Federal wildlife officials have determined that four Oregon species may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act, beginning a formal review that could lead to federal endangered or threatened status.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued positive 90-day findings for the Cascade red fox and three fish found only in the Goose Lake basin: the Goose Lake lamprey, Goose Lake sucker and Goose Lake tui chub. The findings mean the petitions include enough scientific evidence to justify a more detailed federal review.
Conservation advocates welcomed the decision but said a recent change to Endangered Species Act regulations could weaken protections if the species are ultimately listed.
Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said native fish populations in Goose Lake have declined sharply since 2007 because of drought and water withdrawals.
He pointed to the Goose Lake redband trout as an example of successful conservation efforts.
"It lives only in that lake and its tributaries," Miller said. "There's been quite a bit of effort since the early 1990s to improve conditions for the Redband trout."
Miller said landowners, government agencies, universities and conservation groups have restored fish passage, fenced livestock away from streams and conducted monitoring projects throughout the basin.
"But it hasn't been enough to overcome these growing threats," he said.
One of those threats, advocates argue, comes from changes to how the federal government interprets the Endangered Species Act.
Tara Zuardo, a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Trump administration's revised definition of "harm" no longer includes habitat modification, making it more difficult to protect species by preserving the places they live.
"It's nonsensical to think you can protect a species without protecting its habitat," Zuardo said. "It's like claiming to protect a bird and then cutting down every tree where it can nest."
Zuardo said habitat destruction is the primary threat facing most federally listed species. She argued the new rule conflicts with decades of legal precedent interpreting the Endangered Species Act.
The Center for Biological Diversity sued the federal government on July 14 seeking to overturn the rule.
Despite that lawsuit, Zuardo said the status reviews for the Cascade red fox and the three Goose Lake fish will continue.
"The current Fish and Wildlife Service does not necessarily follow the law, but this is the process that has been laid out by the actual law," she said.
Guests
- Tara Zuardo, senior conservation advocate, Center for Biological Diversity
- Jeff Miller, conservation advocate, Center for Biological Diversity
