Endangered Species Restoration Success in National Parks:

Highlights of species restoration at three NPS units include:

• Wind Cave National Park became the second NPS unit to reintroduce federally endangered black-footed ferrets (the first was Badlands National Park).  In collaboration with the FWS, 49 ferrets were released into the park after a 30 year absence.  Sixteen were captive bred ferrets from the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in northern Colorado and 33 were wild born ferrets from the US Forest Service’s National Grasslands in western South Dakota.  During the next 3 to 5 years, the viability of a 5,000 acre reintroduction site will be tested and surplus wild-born kits may be provided to other sites. 
• Channel Islands National Park has had several milestones for island fox recovery.  Reproduction and survival of wild fox populations on San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands reached about 420 foxes, allowing the cessation of the captive breeding and release program.  Golden eagle predation has been mitigated (44 eagles were removed since 1999, and feral pig removal and bald eagle introduction makes the islands less hospitable to golden eagles).  The continued presence of introduced elk and deer on Santa Rosa Island continues to be an obstacle to recovery.
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is re-establishing populations of nine, previously extirpated endangered plants.  The planting and survival monitoring was completed for seven species, eight species were successfully propagated, and the park collected seed for long-term storage.

Before a species, a subspecies, or a distinct vertebrate population is formally listed as T&E, it is scientifically evaluated according to established criteria.  A species remains a candidate until the evaluation takes place.  Once a candidate species has been officially proposed for consideration, it receives protection from the NPS as a “threatened” species until a decision has been reached.  Sometimes, when a species is being restored, a population is designated as an experimental population to give greater management flexibility until it is established.  AT other times, the need for federal listing is unnecessary if management actions to secure the species are put in place by state and federal agencies.

Removing a species from the federal list of T&E species is a public process that entails a scientific evaluation.  After delisting, five years of monitoring is required to make sure that the threats do not resume.  In long lived species, the five years of required monitoring may be stretched over a longer time period.  For example, the bald eagle, will be monitored every fifth year starting in 2008, continuing in 2013, 2018, 2023, and ending in 2028.  If there are no threats to the species after that time, then the species would be delisted.

Contacts and Links :

Biological Resource Managment Divsion, Ft. Collins, CO.
Dr. Peter Dratch: Endangered Species Program Manager and zoologist
Nancy Brian: Endangered Species Specialist and botanist
Joel Smoot: ESA Program Intern