News
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A red-cockaded woodpecker has dinner outside its nesting cavity. Photo by USFWS.
Service announces public hearing on proposed downlisting of red-cockaded woodpecker
November 12, 2020 | 3 minute read
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public hearing on the proposed downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker. The virtual public hearing will be held on December 1, 2020 via Zoom and teleconference, in accordance with COVID-19 pandemic public gathering rules. Virtual meetings are also consistent with Service regulations at 50 CFR 424.16©(3). “The Service is committed to transparency in all of our science-based decisions and to the input of stakeholders and the public,” said Service Regional Director Leo Miranda. Read the full story...
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Sickle darter; Photo by Crystal Ruble, Conservation Fisheries, Inc.
Service proposes listing for the rare sickle darter fish from Upper Tennessee River Basin
November 10, 2020 | 4 minute read
Following a review of the best available science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the sickle darter, a small slender-bodied fish native to the upper Tennessee River, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also proposing a 4(d) rule, which tailors protections while allowing certain activities that do not hinder its recovery. Habitat loss and water quality degradation from a variety of sources are the primary threats to the species. Read the full story...
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Canoe Creek clubshell. Photo by USFWS.
Service seeks public comment on proposal to list Alabama mussel under the Endangered Species Act
November 2, 2020 | 3 minute read
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Canoe Creek clubshell, a freshwater mussel found only in a single watershed in northern Alabama, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also proposing critical habitat protections for the species. The clubshell requires clean, flowing water to survive, and according to a science-based review, sedimentation, poor water quality, loss of habitat and events such as droughts and floods, have devastated clubshell populations. Read the full story...
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Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly. Photo by Jan Zegarra, USFWS.
El Servicio solicita comentarios del público sobre la propuesta para incluir la Mariposa Arlequín de Puerto Rico como especie amenazada bajo la Ley Federal de Especies en Peligro de Extinción
October 9, 2020 | 5 minute read
Hoy, el Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre (el Servicio) propone incluir la Mariposa Arlequín de Puerto Rico (Atlantea tulita) como especie amenazada bajo la Ley Federal de Especies en Peligro de Extinción (ESA, por sus siglas en inglés). El Servicio también propone designar hábitat crítico para la mariposa, así como un reglamento especial 4 (d). El Servicio aceptará comentarios públicos sobre esta propuesta hasta el 14 de diciembre de 2020 (60 días después de su publicación en el Registro Federal). Read the full story...
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Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly. Photo by Jan Zegarra, USFWS.
Service seeks public comment on proposal to list rare Puerto Rican butterfly as threatened under Endangered Species Act
October 9, 2020 | 4 minute read
Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Harlequin butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also proposing to designate critical habitat for the butterfly, as well as a special 4(d) rule. The Service will accept public comments on this proposed decision until 12/14/2020 (60 days after publication in FR). Six populations of the Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly, a medium-sized butterfly native to Puerto Rico, are known to exist in the world. Read the full story...
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Eastern black rail. Photo © Tom Johnson, used with permission, The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Service finalizes listing the eastern black rail as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
October 7, 2020 | 4 minute read
The eastern black rail, a small, secretive marsh bird historically known to exist in 35 states east of the Rocky Mountains, Puerto Rico, Canada, Brazil, and several countries in the Caribbean and Central America, will be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The final listing includes a rule that will help ensure beneficial conservation actions continue, while minimizing impacts to landowners and other stakeholders. Critical habitat designation for the eastern black rail was deemed not prudent. Read the full story...
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Service proposes to list two eastern freshwater mussels as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
September 28, 2020 | 6 minute read
Following rigorous scientific reviews of the best available science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the longsolid and round hickorynut freshwater mussels, found in streams and rivers in the Eastern U.S., as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. With today’s action, the Service is also proposing critical habitat and special rules under section 4(d) of the ESA that tailor protections for each species, along with economic analyses on the costs associated with critical habitat designation. Read the full story...
