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USFWS Proposes to Relist the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-owl
Amanda Glen is SWCA’s natural resources technical director for biological services and provides strategic guidance on permitting and compliance for matters involving protected wildlife, plants, and habitats. Currently managing a national practice, she has more than 25 years of consulting experience with an emphasis on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and how compliance with the ESA influences other regulatory programs. Her wealth of experience pertaining to endangered species issues includes research, permitting, consultations, status reviews, and conservation planning. Her experience includes negotiating compliance solutions for critically imperiled species facing potential determinations of jeopardy or adverse modification of designated critical habitats. She has led efforts to delist species no longer requiring the protections of the ESA when supported by sound science, and has been involved in voluntary conservation planning to help preclude the need to list species. Amanda frequently presents at regional and national conferences on matters related to the ESA, including new listings, regulatory and policy changes, and trends in compliance strategies.
Eleanor Gladding is a senior biologist and project manager in SWCA’s Tucson office. As a herpetologist and ecologist, her areas of expertise include endangered species habitat studies, revegetation planning, species-specific surveys, noxious weed issues, and wildlife-habitat relationships. She is adept at identifying plants and animals, their habitat, and signs of presence. She is also skilled at writing technical and non-technical reports and conducting the extensive literature research that accompanies writing at the professional level. Her duties as a biologist include study design, field studies and special-status species surveys, and report writing and editing.
The pygmy-owl first received federal protection in 1997 but was delisted in 2006. In 2011, the FWS determined that a petition to relist the pygmy-owl was not warranted. A court decision in 2017 directed FWS to reconsider that finding. The current proposed rule is the FWS’s latest review and proposal regarding the status of the pygmy-owl.
The FWS identifies habitat loss and fragmentation and climate change as the primary threats to the pygmy-owl. These threats act through urbanization, invasive species (particularly buffelgrass), and agricultural or forest production, or result from increasing temperatures, decreasing precipitation, and increasing intensity of weather events. Land development and agricultural activities in pygmy-owl habitat could be affected if the listing becomes final.
We supported our clients with technical, scientific research, and regulatory compliance services when the pygmy-owl was previously listed. Our experienced biologists and regulatory specialists remain ready to help you understand the proposed listing and explore ways to minimize risks to project timelines and budgets. Our scientists can also help you prepare comments on the proposed listing rule, including activities that the FWS should consider exempting from the prohibitions on take.
With questions or for more information, please contact us.