U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE TO CONSIDER SALAMANDER FOR FEDERAL PROTECTION

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed a petition to add the Tehachapi slender salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi)to the federal list of threatened and endangered species and concluded the petition contains substantial information to indicate that listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may be warranted. The Tehachapi slender salamander occurs in Kern County in the Tehachapi mountain range and in a canyon in the southern foothills of the Sierra.

The finding does not mean that the Service has decided to list the Tehachapi slender salamander. Rather, the Service will now conduct an in-depth review