Endangered Listing

Are the Feds Finally Ready to Protect Mountain Plover?

By Jule Banville, 6-29-10

	Mountain Plover, Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife

After a couple of decades of study, several years of “threatened” status and the kickstart a lawsuit sometimes provides, the mountain plover could finally get endangered-list status.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reconsidered its stance and this week proposed adding the small, brown bird, which breeds in the grasslands of the Rockies and Great Plains, to the endangered species list. The proposal comes 16 years after FWS agreed to grant the bird “threatened” status and more than 20 years after the feds decided the species warranted a close look at protection. 

What it will mean for ranchers and developers of grasslands is an unknown, but clearly part of the discussion. Also part of that discussion: the prairie dog. Plovers rely on prairie-dog habitat to forage for insects and to build their nests.

But Jacob Smith, executive director of the Center for Native Ecosystems, discounted fears the plover’s protected status will spell doom for agriculture:

“Mountain plover protection does not mean that farming in plover habitat will grind to a halt. Planting schedules should be modified, pesticide use should be restrained and the destruction of prairie dog colonies should be curtailed. These are progressive steps that will benefit long-term land health, which is in the best interest of farmers and plovers alike. They are modest requests for a priceless end: the prevention of extinction.”

The mountain plover is one of only nine birds unique to short-grass prairie land and has no subspecies. According to the FWS, short-grass prairie bird populations are declining more rapidly than other birds; mountain plovers are declining faster than other grassland birds. Breeding Bird Survey trends from 1966 to 1996 document a population decline of more than 50 percent.

Last year, a coalition of environmental groups sued FWS. Following this week’s announcement by the agency, Jeremy Nichols of WildEarth Guardians says he sees a “glimmer of hope” for survival of the prairie and its wildlife.

Federal officials are soliciting public comments and scientific information about the bird. A final decision on the mountain plover is due May 1, 2011.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.