A young visitor is captivated by a handful of lively snakes while attending the Dragonfly Festival. Credit: USFWS.

Bitter Lake Celebrates 75 years With Wings of Color

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, in Roswell New Mexico, celebrated its 75th anniversary in style, with its annual Dragonfly Festival on September 7-9, 2012. The Refuge boasts more than 100 species of dragonflies and damselflies within its perimeters, and they can be quite a site to see. The Dragonfly Festival’s kick-off event took place on Friday, September 7, and featured guest speaker, Dr. Brady Barr, National Geographic reptile expert. The event, as well as the entire festival, was well attended by both children and adults who delighted in not only the plethora of dragonflies on the refuge, but also in the other wildlife presentations and a number of exhibits. The Albuquerque Zoo was one of the exhibitors, bringing a variety of wildlife from snakes to an armadillo.

Service Proposes Endangered Status and Critical Habitat for the Jemez Mountains Salamander
-Public comment sought-

September 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is proposing to list the Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and designate critical habitat. In total, approximately 90,789 acres are being proposed for designation as critical habitat in two units in Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico. The Service is opening a 60 day public comment period and will accept comments received or postmarked on or before November 13.

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Photo credit: USFWS.

Name That Refuge

Agency looks for unique and culturally significant names for new refuge near Albuquerque. Members of the public are invited to provide suggested names for a new urban national wildlife refuge in Albuquerque’s South Valley. The project was approved last September under the working title of Middle Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge. Since that time, the Service has been working with project partners Bernalillo County and the Trust for Public Lands to identify sufficient funds to purchase the lands.

Get involved and help name that refuge - click on our Facebook icon.

Service Seeks Comments on Proposal to List Two East Texas Plants

September 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is proposing to list the Texas golden gladecress (Leavenworthia texana) as endangered and the Neches River rose-mallow (Hibiscus dasycalyx) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (Act). In addition we are proposing to designate critical habitat for both plants. A 60-day public comment period will begin upon publication of this proposal in the Federal Register.

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Federal Register Notice

Agency Provides Additional Time for Input on Proposed River Initiative

September 2012
Public Comment will be accepted until October 12. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently initiated a public scoping process as part of a collaborative conservation initiative along the Lower San Pedro River. The purpose of scoping is to work with the public to identify issues and opportunities for such a project.

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See more Plans in Progress

August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that more than $5.7 million in grants will be awarded to seven state fish and wildlife agencies to help conserve and recover imperiled species and habitats through the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Competitive Program. This federal funding will be matched by more than $4.6 million in non-federal funds provided by states and their partners.

In the southwest Arizona was the beneficiary of a $291,375 grant.

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Service Seeks Public Comment on Proposal to List Four Central Texas Salamanders

August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced that it will seek public comment on a proposal to protect four salamander species occurring within central Texas as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also seeking comment on a proposal to designate critical habitat for these species in Bell, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

The four salamander species, the Austin blind salamander (Eurycea waterlooensis), Jollyville Plateau salamander (Eurycea tonkawae), Georgetown salamander (Eurycea naufragia) and the Salado salamander (Eurycea chisholmensis), are presently in danger of extinction throughout their range based on threats from habitat degradation, including reduced water quality and quantity and disturbance of spring sites.

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Service Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for Jaguar in Arizona and New Mexico

August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today announced it will seek public comment on a proposal to designate critical habitat for the jaguar under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in portions of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Jaguars in the U.S. are part of the northern range of a population that occurs in Mexico. The areas the Service has identified as potential critical habitat was informed by the Recovery Outline for the jaguar that was recently completed by a Service-assembled, binational team of scientists. The team relied on a scientific population viability analysis and a population and habitat viability analysis for the jaguar in the northern extent of its range in Mexico and the U.S.

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Federal Register Notice

Gierisch mallow in bloom. Credit: Lee Hughes, BLM.

Service Proposes to give Arizona-Utah Plant Endangered Species Protection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is proposing to protect Gierisch mallow as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is seeking additional information to help inform that decision. The Service is also proposing to designate critical habitat for this plant species. The Gierisch mallow, found primarily on federal land in Utah and Arizona, is a perennial, orange-flowered plant that grows up to 3.4 feet tall.

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August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to protect six species of aquatic invertebrates native to west Texas as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also identifying certain areas that it will analyze for potential designation as critical habitat for these species in portions of Reeves, Jeff Davis and Pecos Counties.

The six aquatic invertebrates, the Phantom Cave snail (Pyrgulopsis texana), Phantom springsnail (Tryonia cheatumi), diminutive amphipod (Gammarus hyalleloides), Diamond Y Spring snail (Pseudotryonia adamantina), Gonzales springsnail (Tryonia circumstriata), and Pecos amphipod (Gammarus pecos), are in danger of extinction due to the loss and degradation of the natural springs that support them.

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Fox Mountain Alpha Wolf. Credit: USFWS.

August 2012
On August 10, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) rescinded the order (issued August 8) to lethally remove the alpha female (F1188) of the Fox Mountain Pack in New Mexico. In its place the Service has issued a permanent removal order. This means that F1188 will not be lethally removed, but will be taken from the wild and placed in captivity. The Service was able to take this action because the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (Conservation Center) in Scottsdale, Arizona, stepped forward and offered to take F1188 and house her in their facility.

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Service Determines That the Desert Massasauga May Warrant Federal Protection as Endangered or Threatened

August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announced today the results of a 90-day status review on a petition to list desert massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii), a rattlesnake found in the southwestern United States, as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Based on this review, the Service found that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing desert massasauga may be warranted. The desert massasauga is a rattlesnake (Family Viperidae) classified as a subspecies of massasauga. The Service will open a 60 public comment period and initiate a review of the status of this subspecies to determine if listing is warranted.

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August 2012
Due to a new development, we are rescinding our lethal removal order. Instead we are issuing a permanent removal order. This means the animal will not be lethally removed, but will be taken from the wild and placed in captivity. We are able to take this action because the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC) in Scottsdale, Arizona stepped forward and offered to take the Alpha Female 1188 from the Fox Mountain Pack and house her in their facility. The SWCC is a member of the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan and assists with housing and breeding Mexican wolves for future release. The SWCC recently received a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Trust to build additional holding facilities for Mexican wolves. These new pens will be up and running by October 2012, but the SWCC will be able to house F1188 in an existing pen until completion of the new facilities. Additionally, the SWCC will pay the costs of capturing and caring for this female. This female will not breed in captivity and will not be released to the wild.

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Service Determines the Bartram Stonecrop and Beardless Chinch Weed May Warrant Federal Protection as Endangered or Threatened

August 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today the results of a 90-day finding on a petition to list Graptopetalum bartramii (Bartram stonecrop) and Pectis imberbis (beardless chinch weed) as endangered or threatened plants under the Endangered Species Act, and to designate critical habitat. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing Bartram stonecrop and beardless chinch weed may be warranted. The Service will open a 60 day public comment period and initiate a status review for these species. Comments should be received by October 9, 2012.

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Turner Endangered Species Fund Receives U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2011 Recovery Champion Award

August 2012
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe presented Ted Turner and the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) with the Service’s 2011 Recovery Champion Award at an event at the Ladder Ranch in Caballo, New Mexico. The award was given in recognition of TESF’s conservation initiatives, which continue to play a significant role in the recovery of numerous endangered species. For more than a decade, Turner and the TESF have partnered with the Service and been active participants in recovery programs benefitting imperiled species such as the black-footed ferret, red-cockaded woodpecker, Chiricahua leopard frog, Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Northern Aplomado falcon, Bolson tortoise (found in Mexico), Northern gray wolf, and the Mexican gray wolf.

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Promoting Global Resource Conservation
Guitar Company to Pay $350,000, Forfeit Wood; Agreement Resolves Service Criminal Investigation

August 2012
The Department of Justice and Gibson Guitar Corp. have entered into a criminal enforcement agreement resolving a Service investigation of Lacey Act violations related to the illegal purchase and importation of woods from Madagascar and India.

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Mexican Wolf Found Dead in Arizona

July 2012
The carcass of Adult Male 806 (AM806) of the Bluestem Pack was recovered by law enforcement agents from the Arizona Game and Fish Department AGFD) on July 6, 2012, west of Big Lake on the Apache-Sitgraves National Forest, within the traditional territory for the Bluestem pack. This is the third Mexican wolf mortality documented in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) in 2012. AM806 was first released into the BRWRA in Arizona in 2006 as part of the Meridian pack.

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Middle Rio Grande Conservation Initiative

July 2012
On Wednesday, July 11, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar came to Albuquerque to recieve the "Middle Rio Grande Conservation Initiative" report. The report highlight's important conservation, recreation and education recommendations for the 180 mile streatch of the Middle Rio Grande from Cochiti Dam to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir . With the Secretary to receive this report were Richard Berry, Mayor of Albuquerque and Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. The report can be found online.

San Juan River Restoration Project Benefits Endangered Fish

July 2012
Six miles of critical habitat for endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker along the San Juan River was recently restored with funding from a $400,000 grant from the New Mexico Environment Department’s River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative. The Nature Conservancy administered the funds and coordinated restoration activities with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Navajo Nation and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program.

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Service Determines the Chupadera Springsnail Warrants Protection Under the Endangered Species Act and Designates Critical Habitat

July 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took action to protect the Chupadera springsnail under the Endangered Species Act (Act). The final rule listing the species was published in the Federal Register today. In addition, the Service has designated critical habitat for the species in two units on private property totaling 1.9 acres in Socorro County, New Mexico. This rule becomes effective on August 11, 2012.

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Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Input on Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Critical Habitat Proposal

July 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is again seeking comment on its proposed revision of critical habitat for an endangered migratory bird, the southwestern willow flycatcher. The Service’s August 15, 2011, proposed revision identified 2,090 stream miles within the 100-year floodplain of waters in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico as critical habitat. Of the total proposal, approximately 902 stream miles are currently being considered for exclusion from the final critical habitat designation. The Service announces two additional proposed locations in Arizona and six additional areas now under consideration for exclusion from designation. The Service also announces the availability of a draft economic analysis of the critical habitat proposal, a draft environmental assessment, and a public hearing. The Service is seeking comment through September 10, 2012.

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Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program Requests Incidental Take Permit for Federally Listed Species Dependent Upon the Edwards Aquifer

July 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will announce in the Federal Register the notice of availability of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS) and an incidental take permit application for the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (EARIP) that includes a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (dHCP). This announcement begins a 90-day public comment period.

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FAQs
Federal Register Notice

Southwestern willow flycatcher. Credit: Jim Rorabaugh USFWS.

Comments Sought for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Critical Habitat

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened of the public comment period for its August 2011 proposal to revise critical habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. We're also announcing the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat, a public hearing, additional areas that we are considering to exclude from the designation and two newly proposed areas (Cienega Creek area of southern Arizona).

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Golden eagle found dead. Credit: USFWS.

July 2012
The carcass of a 2-year-old female Golden Eagle was found on May 17 in a field southeast of Dulce, New Mexico. The eagle had been fitted with a satellite tracking device when it was a nestling on June 2, 2010 in western Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The device allowed precise GPS location information to be recorded hourly and transmitted by satellite to researchers. The eagle was then tracked nearly 2 years as it moved back and forth between Rio Arriba County and adjoining parts of southern Colorado. More recently she was located southeast of Dulce in northern Rio Arriba County. A reward of $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in the shooting of this eagle. If you have any information you are asked to contact the FWS Office of Law Enforcement at (505) 248-7889.

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Landmark Conservation Agreements Keep Dunes Sagebrush Lizard off the Endangered Species List in NM, TX

2012
WASHINGTON – As a result of unprecedented commitments to voluntary conservation agreements now in place in New Mexico and Texas that provide for the long-term conservation of the dunes sagebrush lizard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the species does not need to be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

“This is a great example of how states and landowners can take early, landscape-level action to protect wildlife habitat before a species is listed under the Endangered Species Act,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The voluntary conservation efforts of Texas and New Mexico, oil and gas operators, private landowners and other stakeholders show that we don’t have to choose between energy development and the protection of our land and wildlife – we can do both.”

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Preliminary Strategy for Jaguar Recovery is Complete

2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Jaguar Recovery Team have completed a Jaguar Recovery Outline to provide a preliminary strategy for jaguar conservation until a full recovery plan is completed. The recovery outline will be used to develop a full jaguar recovery plan (scheduled for completion in December 2013) and is being used, together with other information, to inform the Service’s critical habitat proposal that is under development and due this summer.

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Reward Offered in Mexican wolf shooting in Arizona

2012
PINETOP, Ariz. – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Special Agents and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) law enforcement personnel recovered the carcass of a Mexican wolf pup on March 27, 2012, found next to Forest Road 249 west of Alpine, Ariz. They identified it as female pup fp1247, produced by the Hawks Nest Pack in 2011.

A preliminary exam failed to reveal an obvious cause of death. The carcass was shipped to the National Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab in Oregon for a complete necropsy, where they determined the wolf died of a single gunshot wound. If anyone has information regarding this incident, they are requested to contact the FWS Special Agent at (928) 213-8017 or AGFD Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700.

The FWS is offering a reward of up to $10,000 and AGFD Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the illegal shooting death of this wolf or any other Mexican wolf. Other nongovernmental organizations and private individuals have pledged an additional $46,000 for a total reward amount of up to $57,000, depending on the information provided.

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The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with
others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and
their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

All images Credit to and Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unless specified otherwise.