Recovery Plan for Inyo California Towhee (Pipilo Crissalis Eremophilus)... United States Department of the Interior

43 Pages·1999·3.9 MB·English

by  Department of the Interior

7
U.S: Fish and Wildlife Service
Recovery Plan
For Inyo California Townhee
(Pipilo crissalis eremophilus)
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(As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the
Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of
our nationally owned public lands and natural resources.
This includes fostering the wisest use of our lend and water
resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the
environmental and cultural values of our national parks
and historical places, and provfoir thde einjonymegnt of
life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses
our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that
their development is in the best interests of all our people.
The Department also has a major responsibility for
American Indian reservation communities and for people
who live in island Territories under U.5. administration.
RECOVERY PLAN
for the
INYO CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
(Pipilo crissalis eremophilus)
Publishebd y
Region |
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Portland, Oregon
7
jofar Dire S. Fish andW ildliSefrveic e
DISCLAIMER
Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions that are believed to be required to
recover and/or protect listed species. Plans are publibsy hthee dU. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), and sometimes prepared with the assistance of
recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and others. Objectiwvilel sb e
attained and necessary funds made available subject to bucgetary and other
constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other
priorities. Costs indicated for task implementation and/or time for achievement of
recovery are estimates and subject to change. Recove:y plans do not necessarily
represent the views or the official positions or approval .»f any individuals or
agencies involved in the plan, other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They
represent the official position of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only after they
have been signed by the Regional Director or Director as approved. Approved
recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in
species status, and the completion of recovery tasks.
Literature Citations should read as follows:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998. Recovery Plan for the Inyo California
Towhee. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. 32 pp.
Additional coni hased from:
Fish and Wildlife Reference Service
5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Telephone: [phone] or 1-800-582-3421
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: § [email protected]
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The draft recovery plan was prepared by Robert I. Mesta of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office. Denise L. LaBerteaux,
EremiCo BiolReoseargch iandc Coansulltin g, Mark L. Allabaand cDakvi d M.
Laabs, Biosearch Wildlife Surveys, Lawrence F. LaPre, Tierra Madre Consultants,
Bob Parker, Bureau of Land Management, and Carolyn A. Shepard, Department
of the Navy, contributed information for the recovery plan and assisted in the
prepaorf aeartlieir odranft s.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Current Species Status: The Inyo California towhee (Pipilo crissalis
eremophilus) is federally listed as threatened with designated critical habitat.
Fewer than 200 individuals are known to exist.
HRabietatq uireamnd Leimintintg Fsacto rs: The Inyo California towhee is a
desert inhabitant. This subspecies requires areas of dense riparian habitat to
provide nesting substrate, protection from predators, and shade from the desert
sun. Adjacent upland habitat is their principal foraging grounds and also provides
nesting habitat. These riparian habitats have been and continue to be threatened
by habitat degradation due to the export of water, mining, recreational and
military activities, rural development, controlled burns, and grazing.
Recovery Priority: 9C (Subspecies experiencing a moderate degree oft hreat, but
having a high recovery potential; conservation conflicts with development or
other land use activities).
Recovery Objective: Delist
Recovery Criteria: The minimum criterion for delisting the Inyo California
towhee is the establishment of a population of at least 400 individuals for a 5-year
period. In addition, threats to its habitat must be reduced and managed, and
degraded habitat restored and maintained. This would ensure a reproductively
self-sustaining population (productivity equals or exceeds mortality rate)
distributed throughout the range of this subspecies.
1. Identify and monitor all suitable habitat and threats, assess level of
habitat degradation, and prescribe recovery actions to restore and
proitt ase neccestsar y.
2. Determine and monitor the presence and breeding status of Inyo
3. Enhance suitable habitat by increasing the amount and quality of
riparian vegetation.
4. Develop and implement an outreach program for the Inyo
Total Estimated Cost of Recovery ($1,000's):
Year Need 1 Need 2 Need 3 Need 4 Total
1999 60 60 10 10 140
2000 35 0 10 * 0 45
2001 35 25 10 0 70
2002 35 0 10 0 45
2003 50 40 10 0 100
2004 20 0 5 0 25
2005 20 0 5. 0 25
2006 20 0 5 0 25
2007 20 0 5 0 25
2008 40 25 5 0 70
2009 20 0 5 0 25
2010 20 0 0 0 20
2011 20 0 0 0 20
Total Cost 395 150 80 10 635
Date of Recovery: Delisting should be initiated in 2011, ifr ecovery criteria are
met. Ss
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APPENDIX A. Inyo California Towhee Critical Habitat Legal
Ny 6.0:6:04.660600000060060600600+066020 40060<0 8 30
APPENDIXB . Peer Review and Summary of Comments ................. 32
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1 Range map for the Inyo California towhee :....................... 3
2 _ Critical habitat for the Inyo Californiatowhee ..................... 7
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Brief Overview
On August3 , 198t7he ,U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determined the
Inyo brown towhee (Pipilo fuscus eremophilus) to be a threatened species and
designated critical habitat (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1987). This subspecies
is now recognized as the Inyo California towhee (Pipilo crissalis eremophilus)
(American Ornithologists’ Union 1989).
The Inyo California towhee is a desert inhabitant found in the southern Argus
Range of Inyo County, Crdifornia (Cord and Jehl 1979). This subspeciesi s
geographically isolated fiom other subspecies of the California towhee, Pipilo
crissalis (Davis 1951). The most recent popusurlveysa fotr thiis soubsnpeci es
indicate that no more than 200 individuals exist (LaBerteaux 1994, Laabs ef al.
1995). Because of the isolated and inaccessible nature of its range, it is the least
known subspecies of the California towhee (Cord and Jehi 1978). This small
population is dependent on limited and vulnerable riparian habitat that has been
of water, mining, recreational and military activities, and rural development.
B. Taxonomy
The Inyo California towhee was first described by van Rossem (1935) from six
specimens he collected in Mountain Springs Canyon, Argus Mountains, Inyo
County, California. He classified this population of California towhees as a new
subspecies, due to its ‘solation from other members of the species, and named it
the Inyo brown towhee (LaBertea19u89x) . Origithen spaeciles lCaylif,orn ia
towhee (Pipilo crissalis), whose eight subspecies includes the Inyo California
towhee, was considetor beed th e same species as the canyon towhee (Pipilo
fuscus) under the name brown towhee (Byers ef al. 1995); howerveceent rge,net ic
analyses and evidence from comparisons of anatomical measurements determined