8/28/09

USFWS ISSUES POSITIVE 90-DAY FINDING ON A PETITION TO LIST THE SONORAN DESERT TORTOISE POPULATION

On August 28, 2009 -  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed a petition seeking to protect the Sonoran population of desert tortoise as a distinct population segment (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act and announced today that the petition presents substantial information indicating that adding the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise to the federal list of threatened or endangered animals may be warranted. Today’s finding initiates a more thorough status review to determine whether the population warrants federal protection. 

“The petition to protect the Sonoran desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act provided substantial information to prompt a closer look at its status,” said Steve Spangle, the Service’s Arizona field supervisor. “We’ll now take a more in-depth look at the species and its threats to determine whether federal protection and recovery efforts are needed.” 

On October 9, 2008, WildEarth Guardians and Western Watersheds Projects petitioned the Service to list the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise as a DPS within portions of Arizona, U.S. and Sonora, Mexico. The petitioners described the Sonoran desert tortoise population as all tortoises occurring east and south of the Colorado River in Arizona, extending south to the Yaqui River in southern Sonora, Mexico. Today’s decision, commonly known as a 90-day finding, is based on scientific information about the species as provided in the petition requesting listing of the species under the Act. The petition finding does not mean that the Service has decided to list the tortoise. Rather, this finding is the first step in a process that triggers a more thorough review of all the biological information available. The Service will undertake a more thorough status review of the species to determine whether to propose adding the species to the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. To ensure this status review is comprehensive, the Service is soliciting information from state, tribal, and federal natural resource agencies and all interested parties regarding the Sonoran desert tortoise and its habitat.  Comments are due by October 27, 2009.

Federal Register Notice

Request for Comments

9/26/06
FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT REPORT
for Collaborative Desert Tortoise Recovery Planning Process

The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution has released the FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT REPORT for Collaborative Desert Tortoise Recovery Planning Process Proposed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prepared by a team from the U.S. Institute and the Center for Collaborative Policy.

The report represents the assessment team’s best professional judgment regarding the feasibility of a collaborative recovery planning process, as proposed by USFWS, along with thoughts on an appropriate design and sequence of steps to take in embarking on a collaborative effort. While many elements appear to be converging that would support development of the Revised Recovery Plan for the desert tortoise through a collaborative process, the assessment team identified two key conditions that must be adequately addressed before proceeding. If these feasibility issues can be resolved and USFWS decides to pursue a collaborative recovery planning process, the assessment team recommended a stepwise approach with specific key milestones to gauge progress and an appropriate deadline for completing the recovery planning process.

The U.S. Institute will now step back while USFWS and others interested in desert tortoise recovery consider the feasibility assessment and the recommendations for how to move forward.