The rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), a robin-sized shorebird that visits the U.S. on its annual journey between the tips of the Americas, is in trouble. The knot’s population has declined by about 75 percent in some areas since the 1980s. Changing climate conditions are already affecting the bird’s food supply, the timing of its migration and its breeding habitat in the Arctic. The shorebird also is losing habitat along its range due to sea level rise, shoreline projects and development.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the comment period on its proposal to list the knot at threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service proposed to list the knot on September 30, 2013, following an analysis of the best available data in more than 1,400 scientific documents. The public can provide comments on the proposed rule for 45 days through May 19, 2014.
An information session and public hearing will be held in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 6, 2014. The information session and public hearing will be held at the Harte Research Institute, Conference Room 127, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412. The information session is scheduled from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and the public hearing is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The
rufa
red knot (
Calidris
canutus rufa
), a robin
-
sized shorebird that visits the U.S. on its
annual journey between the
tips of the Americas
, is in trouble.
The knot’s population has declined by about 75 percent
in some areas since the 1980s.
Changing climate conditions are already affecting the bird’s food supply, the timing of its
migration and its breeding habitat in the Arctic. The shorebird also is losing
habitat
along
its range due to sea level rise, shoreline projects and development.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the comment period on its proposal to list
the knot at threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
and will hold two public
hearings
. The Service proposed to list the knot on September 30, 2013, followi
ng an
analysis of the best available data in more than 1,400 scientific documents. The public can
provide com
ments on the proposed rule for 45
days
through
May 1
9
, 2014.
Comments
provided during the first comment period need not be resubmitted, as those ar
e already
part of the administrative record.
During the initial comment period,
the Service received more than 560 individual
comments and 19,000 form letters.
Additionally, r
equests were made to hold public
hearings
specifically
in North Carolina and T
exas.
A public hearing is
offered
upon request
with every federal rulemaking to ensure maximum public participation and awareness of a
proposed action.
Public hearings,
preceded
by
information sessions and
opportunities to
ask questions to Service biologists
, will be held May 6, 2014, in Morehead City, N.C., and in
Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Texas information session and public hearing will be held at
the
Harte Research Institute, Conference Room 127, 6300
Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX
78412
. The information session is scheduled from 5:00 p.m.
–
6:00 p.m. and the public
hearing is scheduled from 6:30 p.m.
–
7:30 p.m.
More information is available at
www.fws.gov
/southwest
.
The Service expects to
take final action on
the listing rule by the end of September 2014. As
required by the ESA, the Service is also reviewing the
U.S.
range of the knot to identify
areas that are essential for its conservation, called
critical habitat. Critical habitat focuses
the coordination of federal agencies, which are directed by the ESA to aid in the
conservation of listed species.
Examples of factors for determining species’ critical habitat
include where it occurs and how often
, and the most important defined areas that support
its biological needs such as feeding or resting. For
the
knot, these elements may include
sand dunes and
wide
,
open beaches
for roosting and habitat supporting prey
like small
clams
. The Service expects t
o publish a separate rule proposing critical habitat
in 2014
.
Details on the kinds of information the Service is seeking are available in the comment
period reopening notice published in the
Federal Register
on
April 4
, 201
4
.
C
omments
and
information
can
be provided at the
hearings
or
submitted through the following methods:
?
Federal Rulemaking Por
tal:
http://www.regulations.gov
.
Follow the instructions
for submitting information on docket number
FWS
–
R5
–
ES
–
2013
–
0097
.
?
U.S. mail or hand
-
delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn
: FWS
–
R5
–
ES
–
2013
–
0097;
Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, Virginia 22203.
The knot is one of the
longest
-
distance migrants in the animal kingdom. While migrating
between wintering grounds a
s far as
south as
Tierra del Fuego and breeding grounds in the
Canadian Arctic, the shorebird can be found in
flocks
of a few individuals to
several
thousand along
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The largest concentration of knots is found in May in Delaware Bay, where studies show
knots nearly double their weight to prepare for the final leg
of their long migration
to the
Arctic. One bird, called B95 from
the number
e
d
flag
scientists have attached to his leg
, has
been nicknamed the Moonbird
because
he has flown
the equivalent of a trip to the moon
and at least halfway back
in his
20 or more years of migrations
.
International, state
,
and local governments, the conservation community, beachgoers and
land managers are helping ensure knots have safe areas to winter, rest and feed
during
their long migrations
. These partners
help
knots in a variety of ways, including managing
disturbance
in key habitats, improving management of hunting outside the
U.S.
and
collecting data to better understand the knot.
Learn more
about the red knot
at:
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/redknot/
.
-
FWS
-
