News
Unique fish gets endangered species protection with proposed exemptions and critical habitat
January 30, 2019 | 6 minute readA small, colorful fish found in the Coosa River Basin is now federally protected. On January 29, 2018, the trispot darter was formally recognized as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now proposing exemptions to otherwise prohibited activities under the ESA. The exemptions, included in a 4(d) rule, mark the ESA’s flexibility in allowing for certain management activities to continue because of their overall benefit to the long-term status of the listed darter. Read the full story...
Trispot darter. Photo by Dick Biggins, USFWS.
Conservation partnerships help keep two birds, salamander and skink from requiring endangered species act protections
December 18, 2018 | 4 minute readFollowing rigorous scientific reviews, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that, thanks in part to ongoing conservation partnerships, four southeastern animals do not face the threat of extinction now or in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the MacGillivray’s seaside sparrow, Florida sandhill crane, striped newt and Cedar Key mole skink do not warrant Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. “Our efforts working closely with diverse partners to proactively understand and address threats to wildlife is succeeding,” said Leo Miranda, the Service’s Southeast regional director. Read the full story...
Juvenile striped newt. Photo by FWC.
Ozark snail species presumed extinct following science-based surveys
December 18, 2018 | 2 minute readFollowing rigorous, science-based surveys, the Ozark pyrg, a small snail native to Arkansas and Missouri, is presumed extinct, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No Ozark pyrgs have been confirmed in surveys since their first discovery in 1915. As a result of today’s finding, the pyrg will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The spiral-shaped Ozark pyrg was originally found more than 100 years ago in the White River near Cotter, Arkansas, and in the North Fork White River near Norfork, Arkansas, extending into Missouri. Read the full story...
Tiny freshwater fish does not warrant federal protection
December 18, 2018 | 3 minute readAfter a thorough scientific review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that populations of the Tippecanoe darter, a small freshwater fish, do not warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In some places, surveys suggest increasing populations, likely due to improvements in water quality. One of the smallest darters in the world, the Tippecanoe darter continues to be found across its historical range in larger streams and rivers of the Ohio River watershed in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. Read the full story...
Tippecanoe darter. Photo © Robert Criswell, used with permission.
Endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes reintroduced to the wild
December 17, 2018 | 4 minute readYulee, Florida — White Oak Conservation is pleased to announce that three endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes that hatched this spring at White Oak were reintroduced to the wild last week at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge near Gautier, Mississippi. The three were released in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Audubon Species Survival Center. Only about 130 Mississippi sandhill cranes and 34 breeding pairs remain in the wild. Read the full story...
Mississippi sandhill crane incubating its nest. Photo by USFWS.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announces $940,000 in grants from Southeast Aquatics Fund
December 11, 2018 | 6 minute readWashington, D.C. — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $940,000 in grants to conserve and restore habitats for native freshwater aquatic species in focal watersheds within Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The grants will leverage $1.1 million in matching contributions, generating a total conservation impact of more than $2 million. “The Southeast is home to the greatest diversity of freshwater species in the country, many of which are becoming increasingly rare,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. Read the full story...
New regional director to head southeastern conservation efforts Fish and Wildlife Service
December 10, 2018 | 2 minute readService officials announced late last month that Leopoldo “Leo” Miranda will head the Service’s Southeast Region. The tract encompasses 10 southeastern states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read the full story...