information about the flying squirrel, see http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/flyingsq.pdf  Information about the Service's endangered species program may be found at http://www.fws.gov/endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

-FWS-