U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes federal protections for both species of western pond turtle under the Endangered Species Act
Ventura, California – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a proposal to list both species of western pond turtle, the northwestern pond turtle and the southwestern pond turtle, as a threatened
The northwestern pond turtle occurs in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and throughout much of northern and central California. The southwestern pond turtle occurs in southern California from Monterey County south to Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties into northern Baja California, Mexico. The turtles use rivers, lakes, ponds, streams other water sources and terrestrial habitats throughout their lives.
Ongoing threats to both species include worsening drought conditions, habitat loss and fragmentation, and predation by invasive species such as non-native bullfrogs.
“Food, water and shelter for northwestern pond turtles and southwestern pond turtles are becoming scarce across the western United States,” said Paul Souza, director of the Service’s Pacific Southwest Region. “We are working alongside
The Service reviewed the best available science to evaluate the status of both species by preparing a Species Status Assessment, including information provided by species experts.
The assessment found that although the southwestern pond turtle and northwestern pond turtle are likely to sustain populations in the wild in the near term, both species have increasing risk of extinction due to population losses, decreased genetic diversity, and a reduced ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions in the next half century, thus warranting listing as threatened under the ESA.
The Service is also proposing
Ongoing conservation efforts continue to support populations of southwestern pond turtle and northwestern pond turtle in the wild. These include development of a range-wide management strategy by federal, state, and private partners to guide efforts to enhance, protect and restore pond turtle habitat; collaboration with military installations
Today’s announcement comes as the Department of the Interior celebrates the 50th anniversary of the ESA. The ESA has been highly effective and credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction. Thus far, more than 100 species of plants and animals have been delisted based on recovery or reclassified from endangered to threatened based on improved conservation status, and hundreds more species are stable or improving thanks to the collaborative actions of Tribes, federal agencies, state and local governments, conservation organizations and private citizens.
The Service will seek public comment on this proposal. The documents will publish in the Federal Register on October 3, 2023 opening a 60-day public comment period. The Service will consider comments from all interested parties received by December 4, 2023. The proposal and information on how to submit comments can be found on or after October 3, 2023 at www.regulations.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, visit https://www.fws.gov/cno and connect with us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X,
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So the turtles can be found up and down the west coast, from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. But using”best available science” the feds want list the turtles as endangered, which invariably entails limiting public access to certain public lands. I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier just to give the turtles Covid shots and have them mask up. That’s best available science too, right?
Vaguely
With your thinking and posting,if you and others similar thinkers would only want the wonderful human race to only matter on this planet….and their “right” to trample on, litter up and destroy “our” public lands and access to them…
Besides, if the DFW is just “using the Turtles ” as an excuse to “close down” public land,GOOD FOR THEM!!
There’s plenty of “public access” to public land around here….close your eyes,spin a bottle,and you could drive less than 20 miles,any direction and park for a week and either be under Pine Trees, near waterways or the desert in OPEN public land….legally.
DFW has to deal with the human-led distruction to the land and environment on a daily basis,they know best,and again, if they’re using this as an excuse,which I doubt,so be it.
And, those all crying and whining about public land being closed,no public land is closed to foot traffic….only to people in their big trucks and vehicles that destroy certain areas and trash-up areas that should be left alone, endangered Pond Turtles or not…
The last part of your post, your “trumpie” is showing….for gosh sakes ( some of ) you guys, quit the whining about masks and COVID shots,putting that rant in EVERY SINGLE ISSUE about ANYTHING mentioned and talked about !!…give it a rest…..
David…. Any time a post is submitted that you don’t agree with, You are the one that injects politics in these discussions, it is you that are the 1st to mention Trump and then bad mouth any one that disagrees with your leftist views. You are a borderline Troll
Who are you kidding, bob? You want to represent Vague’s bilious mass of buzzwords and falsehoods and hallf-truths and snark as some kind of politically neutral public service announcement?
Just read David’s replies for the last 2-5 years and tell me that I’m wrong.
BobK
I’m way to busy to respond much to your insult there at this time…
Way too busy..got to get to the local hardware store before they close and buy me some garden hoses and sprinkler heads,heading north to apply for the jobs that’ll soon be available if, and that’s a BIG if trump wins in 2024 and maybe get one of those jobs trump is going to order Governor Newsom to do “watering down the millions of acres of Forestland in California to prevent wildfires” that he’s going set in place on “day one of his Presidency”…
Or maybe head down south to Beverly Hills instead and somehow help the millionaires living down there to conserve water so they will no longer be told not to take showers,like they’re being told now by Law Enforcement and authorities and end up smelling bad like trump says they do…
trump said the L.A. area and Beverly Hills gets no water here from the Owens River and Inyo and Mono Counties ….ANOTHER thing he plans to fix on his day # 1 in office in 2025…….
Hold on OV and Mono people….trump is coming to save the day !!!!!
lol
If you’re “too busy” how do you have the time to write a 250 word comment or reply as much as you do?
BobK is right, regardless of the subject matter, you mention Trump 98% of the time.
That’s Trump Derangement Syndrome, believe it or not.
Tinner
I ALWAYS find time to make fun of trump…
And there is ALWAYS plenty of dumb and stupid trumpie- things he says and does to do it with…