The designation identifies areas where federal agencies are required to consult with the Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize that may adversely modify that critical habitat. Federal agencies have been consulting with the Service since the species was listed in July, 1994, to ensure that their actions do not jeopardize the continued existence of the minnow. Because these two consultation requirements are so similar, the Service does not anticipate the critical habitat designation will result in any further restrictions to existing water management practices.
One hundred and fifty miles, or 92 percent of the critical habitat area, are within the administrative boundaries of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.
"We will work closely with the Conservancy District, the Bureau of Reclamation, the six Pueblos, and other partners in developing water management strategies to meet the needs of the minnow and agricultural and municipal water users," said Nancy Kaufman, the Services regional director for the Southwest Region.
Critical habitat is a term used in the Endangered Species Act. It refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and which may require special management considerations for federal actions. These areas do not necessarily have to be occupied by the species at the time of designation.
An area designated as critical habitat is not a refuge or special conservation area conservation area
A conservation area is a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife and major migration corridors while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.
Learn more about conservation area . Listed species and their habitat are protected by the Endangered Species Act whether or not they are in an area designated as critical habitat.
A critical habitat designation has no effect on situations where a federal agency is not involved -- for example, a landowner undertaking a project on private land that involves no federal funding or permit.
The Rio Grande silvery minnow is one of only nine remaining native fish in the middle stretch of the Rio Grande River. Listed as endangered in July 1994, it is a stout silver fish up to 3-1/2 inches in length. Historically it was one of the most abundant and widespread fish in the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers.
Rio Grande silvery minnow populations, however, have declined sharply due to water impoundments, diversion of water for agricultural and urban use, and channelization of the river. In the Pecos River, introduction of a non-native minnow also contributed to the silvery minnows decline. Over the past 30 years, the silvery minnows range has been reduced to 5 percent of its historic area.
A suit filed by Forest Guardians and Defenders of Wildlife in 1997 requested that the court order the Service to designate critical habitat for the minnow. The Tenth Circuit Court in Denver ruled in December that the Service must designate critical habitat and remanded the order to the District Court in New Mexico to identify a time frame.
On February 22, 1999, the court ordered the Service to designate critical habitat for the species within 30 days, but on March 29 the court extended the deadline to June 23 so that the Service could complete a required National Environmental Policy Act analysis and allow meaningful public input on both the economic analysis and the environmental assessment.
The designation of critical habitat for the silvery minnow will be published in the Federal Register on July 6, 1999.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
