Wildlife Watch : Protecting Threatened and Endangered Species

With at least 73 species wiped out statewide, California is called the country’s “epicenter of extinction” by one environmental group. The grizzly bear may grace our state’s flag, but it hasn’t roamed our hills for more than 70 years. The California condor used to cruise the skies above the foothills around the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, but the population has become limited to a sanctuary in Ventura County.

Even though more than 30% of the vertebrate species in the United States are located in California, the Golden State has twice the number of federally listed endangered species of any Western state. Development and the spread of urbanization into wildlife areas have led to the destruction of habitat and reduced the numbers of birds, other animals and plants, leaving some species with uncertain futures.

But while there’s no hope of bringing back the extinct, there is a chance for the dwindling numbers of threatened species. From Tujunga Wash to the Santa Clara River to the desert fringes beyond the Antelope Valley, species in short supply are protected by the state’s Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Along with candidates for listing, the state agency tracks dozens of species of “special concern”--those whose numbers are dropping but aren’t yet considered candidates for listing.

*Receiving Protection

Number of species in California on state and federal threatened and endangered lists, as of April, 1994. Some species are on both federal and state lists. Currently 17 are proposed for state or federal listing: State-listed endangered: 44

State-listed threatened: 30

Federally listed endangered: 58

Federally listed threatened: 27

*Listing Species

Anyone can file a petition with the state Department of Fish and Game suggesting that a species be listed as threatened or endangered. The procedure is similar for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A species is considered endangered if it’s in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range. A species is listed as threatened if it’s likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

*After the petition is filed, agency has 90 days to respond.

If agency biologists agree listing should be considered, the species becomes a “candidate species” and a proposed rule is drafted within the first year after the petition is accepted.

Once the draft proposal is published, there is a 60-day period for public comment and collection of additional information.

Once species is listed as threatened or endangered, agency issues regulations to protect it. Agency then issues regulations to protect listed species. The killing, capture, export, import, harm, harassment and sale of protected animal species are prohibited. Violation is a federal offense, punishable by both civil and criminal penalties of fines and/or one year in jail. For a species on the state list, the maximum fine is $5,000. For a species on the federal list, the fine can rise to $50,000.

*Identifying Species of Concern A sampling of species in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys considered endangered, threatened or of special concern; most exist only in small numbers in these areas:

Least Bell’s Vireo

Vireo Bellii Pusillus

* Status: On federal endangered list since 1986; endangered in California since 1980.

* Habitat: Once abundant in wetlands and riparian scrub statewide, now found locally in small numbers only near Santa Clara River. Few sighted at Hansen Dam and Tujunga Wash. Threatened by habitat destruction and cowbirds, which take over vireos’ nests.

* Distinction: Distinctive song questions “cheedle cheedle chee?” and answers “cheedle cheedle chew!”

* Unarmored Threespine Stickleback

Gasterosteus Aculeatus

* Status: On state and federal endangered lists since 1971 and 1970, respectively.

* Habitat: Creeks in riparian woodland. Water connecting two schools of fish in Santa Clara River in San Francisquito Canyon has been threatened by roads and grading for development, which silts up river.

* Distinction: During breeding season, a male stickleback changes from its normal drab greenish brown to blue and brilliant red. A males courts a female by performing a “zigzag dance” and is responsible for building the nest and watching over the eggs.

* Mohave Ground Squirrel

Spermophilus mohavensis

* Status: After nearly 23 years on the state threatened list, it was approved for removal from the list. But on May 20, a judge ordered a 30-day stay on the delisting, meaning it stays on the list for the time being. If the delisting is approved, it will be the first time a species is removed from a threatened list.

* Habitat: Creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree communities in western Mojave desert, including Antelope Valley. Main threats are urbanization and off-road vehicle use, which damage and destroy its habitat. The growth of Palmdale and Lancaster accounts for dramatic declines in its population.

* Factoid: Spends about seven months a year underground in hibernation, due to lack of its primary food of seeds and desert vegetation. The remaining five months are spent eating and procreating.

* Swainson’s Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

* Status: On state threatened list since 1983.

* Habitat: Riparian forest, dry land areas. No longer nests in Southern California but small flocks migrate through on the way back to the Central Valley from their winter home in South America. Used to nest in the San Fernando Valley about 70 years ago, and a small number still do in the Antelope Valley.

* Distinction: One of the only “polymorphic” birds of prey, in which individuals vary in color and appearance. Eats many large insects, munching mostly on the wing.

* Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus occidentalis

* Status: This rarely sighted species has been on state endangered list since 1988.

* Habitat: Prefers willow woodlands in river valleys. Although there are no confirmed nestings or population locally, migrants have been sighted in Santa Clarita in the last few years. South fork of the Kern River is its largest remaining stronghold.

* Distinction: Feeds on insects and occasionally on fruit and frogs.

* Southwestern Pond Turtle

Clemmys marmorata pallida

* Status: Species of special concern with few habitats left in state due to silted-up or polluted rivers.

* Habitat: Ponds in riparian areas. Population exists in Santa Clara River, small numbers in Mojave River, although it is normally absent from desert areas.

* Distinction: May become aggressive when challenging another turtle for basking spots such as logs, rocks or floating vegetation.

Sources: California Department of Fish and Game; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Audubon Society Field Guides to North American Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians; “California’s Threatened Environment”; The Nature Conservancy; Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.

Researched by JULIE SHEER / Los Angeles Times