Transcript Blue Background

Endangered Species Act
Species Listing and Critical Habitat
Regulations
Listing Process
How does a species get listed?
 Petitions for listing
 Surveys conducted by FWS and other agencies
 Other substantiated reports on field studies
Anyone may petition FWS to have a species listed or
removed from the list.
Findings are required before any proposal is published
in the Federal Register.
Listing Process
What are the criteria for listing?
5 Main Factors:
 Present or threatened destruction, modification, or
curtailment of a species habitat or range;
 Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific,
or educational purposes;
 Disease or predation;
 Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
 Other natural or man-made factors affecting its
continued existence.
Implications of Listing
 Protection from effects from Federal activities
 Restrictions on take
 Requirement that the FWS develop
• Recovery Plans
• Critical Habitat
Implications of Listing
Section 9
 Illegal to take, possess, harm, harass, etc. any listed species
Section 7
 Applies to federal actions - listed species AND Critical Habitat
 Consultation with USFWS is required
 “Incidental Take” –provided that jeopardy is avoided
Section 10
 Applies to non-federal actions
 Requires preparation of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).
 “Incidental Take” –provided that jeopardy is avoided
Critical Habitat
Definition: Areas of habitat believed to be essential to
the species' conservation
Purpose: Restricts the actions of federal agencies that
have the potential to destroy or adversely modify critical
habitat – regardless of whether the habitat is occupied.
Critical Habitat
What are the criteria used in designating critical habitat?
 Physical and biological features needed for life
processes and successful reproduction of the
species.
• Space for individual and population growth and for normal
behavior;
• Cover or shelter;
• Food, water, air, light, minerals, or other nutritional or
physiological requirements;
• Sites for breeding and rearing offspring; and
• Habitats that are protected from disturbances or are
representative of the historic geographical and ecological
distributions of a species
Delisting
How can species be taken off the endangered and
threatened species list?
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Extinction
New evidence of additional populations
Recovery
Legislative action
Delisting
Since 1973, Approximately fifty species out of 2,000
have been delisted
 22 due to recovery
 Nine due to extinction (seven of which were extinct
prior to being listed)
 The remaining due to other changes or listing errors
Santa Ana Sucker
Biology and Endangered Species Regulations
From USFWS
From Moyle
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Biology
 Appearance
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Small , less than 6 inches
“sucker” mouth
Blotchy on the back, silver
belly
 Food requirements
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Algae and some
invertebrates (when adult)
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Forages by gleaning
“sucking” algae off rocks
From USFWS
From Press Enterprise
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Biology
 Reproduction
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Produce massive numbers of eggs
Quickly repopulates streams
 Life Span
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Short-lived: 1-2 years; max of 5
years
 Habitat
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Small and shallow streams
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Gravel, rubble, boulders
Cool water
Varying currents : swift to
sluggish
Clean and clear water
From Press Enterprise
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Biology
 Distribution - historical
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L.A. Basin: L.A., San Gabriel,
Santa Ana Rivers in L.A., Orange,
Riverside, San Bernardino Cos
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From Pacific Ocean to S.B.
National Forest
 Distribution – Current
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Lower and middle Santa Ana
River
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East, West, North forks of San
Gabriel
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Lower Big Tujunga
Also Santa Clara but considered
to be introduced
From ICE, UCDavis
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Listing History
 Historical Population Size
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Considered to be “common” in the 1970s
L.A. River: was historically present
San Gabriel: common below Morris Dam
Santa Ana River: abundant
 Current population sizes
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L.A. River: extirpated
Lower Big Tujunga: fluctuates widely from 0 to 1000s
San Gabriel River: fewer than 5,000
Santa Ana River: few hundred to few thousand
Lost 75 % of the native range
 Listed as Threatened by USFWS in 2000
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Reasons for listing: Massive habitat changes and introduced
species
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Listing History
 Critical Habitat
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Initially 2004 – 21,000 acres
Final 2005 – 8,305 acres
Revised final in 2010 – 9,331
acres
 Critical Habitat Includes
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Lower and middle Santa Ana
River
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East, West, North forks of San
Gabriel
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Lower Big Tujunga
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Critical Habitat
 Primary Constituent Elements
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Functioning Hydrological system with peaks and ebbs in
water flow
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Loose sand, gravel, cobble, boulder with riffles, runs and
pools
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Water depth greater than 3 cm
Velocity greater than 0.03 m/s
Non-turbid
Temperature less than 30 C
Habitat with algae, emergent and riparian vegetation
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
5-year Review
 Ranked as 5C on a 1-18 scale
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High degree of threat
Low potential for recovery
Taxon is a full species
“C” indicates construction activity is
a threat
 Threats (per the 5-year review)
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Loss of water
Pollution
Urbanized setting of the Santa Ana
River
From Orange Co. Water Dist.
Santa Ana Sucker (Catastomus santaanae)
Other Protective Actions/Agencies
 Western Riverside MSCHP – Species Specific
and Landscape Considerations
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Main stem Santa Ana River and tributaries: 3,870 acres
Adjacent habitat and vegetation for shade
Assess how to restore connectivity
Assess threats, implement management
 Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
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Santa Ana Sucker Conservation Team
Goal is to determine the reasons for the decline
Develop strategies for the recovery