Endangered Species Act Precursor created in 1967 Current law created in 1973

Kieran Suckling

Policy Director(520) 275-5960

[email protected]

February 28, 2006

mailto:[email protected]

Endangered Species Act

Precursor created in 1967

Current law created in 1973

1,312 plants and animals currently listed as threatened or endangered

1,350 historically listed

Purpose:1. Prevent extinction

2. Move species toward recovery

3. Achieve full recovery and remove from endangered list

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Is the Endangered Species Act Working?

1. Prevent extinction

2. Move toward recovery

3. Achieve full recovery

● 52 listed species potentially extinct, but…● Only 21 (1.5%) disappeared after listing, and…● Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing

● ESA at least 99.6% successful by this measure

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● 14 species fully recovered and removed from endangered list

● ESA is 1.0% successful by this measure







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● 14 species fully recovered and removed from endangered list

● ESA is 1.0% successful by this measure

● 97.5% not extinct or recovered● population trend anecdotes (bald eagle, grizzly bear, etc.), but no comprehensive data…

● until this report

56 endangered species in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire,

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New

Jersey

We gathered long-term population trend data on the 53 which were

listed for at least six years

We reviewed federal recovery plans to determine which species were expected to recover by 2005 and which were not expected to

recover that soon

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Goal 1: Preventing Extinction

Four extinct or extirpated from the U.S. before listingNone became extinct after listing

Blue Pike

Longjaw Cisco

Eskimo Curlew

Eastern CougarListed: 1974

Last documented: early 1940s

Listed: 1974

Last documented: 1963

Listed: 1974

Extirpated from U.S.: 1967

Listed: 1974

Extinct: 1971

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Goal 2: Full Recovery

Critics: all 1,350 species should have recovered, thus “The ESA has a 1% success, 99% failure rate” (Richard Pombo)

How many should have recovered?

Federal recovery plans: require an average of 42 years for recovery actions

Listing length: species on endangered list for 24 years on average

Expected recoveries: federal recovery plans predict 11 recoveries by 2005

Actual recovery record: nine species downlisted, delisted, proposed for delisting, or under consideration for delisting

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Predicted vs. Actual Recovery Trend

Species Expected by Recovery Plan

Current Status

American Hart's-tongue fern 1999 Declined, primarily due to NY trend; majority of plants in Canada and stable.

American peregrine falcon 2000 Delisted

Arctic peregrine falcon 1995 Delisted

Bald eagle 2000 Proposed for delisting

Brown pelican (Southeast) 1985 Delisted

Dwarf cinquefoil 2003 Delisted

Gray wolf (Eastern DPS) 2005 Proposed for delisting

Knieskern's beaked-rush 1997 Population trend unknown

Northeastern beach tiger beetle

2005 Stable; large Virginia populations; introductions occurring in NJ and MA

Small whorled pogonia 2003 Downlisted to threatened in 1994

Swamp-pink 2002 Trend unknown, relatively populous

Shortnose sturgeon 2024 Connecticut, Delaware, Hudson, and Kennebec River System populations recommended for down or delisting

Northeastern bulrush 2014 Biologists have recommended down or de-listing

Goal 3: Moving Species Toward Recovery

Increased since listing: 65% (=26)

Remained stable: 28% (=11)

93% (=37) increased or remained stable

Declined since listing: 8% (=3)

Unknown trend: 9

Extinct/extirpated before listing: 4

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Three species (=7%) declined

Indiana Bat

300,000

500,000

700,000

900,000

65 68 71 74 77 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 01 04

American Hart's Tongue

0

30

60

90

120

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02

Total New York plants as a percent of the 1993-

1995 population

Indiana Bat

American Hart’s Tongue Fern

Declined score based primarily on NY which contains most U.S. plants. But most of species is in Canada where it is stable.

In dramatic decline at time of listing, continued to decline for another 25 years, began improving about 1996

Three species (=7%) DeclinedPuritan Tiger Beetle

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Chesapeake Bay

Puritan Tiger BeetleConnecticut River

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Connecticut

Massachusetts

Puritan Tiger Beetle

The large Chesapeake Bay populations have declined rapidly since listing. They have received little institutionalized habitat protection.

The two small Connecticut River metapopulations have increased in size due to intensive habitat management and a reintroduction program.

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93% improved or remained stable (examples)

Florida Manatee

1,000

2,000

3,000

Humpback Whale

0

400

800

1200

83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

U.S. West Coast

Southeast Alaska

Feeding Stocks


Delmarva Fox SquirrelChincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

0

100

200

300

67 70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97 00 03

Eastern Gray Wolf

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Great Lakes Population


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American Peregrine Falcon

0

500

1000

1500

2000

70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97 00

Breedng pairs

Arctic Peregrine Falcon

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

Cape May, NJmigration count


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Lower 48 pairs

417

7,280

0

2000

4000

6000

8000


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Connecticut and New Jerseywintering eagles

0

50

100

150

200

NJ

CT

Northeast and Maine

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

67 71 75 79 83 87 91 95 99 03

562

27

385

MAINE

Northeast total

New Hamphsire and Massachusettspairs

0

4

8

12

16

20

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

5

19

NH

MA

1

8

New York and New Jerseypairs

0

25

50

75

100

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

53

94

NY

NJ13

5


Atlantic Piping Plover

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

U.S. pairs


0

200

400

600

800

86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04

Recovery goal

New England pairs


0

100

200

300

400

500

600Recovery goal

New York & New Jersey pairs


Northeast Roseate TernU.S. Population

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

Northeast Roseate TernNew York & Massachusetts pairs

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,750

2,000

MA

NY

Northeast Roseate TernMaine & New Hampshire pairs

0

50

100

150

200

250

300ME

NH


Eastern Brown PelicanAtlantic Coast nests

2,000

5,000

8,000

11,000

14,000

17,000

Shortnose Sturgeon

0

20000

40000

60000

77 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 01 04

Hudson River

Delaw are River


Atlantic Green Sea Turtle

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

Statewide

Index Beachestw o year count

Florida Nests

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Texas Nests


Atlantic Leatherback Sea Turtle

0

400

800

Statew ideIndex Beaches

Florida Nests

Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

Statew ide Index Beaches

Florida Nests


Karner Blue Butterfly

0

10000

20000

30000

0

200

400

600

800

1000Necedah NWR, WI

Concord Airport,

Northern Red-bellied Cooterheadstarted turtles, cumulative

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05


Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle

0

500

1000

1500

2000

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Massachusetts and New Jersey

Chesapeake Bay

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Calvert County, MD Janes & Cedar Island, MD

Virginia


American Burying Beetle

0

2

4

6

8

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Introduced and Captive Populations


0

200

400

600

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

0

1000

2000

3000

Southw est Block Island

Nantucket cumulative

introductions


0

100

200

300

400

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

Camp Gruber, OK

Wyerhaeuser, OK


Seabeach Amaranth

0

40,000

80,000

120,000

160,000

200,000

93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04

DE, MD, NJ, NY, VA, and NC

Sandplain Gerardia

0

100

200

300

400

500

88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04

plan

ts, t

hous

ands

0

5

10

15

20

25

popu

latio

ns

MA, RI, CT, NY


Dwarf Cinquefoil

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

Furbish Lousewort

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

Endangered Species Act Precursor created in 1967 Current law created in 1973

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