Action Alert

Support Endangered & Threatened Species

DIFW to amend Maine’s list of endangered and threatened species

Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) will amend the state’s list of endangered and threatened species and is seeking public comment by July 3. The department will then submit a bill to the Legislature for consideration and approval.

The purpose of updating the endangered and threatened species list is to have a current list of those species most at risk of extinction from the state based on ecological data and threats to the species and/or their habitats. Once species are listed the department can develop management and recovery plans for each species with input from other experts and will review projects that might affect endangered and threatened species to assure impacts are avoided or minimized wherever possible.

We must show the department that there is strong public support for protecting Maine’s most vulnerable wildlife, particularly those whose populations are extremely low and at risk of extinction if nothing is done to protect them and their habitats.

You Can Help!

Your comments are needed before July 3, 2006.

Please send your written comments to: Andrea Erskine, DIFW, #41 SHS, Augusta, ME 04333-0041 OR call (207) 287-5201 OR e-mail andrea.erskine@maine.gov

Please:

1. Commend DIFW for updating the endangered and threatened species list. DIFW is recommending that one fish, one butterfly, one dragonfly, and one mammal be added to the list as endangered. Four species of birds, two butterflies, one dragonfly, and one freshwater mussel would also be added as threatened. (Click here to see the list of amendments.) Maine Audubon supports the addition of all of these species, including the New England cottontail.

2. Request that DIFW add several species whose populations are extremely low and at risk of extinction if nothing is done to protect them and their habitats. These include:

Least bittern (E)
Barrow's goldeneye (T)
Atlantic salmon (E)
Canada lynx (T)

What’s At Stake

• New England cottontail use brushy habitat found in old fields, which is becoming increasingly scarce and fragmented into patches too small to support successful breeding populations.

• Least bittern are found in freshwater wetlands dominated by cattails but after extensive sampling of wetlands likely to support bitterns it is clear that their total population is dangerously low.

• Barrow's goldeneye overwinter in Maine's coastal and tidal waters. Their population is estimated to be dangerously low.

• Atlantic salmon numbers continue to decline in Maine, the only state along the Atlantic with a breeding population. The species is already listed as federally endangered and should be included in the state list as well.

• Canada lynx only breed in a handful of states, with Maine being the only one in the east. They need large expanses of forest with abundant snowshoe hare for prey and downed trees or roots for dens. The small breeding population could be affected by changes in cutting practices, habitat fragmentation by roads, increased traffic on roads, and interference with dispersal to and from Canada. The lynx is already listed as federally threatened and should be included in the state list as well.

More Information

A few key vertebrate species that Maine Audubon feels should be more carefully considered in the listing process.

Canada Lynx

Maine Audubon strongly recommends adding this species as threatened. The department’s population estimate of more than 1,000 lynx in Maine is highly debated both within the department and among other wildlife professionals in nongovernmental organizations, federal agencies, and universities. Although there is no doubt that much time and careful consideration from DIFW staff has gone into creating the population model, it is critical that 1) the Maine lynx team agree that the model’s assumptions and methods are valid, and 2) that the model be peer-reviewed by scientists outside of the agency. Until this happens and outstanding concerns are addressed, Maine Audubon must side with critics of the model who believe it overestimates the size of the lynx population in Maine. Even if the total population is close to the size estimated by the model (1,000 lynx), the population of breeding females could range as low as 100-250. This would clearly qualify the species for listing as threatened under Section C (via both its small population size and federal threatened status).

Another important consideration for listing is the cyclical nature of lynx and their primary prey, snowshoe hare. The relationship between these two species in the northern part of their range is the classic ecological lesson in predator/prey relationships, and no one questions that lynx populations can change dramatically over short periods of time. In fact, less than ten years ago some DIFW staff claimed that lynx were not even regular breeders in Maine. Clearly, we can all concur that this is no longer the case. Part of the justification for intensive lynx study in the Clayton Lake area in the last few years was to monitor lynx in light of an expected crash in the population of snowshoe hare. The hare population has in fact remained stable, and although the lynx population exhibits signs of a growing population at the moment, with low mortality and high reproductive success, its close tie to and dependence upon the hare population cannot be ignored. Furthermore, although past cutting practices in the northern forest seem to have created conditions favorable to both snowshoe hare and Canada lynx, it is not at all clear how more recent and current cutting practices might affect lynx populations in the future. It is likely that the spruce budworm outbreak in the 1980s played a major role in creating habitat for lynx, which may in fact not be replaced given current cutting practices. The possibility of a decline in the population in the next decade should be considered when assessing the need for listing for this species.

Atlantic Salmon

Maine Audubon urges DIFW to evaluate this species and possibly its distinct population segments for listing as endangered. The current listing revision process did not evaluate Atlantic Salmon as a candidate for listing. From what we know of wild Atlantic salmon in Maine, we believe this species will likely qualify as endangered. Given the unique river-specific populations of this species, DIFW should also consider separate listings for different river populations (distinct population segments). This might require a modification of the criteria for listing.

Least Bittern

Maine Audubon recommends this species be included as endangered. The initial evaluation from DIFW biologists assessed this species as a candidate for endangered status based on two criteria:

1) the population size meets the “A” criterion of less than 250 total individuals or less than 100 breeding individuals. Specifically there have only been a total of 52 documented individuals among 30 wetlands since surveys began in 1989.

2) the population trend meets the “A” criterion of greater than or equal to a 50% decline within the past 10 years or greater than or equal to a 75% decline within the past 40 years. Specifically, researchers have noted a 77% decline in occurrences during the last 17 years.

All evidence from the current two year research project on this species indicates the likelihood of significant increases in detections are unlikely. This species clearly warrants listing as endangered according to the guidelines that DIFW uses to assess listing potential.

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Maine Audubon recommends including this species as threatened. Barrow’s Goldeneye winter along Maine’s shoreline in very small numbers. Extensive surveys by the department have shown a low population estimated to be greater than 250 but well below the criteria of 500 that would qualify it for threatened status. Due to the extensive nature of previous surveys, existing information is adequate to assess the species need for listing. The northeast population is small compared to the western population, though even the global population numbers fewer than 200,000 individuals. Habitat quality on the wintering grounds may be reduced due to alterations of aquatic habitats (e.g., river channelization, increased sediment loads from agricultural and industrial practices, loss of coastal and interior wetlands, and increased pollutant exposure). Oil spills are a potentially serious threat, and could affect this species directly or indirectly by impacting food resources (e.g., blue mussels).

Sora

The department has conducted extensive marshbird surveys across the state and found fewer than 200 pairs at only 31 sites, but the species was not recommended for even Special Concern status. According to the listing guidelinest, the species could even possibly be listed as threatened. We suggest at a minimum Special Concern status listing.

Pied-bill grebe

This is another species that was not recommended for even SC listing despite fewer than 125 breeding pairs documented in the state. Despite its distribution (generally one pair per wetland), the size of population warrants Special Concern status at least, especially in light of the fact that many species that are currently on the threatened/endangered list have larger populations than Pied-bill grebe in the state.

Long-eared owl

Reports to the Maine Rare Bird committee and the Maine Audubon Bird Alert as well as data collected by the Maine Owl Monitoring Project (MOMP) by over 150 trained observers lead us to believe the occurrence of this species in Maine is quite low, almost certainly less than the population size that would trigger listing as threatened. This species is comparable to both short-eared owls and eastern screech-owls in that they likely occur at low numbers, with an unknown but likely low number of breeding pairs. If short-eared owls are elevated to threatened status, and eastern screech-owls listed on the Special Concern list, the lack of any listing for long-eared owls is, we believe, an error.