The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified riparian lands that are important for the recovery of the southwestern willow flycatcher. This small songbird, which nests in vegetation along rivers and streams or other wetlands, is known to occur only in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, approximately 208,973 acres has been designated as critical habitat for the flycatcher.
The Service identified 1,227 stream miles within the 100-year floodplain of waters in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico for the songbird which has been listed as endangered since 1995 under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Another 948 stream miles initially proposed as critical habitat were excluded, exempted, or otherwise removed from the final revised designation in response to public comments, peer review and full consideration of existing habitat protections provided by Habitat Conservation Plans, various conservation plans, Department of Defense commitments and tribal partnerships.
“Ongoing conservation efforts by the Service and its many partners have helped curtail the decline of the southwestern willow flycatcher and reduce the threat of extinction,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the Service’s Southwest Regional Director. “Identifying and protecting important habitat will help guarantee the survival and eventual recovery of this emblem of our fragile southwestern riparian ecosystems.”
The Service’s recovery plan for the flycatcher recommends establishing a network of stable flycatcher populations throughout the bird’s range.
A critical habitat designation does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge or preserve, and in general has no impact on private landowners taking actions on their land that do not require federal funding or permits. The new designation becomes effective on February 4, 2013.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The revised rule, revision, maps, economic analysis, and environmental assessment and other information about the southwestern willow flycatcher are available at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/ or http://www.regulations.gov