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Tiger Salamander
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Jim Nickles at (916) 414-6572 or 501-6885 (cell)
EMERGENCY
PROTECTION GIVEN TO SONOMA COUNTY POPULATION
OF CALIFORNIA TIGER SALAMANDER
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will extend emergency protection to the Sonoma County population of the California tiger salamander under the Endangered Species Act.
This action, listing the salamander as endangered, will immediately protect the salamander and its habitat upon its publication in the Federal Register later this week. The emergency listing will remain in effect for 240 days while the Service makes a final decision on a proposal to list the Sonoma County population of California tiger salamander as an endangered distinct population segment under the normal listing process. A species is designated as endangered if it is at risk of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future.
"The purpose of the emergency rule provision of the Act is to prevent species from becoming extinct by affording them immediate protection while the normal listing process is being followed," said Steve Thompson, manager of the Service’s California/Nevada Operations office. "In the case of the tiger salamander, there are seven known breeding sites left in Sonoma County, and the population faces a serious and immediate threat of extinction."
This emergency listing rule and the concurrently published proposed rule comply with the court-approved settlement agreement of a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity on February 27, 2002. On June 6, 2002, based on the settlement agreement, the court signed an order requiring the Service to submit for publication in the Federal Register a proposal and/or emergency rule to list the species by July 15, 2002.
The California tiger salamander is a large and stocky amphibian with a broad, rounded snout. Males may reach about eight inches in length, and females measure nearly seven inches. They have white or pale yellow spots or bars on a black background. Their undersides can vary from almost uniform white or pale yellow to a varying pattern of white or pale yellow and black.
Urban development is the primary and imminent threat to the remaining seven breeding sites of the Sonoma County tiger salamander population. The animal now occurs in scattered and increasingly isolated breeding sites within a small portion of its historic range in Sonoma County. Four breeding sites have been destroyed or significantly degraded in the last 2 years. All of the remaining breeding sites are distributed in the city of Santa Rosa and associated unincorporated areas on the Santa Rosa Plain, an area approximately five miles by four miles wide.
California tiger salamanders utilize burrows created by small mammals, especially ground squirrels and pocket gophers. Adult tiger salamanders spend an average of six to nine months per year in the burrows, where they await the arrival of fall or winter rains. The loss of burrow systems is a significant threat to the continued existence of the California tiger salamander.
The Sonoma County population of the California tiger salamander is geographically isolated and separate from other populations of this species. It constitutes the most northern coastal population of California tiger salamanders and is widely separated geographically from the closest populations, which are located in Contra Costa, Yolo, and Solano counties. These populations are separated from the Sonoma County population by the Coast Range, Napa River and the Carquinez Straits, a distance of about 50 miles.
Once a species is listed, all protective measures authorized under the Endangered Species Act apply to the species and its habitat. Listing a species results in increased public awareness and conservation actions by Federal, state, and local agencies, private organizations, and individuals.
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 Service to ensure they will not jeopardize the survival of listed species. Regardless of whether there is Federal involvement, "take" of listed species – defined as harassing, killing or otherwise harming the species -- is prohibited by the Act. However, non-Federal parties may be granted incidental take permits through a mechanism known as a habitat conservation plan (HCP). An HCP allows the Service to issue a permit authorizing "take" of endangered or threatened species incidental to otherwise lawful activities when the taking is mitigated by agreed-upon conservation measures.
The Service will publish its decision to emergency list the Sonoma County population of California tiger salamander as endangered in the Federal Register. The emergency listing takes effect upon publication. The public is invited to comment on the proposal to list it under the normal listing process. Comments will be accepted for 60 days after the publication date and may be sent to: Field Supervisor, Attn:SCCTS, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way Room W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, 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 wildlife agencies
The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) was first described as a distinct species in 1853 from specimens collected at Monterey, California. In the 1940s, and continuing through the mid-1980s, several researchers considered the California tiger salamander to be a subspecies within the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) complex; however, based upon recent morphological and genetic work, geographic isolation, and ecological differences, the California tiger salamander is considered to be a distinct species.
Description - The California tiger salamander is a large, stocky terrestrial salamander with a broad, rounded snout. Adult males may reach a total length of 8.2 inches while females are slightly smaller, reaching approximately 6.8 inches in length. The dorsal areas of the salamander can have white or pale yellow spots or bars on a black background. The underside varies from almost uniform white or pale yellow to a varying pattern of white or pale yellow and black.
Range - This species is restricted to California and does not overlap with any other species of tiger salamander. The Sonoma County population of this species is geographically isolated and separate from other California tiger salamanders. The Sonoma County population is widely separated geographically from the closest populations which are located in Contra Costa, Yolo, and Solano counties. These populations are separated from the Sonoma County population by the Coast Range, Napa River, and the Carquinez Straits, a distance of about 44.7 miles. There are no known records of the California tiger salamander in the intervening areas. No natural interchange of individuals in the Sonoma County population with other California tiger salamander populations occurs.
Life History - Subadult and adult California tiger salamanders spend much of their lives in small mammal burrows (in particular, those of ground squirrels and pocket gophers). Salamanders undergo a period of dormancy (estivation) in response to hot, dry weather. Once rains begin, they emerge from their burrows at night to feed and migrate to breeding ponds.
Adults may migrate up to 1.2 miles from their summering grounds to breeding areas. Males will remain in the breeding ponds for 6 to 8 weeks while females stay for about 1 to 2 weeks. Female California tiger salamanders lay eggs singly or in small groups. The number of eggs laid can range from 400 to 1,300 per breeding season. Eggs are generally attached to vegetation near the edge of the breeding pond, but in cases where there is little or no vegetation, the eggs may be attached to rocks or other material (such as branches) on the bottom of the pond.
It takes about 10 to 14 days for the eggs to hatch. Larvae feed on algae, small crustaceans and mosquito larvae for about 6 weeks after hatching. After that time, the larvae begin feeding on larger prey including small tadpoles as well as many aquatic insects. California tiger salamander larvae reach maturity in approximately 60 to 94 days. In late spring or early summer, the salamanders leave the ponds to seek out burrows to begin their dormancy.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EMERGENCY AND PROPOSED LISTING OF
THE SONOMA COUNTY POPULATION OF THE CALIFORNIA TIGER SALAMANDER
Q. What is the Action Being Taken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?
A. The Service is emergency listing the Sonoma County population of the California tiger salamander as endangered, under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The Service will also publish a proposed rule to permanently list this population as endangered. This emergency listing rule and the concurrently published proposed rule comply with the court-approved settlement agreement of a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity on February 27, 2002. On June 6, 2002, based on the settlement agreement, the court signed an order requiring the Service to submit for publication in the Federal Register a proposal and/or emergency rule to list the species by July 15, 2002.
Q. What Do California Tiger Salamanders Look Like?
A. California tiger salamanders are large and stocky, with a broad, rounded snout. Adult males may reach a total length of 8.2 inches. Females are slightly smaller, generally averaging 6.8 inches in length. The dorsal surfaces of California tiger salamanders have white or pale yellow spots or bars on a black background. The underside varies from almost uniform white or pale yellow to a varying pattern of white or pale yellow and black.
Q. Why is the Sonoma County Population the Only Population of this Species Being Listed at this Time?
A. Biological evidence supports the recognition of the Sonoma County population of California tiger salamanders as a distinct population segment (DPS). The Sonoma County population is geographically separated from all other populations of California tiger salamanders, and they constitutes the most northern coastal population of this animal.
Urban development is the primary threat to the Sonoma County DPS of the California tiger salamander. To a lesser degree, agricultural conversions also threaten the species. The species now occurs in scattered and increasingly isolated breeding sites within a small portion of its historic range in Sonoma County. Four breeding sites have been destroyed in the last year and a half. All of the seven known extant breeding sites are distributed in the cities of Santa Rosa and Cotati, and associated unincorporated areas on the Santa Rosa Plain, an area approximately five miles by 4 miles wide.
Five of these locations containing breeding sites are either being development or proposed for development on the near future, the other two breeding sites face a variety of threats including exotic species and agriculture, all of which could cause the elimination of this distinct population segment of California tiger salamander.
Q. How Does Emergency Listing Differ From the Regular Listing Process?
A. Emergency listing of a species provides immediate protection under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act for a period of 240 days. At the time an emergency is listing is published, the Service issues a proposed rule to permanently protect the species. An emergency listing can be withdrawn at any time during the 240-day period if information is received that emergency listing is no longer needed.
With the regular listing process, the Service publishes a proposed rule to list a species under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act and has up to one year to publish a final rule to permanently protect the species; however, no protection for the species is in place until the final rule is published.
The Service intends to make a final decision on the proposed rule to permanently list the Sonoma County distinct population segment of California tiger salamander before the emergency listing expires in 240 days.
Q. What is the Status of Other Populations of California Tiger Salamanders?
A. The Service received a petition on February 21, 1992 to list the California tiger salamander. In response to the petition, the Service published a 90-day finding on November 19, 1992 indicating that listing may be warranted. On April 18, 1994, the Service published a 12-month petition finding indicating the listing of the California tiger salamander was warranted, but precluded by higher priority listing actions. The listing of the California tiger salamander throughout its range has been precluded by the need to address higher priority species. California tiger salamanders are threatened by development and habitat fragmentation throughout their range. On January 19, 2000, the Service listed the Santa Barbara County Distinct Population Segment of the California tiger salamander as an endangered species.
Q. How Will the Listing of the Sonoma County Population of California Tiger Salamanders Affect Landowners?
A. Projects undertaken on Federal land, or projects on private lands that need Federal permits or funds, must be reviewed by the Service under the section 7 consultation provision of the ESA.
Private landowners who wish to undertake projects on private lands that do not have a Federal nexus (meaning no Federal permits or Federal funding is involved) don’t have to "consult" under section 7, but are prohibited by section 9 of the ESA from the "take" of California tiger salamanders. However, non-Federal parties may be granted incidental take permits through section 10 of the ESA through a mechanism known as a habitat conservation plan (HCP). An HCP allows the Service to issue a permit authorizing "take" of endangered or threatened species incidental to otherwise lawful activities when the taking is mitigated by agreed-upon conservation measures.
Q. Is Critical Habitat Being Designated for the Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment of California Tiger Salamander?
A. The Service finds that designation of critical habitat for this distinct population segment is prudent but precluded by higher priority listing actions at this time.
The California tiger salamanders in Sonoma County will be protected through several mechanisms of the ESA, including: section 7 consultations for projects on Federal lands or with a Federal nexus, recovery planning, enforcement of take prohibitions outlined in section 9 and in the emergency rule, and the section 10 permitting process for activities occurring on private lands with no Federal nexus.
Contact
us: Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento,
California 95825
Phone (916) 414-6600 ~ FAX (916) 414-6713 ~ email: fw1sacweb@fws.gov
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