Service proposes species

The tiny Lower Keys striped mud turtle may soon join a host of other local animals as species requiring federal protection.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service last month released a list of 374 rare plants and animals, about a half dozen found in the Florida Keys, that could potentially be added to the list of endangered species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, managed locally by the National Wildlife Refuges of the Florida Keys.

All of the species named in a September report are considered “rare southeastern aquatic, riparian and wetland animal and plant species.”

The initial listing is the first step in what is usually a years-long process gathering data and consolidating that data into a management plan for the protection of the species. And there are no guarantees any of the species listed will make the final cut.

“We expect to get a data call for the potential species soon from our Ecological Services division out of Vero Beach,” said Anne Morkill, manager of the Keys wildlife refuges.

As part of that data call, refuge personnel already in place or outside consultants could be used to gather information about the species in question, information such as population numbers, ranges and impediments to herd growth.

USFWS recently began to accelerate the process to get proposed species into the pipeline for eventual listing. The acceleration was forced by a lawsuit won by two environmental organizations that sued USFWS claiming the agency wasn’t doing enough to meet mandates laid out by the federal Endangered Species Act.

But even with the acceleration policy in place, Morkill said actual listing of any species could be years away.

“We don’t have very good status information on most of the proposed species as yet,” said Morkill. “We can’t develop management plans without that information.”

The striped mud turtle has a mostly brown shell and is oval or elongated in shape. The Lower Keys version grows to be about four inches in length. The head is “relatively large, usually with a pair of narrow yellowish stripes on either side,” says the report.

As part of the recovery management plan for the better-known Key Deer, already a member of the endangered species family, filling of some mosquito-control ditches has been proposed. But that same filling, says a study in the report, could destroy some of the most important habitat for the small turtle.

“We need the status data in hand before we can make decisions like that,” said Morkill.

To be considered for listing, all of the species must be threatened in some fashion by a variety of factors. In the cases of most of the recently proposed species, the biggest threats come from habitat loss, usually through human encroachment, the proliferation of invasive exotics, rising seas levels and other natural or manmade phenomena.

In addition to the striped mud turtle, other Lower Keys species presented as candidates include the local variation of the Eastern ribbonsnake. Though found throughout Florida, the local variation has developed a unique color and scale pattern, according to the report. The snake is venomous, though not at levels considered hazardous to humans. The Florida Keys mole skink, another snake, can reach six inches in length, burrows through sand and is found under fallen palm fronds and in sandy areas usually near a shoreline or in leaf litter.

The Florida semaphore cactus, endemic to the Keys, is also on the list and currently is rarely found anywhere outside protected land on Little Torch Key or on Swan Key in Key Biscayne National Park.

Managers tried to enhance the cactus population with plantings, but root rot and animal feeding resulted in a high mortality rate for the cactus, which grows three to 10 feet at maturity and sprouts orange flowers and yellow fruit.

The Big Pine Partridge Pea, a small, yellow-flowering plant found in the pine rocklands of the Lower Keys also was listed as a candidate for protections.

Morkill said the refuge already has management strategies in place for the partridge pea, one of which is prescribed burning.

“We’ve been managing for the partridge pea for a while, particularly with our burning program,” said Morkill. “Our surveys show that the partridge pea comes back stronger post-burn when it doesn’t have to compete as much for nutrients and light.”

The species seems to rebound best when an area is burned about every three to six years.

After data has been collected and reviewed, wildlife officials can begin preparing management plans for the affected species.

Morkill said none of the proposed species should necessitate any additional regulatory action from the federal agency beyond those already in place for the Key Deer and the Lower Keys marsh rabbit.

No Comments »