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Recovery Plan Available for Endangered Laurel Dace

November 10, 2016

A pale green fish with bright orange spots on its mouth and belly. — Laurel dace by Conservation Fisheries, Inc.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the final Recovery Plan for the laurel dace, a federally listed endangered fish.

The laurel dace is a small fish native to the Tennessee River Basin in Tennessee that survives in three creek systems on the Walden Ridge of the Cumberland Plateau. Only a few individuals have been found from headwaters of two creek systems in the southern part of its range, Soddy and Sale creeks, while laurel dace are more abundant in headwaters of the Piney River system in its northern range. Historically, the fish once occupied seven streams and currently it is found in six of those.

“The recovery plan for laurel dace is a blueprint to recovery for this fish that the Service and its partners can take together,” said Leopoldo Miranda, the Service’s Southeast Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services. ”We are continuing to work closely with partners like the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute and many others on several recovery efforts to benefit this fish, such as surveys and improvements to stream crossings.”

Watch out for migrating manatees!

November 1, 2016

Silhouette of three manatees shot from below. — Manatee silhouettes. Photo by USFWS.

Manatee numbers are up and these bulky aquatic mammals are on the move this month! The annual migration of Florida manatees begins in November, as the weather cools and Manatee Awareness Month is celebrated.

Watch out for manatees swimming in Florida’s rivers, bays or coastal waters. Keep in mind this time of year manatees are searching for warmer waters to help them survive winter’s cold.

With the onset of the manatee migration, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds people in boats and personal watercraft to slow down to avoid manatees, particularly in shallow areas. Many seasonal manatee protection zones also go into effect as of Nov. 15.

Chucky Madtom Draft Recovery Plan Available for Review

October 31, 2016

The Chucky madtom’s recovery now has a road map and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for your input before it is finalized to be sure it gives conservationists the best chance to ensure the rare catfish once again thrives in East Tennessee.

A comment period for interested citizens, landowners, scientists, conservation groups, and businesses, will open on November 2, 2016, and close on January 3, 2017.

“The Chucky madtom is extremely rare and hard to find in the wild with most likely fewer than 100 remaining,” said Leopoldo Miranda, the Service’s Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services in the Southeast Region. “We will be working closely with private landowners and communities where madtoms live along with state and federal agencies, universities, and conservation groups to find other possible populations and protect its habitat.”

Five-year status review for red wolf officially launches

October 31, 2016

A greyish brown wolf with bright yellow eyes walking through tall grass. — Red wolf at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Credit: Seth Bynum, PDZA.

Work on a five-year status review for the red wolf is underway and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking information from citizens, the conservation and academic communities, and anyone interested in the red wolf’s status and recovery.

“This is the first of five actions we announced last month as we move forward with this recovery work,” said Cindy Dohner, the Service’s Southeast Regional Director. “We are clearly committed to this recovery effort and appreciate the support, and feedback of our partners, who are similarly committed to success.”

A 60-day information-gathering period begins on Monday, October 31.

In September, the Service reaffirmed its commitment to the red wolf’s recovery, announcing a series of actions including this status review. The Service spends $1.2 million annually on red wolf recovery - more than any other recovery initiative in the Southeast Region. Funding that in large part supports a half dozen employees that manage the non-essential experimental population project in eastern North Carolina and the overall red wolf recovery effort. Part of that staff now includes a Regional Red Wolf Recovery Lead, Emily Weller, a highly experienced wildlife biologist with a diverse career in conservation. Similarly, the Service is maintaining leadership and capacity in eastern North Carolina.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Partners Break Ground on Theodore Roosevelt Visitor Center

October 12, 2016

A white visitors center sits on a grassy hill behind a — Rendering of new Visitor’s Center by Centennial.

ONWARD, MS — Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and U.S. Senator Thad Cochran joined David Viker of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Mississippi representatives and other partners to break ground for a 5,000 square-foot Theodore Roosevelt Visitor Center. The future visitor center will be located at the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge.

The visitor center will recognize President Roosevelt’s conservation legacy and the importance of the Mississippi Delta’s diverse wildlife and natural resources. It will honor President Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt of 1902. President Roosevelt teamed up with freed slave and renowned hunter Holt Collier in pursuit of Louisiana black bear. The president’s refusal to kill a restrained male bear during the hunt was widely publicized at the time and resulted in the creation of a stuffed toy known today as the teddy bear. The future visitor center is located on property near the site of the 1902 hunt.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks the culmination of more than a decade of collaboration and cooperation between the Service and its partners to ensure President Roosevelt’s conservation legacy endures,” said Viker, the Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System chief in the Southeast Region. “The Theodore Roosevelt Visitor Center is becoming a reality because of the unwavering commitment of Senator Cochran, Wildlife Mississippi, and numerous other supporters.”

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