On Monday, June 18, 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it has initiated five year status reviews for fifty species in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin of Oregon, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Included among the species whose ESA listing status is being reviewed are 19 animal species, four of which are currently listed as threatened, while the remaining 14 are currently listed as endangered. Additionally, the FWS is reviewing thirty-one plant species.
As part of its review, FWS will be accepting new information pertinent to the status of the following animal species:
| Species | Current Status |
| Lange’s metalmark butterfly (Apodemia mormo langei) | Endangered |
| Smith’s blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi) | Endangered |
| Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) | Threatened (Western Distinct Population Segment) |
| California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) | Threatened |
| Mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana mucosa) | Endangered |
| Tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) | Endangered |
| Stephens’ kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi (incl. D. cascus) | Endangered |
| Point Arena mountain beaver (Aplondontia rufa nigra) | Endangered |
| Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) | Endangered |
| Western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) | Threatened (Pacific Coast Population Distinct Population Segment) |
| Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos) | Endangered |
| California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) | Endangered |
| Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) | Endangered |
| Laguna Mountains skipper (Pyrgus rurales lagunae) | Endangered |
| Morro shoulderband snail (Helminthoglypta walkeriana) | Endangered |
| Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) | Endangered |
| Shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) | Endangered |
| California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) | Endangered |
| Inyo California towhee (Pipilo crissalis eremophilus) | Threatened |
With respect to the yellow-billed cuckoo, mountain yellow-legged frog, and western snowy plover, FWS’s announcement notes that each was originally listed as a distinct population segment ("DPS"). FWS’s announcement also states that FWS will apply its Policy Regarding the Recognition of DPS’s in considering whether to reclassify or remove any of the DPS’s from the List of Endangered and Threatened Species. In its announcement of this five-year status review, FWS states that it will accept information on any of the above species, or the additional plant species, for consideration in its review until August 17, 2018.
Nossaman’s Endangered Species Law & Policy blog focuses on news, events, and policies affecting endangered species issues in California and throughout the United States. Topics include listing and critical habitat decisions, conservation and recovery planning, inter-agency consultation, and related developments in law, policy, and science. We also inform readers about regulatory and legislative developments, as well as key court decisions.
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