Texas Partners Program Receive Championship Award, FWS Southwest Region Credit: USFWS.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Texas Partners Program Receives Champion Award

May 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region is pleased to announce the Regional winner of the Endangered Species Recovery Champion Award, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Texas for their ongoing efforts to work with private landowners on behalf of listed species. Since the Program’s inception in Texas in the early 1990s, well over 100 private landowner agreements have been signed. Working with private landowners, the Texas PFW program has helped increase populations of the golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo, and Attwater's greater prairie-chicken to name just a few.

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USFWS Earth Day 2012 Logo. Credit: USFWS.

Earth Day 2012!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region celebrated Earth Day 2012 in many ways — from wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries and ecological field stations to partner events in local towns, parks and surrounding areas — people of all ages attended Service events and learned ways to make a better planet for fish, wildlife and their habitat. The Service’s Earth Day portal provides a range of easy to do action items that you can do year-round. There is plenty you can do with your families and friends at home, in your neighborhood or at school. Plant a tree, pick up trash, recycle, use green products and use water more efficiently...the opportunities are endless!

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News Release

Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle. Credit: USFWS.

Service Determines Bald Eagle in the Sonoran Desert Does Not Warrant Protection under List of Endangered and Threatened Species

April 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the results of a revised 12-month finding on a petition to list the Sonoran Desert Area population of bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). After review of the scientific and commercial information used in its previous determination, the Service has found that the Sonoran Desert Area population of bald eagle does not qualify as a distinct population segment (DPS) and listing the Sonoran Desert Area population of bald eagle is not warranted at this time.

Pursuant to a November 30, 2011, court order, the Service drafted a new 12-month finding on the petition to list the Sonoran Desert Area population of bald eagle as a DPS. The court ordered the Service to base this new 12-month finding on the information that was used to reach the February 25, 2010, 12-month finding that this population was not a listable entity under the ESA.

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12-Month Finding

Preliminary Strategy for Jaguar Recovery is Complete

April 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Jaguar Recovery Team have completed a Jaguar Recovery Outline to provide a preliminary strategy for jaguar conservation until a full recovery plan is completed. The recovery outline will be used to develop a full jaguar recovery plan (scheduled for completion in December 2013) and is being used, together with other information, to inform the Service’s critical habitat proposal that is under development and due this summer.

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Spring snail. Credit: © Bill Radke..

Two Arizona Springsnails to Receive Endangered Species Act Protection

April 2012
Two springsnail species in eastern and southern Arizona have been added to the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act – the Three Forks springsnail as endangered and the San Bernardino springsnail as threatened. The listing includes the designation of critical habitat for each species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially proposed protection last April.

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Q & As

A banded adult bald eagle perches on a tree. Credit: USFWS

Service Proposes to Revise Eagle Permit Regulations, Seeks Public Comment on Future Improvements to Permit Program

April 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to revise regulations governing the issuance of permits under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in order to facilitate development of renewable energy and other projects, while ensuring that those operations minimize and avoid impacts to bald and golden eagles. The Service is also inviting ideas from the public on how the permit program can be improved.

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News Release

The golden-cheeked warbler, an endangered neotropical migrant bird that breeds in central Texas, is among the species that will benefit from the grants. Credit: USFWS

Service Awards $3.7 Million in Grants to Support Bird Conservation

April 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces more than $3.7 million in Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation grants for 28 collaborative projects that will support bird conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere. Matched by $14 million in contributions from partners, the projects will support habitat restoration, environmental education, population monitoring, and other priority activities within the ranges of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Mexico and 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries.

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Press Release

Reward Offered in Mexican wolf shooting in Arizona

April 2012
PINETOP, Ariz. – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Special Agents and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) law enforcement personnel recovered the carcass of a Mexican wolf pup on March 27, 2012, found next to Forest Road 249 west of Alpine, Ariz. They identified it as female pup fp1247, produced by the Hawks Nest Pack in 2011.

A preliminary exam failed to reveal an obvious cause of death. The carcass was shipped to the National Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab in Oregon for a complete necropsy, where they determined the wolf died of a single gunshot wound.
If anyone has information regarding this incident, they are requested to contact the FWS Special Agent at (928) 213-8017 or AGFD Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700.

The FWS is offering a reward of up to $10,000 and AGFD Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the illegal shooting death of this wolf or any other Mexican wolf. Other nongovernmental organizations and private individuals have pledged an additional $46,000 for a total reward amount of up to $57,000, depending on the information provided.

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Kemp ridley sea turtle. Photo credit: NPS.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins Again on the Texas Coast - Public Asked to be Observant

April 2012
Sea turtle nesting season is expected to begin a little earlier than usual this year, in early April, due to the warm spring we have been experiencing. The number of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nests found in Texas rose from 141 in 2010, to 199 in 2011, but they still have a long way to go before biologists are comfortable with saying that the most endangered sea turtle species in the world is steadily increasing toward recovery. Biologists want to stress the importance of locating and protecting every sea turtle nest on the Texas Gulf Coast.

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Environmental Excellence for the Construction of the Texas-Chenier Visitor Center and Administration Building!

March 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is being recognized for its commitment to environmental excellence for the construction of its Texas-Chenier Visitor Center and Administration Building! The facility is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified, the second highest rating possible for green and energy saving building construction. Two LEED plaques for the facility, along with the official GOLD certificate issued to the Service, will be awarded during a dedication ceremony that will be held at to mark the milestone. Construction of the facility marked the culmination of a long process to unite four refuges – Moody, Anahuac, McFaddin, and Texas Point – in southeast Texas. It also provides convenient location for visitors to pick up maps and learn more about the four refuges that form the Texas Chenier Plains Complex.

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Secretary Ken Salazar Announces America’s Great Outdoors Planning Process for Middle Rio Grande; Establishes Citizen Committee - Valencia, Socorro County Meetings Scheduled

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Designation of Critical Habitat and Listing for the Chiricahua Leopard Frog

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Environmental Assessment (2.6MB pdf)
Economic Analysis (1.3MB pdf)
Federal Register (6.2MB pdf)

Cranes at Bosque del Apche NWR.. Photo credit USFWS.

Happy 109th Birthday! National Wildlife Refuges Conserve Wildlife, Support Local Economies

March 2012
The National Wildlife Refuge System celebrates its 109 th  birthday today, having become not only the world’s greatest system of lands dedicated to conservation but also an economic engine for communities across the country as increasing numbers of visitors flock to the nation’s 556 refuges to hunt, fish and watch wildlife.

“National wildlife refuges are public treasures that provide vital habitat for thousands of species of wildlife, outdoor recreational opportunities for people, and jobs and economic growth in local communities across the country,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “Investment in our refuges pays dividends both to our quality of life and to our local businesses.”

Forty-five million people visited refuges visits last year. According to an October 2011 report commissioned by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization, refuges and other natural lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generated about $4.2 billion in economic activity and supported more than 32,000 jobs in 2010.

In our Southwest Region we have 45 outstanding refuges, each with a unique system of lands dedicated to preserving a rich quality of life for Americans by protecting their wildlife heritage. The examples below of one in each of our four states are representative of all of our fine refuges in the Southwest Region.

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Interior Seeks Ideas to Further Strengthen Incentives and Voluntary Partnerships for Landowner Conservation of Wildlife

March 2012
WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior today announced the start of a public process to explore expanding incentives for voluntary partnerships with private landowners and other land stewards to help conserve imperiled wildlife. The effort is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s commitment to use innovative approaches to restore and protect the habitats for wildlife, improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act, and to strengthen local economies by preserving working lands.

"Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners are among our nation’s greatest champions for conservation, and we all have a stake in ensuring that working lands remain healthy for our economy and for future generations," said Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes. "Through this process, we are looking at ways to give private landowners and other stewards of the landscape more tools and support to provide important habitat for wildlife that is at risk."

Today’s action opens a comment period on ways the Fish and Wildlife Service can make existing conservation tools more effective, such as Habitat Conservation Plans, Safe Harbor Agreements, and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances. The Fish and Wildlife Service is also seeking comments on how to improve incentives, such as pre-approved conservation credits, for landowners and others to take voluntary conservation actions beneficial to species that are candidates for addition to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, and for other at-risk species.

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Landowner Incentives

State Land Commissioner Signs Conservation Agreement to Protect Lesser Prairie-Chickens and Dunes Sagebrush Lizards While Allowing Oil and Gas Production on Trust Lands

March 2012
(ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico) – New Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell signed a conservation agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today that protects Lesser Prairie-Chickens and Dunes Sagebrush Lizards on state trust lands, while encouraging the economic viability of oil and gas production in the Permian Basin.

The conservation agreement was signed by Commissioner Powell, Joy Nicholopoulos, Southwest Regional Deputy Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Douglas Lynn, Executive Director of the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management (CEHMM), which is responsible for approving remediation and reclamation efforts.

This landmark agreement was inaugurated today at the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque. Also, in attendance was U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico Director Jesse Juen, as the BLM has championed these collaborative agreements.

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Certificate of Inclusion

Status of Two Rare Southwest Fishes Downgraded Federal Critical Habitat Protection Revised

February 2012
Recognizing a continuing decline in the status of the spikedace and loach minnow, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed their status from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Prolonged drought, anticipated effects of climate change and the increasing abundance and expanding range of competitive and predatory nonnative fishes have increased the threat of extinction for both species. The original Arizona and New Mexico range for both fish has been diminished 85-90%.

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Q and As
Federal Register

Service Signs Conservation Agreement with Texas Comptroller and Reopens Public Comment Period for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard

February 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today that it has signed a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts that provides for the conservation of the dunes sagebrush lizard, a species found in Texas and New Mexico that has been proposed for Endangered Species Act protection. The Service has also reopened the comment period for 15 days on its 2010 proposal to add the lizard to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to allow the public to review and consider the conservation measures provided in this CCAA, as well as a similar 2008 CCAA in New Mexico, as part of the agency’s final listing determination.

“We will continue to work with landowners and the states of Texas and New Mexico to develop these voluntary agreements, which will provide protections for the lizard while providing the regulatory assurance that landowners need to continue to derive economic benefits from their land,” said Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director for the Southwest Region.

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Federal Register

Necropsy Results Show Mexican Wolf Died From Illegal Gunshot; Reward Offered for Information

February 2012
The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, has determined that Mexican wolf mp1242 died as the result of a gunshot wound.

On November 23, 2011, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) personnel on the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) were contacted by a member of the public who reported seeing an injured Mexican wolf in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests south of Big Lake, Ariz. The IFT located and observed the wolf the next day by tracking its radio collar signal. They identified it as mp1242, a young male that was born earlier in 2011 into the Bluestem Pack. After confirming the wolf was injured, the IFT initiated efforts to capture the animal and evaluate its injury.

The IFT captured mp1242 on December 3 and found that it had an injured rear leg and was in poor body condition. In phone consultation with a veterinarian, project personnel attempted to implement life-saving measures en route to the veterinarian office, but the wolf died of its injuries.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) law enforcement agents, in collaboration with the AGFD have opened an investigation. All of the Service’s available regional law enforcement resources are being utilized.

A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for any information leading to the apprehension of the individual or individuals who may be responsible for the death of this wolf. Individuals who have information are urged to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement in Albuquerque, New Mexico at (505) 346-7828 or in Alpine, Arizona. at (928) 339-4232, or AGFD Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 352-0700. Killing a Mexican gray wolf is a violation of the Endangered Species Act, punishable by up to a $100,000 fine and/or up to a year in prison.

Critical Habitat Designated for Nine Invertebrates Found in Bexar County, Texas

February 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will announce on February 14, 2012, a final critical habitat designation for nine invertebrates under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA).  In total, the Service will designate 4,216 acres (1,706 ha) in 30 units as critical habitat in Bexar County, Texas.  In addition, the Service is announcing a 12-month finding on a petition to revise the critical habitat designation by removing unit 13 from the designation.  After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the petitioned action is not warranted at this time.  The final critical habitat rule becomes effective 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register .

The nine species for which the Service is designating or revising critical habitat are collectively known as the nine Bexar County invertebrates.  They are the Rhadine exilis  (ground beetle, no common name); Rhadine infernalis  (ground beetle, no common name); Helotes mold beetle ( Batrisodes venyivi ); Cokendolpher Cave harvestman ( Texella cokendolpheri ); Robber Baron Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina baronia ); Madla Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina madla ); Braken Bat Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina venii ); Government Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina vespera ); and Government Canyon Bat Cave spider ( Neoleptoneta microps ).  

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Federal Register
FAQs

2011 Mexican Wolf Population Survey Complete Numbers Up from 2010

February 2012
A minimum of 58 Mexican wolves were counted in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico at the end of 2011, according to the annual survey completed by the Mexican wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT). Compared to the 2010 minimum population count of 50 wolves, this number demonstrates an increase in the known population in the wild.

“These numbers are an indication of the full-on effort we and our partners – Arizona Game and Fish Department, White Mountain Apache Tribe, USDA Forest Service, USDA Wildlife Services and several participating counties – have been putting into this program. We were successful in establishing the initial population of Mexican wolves in the wild, and we are building on that success.” said Benjamin Tuggle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southwest (Service) Regional Director. “Our team is addressing the two biggest threats to Mexican wolf recovery, limited genetic diversity and illegal mortality, and I am certain that we will overcome them.”

“We have worked in coordination with our partners to decrease wolf livestock interactions. In addition, the Mexican Wolf Interdiction Program, a non-profit fund, has been able to provide compensation for livestock losses. Keeping wolves in the wild is a collaborative effort,” Tuggle said.

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Service Approves Oncor Electric Delivery’s Habitat Conservation Plan for Eleven Federally Listed Species

January 2012
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced in the Federal Register the availability of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the final Oncor Electric Delivery LLC’s (Oncor) Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and the Service’s final Record of Decision. The Service will issue a 30-year incidental take permit to Oncor authorizing the incidental take of 11 federally listed species in 100 North Central Texas counties as a result of the Oncor HCP.

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Federal Register Notice

Critical Pipeline Replaced at Alchesay NFH

Major repairs impacting the Alchesay National Fish Hatchery (NFH) have been completed. The 3,800 foot long water supply pipeline, which ruptured in May 2009 causing the hatchery to lose one third of its available water at approximately 3,000 gallons per minute, has been replaced.

When the leak occurred, it became the Service’s number one construction priority. “This project is a great example of the Service’s commitment to Native American communities and anglers,” Said Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries Mike Oetker.

Today, the newly revamped pipeline is delivering more water to the facility than it has seen in the last ten years, at a rate of 9,000 to 10,000 gallons per minute. As of the beginning of November, 312,000 rainbow trout have been transferred from Williams Creek NFH to Alchesay NFH. A dedication for the pipeline is being planned for late spring or early summer 2012.

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Threatened and Endangered Species: Achieving Recovery and Preventing Extinction
Service Announces Bald Eagles Nesting in Sonoran Desert Area of Central Arizona Removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

Photo Caption: Bald eagle. Credit: USFWS

Sept. 2, 2011
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule removing the bald eagle in the Sonoran Desert area of central Arizona from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Today’s action aligns the list with the 2007 delisting decision for bald eagles in the lower 48 states. The bald eagle continues to be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

News Release
Endangered Species Program
Bald Eagle Regulations

Save the Date

Science Webinar Series

2011
Beginning April 27, the Great Plains LCC will present monthly science webinars featuring GPLCC sponsored research as well as other science topics related to landscape conservation throughout the region. Please join us for these events and continue to check back for future seminars.

Webinar Registration (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/800571945)

For more information about GPLCC sponsored projects and upcoming presentations, visit our website (www.gplcc.org.)