Contacts
Karen Boylan (907) 786-3309
LaVerne Smith (907) 786-3892
Ted Swem (907) 456-0441
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated approximately 2830 square miles as critical habitat for the Steller’s eider in Alaska in five units: the Kuskokwim Shoals in northern Kuskokwim Bay, the Seal Islands, Nelson Lagoon (including portions of Port Moller and Herendeen Bay), and Izembek Lagoon on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula; and intertidal zone lands between the Askinuk Mountains and Nelson Island in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Approximately 65 percent of this area consists of Federal lands or waters, about 25 percent consists of State waters and the remaining 10 percent consists of Native lands.
"As a threatened species, Steller’s eiders are protected under the Endangered Species Act wherever they occur, but the designation of critical habitat focuses additional attention on the need to protect the birds’ vital habitat," said David B. Allen, the Service’s regional director for Alaska. "The areas we are designating today are used by large flocks of Steller’s eiders during breeding, molting, wintering and staging for their spring migration."
Under the Act, critical habitat refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and which may require special management considerations. A designation does not set up a preserve or refuge and only applies to situations where Federal funding or a Federal permit is involved. It does not affect landowners taking actions that do not involve Federal funding or permits, nor does it allow either government or public access to private lands.
The Act requires Federal agencies to consult with the Service to ensure that activities they fund, authorize, or carry out do not jeopardize threatened or endangered species or adversely modify or destroy their critical habitat. Under another provision of the Act, however, Federal agencies already have been required to consult with the Service on activities that may affect Steller’s eiders since the Alaska-breeding population was listed as threatened in 1997.
"Federal agencies in Alaska will likely see few, if any, effects of this action because the Service has been working with them for the last three years to analyze the effects of their projects on Steller’s eiders and their habitat," said LaVerne Smith, the Service’s assistant regional director for fisheries and ecological services in Alaska. "The designation of critical habitat will not alter the cooperative relationships we’ve developed over that time, or affect the end results, since habitat needs have already been addressed."
The designation of critical habitat for Steller’s eiders stems from an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and the Christians Caring for Creation. These organizations challenged the Service’s 1997 decision to not designate critical habitat for Steller’s eiders. When the Steller’s eider was listed as threatened in 1997, the Service generally did not designate critical habitat because it believed that most conservation benefits for the species accrued as a result of listing, and that species received little or no additional benefit from the designation of critical habitat.
In March 2000, the Service proposed to designate about 25,400 square miles in nine areas in northern, southwestern, and southcoastal Alaska as critical habitat for Steller’s eiders. The Service received 344 comments on the proposal from the public, local and regional governments, other organizations, and eider experts during a 197-day comment period.
After thorough evaluation of all available information, the Service designated critical habitat on about 2830 square miles of lands and waters where Steller’s eiders congregate during breeding, molting, wintering, and spring staging. The Service did not designate critical habitat on the North Slope because the small, primarily educational, benefits of a critical habitat designation on the North Slope were outweighed by the benefits of not including this area in the designation. The available information does not allow the Service to identify the specific areas of the North Slope that should be designated as critical habitat. Designating critical habitat on the North Slope without a more reliable biological basis would provide inaccurate information about the areas needed by the eider and would undermine ongoing work with partners on the North Slope to carry out conservation efforts. After weighing these factors the Service chose not to designate critical habitat on the North Slope.
One of four eider species, the Steller’s eider is the only species in the genus Polysticta. This is the smallest eider, with individuals of both sexes averaging about 17 inches long. Males in breeding plumage are striking, with a white head with black eye patches and light green tinging on the back of the head and near the eyes. The breast and belly are chestnut, the rump black, the back is black and white striped longitudinally, with a blue patch (speculum) in the wing. Females and non-breeding males are largely mottled brown, with a blue speculum.
The Steller’s eider occurs at such low densities in Alaska during the breeding season that precisely determining population size is currently impossible. Biological estimates of the numbers of birds occupying the North Slope breeding grounds range from the hundreds to the low thousands. Population size on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is also difficult to estimate. However, only six nests have been found there in recent decades so it is likely that the population is very small. Historical population size and distribution are poorly understood, but it is thought that the species’ breeding range has shrunk considerably in Alaska in the last century and that abundance has also decreased. Causes of the decline are unknown. Steller’s eiders are still numerous on their molting and wintering grounds in Alaska; however, most of these birds are from the Russia-breeding population, which is not protected by the Endangered Species Act.
The five areas included in the critical habitat designation are:
Unit 1. Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. This unit includes the vegetated intertidal zone of the central delta from the Askinuk Mountains to northern Nelson Island. It encompasses 989 square miles.
Unit 2. Kuskokwim Shoals. This unit includes a portion of northern Kuskokwim Bay from the mouth of the Kolavinarak River to near the village of Kwigillingok, extending approximately 11-24 miles offshore. It encompasses approximately 1,472 square miles of marine waters and about 115 miles of shoreline.
Unit 3. Seal Islands. This unit includes all waters enclosed within the Seal Islands lagoon and marine waters 1/4 mile offshore of the islands and adjacent mainland. It encompasses 24 square miles and 65 miles of shoreline. This unit was originally proposed as a subunit of the North Side of the Alaska Peninsula unit but is now identified separately.
Unit 4. Nelson Lagoon. This unit includes all of Nelson Lagoon and portions of Port Moller and Herendeen Bay and marine waters 1/4 mile offshore of the islands and adjacent mainland.. This unit encompasses 205 square miles and 149 miles of shoreline. This complex was originally proposed as a subunit of the North Side of the Alaska Peninsula unit but is now identified separately.
Unit 5. Izembek Lagoon. This unit includes all waters of Izembek Lagoon, Moffett Lagoon, Applegate Cove, and Norma Bay and marine waters 1/4 mile offshore of the islands and adjacent mainland. It encompasses 140 square miles of marine waters and 186 miles of shoreline. This unit was originally proposed as a subunit of the North Side of the Alaska Peninsula unit but is now identified separately.
A backgrounder web page for the media is available by going to: http://alaska.fws.gov/ and clicking on "Steller’s Eider" under issues of importance.
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 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 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 governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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