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Endangered Species
> Index of Species
Index of Species we work to protect
Forest Guardians has chosen a focal
species approach where we prioritize the protection of keystone,
umbrella, and indicator species to ensure that our biodiversity
protection efforts leverage as much protection as possible.
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Box - Press ES
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Abert’s squirrel
 The tassel-eared or Abert’s
squirrel lives in a tight-knit “web of life” with the
ponderosa pine tree, the morel fungus, and the northern
goshawk. They’re found in climax ponderosa pine forests,
upon which it depends, and is recognized as an umbrella
species that can be used to assess the overall health of
ponderosa pine forests and associated wildlife. Forest
Guardians is fighting for the protection of the Abert’s
squirrel as it is a representative of forest health.
Read the story..
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Aplomado Falcon
 The
Aplomado falcon should be a year-round resident of the
Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico, southwest
Texas and northern Mexico. However, the falcon no longer
be located in the United States by 1986, when the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as
endangered. However, in 2002, for the first time in
fifty years, unassisted by humans, a falcon pair
successfully fledged three young in southwestern New
Mexico.
Read the story..
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Black-footed Ferret
 Peeping
its head out of a prairie dog burrow, the black footed
ferret was believed to be extinct until a remnant
population was found 1981. Listed as an endangered
species since 1964, the black footed ferret’s survival
is carefully interrelated with the health of prairie
dogs, and so activities that harm prairie dog
persistence including: poisoning, shooting, habitat
destruction, and sylvatic plague, are threats to black
footed ferret’s survival.
Read the
story..
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Black-tailed Prairie Dog
 Once
ranging across 100 million acres of grassland in the
Great Plains and American Southwest, Black tailed
prairie dogs currently occupy only 1% of their historic
acreage. Prairie dogs are considered keystone species
and as the prairie dog declines, so too does the suite
of highly dependent wildlife. Given their imperiled
status and keystone role, Forest Guardians and a
coalition of other organizations continue to push for
listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Read the story..
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Canada Lynx
 Best
known for their large feet and tufted ears, Canada lynx
once roamed through the snowy winters of Alaska, Canada,
Western United States, Great Lakes states and New
England. Lynx populations were devastated by hunting and
trapping, and those effects have been exacerbated by
increasing habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated lynx with
a threatened status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
in 2000. Read the story..
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Columbian sharp-tailed grouse
 The
Columbian sharp-tailed grouse used to range over 11
Western States and British Columbia. Today, viable
populations remain in only three states indicating its
absence from over 90% of its former range. Rising
pressure from livestock grazing, habitat conversion and
hunting continue to harm the grouse when an estimated
50,000 to 60,000 of these majestic birds remain. Forest
Guardians is leading the effort of a wide coalition to
list the grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Read
the story..
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Devil's River Minnow
 Facing extinction in a significant part of its range due
to range reduction, habitat loss and fragmentation, the
Devil’s River Minnow was listed by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service as threatened in 1999. Despite the
degree of habitat loss, the small fast moving spring fed
streams vital to the minnow’s survival remains
unprotected. Forest Guardians seeks critical habitat
protections and an endangered listing status to provide
vital protections for the Devil’s River Minnow’s
survival. Read
the story..
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Greater Sage Grouse
 Sixteen
Western states and three Canadian provinces comprised
the historic range of the Sage Grouse. With the
destruction of their sagebrush habitat, Sage grouse have
declined as much as 45-80 percent over the past 20 years
estimating 140,000 individuals, representing about eight
percent of their historic numbers. Forest Guardians is
working to federally list the sage grouse because state
and local agencies have failed to protect sage grouse
and their sagebrush habitat. Read the story..
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Gunnison's Prairie Dog
 The
Gunnison’s prairie dog inhabits the arid grasslands of
the Colorado Plateau clustered around the four-corner
region that spans parts of Colorado, New Mexico,
Arizona, and Utah. Forest Guardians and a coalition of
other groups and individuals are challenging the failure
of the Secretary of the Interior and Director of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to duly take
actions to the Endangered Species Act.
Read the story..
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Gunnison Sage Grouse
 The grouse’s populations have continued to decline
year after year, including a decline from about 3,500 birds in
1999 to only 2,600 birds in 2004.
Read the story..
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Lesser Prairie-chicken
 In
1998, the US Fish and Wildlife Service found the lesser
prairie chicken warranted for Endangered Species Act (ESA)
listing, but was precluded to higher priority actions
where it continues to wait. Their occupied range has
declined by over 90%, which once comprised Colorado,
Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The threats
posed by grazing, predation, drought, hunting, and oil
and gas exploration have increased since 1998, and thus
Forest Guardians is working toward ESA listing of the
lesser prairie-chicken.
Read the story..
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Mexican Spotted Owl
 The
listing of the Mexican spotted owl in 1993 as a
threatened species sparked considerable controversy.
Located in parts of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona,
Texas and Mexico, range and habitat suitability have
continued to deteriorate due to timber projects and
other forms of human intervention. Forest Guardians
monitors the activities in our national forests works
for assurances of the Mexican spotted owl’s protection.
Read the story..
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Mountain Plover
 Strongly
associated with prairie dog towns, this majestic bird is
1 of 9 endemic birds of North American grasslands. Found
primarily in short grass and shrub-steppe landscapes,
the mountain plover has declined fastest of all
grassland bird endemics. Withdrawn from Endangered
Species Act (ESA) listing in
2003, the mountain plover faces continued imperilment as
prairie dog populations dwindle. Forest Guardians fights
to protect this species and the habitat on which it
depends. Read the story..
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Silvery Minnow
 The
minnow is the last of five native fish of its kind in the
Rio Grande river. We have had success protecting the minnow.
Read the story..
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Sonoran Desert Tortoise
 Rugged
and dry conditions of the Sonoran and Mojave Desert
scrub communities provide home to this large reptile.
Population declines and crashes have brought significant
attention to the degree of habitat loss and
modification, disease and OHV recreation that continues
influence. In 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the Sonoran
Desert Tortoise did not warrant Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. Forest
Guardians works to ensure ESA protections are provided
for the imperiled Sonoran desert tortoise.
Read the story..
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Southwest Willow Flycatcher
 Federal
biologists suspect a Southwest songbird will be extinct
within a decade and have ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management to track effects of grazing near the
songbird's habitat.
Read the
story..
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Swift Fox
 The
swift fox is North American’s smallest wild canid—member
of the dog family. The diminutive fox is a native of the
short- and mid-grass prairies of the Great Plains.
Populations plummeted during the 20th Century due to
predator control programs conducted by the Government
and private landowners that were meant to kill coyotes
and wolves. Swift foxes are still struggling to recover.
Read the story..
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Utah Prairie Dog
 Of
the four prairie dogs species in the U.S., Utah prairie
dogs occupy the smallest range, a tidbit of Utah’s
grasslands, and thus were heavily impacted by
eradication efforts in the 20th century. As a result,
Utah prairie dogs dwindled to 3,300 individuals. Prairie dog
restoration and protection is a critical piece to the
overall preservation of the rich mosaic prairie life.
Forest Guardians seeks to protect the Utah prairie dog
given that recovery has faltered, due to continued
habitat destruction, shooting, and an unsuccessful
translocation programs.
Read the story..
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For specific questions about our efforts to protect endangered species,
contact Dr. Nicole Rosmarino,
endangered species program director.
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