Wildlife Declines Worsen, State Says

Seventy percent of the state’s 281 rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals are still in decline, even though California spends five times more on their protection than any other state, officials said Tuesday.

The state Department of Fish and Game, in its annual report on the status of threatened and endangered species, said spending levels have not kept pace with the impact of population growth, development and agriculture.

The report said California already has lost at least 34 animal species and 30 types of plants.

Department Director Peter Bontadelli said the five-year drought has pushed “some already vulnerable species to the brink of extinction. Drastic measures are needed.”

He called for approval of four bills, including measures that would provide emergency funding for threatened and endangered species and renew an income tax checkoff system through which taxpayers can target money for animal and plant protection programs.

The report cites two success stories: the California condor and the fiddleneck.

Officials hope that the condor, North America’s largest land bird, can be reintroduced to the wild this year following a state- and U. S.-funded captive breeding program.

The fiddleneck, a plant that produces a brilliant orange flower, is returning to the San Francisco Bay Area grasslands after a two-year recovery program.