Biologists give a Mexican wolf pup a health check during this year's cross-fostering efforts. Credit: USFWS. |
Dozen Zoo-Born Mexican Wolf Pups Find New Homes in Wild After Successful Fostering Effort
June 2019
Twelve Mexican wolf pups are now being cared for and raised by surrogate wild wolf parents after successful efforts to introduce them into existing wolf litters in Arizona and New Mexico. The young wolves were placed in their foster dens by scientists from the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan group and Interagency Field Team. The cross-fostering is part of an effort to restore the rare gray wolf subspecies to its former range and increase genetic diversity in the wild population.
Read the news release.
Black-chinned hummingbird. Credit: USFWS. |
Man from Cochiti Pueblo Sentenced to 37 Days in Prison for Violating Migratory Bird Treaty Act
ALBUQUERQUE – Wayne Martin, 47, of Cochiti Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 37 days in prison for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by shooting and killing at least two dozen protected birds and selling them to an undercover federal agent.
Martin previously pleaded guilty to this offense on January 5, 2017. According to court documents, he admitted to killing robins, hummingbirds, hawks, and other species. He then failed to appear in court for his original sentencing hearing and stayed away for 21 months before agents arrested him.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña prosecuted the case.
Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
Regional Director Amy Lueders presents Cynthia Dale and her team the Recovery Champion Award at the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society national conference.Credit: Vanessa Burge, USFWS.
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Southwest Region Congratulates 2018 Recovery Champions
May 2019
Omar Bocanegra and Cynthia Dale and her team have been named the Southwest Region’s 2018 Recovery Champions. Omar is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Ecological Services Field Office in Arlington, Texas. His efforts and leadership in recovering the endangered black-capped vireo led to the bird being delisted this past year. Cynthia Dale is the Sensitive Species Coordinator with the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona. She and her team have worked tirelessly on Mexican gray wolf conservation and are a vital partner to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in recovering the species.
Congratulations to Omar and to Cynthia and her team!
Learn more about Recovery Champions
Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus Cylindraceus)...which is just one example of the species unlawfully collected.... are CITES II; however, the charges and sentencing stem from Smuggling and Lacey Act false labeling (no CITES/ESA charges). Credit: USFWS. |
Meadview Man Sentenced to Prison for Drug Sales, Theft of Government Property, and International Smuggling of Federally- Protected Cacti
May 2019
William Starr Schwartz, 54, of Meadview, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Schwartz was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $22,655 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a charitable and nonprofit corporation established to further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Schwartz had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, theft of government property, smuggling cacti from the United States, and Lacey Act false labeling charges.
Read the news release.
American burying beetle. Credit: © Jay Pruett.
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Conservation Partnerships Contribute to Proposed Downlisting of American Burying Beetle
Endangered since 1989, North America’s largest carrion beetle appears to be staging a comeback
May 1, 2019
The American burying beetle, one of nature’s most unique creatures, appears to be more plentiful, thanks in part to the efforts of a wide array of partners across its range. Following the beetle’s listing in 1989 as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and stakeholders implemented conservation and recovery efforts, and now the Service is proposing to downlist it from endangered to threatened.
Along with the proposal to downlist the species from endangered to threatened, the Service is proposing a rule under section 4(d) of the ESA that would tailor ESA protections to only those the beetle needs for recovery.
The Service is requesting comments or information from the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested parties concerning the proposed downlisting and 4(d) rule. Comments must be received within 60 days, on or before July 2, 2019.
Additional information on the proposed downlisting and 4(d) rule and Species Status Assessment is available at the Ecological Services Oklahoma site. https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/oklahoma/.
Read the news release.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Read how the Cherokee Nation contributes to the American burying beetle.
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Last updated:
August 19, 2019
