Center for Biological Diversity

110 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2012

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American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Status: Delisted Critical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 5/3/1979
   

Range: AL(b), AR(b), FL(b), GA(b), LA(b), MS(b), NC(b), OK(b), SC(b), TX(b) ---

SUMMARY
Habitat loss and poorly regulated hunting resulted in the decline of American alligator populations. Following listing in 1967, populations rebounded, and the American alligator recovered. It remains protected due to similarity of appearance to the endangered American crocodile.

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American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)

Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none
Listed: 8/13/1989 Recovery plan: 9/27/1991
   

Range: AR(b), KS(b), MA(b), NE(b), OH(b), OK(b), RI(b), SD(b), TX(b) --- AL(x), CT(x), DE(x), DC(x), FL(x), GA(x), IL(x), IN(x), IA(x), KY(x), LA(x), ME(x), MD(x), MI(x), MN(x), MS(x), MO(x), MT(x), NH(x), NY(x), NJ(x), NC(x), ND(x), PA(x), SC(x), TN(x), VT(x), VA(x), WV(x), WI(x)

SUMMARY
The cause of the American burying beetle's 90% range loss is not well understood, but is thought to be due to disruptions in the food and reproductive web. It is threatened by competition, drought, invasive ants and habatat loss. When listed as endangered in 1989, there were only two known populations. Captive breeding, reintroduction efforts and intensive surveys have increased the total number of populations to 20 or more in 2011.

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American peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum)

Status: Delisted Critical habitat: 8/11/1977
Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: 6/30/1991
   

Range: AL(m), AK(b), AZ(b), AR(m), CA(b), CO(b), CT(b), DE(b), DC(m), GA(b), ID(b), IL(b), IN(b), IA(b), KS(m), KY(b), LA(m), ME(b), MD(b), MA(b), MI(b), MN(b), MS(m), MO(m), MT(b), NE(b), NV(b), NH(b), NY(b), NM(b), NJ(b), NC(b), ND(m), OH(b), OK(m), OR(b), PA(b), RI(b), SC(b), SD(b), TN(b), TX(b), UT(b), VT(b), VA(b), WA(b), WV(m), WI(b), WY(b) ---

SUMMARY
The use of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides thinned American peregrine falcon eggshells, causing reproductive failure and population declines. The banning of DDT, captive-breeding efforts and nest protections allowed falcons to increase from 324 breeding pairs in 1975 to 3,005 pairs as of 2006. The species was delisted in 1999.

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Arctic peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius)

Status: DelistedCritical habitat: none
Listed: 6/2/1970Recovery plan: 6/30/1991
   

Range: AL(m), AK(b), AZ(m), AR(m), CA(m), CO(m), CT(m), DE(m), DC(m), FL(m), GA(m), ID(m), IL(m), IN(m), IA(m), KS(m), KY(m), LA(m), ME(m), MD(m), MA(m), MI(m), MN(m), MS(m), MO(m), MT(m), NE(m), NV(m), NH(m), NY(m), NM(m), NJ(m), NC(m), ND(m), OH(m), OK(m), OR(m), PA(m), RI(m), SC(m), SD(m), TN(m), TX(m), UT(m), VT(m), VA(m), WA(m), WV(m), WI(m), WY(m) ---

SUMMARY
The Arctic peregrine falcon declined due to the egg shell-thinning effects of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides. Its listing as an endangered species in 1970 (along with other birds of prey) prompted the EPA to ban DDT in 1972. Counts of migratory Arctic falcons increased from 103 in 1976, to 1,017 in 2004. The species was downlisted to threatened in 1984 and delisted in 1991.

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Bald eagle (continental U.S. DPS) (Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Continental U.S. DPS))

Status: DelistedCritical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967Recovery plan: 5/18/1999
   

Range: AL(b), AZ(b), AR(b), CA(b), CO(b), CT(b), DE(b), DC(b), FL(b), GA(b), ID(b), IL(b), IN(b), IA(b), KS(b), KY(b), LA(b), ME(b), MD(b), MA(b), MI(b), MN(b), MS(b), MO(b), MT(b), NE(b), NV(b), NH(b), NY(b), NM(b), NJ(b), NC(b), ND(b), OH(b), OK(b), OR(b), PA(b), RI(b), SC(b), SD(b), TN(b), TX(b), UT(b), VT(b), VA(b), WA(b), WV(b), WI(b), WY(b) ---

SUMMARY
The bald eagle declined throughout the lower 48 states, and was extirpate from most of them due to habitat loss, persecution, and DDT-related eggshell thinning. The banning of DDT, increased wetland protection and restoration, and an aggressive, mostly state-based reintroduction program caused eagle pairs to soar from 416 in 1963 to 11,052 in 2007 when the eagle was removed from the endangered list.

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Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967Recovery plan: 8/8/1988
   

Range: AZ(b), CO(b), MT(b), SD(b), UT(b), WY(b) --- KS(x), NE(x), NM(x), ND(x), OK(x), TX(x)

SUMMARY
The black-footed ferret was nearly driven extinct due to the elimination of prairie dog colonies by habitat destruction, shooting and plague. It was thought extinct until 1964, extirpated from the wild in 1974, thought extinct again in 1979, then rediscovered in 1981. All ferrets were captured in 1987. A reintroduction program increased wild ferrets from 0 in 1991 to about 1,410 in 2010.

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Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi)

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967Recovery plan: 11/1/2008
   

Range: FL(b) --- AL(x), AR(x), GA(x), LA(x), MS(x), SC(x), TN(x)

SUMMARY
The Florida panther was reduced to near extinction by habitat loss, hunting, persecution, and vehicle collisions. Vehicle collisions, habitat loss and fragmentation, lack of sufficient wildland areas, and in-breeding depression remain current threats. Its population size when listed as endangered in 1967 is unknown, but may have been a little larger than the 30-50 animals recorded throughout the 1980s. The population began to grow after a genetic intervention in 1990s, reaching 130 panthers in 2010.

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Gray bat (Myotis grisescens)

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 4/28/1976Recovery plan: 7/1/1982
   

Range: AL(b), AR(b), FL(o), GA(o), IL(o), IN(o), KS(o), KY(b), MS(o), MO(b), NC(o), OK(o), TN(b), VA(o), WV(s) ---

SUMMARY
Gray bats declined due to mining, cave disturbance, vandalism, persecution, flooding, deforestation and possibly pesticides. In 2010, they were found with white-nose syndrome, but it is not known if the fungus is lethal to them or not. There were likely at least 5 million gray bats in 1970. At listing in 1976, the gray bat was declining, to a low of 1.5 million bats in 1992. Numbers reached 3.4 million in 2006, the most recent rangewide estimate.

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Gray wolf (Southwest DPS) (Canis lupus (Southwest DPS))

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 4/28/1976Recovery plan: 9/15/1982
   

Range: AZ(b), NM(b) --- CO(x), OK(x), TX(x), UT(x)

SUMMARY
Hunting and trapping resulted in the extirpation of Mexican gray wolves from the United States by 1970. Wolves captured in Mexico were used to establish a captive-breeding program and as of 2010, there were about 50 Mexican gray wolves in the wild.

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Northern Great Plains piping plover (Charadrius melodus (Northern Great Plains DPS))

Status: ThreatenedCritical habitat: 9/11/2002
Listed: 12/11/1985Recovery plan: 5/18/1999
   

Range: MT, ND, SD, NE, KS, CO, MN, IA, OK; SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, PR

SUMMARY
The Northern Great Plains piping plover was listed as endangered in 1986 due to threats from habitat loss, predation and disturbance. The number of Northern Great Plains piping plovers in the United States has increased from about 1,000 adults when ti was listed as an endangered species in 1985 to 2,959 adults in 2006.

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Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens)

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 11/30/1979Recovery plan: 3/28/1995
   

Range: AR(b), OK(b) --- MO(x)

SUMMARY
Ozark big-eared bats are threatened by human population growth, development and potentially by the spread of white-nose syndrome. At the time of listing in 1979, 100-200 bats were known. The population increased dramatically and was stable at 1,600-2,000 between 1987 and 2008. Populations at four of 20 essential sites are known to be increasing; others are stable or unknown.

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Red wolf (Canis rufus)

Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 10/26/1990
   

Range: FL(b), MS(b), NC(b), SC(b), TN(b) --- AL(x), AR(x), DE(x), DC(x), GA(x), IL(x), IN(x), KY(x), LA(x), MD(x), MO(x), OH(x), OK(x), PA(x), TX(x), VA(x), WV(x)

SUMMARY
Red wolves were decimated by habitat loss and shooting. From a population of only 17 red wolves in 1980, captive breeding and release to the wild have resulted in a total population of 300 in 2011.

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Small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides)

Status: ThreatenedCritical habitat: none
Listed: 9/9/1982Recovery plan: 11/13/1992
   

Range: CT, DC, DE, GA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV, OH

SUMMARY
The small whorled pogonia is threatened by loss of forest habitat to residential development and roads, trampling, grazing and closure of forest canopies. Many populations are vulnerable to extinction because of their small size. It was listed as endangered in 1982 and downlisted to "threatened" status in 1994. Known sites increased from 33 in 1985 to 150 in 2007.

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Whooping crane (Grus americana)

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: 5/15/1978
Listed: 3/11/1967Recovery plan: 3/30/2007
   

Range: CO(m), FL(b), GA(m), IL(m), IN(m), KS(m), KY(m), MT(m), NE(m), ND(m), OK(m), SD(m), TN(m), TX(s), WI(b), WY(m) --- AL(x), AR(x), DE(x), DC(x), IA(x), LA(x), MD(x), MN(x), MS(x), MO(x), NJ(x), NC(x), OH(x), SC(x), UT(x), VA(x), WV(x)

SUMMARY
The whooping crane declined precipitously in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to hunting and habitat loss. It remains threatened by habitat degradation, collisions with power lines, and oil and gas development. When listed as endangerd in 1967, the whooping crane consisted of 43 wild and 7 captive birds. By 2011, it had grown to 437 wild and 162 captive birds.

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