Northeast Region Highlights
Eastern Black Rail Credit: USFWS |
Service Proposes to List the Eastern Black Rail as Threatened Under the Endangered Species ActOctober 5, 2018- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are working to protect a small, secretive marsh bird that is in steep decline. Some populations of the eastern black rail along the Atlantic coast have dropped by as much as 90 percent, and with a relatively small total population remaining across the eastern United States, the Service is proposing to list the subspecies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, the Service determined the eastern black rail meets the definition of threatened because it is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A peer- reviewed species status assessment, produced by the Service, provides a biological risk assessment using the best available information on threats to the subspecies and evaluates its current condition. It also forecasts the eastern black rail’s biological status under varying future conditions.
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An adult male salmon caught in the Boquet River, a tributary that flows from the Adirondack Mountains into Lake Champlain. Credit: USFWS |
For Anglers in Lake Champlain Basin, Salmon Fishing is a ScienceSeptember 17, 2018 - Most anglers remember their first catch: the tug on the line, the rush of adrenaline, the ear-to-ear grin in the keepsake photo. In the 1970s, anglers in Lake Champlain and its tributaries started experiencing another memorable first: the first Atlantic salmon caught in the basin in more than a century. That experience has evolved into a long-term collaboration to restore Lake Champlain’s landlocked Atlantic salmon population and fishery involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the University of Vermont, and countless anglers who have contributed their time, knowledge, and passion to the effort. |
FWS Northeast Regional Director Wendi Weber accepts the Climate Adaptation Award honorable mention on behalf of the Maine Connectivity Collaborative at the AFWA Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida on Monday, Sept. 10. Presenting the award is Virgil Moore, President of AFWA and Director of Idaho Fish and Game. Credit: Tim Donovan, Florida FWC |
Connecting and restoring habitat for wildlife and people in MaineSeptember 10, 2018 - The Maine Connectivity Collaborative has been selected as an Honorable Mention for the 2018 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Regional Director Wendi Weber accepted the award earlier today on behalf of the partnership at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. The Climate Adaptation Leadership Award, established in 2016, recognizes exemplary leadership by individuals, agencies, businesses and other organizations to reduce impacts and advance adaptation of the nation’s vital natural resources and the many people who depend on them in a changing world. Fragmentation of aquatic habitat is a vital concern in Maine, as it is globally. To address this concern, Maine Connectivity Collaborative has been working since 2007 with partners from more than 50 state, federal, tribal, commercial, local and non-governmental organizations. The Collaborative works to increase the pace and quality of restoration, representing a variety of flexible working groups pursuing strategies to inventory, prioritize, and correct connectivity problems at thousands of stream crossings. The Collaborative includes biologists, geomorphologists, engineers, culvert manufacturers, landowners, regulators, fishermen, land trusts, and concerned citizens. |
Bloede Dam will soon cease to hold back the Patapsco River. Credit: David Eisenhauer/USFWS |
Bye-bye BloedeSeptember 5, 2018 - The Fish and Wildlife Service joined partners in marking the next phase of the Bloede Dam removal, on the Patapsco River in Maryland. The structure will soon be breached with explosives, and removal will be complete by spring. The $17-million project will restore nine miles of the Patapsco River to free-flowing -- opening habitat for migratory fish and opportunities for fishing, paddling, and other outdoor recreation. It is supported by Service funding for Hurricane Sandy resilience projects. |
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