Center for Biological Diversity

110 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2012

Rocky Mountains        


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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Gray wolf (Northern Rockies DPS) (Canis lupus (Northern Rockies DPS))

Status: EndangeredCritical habitat: none
Listed: 3/11/1967Recovery plan: 8/3/1987
   

Range: ID(b), MT(b), eastern OR(b), eastern WA(b), WY(b), northern UT(o)

SUMMARY

Gray wolves were purposefully hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the western United States, often by the federal government or with the encouragement of private and state bounties. By 1973, no wild wolves remained in the region. They were listed as endangered in 1967 and began  recolonizing the Northern Rocky Mountains from Canada in the early 1980s. Due to prohibition of killing, habitat protection, and reintroductions, the population grew rapidly, was downlisted in 2003, reached 1,679 wolves by 2009, and was delisted in 2011.

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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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Grizzly bear (Yellowstone DPS) (Ursus arctos (Yellowstone DPS))

Status: ThreatenedCritical habitat: none
Listed: 7/28/1975Recovery plan: 3/13/2007
   

Range: MT(b), WY(b)

SUMMARY
Grizzly bears were extirpated from most of the Lower 48 states by killing, habitat destruction, food chain disruption, and the loss of large wildland areas. By 1975, only six populations remained. Due to Endangered Species Act protections, the Yellowstone grizzly bear population increased from ~224 bears in 1975 to ~582 in 2010. It was delisted in 2007, relisted in 2010 due to concerns about habitat loss and global warming, and declared recovered in 2011 by a federal status report.

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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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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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