[mou] FW: Audubon Calls for Emergency listing of Red Knot

[MARTELL, Mark]

Audubon and our partners in conservation,  submitted an Emergency =
Petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, July 27th, to =
list the rufa subspecies of the Red Knot on the Endangered Species List =
(ESA).  The Eastern population of the Red Knot has declined so =
dramatically in the past 15 years that scientists are worried the =
species could go extinct by 2010.  Numbering over 150,000 just 20 years =
ago, last year's counts of Red Knots were around 13,000 - putting this =
bird on the downward spiral to extinction.

Last July, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Audubon Society submitted a =
petition to list the Red Knot.  This Emergency listing is a follow-up to =
that request.  Basically, the science says that this species is =
declining so rapidly that the regular listing process needs to be =
accelerated.  Emergency listing is quite rare but we believe the birds' =
very existence depends upon swift action. =20
Yesterday, a press conference was held with the coalition partners and =
there was an article in today's Delaware News Journal - =
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20050803/NEWS0=
1/508030358/1006
The press release is below.  If you have any questions, please contact =
Greg Butcher, Mike Daulton, Marlyn Twitchell or myself.

Desiree Sorenson-Groves
Audubon Public Policy Office
1150 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C.  20036
office: (202) 861-2242 ex. 3038
cell: (202) 549-1033

From: CChess=20
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 11:22 AM
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Conservation Groups Call for Emergency =
Endangered Listing for Red Knot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 2, 2005
Contact: William Lutz 202-772-0269
Brad DeVries 202-772-0237
CONSERVATION GROUPS CALL FOR EMERGENCY
ENDANGERED LISTING FOR RED KNOT,
A RAPIDLY DECLINING SHOREBIRD
Washington, DC - In response to the 80% decline in Red Knot population =
over the past ten years, leading conservation groups filed an emergency =
petition asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Red Knot =
as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The listing =
request comes from an alliance of wildlife groups including Defenders of =
Wildlife, New Jersey Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy, the =
National Audubon Society, Delaware Audubon Society, Citizens Campaign =
for the Environment, Audubon New York, Audubon Maryland-DC and Virginia =
Audubon Council.
"Our petition plainly demonstrates that the Red Knot is on the path =
toward extinction. The Bush Administration now has the opportunity to =
reverse the bird's downward spiral and the Endangered Species Act is the =
tool they need to do that," said Defenders of Wildlife Executive Vice =
President, Jamie Rappaport Clark.
The petition targets the rufa subspecies of the Red Knot, a migratory =
shorebird that makes an 18,000 mile roundtrip journey each year from its =
winter home at the tip of South America to the Arctic and back again. =
The birds stop just a few times on the way to refuel. Their final =
critical stop is at Delaware Bay, which is the most critical because it =
is the last major refueling spot before completing the journey to their =
Arctic breeding grounds. At the Bay, the starving birds must feast on =
fat-rich horseshoe crab eggs in order to restore the reserves necessary =
to complete their migration and to provide energy for the first several =
days or weeks in the Arctic as food there can initially be scarce. But, =
in recent years, Delaware Bay's horseshoe crab population has rapidly =
diminished and the number of birds able to successfully reach their =
breeding grounds and successfully reproduce has dramatically declined.
"The Red Knot's decline is a direct result of the overfishing of =
horseshoe crabs whose eggs are a critical food source for the Red Knot's =
migration," said Perry Plumart, American Bird Conservancy's Director of =
Conservation Advocacy. "We urge Interior Secretary Norton to act now to =
keep the Red Knot returning to Delaware Bay in the decades to come."
The birds visiting the Delaware Bay, once numbering more than 100,000, =
now number around 17,000. If nothing is done to ensure the bird's =
survival, recent scientific models predict extinction as early as 2010.
The petition details reasons why the Endangered Species Act's emergency =
listing provisions are needed to save the bird, including:
=B7 Its primary food source in the United States -- horseshoe crab eggs =
-- is threatened due to over utilization of crabs for commercial =
purposes.
=B7 The birds' inability to properly refuel at Delaware Bay reduces =
rates of survival and recruitment and increases their susceptibility to =
disease and predation.
=B7 Existing regulatory mechanisms are inadequate as the Red Knot =
receives only minimal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and =
no protection for its habitat or food source.
The Endangered Species Act emergency listing petition comes after the =
groups had worked for many years with the states and the Atlantic States =
Marine Fisheries Commission, the agency that regulates the horseshoe =
crab fishery, to reduce the take of horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay =
and neighboring areas. In June, the groups asked the Commission and the =
states of New Jersey and Delaware for an emergency closure of the =
horseshoe crab fishery to stop the further decline of available =
horseshoe crab eggs. New Jersey closed the harvest for an additional two =
weeks due to the presence of a late arriving flock.
Although some states have taken additional actions such as closing key =
feeding areas to the public during spring migration and reducing =
competition for eggs between knots and gulls, these efforts are not able =
to reverse the bird's severe decline. New data showing that the Red Knot =
population continues to decline at a rapid rate suggests that a complete =
closure of the horseshoe crab fishery is the most important action that =
can be taken to stop further decline of this species. A listing under =
the ESA would require the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to =
consult with the Service on the impacts of the horseshoe crab fishery on =
the red knot and lead to the development of a coordinated recovery plan, =
a potential closure of the crab fishery and funding for implementation =
of various conservation measures.
The petition concludes: "In the absence of an Endangered Species Act =
listing for the Red Knot, protection efforts to date have failed to =
address site-specific threats to the Red Knot (i.e. habitat loss and =
availability of food at Delaware Bay) and also have not led to the =
development and implementation of conservation and management strategies =
on the multi-state regional scale that are necessary for the =
preservation of the species."
"The Red Knot features one of the longest migrations of any bird species =
and is a valuable part of the coastal web of life from the Arctic to the =
southern tip of South America," said Greg Butcher, Director of Bird =
Conservation for the National Audubon Society. "Our willingness to act =
quickly and decisively to save this icon of global connectedness is a =
powerful test of our stewardship of Earth's vital resources."
"The science is clear and compelling that emergency listing is =
desperately needed to protect the Red Knot," according to Thomas J. =
Gilmore, President of New Jersey Audubon Society. "Only by listing the =
Red Knot can we safeguard New Jersey's Serengeti - the Delaware Bay - =
for future generations."
"The scientific models indicate the extinction of the Red Knot by 2010. =
This is only 5 years away, a blink of the eye. Emergency listing is the =
only hope we have of saving this important species," said Delaware =
Audubon Conservation Chair Nick DiPasquale.
A copy of the petition can be found on line at =
<http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/redknots/petition.pdf>.
###