Snowy plovers still endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the western snowy plover is still a threatened species. In response to two lawsuits that charged the plover was not a sufficiently distinct species to merit the distinction, the Service ruled that it is markedly separate from other populations and that it meets the requirements for protection as a distinct population segment .

The western population of the tiny shorebird that breeds in coastal areas in California, Oregon and Washington has been listed as threatened since 1993. The current population estimate for the U.S. portion of the Pacific Coast population is approximately 2,300, based on a 2005 survey. The largest number of breeding birds occurs south of San Francisco Bay to southern Baja. It is classified as a "distinct population segment" under the ESA, separate from populations that nest in inland areas from Nevada and Utah to Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

The USFWS says the population has made significant progress toward delisting, and is proposing a new rule that will allow incidental "takings" of plovers in counties that have met their breeding bird management goals.  The goal of the rule is to increase public support for recover of the species.

The Service seeks public comment on the proposed rule for 60 days to the Field Supervisor (Attn: WSP-4d), Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, California 95521 or by fax at 707-822-8411.