Public input wanted on proposed changes to NY's endangered species list

“The DEC is committed to using science to focus on the species most in need of protection and improving how we interact with New Yorkers living alongside our state’s endangered and threatened species so both natural and man-made communities benefit.”

— DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos

American eel, barn owls, little brown bats, cottontail rabbits are all familiar names, but in reality, they may be re-listed as species of special concern in New York State as part of a proposal of status changes by the Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The DEC is proposing to add 18 species to the list and remove 19, including bald eagles, which have returned from the brink of extinction thanks to regional preservation efforts leading to more than 390 pairs of breeding eagles currently in the state. By contrast, there was only one breeding pair remaining in New York State when they were listed as Endangered in 1973.

Animals including the Humpback whale, peregrine falcon, and northern harrier will no longer be listed as species of concern due to an increase in populations across the state – with some populations at ten times the state’s initial recovery goals, according to the DEC.

“Other species would be removed from the state's endangered or threatened lists because they have been found to no longer include New York within their range, such as the silver chub, or because they have gone extinct like the eastern cougar and Eskimo curlew. Even if a species is removed from the list, DEC would continue to monitor their populations and make management changes as necessary to address any new concerns that may arise.“

And even though there was a 14-foot-long sturgeon found in the Hudson River last year, the Atlantic sturgeon's status would be changed to endangered, prompting more protection under New York State's Endangered Species Law and adding the species as "a priority for monitoring and management programs,” according to the agency.

The deadline for the public to comment on the draft of proposed changes to the DEC’s list of endangered, threatened and species of special concern throughout the state is this Friday, January 24, 2020  

More info: LINK + PDF File: Draft of changes to endangered species

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