The Endangered Species Program

Coming to a TV and Computer Near You — "Recovering Endangered Species...Bringing Them Back!" A Special Program for Grades 5-7 (September 21, 2004) Register now for a live, fun, interactive and free satellite broadcast October 7 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m Eastern time, to find out what the Fish and Wildlife Service is doing and what we all can do to recover endangered species. To learn more and register, visit the Wild Things 2004 Web site. Grizzly bear photo © Corel Corp. Draft Conservation Plan for the Sacramento Mountains Checkerspot Butterfly Is Available for Review and Comment (October 7, 2004) In response to growing interest by the local community to conserve the butterfly, the Service began coordination in 2004 with local and Federal partners to assess current threats to this proposed species and develop a draft Conservation Plan. Comments are due on or before November 8, 2004. A public meeting will be held on October 13, 2004. Read the Federal Register notice. Read the draft Conservation Plan. Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Awards Announced (September 23, 2004) The Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded $70 million in grants to 28 states and one territory to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plant species. The grants will benefit species ranging from the Delmarva fox squirrel in the East to peninsular bighorn sheep in the West. Read the news release. Private Stewardship Grants Program — Awards Announced For Conservation of Imperiled Species on Private Lands (August 26, 2004) The Service announced today that it is awarding more than $7 million to support efforts on private lands to protect imperiled species through its Private Stewardship Grants Program. Read the news release Read the list of FY 2004 awards USFWS photo Working Together Partnerships for Endangered Species Recovery To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, the Endangered Species Program is pleased to announce the release of a new poster, Working Together: Partnerships for Endangered Species Recovery. This poster celebrates the many successes achieved by working in partnership with others to conserve our Nation’s threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants. Learn more about this poster.

For more information on a listed species, enter its common or scientific name: You can also browse the list of threatened and endangered species. On this page: Draft Conservation Plan for the Sacramento Mountains Checkerspot Butterfly available for review and comment Endangered Species Grants to States Announced $70 million awarded to benefit endangered species .... Private Stewardship Grants Program - Awards Announced Over $7 million awarded to support efforts on private lands to protect imperiled species .... Eastern Population of Gray Wolf Proposed for Removal from Endangered Species List Working Together: Partnerships for Endangered Species Recovery The Endangered Species Program introduces new poster.... Updated Guidance for Approving Incidental Take Permits Issuing Incidental take permits in light of a June 10 court order.... Service Publishes New List of Candidate Species Higher priorities preclude listing identified species.... Voluntary Conservation Agreements Now Easier for Landowners Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Seeks Grant Proposals $80 Million available to States and Territories for Conservation Projects.... Older Endangered Species Program stories available in our news archive. All news releases issued by the Service in last 30 days

Gray Wolf Back from the Brink Eastern Population Proposed for Removal from Endangered Species List (July 16, 2004) Three decades after gray wolves were nearly extinct in the lower 48 states, wolves in the eastern U.S. have recovered to the point where they can be proposed for removal from the Federal list of endangered and threatened species. Read the full story Read the gray wolf regulatory profile (back to top)

Updated Guidance for Approving Incidental Take Permits

(July 01, 2004)
In light of a June 10 ruling from the District Court for the District of Columbia, Director Steve Williams has issued additional guidance (pdf file) to Fish and Wildlife Service employees nationwide about approving incidental take permits associated with Habitat Conservation Plans.

The June 10th order directed us to refrain from approving incidental take permits or related documents that contain the "No Surprises" assurances until such time as the Service has completed rulemaking procedures for revoking incidental take permits. The court directed the Service to complete this rulemaking no later than December 10, 2004. The Service issued a proposed regulation to establish revocation standards for incidental take permits on May 25, 2004, and is accepting public comments on that proposal until July 26, 2004 . Consistent with the District Court’s recent order that allows the issuance of incidental take permits without "No Surprises" assurances, the June 28th guidance provides instructions to the Service’s field and regional offices on how to issue such permits.

For more on this story, visit our news archive page.

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Service Publishes Updated List of Candidates

(May 04, 2004)
If the Service has enough information to propose listing a species as threatened or endangered, but is precluded from taking action by higher listing priorities, that species becomes a candidate species. Twenty-six new species were added to the Candidate list since it was last published in 2002.

Read the news release

Read the new "Candidate Notice of Review"

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Conservation Programs Made Easier for Landowners

(April 28, 2004)
Private landowners will find it easier to understand and participate in two Fish and Wildlife Service voluntary conservation agreements that benefit imperiled species, thanks to changes in regulations that take effect June 02.

Read the news release. (pdf)

Read the Federal Register notice.

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Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Seeks Grant Proposals

(February 11, 2004)
The Service announced today it is seeking proposals for grants issued under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. Approximately $80 million will be available in Fiscal Year 2004. These grants are offered directly to states and territories, which may in turn distribute them to private landowners and conservation groups.

Read the news release.

Visit our Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund home page for more information.

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For more news items and archived news visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News Release web page.

Stay informed about the latest Fish and Wildlife Service happenings by subscribing to have Service news releases emailed to you.

All news releases issued by the Service in last 30 days

Older items from this page can be found in our news archive.

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