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02-14

Contact: Patricia Foulk, Sacramento, California - 916/414-6566

Tiny Kern County Mammal Given Endangered Species Act Protection

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated the Buena Vista Lake shrew, a tiny insect-eating mammal, native to California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, as endangered. Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a species is considered endangered when it is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

"The Buena Vista Lake shrew, a unique little animal that consumes more than its weight in insects every day, is part of the San Joaquin Valley’s historic ecosystem," said Steve Thompson, Manager of the Service’s California-Nevada Operations Office. "With scientific surveys unearthing fewer than 30 of these animals at only four locations--the former Kern Lake Preserve, Cole Levee Ecological Preserve, the Kern Fan recharge area and our own Kern National Wildlife Refuge complex -- we believe the species is close to extinction. The ESA provides a lifeline for this species so that we can protect the handful of remaining Buena Vista Lake shrews and work cooperatively with public agencies and individuals to return them from the brink, and ultimately, recover them."

Biologists believe that historically the Buena Vista Lake shrew occurred widely in the marshlands of the Tulare Basin. By the time biologists first discovered the shrew in 1932 most of these marshes were drained or dried up by water diversions. Today, the species has lost more than 95 percent of its historic habitat.

These remaining populations are threatened primarily by agricultural activities, modifications of local hydrology, uncertain water supply, possible toxic effects from selenium poisoning, and naturally occurring catastrophic events such as drought that could wipe out the remaining animals. Water is a vital component of the shrew’s environment because of the moisture required to support the variety of insects that are its primary food source.

The Service was petitioned to list the Buena Vista Lake shrew and two additional shrew species as endangered species in a petition dated April 18, 1988 submitted by Ms. Doris Dixon of The Interfaith Council for the Protection of Animals and Nature. The Service determined that the petition presented substantial information indicating that the requested action may be warranted, and the Buena Vista Lake shrew was added to the endangered species candidate list. On June 1, 2000, the Service published a proposal to list the Buena Vista Lake shrew as endangered and opened a 60-day comment period, which was later extended for an additional 30 days. The Service has updated this final rule to reflect new information concerning changes in distribution, status and threats since publication of the proposed rule. Funding to complete this listing was secured by an agreement with several environmental groups announced in August of 2001 that deferred action on several critical habitat designations for previously listed species in order to free up funds to address high priority listing actions.

The Buena Vista Lake shrew is a mouse-sized animal with a long snout, small eyes, and ears that are concealed or nearly concealed by soft fur. Its coat is predominantly black with buffy brown specks on the back and smoke gray underneath. An adult weighs about the same as a quarter (0.14 ounces), and most are around 5 inches long (including their tails). The shrews benefit surrounding plant communities by consuming large quantities of insects, slugs and other invertebrates, influencing plant succession and controlling pest insects.

The Buena Vista Lake shrew is listed as a species of special concern by the State of California. Listing of the species under the Endangered Species Act will bring with it recognition of the species, funding of recovery actions already defined in the San Joaquin Valley Upland Species Recovery Plan and other benefits to prevent the species’ extinction.

The Endangered Species Act directs Federal agencies to protect and promote the recovery of listed species. Proposed Federal projects and actions, including activities on non-federal lands that involve Federal funding or permitting, require review by the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure they will not jeopardize the survival of listed species. Once a species is listed, all protective measures authorized by the Endangered Species Act apply to the species and its habitat.

A complete description of the Service’s determination of endangered status for the Buena Vista Lake shrew is published in today’s Federal Register. The Buena Vista Lake shrew will be listed without designation of critical habitat to allow the Service to concentrate its limited resources on higher priority listing actions, while providing immediate protections needed for the conservation of this subspecies. The Service will prepare a critical habitat designation in the future at such time when available resources and priorities allow.

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 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 540 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.

The Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus relictus) is one of eight subspecies of ornate shrews found in California. These tiny mouse-size mammals with long snouts, tiny beadlike eyes and ears concealed or nearly concealed by soft fur, weigh approximately the same as a quarter (about 1/7th of an ounce) and can range up to roughly 5 inches in length. The shrew’s coat is predominantly black with buffy brown specks on the back and smoke gray underneath.

Active day and night, shrews spend their waking hours searching for insects, their favorite food. In fact, shrews can eat more than their own weight daily. Water is a vital component of the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew’s environment because of the moisture required to support the variety of insects that are the primary food source for maintaining the shrew’s high metabolism. The shrews benefit surrounding plant communities by consuming large quantities of insects, slugs and other invertebrates, influencing plant succession and controlling pest insects.

Biologists believe that historically the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew occupied a wide range within the once abundant marshlands of the Tulare Basin. By the time biologists first discovered the shrew in 1932, however, most of these marshes had been drained or had dried up as a result of water diversions. Today, the species has lost more than 95 percent of its historic habitat.

Today biologists know of only four locations where the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew can be found–the former Kern Lake Preserve, Cole Levee Ecological Preserve, the Kern Fan recharge area, and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, all sites in Kern County, California. Surveys in the decade have found only about 30 of these rare mammals.

The Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew is listed as a species of special concern by the State of California. Listing of the species under the Endangered Species Act brings with it recognition of the species, funding of recovery actions already defined in the San Joaquin Valley Upland Species Recovery Plan and other benefits to prevent the species’ extinction.

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Questions and Answers on the Buena Vista Lake Ornate Shrew

Q: Why is the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew being added to the Federal endangered species list? What are the threats to this mammal’s survival?

A. Biologists believe that historically the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew occupied a wide range within the once abundant marshlands of the Tulare Basin. By the time biologists first discovered the shrew in 1932, however, most of these marshes had been drained or had dried up as a result of water diversions. Today, the species has lost more than 95 percent of its historic habitat.

The four known populations are threatened primarily by agricultural activities, modifications of local hydrology, uncertain water supply, possible toxic effects from selenium poisoning and naturally occurring catastrophic events such as drought that could wipe out the remaining animals. Water is a vital component of the shrew’s environment because of the moisture required to support the variety of insects that are this animal’s primary food source.

A. We received a petition dated April 18, 1988 from Ms. Doris Dixon of The Interfaith Council for the Protection of Animals and Nature to list the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew and three additional shrew species as endangered species. We determined that the petition presented substantial information, indicating that the requested action may be warranted. We announced this finding in the Federal Register on December 30, 1988. The Buena Vista Lake shrew remained a category 2 candidate in the January 6, 1989, Candidate Notice of Review. In the November 21, 1991 Candidate Notice of Review, the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew was elevated to category-1 status based on new information received by us. Category-1 species were those for which we had on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support preparation of a listing proposal. On February 28, 1996, the Service published a notice of review in the Federal Register that discontinued the designation of category 2 species as candidates. The Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew remained a candidate with a listing priority of 6 based upon our Listing and Recovery Priority Guidelines. As a result of the annual candidate assessment for the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew, the species was elevated to a priority 3 designation in the annual notice of review on September 19, 1997. On June 1, 2000, we published a proposal to list the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew as endangered and opened a 60 day comment period. On August 14, 2000, we reopened the comment period for an additional 30 days. We have updated this final rule to reflect new information concerning changes in distribution, status and threats since publication of the proposed rule.

A. The ESA provides a variety of conservation measures, including increased public awareness and recognition, development of recovery plans and strategies, requirements for Federal protection and prohibitions against certain activities. Collectively, these measures are used to secure the survival and recovery of the species.

Q. What actions might harm these species and result in a violation of the Endangered Species Act prohibition on "take"?

A. The Service has identified a number of activities that could result in "take"--the death or injury of the species. These activities include, but are not necessarily limited to: unauthorized collecting, handling or possession of the species; unauthorized destruction/alteration of the species’ habitat; violation of discharge permits; untimely cutting, mowing or burning of the shrew’s habitat; pesticide application in violation of label restrictions; discharges or dumping of toxic chemicals, silt or other pollutants; or interstate and foreign commerce and import/export without an endangered species permit.

Q. What activities are unlikely to threaten the existence of these mammals?

A. Possession of legally acquired Buena Vista Lake ornate shrews and actions authorized, funded or carried out by a Federal agency in accordance with Section 7 of the ESA as well as non-Federal actions conducted in accordance with a habitat conservation plan with an incidental take authorization under Section 10 of the ESA are unlikely to harm these animals. In addition, there is on-going activities at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge that are compatible with sustaining a viable population of the species. These activities include waterfowl hunting, recreational wildlife viewing, hiking and fishing as well as routine operations such as wildfire management, mowing, trail clearing, repair and maintenance of levees and associated roads, repairing water and sewer lines and the application of insecticides, herbicides and rodenticides consistent with label instructions and restrictions.

Q. With so little habitat remaining for this species, is this a possible example of the natural extinction process?

A. The range of this species is naturally limited; however, the loss of more than 95 percent of its habitat has been the result of human activity and these effects can be mitigated.

Q. Did the Service seek public comments on its proposal to list the shrew?

A. In the June 1, 2000 proposed rule, we requested interested parties to submit factual reports or information that might contribute to the development of a final listing decision. We contacted appropriate Federal agencies, State agencies, county and city governments, scientists and other interested parties to request information and comments. We solicited independent review of the proposed rule by four peer reviewers. We published newspaper notices in the Bakersfield Californian on August 23, 2000. The first comment period was open for 30 days and closed on July 31, 2000. A second comment period was opened on August 14, 2000 for an additional 60 days, closing on October 13, 2000. We did not receive any requests for a public hearing during either comment period.

Q. What recovery planning activities will be undertaken by the Service to ensure that the recovery of the species will be reached?

A. In most instances, a recovery planning process is started soon after the listing of a species. However, this species has been a candidate for listing under the Federal ESA for many years, and was, therefore, among the species included in the Service’s 1998 Recovery Plan for Upland Species of the San Joaquin Valley.

Recovery plans provide a mechanism to identify research needs, gather species information and develop specific recovery criteria and tasks required to recover and ultimately delist a species. Conservation actions designed to ensure the long-term survival and recovery of this species include additional surveying in areas of potentially suitable habitat; habitat restoration and creation on private as well as public lands; the study of the feasibility of reintroduction of the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew at the State Tule Elk Reserve; population genetic studies; and continuous monitoring of the only known existing population at the former Kern Lake Preserve. The Service will strive to use the best scientific information available during the recovery planning process.

A. Our budget for listing activities is currently insufficient to allow us to immediately complete all the listing actions required by the Act. Listing the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew without designation of critical habitat will allow us to concentrate our limited resources on higher priority listing actions, while allowing us to put in place protections needed for the conservation of this subspecies without further delay. We will prepare a critical habitat designation in the future at such time when our available resources and priorities allow.

External Affairs Program

Tiny Kern County Mammal Given Endangered Species Act Protection

Facts on the Buena Vista Lake Ornate Shrew

Questions and Answers on the Buena Vista Lake Ornate Shrew