2011 April | The Wildlife Society

The Wildlife Policy News

Volume 21, Issue 4 | April 2011

Editor: Laura M. Bies
Reporters: Maeghan Brass and Emily Sadowski

Wildlife Policy News is intended to foster the exchange of information about policy issues among Society leaders. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policy of The Wildlife Society unless so stated. Please share this publication with your colleagues. Contents may be reprinted with credit to Wildlife Policy News. We welcome comments and suggestions for future issues at laura@wildlife.org. Download the entire issue as a PDF

In this Issue:

Supreme Court Avoids Involvement in Critical Habitat Dispute

On 22 February 2011, the Supreme Court decided not to intervene in recent disputes over critical habitat designations for threatened and endangered species, which are required of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act. The requirement calls for critical habitat designations for all endangered species, based on best available scientific data and consideration of economic impacts related to designations. How the two types of considerations are balanced in FWS critical habitat decisions has long been an area of contention. Property owners, ranchers, and developers have consistently argued that such designations negatively impact their businesses. In recent cases, these groups argue that economic considerations are insufficient and that this issue should be addressed by the Supreme Court. The Court, however, declined to take up the issue, leaving the government to continue its current approach to critical habitat designations.

Sources: E&E Publishing, LLC (Greenwire, Land Letter).

Salazar Unveils New Vision for Wildlife Refuges

On 24 February 2011, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a new draft document that provides a 10-year vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The draft vision - Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation - was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Key themes include species protection, increased access to wildlife-dependent recreation, and connecting youth to conservation and the outdoors. Many priorities detailed in the draft document parallel those of President Obama’sAmerica’s Great Outdoors initiative, released just a week prior to the new vision for the Refuge System.

The draft vision highlights over 100 recommendations for achieving its thematic goals and seeks to promote the System’s mission of conserving habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species. Recommendations include increasing involvement in volunteer and work programs and promoting careers in conservation in diverse communities at the high school and college levels, all in hopes of expanding the number of people with disabilities and minorities who work for the System. Other recommendations include the establishment of standards for credible and efficient science in planning and management, that every staffed refuge have a “Friends” group (a group of local individuals and organizations that provides support to the refuge), and the development of a five-year plan to “green” the Refuge System through reduced fuel consumption and improved recycling.

Visit the Conserving the Future homepage to review the draft vision and submit comments. Comments are due 22 April 2011.

Sources: E&E News (Greenwire), U.S. Department of the Interior.

BLM to Reduce Roundups and Increase Fertility Control

Bob Abbey, director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), announced on 24 February 2011 that the agency will scale back its wild horse and burro roundups and increase fertility control and adoption efforts. Specifically, the BLM’s annual roundup will be reduced in size from 10,000 to 7,000 animals to maintain the current population, contraception treatments will increase from 500 to 2,000 mares per year for the next two years, and the annual goal for wild horse adoption has been set to more than 4,000 horses. There are also plans for a National Academy of Sciences study to examine strategies for reducing horse numbers that will provide recommendations at the beginning of 2013. The BLM’s approach for implementing these and other new efforts, such as improving the handling and care of animals and management transparency, are detailed in a new wild horse and burro management strategy.

Sources: E&E Publishing, LLC (Greenwire, Land Letter, E&E News PM), Bureau of Land Management.

Agreement Reached to Delist Gray Wolf in MT and ID

On 18 March 2011, the Department of Interior (DOI) announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with environmental groups that, if approved by the court, would pave a path to return state management of recovered gray wolf populations in Montana and Idaho while the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) considers the full delisting of gray wolves in the Rocky Mountain region. The agreement comes after 10 plaintiffs sued FWS regarding the 2010 reinstatement of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. The 2010 restoration of ESA protections was a decision made by a Federal District Court judge who ruled that the species could not be state managed in Montana and Idaho but under federal protection in Wyoming, following a 2009 delisting of the species in the northern Rocky Mountains.

Tracy Brooks/USFWS

The settlement requires that the DOI review the status of the gray wolf within four years via an independent scientific assessment and address future delisting of wolves in the region as a distinct population segment, not on a state-by-state basis. The plaintiffs have requested that the 2009 delisting be reinstated in the two states on an interim basis and agree not to challenge a regional delisting plan for five years, as long as populations are managed sustainably under approved state management plans. Federal protection would remain in Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, and negotiations will continue between FWS and Wyoming until an agreement is made on a management plan that provides sufficient protections to wolves, should they be delisted within the state. Four plaintiff groups did not agree to the settlement and are therefore not subject to litigation constraints. The judge is expected to make a decision about the agreement soon.

Sources: E&E Publishing, LLC (Greenwire, E&E News PM), Department of Interior.

Mass Rat Kill to Save Songbirds on Remote UK Island

The British island territory of South Georgia, located in the South Atlantic, has been heavily impacted by brown rats. This non-native rodent has put several species of birds, including the South Georgia pintail and the Cape petrel, under threat and pushed the South Georgia pipit (the island’s only songbird) near the brink of extinction. The rats first appeared on the island with the arrival of sealing and whaling vessels in the 19th century, and have since devastated native bird populations by consuming eggs, chicks, and fledglings.

On 1 March 2011, scientists began the largest rat eradication program in history, with the goal of restoring tens of millions of songbirds to their breeding grounds on the island. The first stage of the eradication program is the dropping of poison pellets by helicopter in limited areas on South Georgia. Scientists will return in two years to see if the technique was effective and will then continue this method on the rest of the island in hopes of eradicating the rats within 5 years.

Sources: E&E News (Greenwire), The Sunday Times.

Priority Renewable Energy Projects Chosen for 2011

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a list of 19 renewable energy projects on 8 March 2011 that are being given priority for permitting and development in hopes of adding 4,200 megawatts of emissions-free electricity to the grid in the next several years. The list includes nine solar, five wind, and five geothermal projects, located in five Western states and cover more than 53,000 acres of land.

The projects were chosen in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service with screening criteria developed through policy memoranda issued in February 2011 by the BLM. The guidelines were designed to focus utility-scale solar and wind projects on sites that are both environmentally suitable and unlikely to cause land-use conflicts. Priority was also given to projects that were void of problems concerning pristine landscapes and vulnerable wildlife.

Sources: E&E News (Land Letter), Bureau of Land Management.

TWS Update: Budget for FY 2011 Still Up in the Air

Congress recently passed its fifth continuing resolution for fiscal year 2011, cutting an additional $6 billion from current spending. Although much uncertainty persists among members of the House and Senate, both agree that this CR, which will keep federal agencies running until 8 April 2011, will be the last. TWS continues to press Members of Congress for their support of adequate funding for key wildlife programs, such as the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center.

Sources: E&E News (Greenwire).

News Update: Bison Given another Opportunity to Roam Outside Park

After an attempt earlier this year to allow bison to move outside Yellowstone National Park proved disappointing when bison wandered outside designated grazing areas, a second effort is being made to increase the bison’s roaming range. Bison will be allowed to wander into the Gardiner Basin, increasing ranging opportunities 13 miles north of the Park. Individual animals that roam outside of the permitted area may be shot by state officials and, if officials decide too many animals are in the Basin at one time, groups may be hazed back into the Park.

Sources: E&E News (Greenwire, Land Letter), National Park Service.