Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Piping Plover to be Announced

May 18, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today the revised designation of Critical Habitat for the wintering population of the piping plover in 18 specific units in Texas under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. In total, approximately 139,029 acres fall within the boundaries of the revised critical habitat designation. The revised critical habitat is located in Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Aransas, Calhoun, Matagorda, and Brazoria Counties, Texas. Other previously designated critical habitat for the wintering piping plover in Texas or elsewhere in the United States remains unaffected. This final rule becomes effective on May 18, 2009.

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Fish and Wildlife Service Celebrates Endangered Species Day

May 15, 2009
On May 15, 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will honor Endangered Species Day and the numerous nationwide conservation programs underway aimed at protecting America’s threatened and endangered species.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the most important environmental laws in history, is credited with saving 99.9 percent of species protected by the ESA from extinction. Co-administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the purpose of the ESA is to conserve imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.

When Congress passed the ESA in 1973, it formally established that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” It also expressed concern that many of our nation’s native fish, wildlife, and plants were in danger of becoming extinct.

“The Endangered Species Act is the nation’s premier law protecting biodiversity today,” said Acting Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould. “Without this law, we would probably not see bald eagles soaring in our skies or grizzlies in Yellowstone. Endangered Species Day provides an opportunity to celebrate our shared successes and look forward to a strengthened partnership with the American public to conserve our natural treasures of fish, wildlife, and plants.”

The Service works with other federal agencies, State and tribal governments, environmental organizations, industry groups, species experts, academia, the scientific community, and other members of the public to conserve our Nation’s threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants.

"Now, more than ever before, we need the contributions of our partners to achieve recovery and conservation of America's imperiled species," said Endangered Species Assistant Director Bryan Arroyo. "Leveraging the resources, experience and expertise of a wide range of partners is vital to our combined success."

The bald eagle, grizzly bear, American alligator and gray wolf are all species which once found themselves on the list, facing the brink of extinction but have successfully rebounded. The wood stork, Kirtland’s warbler, Louisiana black bear and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle are listed species that are showing good progress towards achieving recovery – the ultimate goal of the ESA. These recovered and recovering species are just a few examples of those benefiting from the protections afforded by the ESA and the dedicated people who work to ensure their continued existence.

"We're proud of the work we're doing to recover some of the Southwest's most important species," said Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director. "The progress we've made on Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in Texas is a great example of how -- working with partners -- we are helping restore balance to our vital Southwestern landscapes." The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one of the smallest of the sea turtles, with adults reaching about two feet in length and weighing up to 100 pounds. The adult Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has an oval shell that is almost as wide as it is long and is usually olive-gray in color. Hatchlings are black on both sides. The Kemp’s ridley has a triangular-shaped head with a somewhat hooked beak with large crushing surfaces. This turtle is a shallow water feeder with a diet consisting primarily of crabs.

There are currently 1317 species listed in the U.S.: 746 plants and 571 animals. To find out what endangered species are near you, and how you can help, please visit www.fws.gov/endangered.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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The Southwest Region's logo representative of the region's Climate Change initiatives.

Climate Change: Simple Changes, Great Impacts

Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region Funds 10 Climate Change Projects

Climate change is among the greatest challenges ever faced by conservation community in conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region is providing $48,500 as “seed money” to fund 10 employee-initiated climate change project proposals. The projects will be completed within existing agency funds, and address a variety of climate change initiatives including activities aimed at lowering the Service’s carbon footprint, and developing new information to reduce some of the immediate threats to species and habitat based on the best available science.

Read about the 10 Projects

Learn More about the Southwest Region's Efforts to Address Climate Change

Recovery Act funding will help restore habitats for a variety of birds and animals including the masked bobwhite quail. Photo credit: USFWS.

129 Projects in Southwest Announced Under President’s Economic Recovery Plan

April 27, 2009
From the deserts of Arizona to the Gulf Coast of Texas, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will undertake more than 129 construction, energy efficiency, habitat restoration and other improvement projects at national wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries and other public and private lands to create jobs and ensure our nation’s fish and wildlife resources, treasured landscapes, and rich heritage are conserved for future generations. These projects total approximately $29.9 million for improvements within the Southwest.

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Learn about Recovery projects throughout the Department of Interior

Submit questions, comments or concerns to recoveryact@fws.gov.

Secretary Salazar Announces $57.8 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species

April 21, 2009
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced more than $57.8 million in grants to 27 states to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. Seven of those grants will go to support projects in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) Southwest Region. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the desert tortoise to the Indiana bat.

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Interior Secretary Salazar Announces Award of $9 million in Grants to States for Imperiled Species Conservation

April 21, 2009
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the award of nearly $9 million to 12 state wildlife agencies to help conserve and recover imperiled fish and wildlife species through the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Competitive Program. The federal funding will be matched by more than $7 million in non-Federal funds provided by states and their partners for projects helping imperiled fish, wildlife and plant species.

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Sustainable Population Targets Proposed for Endangered Silvery Minnow -Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks to Amend Species Recovery Plan-

April 9, 2009
The USFWS today announced that the interagency Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Recovery team has developed a scientific model to determine when endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow populations are self-sustainable and are now seeking peer review and public comments on the population viability analysis (PVA) model and the recovery criteria that are proposed for revision based on the model’s results. A final recovery plan is scheduled for completion later this year.

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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle. Photo Credit: USFWS

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins on the Texas Coast

April 1, 2009
Look out for Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles on the Texas coast this spring and summer, and help protect the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world. Sea turtle nesting season began on April 1, 2009. Throughout nesting season, employees and volunteers representing several federal, state and county agencies, and volunteer organizations will be patrolling Texas Gulf beaches daily from April through July. They will be working to find and protect nesting sea turtles and their eggs to ensure their survival and promote continued population growth. Patrols will be held during the day since these two-foot-long turtles come ashore for nesting mostly during daylight hours. The public is encouraged to report sea turtle observations by calling 1-866-TURTLE 5.

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A Tobusch plant in fruit. Photo Credit: J. Poole

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards

March 19, 2009
The 2008 Recovery Champion award recipients have been announced. The Recovery Champion award recognizes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and their partners for contributions to the recovery of threatened and endangered species in the United States. The Service congratulates Southwest regional award recipients Tom Stehn and Jackie Poole.
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Habitat at Bitterlake NWR. Photo credit: USFWS

Critical Habitat for Four Rare Southwest Invertebrates to Be Reevaluated

March 11, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) reopened the comment period today for a 2002 critical habitat proposal for the Roswell springsnail, Koster’s springsnail, Noel’s amphipod and Pecos assiminea. The Service has agreed to reconsider listing of critical habitat for these species on the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The designated critical habitat outside of the Refuge at Diamond Y and Sandia springs will remain in place.

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Scientific Information Sought for 23 Threatened and Endangered Species in Southwest

February 11, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting updated information on the status of 23 species protected under the Endangered Species Act in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The information will be used in reviews to ensure the species’ current classifications as threatened or endangered are accurate.

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Please see our National Fish and Wildlife Service Web site for more information on our activities in other areas of the country.

Please take the time to email Lisa Whittle, Southwest Region Web Manager with your comments regarding the Southwest Region website redesign.