Department of the Interior
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
2800 Cottage Way, W-2605
Sacramento CA 95825
Phone: 916/414-6566
Fax: 916/414-6714
99-93
Contacts:
Patricia Foulk, Sacramento, California - 916/414-6566
Jane Hendron, Ventura, California - 805/644-1766
Jack Fancher, Carlsbad, California - 760/431-9440
Jim Watkins, Arcata, California - 707/822-7201
Phil Carroll, Portland, Oregon - 503/231-6179
Douglas Zimmer, Lacey, Oregon - 360/753-4370
December 7, 1999
SERVICE DESIGNATES CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THE
THREATENED WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated 28 areas in
California, Oregon, and Washington as critical habitat for the Pacific coast population of
the western snowy plover, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
since 1993.
This designation covers a total of 18,000 acres and 180 miles of coastline, or about 10
percent of the coastline of California, Oregon, and Washington. Of the 28 critical habitat
areas, 19 are designated in California, 7 in Oregon, and 2 in Washington.
Critical habitat is a designation that refers to specific geographic areas that are
essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require
special management considerations. These areas do not necessarily have to be occupied by
the species at the time of designation.
Critical habitat does not set up a preserve or refuge, nor does it affect activities on
private lands unless Federal funding or a Federal permit is involved. The sole impact of
the designation is that Federal agencies must consult with the Service before taking
actions, issuing permits, or providing funding for activities that might adversely modify
critical habitat.
"As a threatened species, the western snowy plover is already protected by the
Endangered Species Act no matter where it is," said Michael J. Spear, manager of the
Service's California-Nevada Office. "The designation of critical habitat has no
effect on a private landowner engaged in private activities that do not involve a Federal
permit or funding."
Even in situations where consultations are required, the Service expects that the vast
majority of human activities will proceed with little or no modification, Spear said. For
example, the designation should have little impact on current recreational use of beaches
because snowy plovers prefer to nest in the soft, sandy portions of the upper beach or
fore dunes, while people tend to prefer the lower beaches where the sand is firm and
regularly washed by tides.
Snowy plovers are small, pale-colored shorebirds with dark patches on either side of
the upper breast. The coastal population, of which only about 2,000 individuals remain,
breeds along the Pacific coast from southern Washington to southern Baja California,
Mexico.
The birds prefer coastal sand spits, dune-packed beaches, beaches at creek and river
mouths, and salt pans at lagoons and estuaries. Breeding season extends from early March
to late September. Biologists attribute the decline of the species to loss of nesting
habitat to development, human disturbance, encroachment of European beach grass on nesting
grounds, and predation.
The critical habitat designation comes in response to a U.S. District Court order
stemming from a lawsuit filed by the Environmental Defense Center.
The Service did not propose to designate critical habitat for the snowy plover when it
listed the species as threatened because there was insufficient data at the time to make
such determination. However, on March 2, 1995, the Service did propose designating 28
areas along the coast as critical habitat and solicited public comments. All three states
affected supported the designation of critical habitat for the species.
A final decision on critical habitat was further delayed by a year-long Congressional
moratorium on listing endangered species and designating critical habitat. The court had
stayed action in the case because of the moratorium. However, in November 1998, the court
issued an order requiring the Service to publish a final designation of critical habitat
for the coastal population of the western snowy plover before December 1, 1999.
In 1996, the Service formed a recovery team for the species that included 16
stakeholder groups representing Federal, State and local agencies and private groups from
Washington, Oregon, and California. Based on the team's work, the Service is in the
process of completing a draft recovery plan for the western snowy plover. The draft plan
will include target numbers of snowy plovers that, when met, would allow the species'
removal from the list of endangered and threatened species. It will also include all
actions necessary for the plover's recovery, including habitat protection, restoration,
enhancement and management, public outreach and education, research, and monitoring. The
Service anticipates the draft recovery plan will be available for public review and
comment in Spring 2000.
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 comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges,
thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66
national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance 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.
– FWS –
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