Largest Petition Ever Filed Targeting Amphibians and Reptiles Aims to
Save 53 Species in 45 States
Press Release from Center for Biological Diversity-July 11, 2012
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Center for Biological Diversity and several
renowned scientists and herpetologists, including E.O. Wilson and Thomas
Lovejoy, filed a formal www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/amphibian_conservation/pdfs/Mega_herp_petition_7-9-2012.pdf today seeking
Endangered Species Act protection for 53 of the nation’s most threatened
species of amphibians and reptiles. The petition — the largest ever filed
focusing only on amphibians and reptiles — asks the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to protect six turtles, seven snakes, two toads, four frogs, 10 lizards
and 24 salamanders under the Act.
“Many of America’s frogs, turtles and salamanders are living on the
knife edge of extinction.
We can only save them if they’re protected by the
Endangered Species Act,” said Collette Adkins Giese, a Center biologist and
lawyer devoted to herpetofauna. “Amphibians and reptiles face a profound,
human-driven extinction crisis unlike any other. If we don’t act now, we’ll
lose some of our natural world’s most important and fascinating citizens.”
Through extensive consultation with wildlife experts, scientists at the
Center conducted a coast-to-coast investigation of the country’s most
vulnerable but least protected frogs, toads, salamanders, lizards, turtles and
snakes. Backed by hundreds of scientific articles, the 450-page petition
details the status of, and threats to, 53 amphibian and reptile species in 45
states, demonstrating the urgent need for their federal protection. Habitat
destruction, pollution, invasive species and climate change are among the chief
threats they face. Some species have lost more than 95 percent of their
historic habitat.
Among the covered species are the alligator snapping turtle in the
Southeast, the wood turtle in the Northeast, Florida’s key ringneck snake, the
Illinois chorus frog, the Pacific Northwest’s cascade torrent salamander and
California’s western spadefoot toad.
“We will get serious — scientists and general public alike — about
preserving the diversity of life on Earth only when we have precise knowledge
of individual species like those in this petition,” said Edward O. Wilson, a
distinguished Harvard biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. “Future
generations will think badly of us if, through ignorance and inaction, we let
die this part of their natural heritage.”
Scientists estimate that about 25 percent of the nation’s amphibians and
reptiles are at risk of extinction, yet only 58 of the approximately 1,400 U.S.
species protected under the Endangered Species Act are amphibians and reptiles.
The animals in today’s petition will reap lifesaving benefits from the Act,
which has a 99 percent success rate at staving off extinction for species under
its care.
“So many imperiled species lack the protections of the Endangered
Species Act that they need to survive and recover. Mass listing is an excellent
way to address biodiversity challenges at scale,” said Thomas Lovejoy, a
professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University
credited with introducing the term “biological diversity” to the scientific
community. He co-authored a recent www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/amphibian_conservation/pdfs/Gratwicke_et_al_2012.pdf finding that
82 percent of U.S. amphibians that need help are not protected under the
Endangered Species Act.
“Frogs, lizards, turtles and toads are integral parts of the wild where
they live, whether it’s a remote mountain stream or a suburban wetland,” said
Adkins Giese. “Losing them will impoverish those places and our own connection
with the natural world.”
Learn more about the reptile extinction crisis http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/amphibian_conservation/index.html.
View an interactive state-by-state http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/amphibian_conservation/map.html showing where
the petitioned species live.
Species Highlights
Alligator Snapping Turtles (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas): With their heavily armored shells, bear-like claws
and powerful beaked jaws it’s not surprising that these prehistoric-looking
turtles have no natural enemies and once thrived throughout the southeastern
United States. Early in the 20th century, they were abundant in U.S. river
systems draining into the Gulf of Mexico, from the waterways and lakes of the
upper Midwest to the swamps and bayous of Florida, Louisiana and Texas. But
recent population surveys demonstrate the turtles are now likely extirpated in
Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, with declines up to 95
percent over much their historic range from overharvest and unchecked habitat
degradation. These slow-moving, largely sedentary behemoths spend so much of
their time sitting on river bottoms waiting for food — they use a wormlike
process on their tongue to lure prey — that algae grows thick on their shells.
They’re easy prey for hunters who still look to feed thriving world markets for
the exhibition and consumption of the turtles.
Wood Turtles (Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin): Coveted across much
of the world for the colorful red to yellow markings on its neck and legs and
the striking geometric growth-line etchings on each of the dark plates that
make up its top shell, the wood turtle is considered by many to be the perfect
pet. That popularity, from the United States and Europe to Asia, coupled with
habitat loss and degradation, has left the wood turtle in serious decline
across every state within its range in the northeastern part of the United
States. Increasingly hurt by channelization of rivers and streams, careless
timber-harvesting practices along waterways, and urbanization and agricultural
practices including pesticide use, the turtles’ remaining populations tend to
be isolated, greatly reducing the chances of their natural recovery in areas
where their numbers have plummeted. Traditionally low survival rates among
juvenile wood turtles have been made worse by the prevalence of turtle
predators, such as raccoons and skunks, which thrive in urbanized areas. Wood
turtles have an unusual feeding behavior: They stomp their front feet to cause
earthworms to come to the surface.
Key Ringneck Snakes (Florida): These 6-inch-long, nonvenomous residents
of the Florida keys, including Key West and Big Pine Key, could hardly be less
of a threat. But the slate-gray snakes with muted neck rings face an ongoing
barrage of unmitigated threats to the seaside limestone outcroppings and
rockland areas they call home. Largely due to ongoing residential development,
the snakes’ rockland hammock habitat has been reduced by 98 percent, leaving highly
fragmented population pockets. Hurt not only by ongoing development but also by
malicious killing by humans and predation by invasive species like fire ants,
key ringneck snakes face rapid loss across their range. They also face
catastrophic threats from climate change, with a sea rise of as little as three
feet endangering much of their remaining population. They are listed as
threatened in the state of Florida, a status that makes killing and collection
illegal but provides no protection from ongoing habitat destruction, the
snakes’ greatest threat.
Western Spadefoot Toads (California): These 2-inch-long, stout-looking
little toads are known for their purr-like trill, their spade-like adaptation
for digging on each hind foot, and for their unusual ability to accelerate
metamorphosis when shallow breeding pools start to dry up. But even with those
remarkable adaptations, the western spadefoot has been no match for the march
of development and habitat reduction. Since the 1950s the animals have lost more
than 80 percent of their preferred grassland and alluvial fan habitats. The
toads, which are completely terrestrial except when breeding, depend on the
existence of vernal rain pools and slow-moving streams, both of which have
declined across their range due to urban development and agricultural
practices. Historically known to occur in the lowlands of Southern California,
from south of the San Francisco Bay area to northern Baja California, they are
now listed as a “species of special concern” in California, a status that
recognizes their dramatic decline but fails to afford them any legal
protection. Already, they are thought to be extirpated throughout much of their
lowland Southern California range.
Illinois Chorus Frogs (Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri): Throughout
American history, these inch-and-a-half-long, dark-spotted frogs have been
known for their distinctive, high-pitched, bird-like whistles that can be heard
from great distances. Often mistaken for toads because of their stout bodies,
they have thick forearms used for digging burrows. Tiny frogs that spend most
of their time below ground, they were once common along the wide, sandy soiled
grasslands and floodplains of the Mississippi and Illinois river basins. But as
a result of unbridled housing development that has eliminated lowland habitat,
and agricultural practices that now level fields instead of leaving the
water-holding troughs the frogs used for breeding, most of their already small
populations are in serious decline. They are now listed as threatened in
Illinois, but this status does not protect their habitat.
Yuman Desert Fringe-Toed Lizards (Arizona): These striking little
camouflaged lizards, known only to desert sites in southwestern Arizona, have
long made their homes in sparsely vegetated areas of windblown sand. Less than
5 inches long, with their tails making up half their length, these extremely
rare lizards are highly adapted to the harsh desert environment. The fringe of
scales on the sides of their toes helps them run across loose sand without
sinking; tightly overlapping eyelids, earflaps and valve-like nostrils protect
them from the constantly blowing sand. Their fragile habitat is under ongoing
threat from development and off-road vehicles. The lizard is a Bureau of Land
Management sensitive species in Arizona and a state sensitive species —
designations that reflect the lizards’ rarity but offer no legal protection for
them or their habitat. Despite their declining population, lizards may still be
taken for personal collections.
Kern Canyon Slender Salamanders (California): These 5-inch-long,
brown salamanders with black sides and striking bronze and red patches on their
backs live only in California’s lower Kern River Canyon. Their restricted
range, coupled with ongoing threats of habitat destruction and degradation,
leaves them extremely vulnerable to extinction. Known to be uncommon across
their range and limited to small, isolated populations, these rare salamanders
favor north-facing slopes and small, wooded tributary canyons. Those habitats
provide periods of moisture and high humidity that allow the salamanders to
emerge from their underground hideouts to forage among leaf debris, bark and
loose rocks for a range of food that includes spiders, mites, earthworms and
snails. Although nearly all their known populations occur on public lands
administered by the Sequoia National Forest, they continue to be threatened by
habitat destruction and degradation caused by cattle grazing, logging, mining,
highway construction, hydroelectric development and firewood collecting.
Cascade Caverns Salamanders (Texas): Perfectly adapted to their wholly
aquatic life, these pale, ghost-like salamanders with external gills and
recessed eyes spend their entire lives in the darkened worlds of Texas cave
springs. Because they breathe through external gills and their skin, these
highly unique amphibians require clean, clear-flowing water with a high content
of dissolved oxygen. Their health offers an important barometer on water
quality. As the human population in Texas continues to soar, the salamanders
are at risk from a wide range of environmental hazards. Increased groundwater
withdrawals decrease flows into cave springs, resulting in greater temperature
fluctuations. More and more pollutants, from pesticides and herbicides to
fertilizers and household solvents, are showing up in surface and storm-water
runoff that eventually finds its way into the underground springs where these
salamanders have long thrived. The salamander is listed as threatened by the
state of Texas, a status that prohibits collection but does nothing to prevent
water loss and pollution, the biggest threats to the salamander.
Peaks of Otter Salamanders (Virginia): Known only to a 12-mile
stretch of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Peaks of Otter salamanders have one
of the most restricted ranges of any salamander in the United States. These
darkly pigmented, 5-inch-long salamanders with brassy metallic spots occur only
in mature oak and maple forests at high elevations, a trait that makes them
particularly vulnerable to climate change. Because Peaks of Otter salamanders
are confined to a single ridge top, they are unable to shift their range
upslope as the climate warms. While the habitat of these salamanders is offered
some protection in the Jefferson National Forest and on the Blue Ridge Parkway,
activities like logging continue to threaten their viability.
Cascade Torrent Salamanders (Oregon, Washington): These
yellowish-brown, 4-inch salamanders with bulbous eyes and bright yellow bellies
inhabit coniferous forests on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains, from
southern Washington to central Oregon. They prefer cold, slow-moving streams
and can be found in saturated, moss-covered talus or under rocks in waterfall
splash zones. Due in part to their extremely reduced lungs, even among
salamanders they are considered very intolerant of dry conditions and, as a
result, they occur primarily in older forest sites better able to maintain high
moisture levels. Not surprisingly, timber harvest hurts torrent salamanders
more than many other amphibians, and the ongoing loss of their habitat through
logging is well documented.
Full Disclosure - HerpDigest, along with
- Kenneth
Dodd, Jr., University of Florida; FWS - Office of Endangered Species Staff
Herpetologist 1976-1984,
Kenney Krysko, Senior Biological Scientist, Division of Herpetology,
Florida Museum of Natural History
Michael J. Lannoo, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology,
Indiana University School of Medicine
Thomas Lovejoy Biodiversity Chair, H. John Heinz III Center for Science,
Economics and Environment
and
Edward O. Wilson, Professor, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
University
are the other petitioners besides CBD. The case made for these herps by
CBD in the petition is overwhelming and long overdue. The link for it is www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/amphibian_conservation/pdfs/Mega_herp_petition_7-9-2012.pdf Besides the extensive
description of the natural histories and current status of each species, it is
worth downloading just for each species bibliographies.
And yes it is 454 pages long. A big adobe file.
Contact: Collette Adkins Giese, (651) 955-3821
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