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Why is the Amargosa vole endangered? What is being done to help the vole? The main threat over the last century to the THE Amargosa vole has been loss or degradation of habitat. Changes in vegetation due to Amargosa vole habitat Is located on Amargosa altered water patterns, Invasive plant species, federal, state, and private lands. Much of VOLE and human activity such as converting the wetland habitat occupied by the marshes into pasture and the building of the Amargosa vole Is on BLM land near Microtus californicus scirpensis Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad line have Tecopa and Tecopa Hot Springs. The altered and reduced the amount of available BLM has designated some of this land as habitat for the vole. While human activities an Area of Critical Environmental have adversely affected the vole, some Concern, which includes portions of the activities such as drilling the "Bore Hole" Tecopa Lake Basin and the Amargosa Canyon, as a part of the California Desert spring have helped by creating new wetlands y for the vole. Conservation Area Program. As a result, there are measures that limit vehicle Habitat used by voles is often small access, maintain wetland vegetation and and occurs in disjunct patches. These water flow, and monitor Amargosa vole patches are like "islands" In a sea of desert. populations. This results in small, isolated populations, Current research is being conducted to which can result in inbreeding and increase by California Dept. of Fish &. Wildlife, the risk of population extinction. Preliminary University of California, Davis, University evidence suggests that other co-occurring of California, Berkeley, the US Bureau of An Endangered Species rodent species (deer mice, harvest mice, and Land Management, and the US Geologic The Amargosa vole was discovered house mice) may compete with voles for Survey to better understand and manage resources. Recent studies have also identified in 1900. Since that time it was the vole. previously undocumented diseases within vole thought to be extinct until voles populations; these diseases can affect the were rediscovered in the 1930's. vole's health and behavior and thus its ability The vole is a highly specialized to survive. Voles have evolved with and are This pamphlet was made possible through the Amargosa rodent that lives only in small Vole Team. Participants include: prey for a variety of native predators such as patches of habitat in the otherwise coyotes, hawks, owls, and foxes. However, The US Bureau ofLand Management. US Fish & Wildlife inhospitable Amargosa Valley. The Service. California Department of Fish <& Wildlife, vole was listed as an endangered nonnative predators(house cats and University of California, Davis, US Geologic Survey, bullfrogs) also prey on voles; these nonnative University of California. Berkeley, The Amargosa species by the state of California in predators can further reduce vole numbers Conservancy, and the Integral Ecology Research Center. 1980 and in 1984 was listed as and introduce new diseases into the endangered by the US Fish & Wildlife environment. Service. .

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Mammals of the California Desert
MAMMALS OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT William F. Laudenslayer, Jr. Karen Boyer Buckingham Theodore A. Rado INTRODUCTION I ,+! The desert lands of southern California (Figure 1) support a rich variety of wildlife, of which mammals comprise an important element. Of the 19 living orders of mammals known in the world i- *- loday, nine are represented in the California desert15. Ninety-seven mammal species are known to t ':i he in this area. The southwestern United States has a larger number of mammal subspecies than my other continental area of comparable size (Hall 1981). This high degree of subspeciation, which f I;, ; leads to the development of new species, seems to be due to the great variation in topography, , , elevation, temperature, soils, and isolation caused by natural barriers. The order Rodentia may be k., 2:' , considered the most successful of the mammalian taxa in the desert; it is represented by 48 species Lc - occupying a wide variety of habitats. Bats comprise the second largest contingent of species. Of the 97 mammal species, 48 are found throughout the desert; the remaining 49 occur peripherally, with many restricted to the bordering mountain ranges or the Colorado River Valley. Four of the 97 I ?$ are non-native, having been introduced into the California desert. These are the Virginia opossum, ' >% Rocky Mountain mule deer, horse, and burro. Table 1 lists the desert mammals and their range 1 ;>?-axurrence as well as their current status of endangerment as determined by the U.S. fish and $' Wildlife Service (USWS 1989, 1990) and the California Department of Fish and Game (Calif.
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Recovery Plan for the Amargosa Vole
Recovery Plan for the Amargosa Vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) ( 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 ofour land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environ mental and cultural values of our national parks ~, and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energyand mineral resourcesand works toassure that ~‘ theirdevelopment is in the best interests ofall our people. ~4 The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people ~<‘ who live in island Territories under U.S. administration. AMARGOSA VOLE (Microtus cahfornicus scirpensis) RECOVERY PLAN September, 1997 7— U.S. Department ofthe Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region One, Portland, Oregon DISCLAIMER PAGE Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions that are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sometimes prepared with the assistance ofrecovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and others. Objectives will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, 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.
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Survey of Potential Predators of the Endangered Amargosa Vole (Microtus Californicus Scirpensis)
Western Wildlife 6:5–13 • 2019 Submitted: 28 December 2018; Accepted: 26 April 2019. SURVEY OF POTENTIAL PREDATORS OF THE ENDANGERED AMARGOSA VOLE (MICROTUS CALIFORNICUS SCIRPENSIS) AUSTIN N. ROY1,2, DEANA L. CLIFFORD1,2, ANNA D. RIVERA ROY2, ROBERT C. KLINGER3, GRETA M. WENGERT4, AMANDA M. POULSEN2, AND JANET FOLEY2,5 1Wildlife Investigations Lab, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, California 95670 2Department of Veterinary Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 3Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 568 Central Avenue, Bishop, California 93514 4Integral Ecology Research Center, 239 Railroad Avenue, P.O. Box 52, Blue Lake, California 95525 5Corresponding author, email: [email protected] Abstract.—As part of a comprehensive program assessing threats to the persistence of the endangered Amargosa Voles (Microtus californicus scirpensis) in the Mojave Desert of California, we used point counts, owl call surveys, camera- trapping, and scat transects to investigate diversity and activity of potential predators near Tecopa, California, USA. Of 31 predator species within the critical habitat of the vole, the most commonly detected were Coyotes (Canis latrans), Domestic Dogs (C. lupus familiaris), and Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias). Predator species richness and detections were highest in the northern part of the study site where voles are more abundant. Predator detections were most common in the fall. We observed vole remains in 3.9 % of scat or pellet samples from Coyotes, Bobcats (Lynx rufus), and Great-horned Owls (Bubo virginianus). These data can support management activities and provide needed baseline information for assessment of the impact of predators on Amargosa Voles, including whether over-predation is limiting recovery and whether predators regulate this species.
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Prevalence and Potential Impact Of
PREVALENCE AND POTENTIAL IMPACT OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII ON THE ENDANGERED AMARGOSA VOLE (MICROTUS CALIFORNICUS SCIRPENSIS), CALIFORNIA, USA Authors: Amanda Poulsen, Heather Fritz, Deana L. Clifford, Patricia Conrad, Austin Roy, et. al. Source: Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 53(1) : 62-72 Published By: Wildlife Disease Association URL: https://doi.org/10.7589/2015-12-349 BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Complete website, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/terms-of-use. Usage of BioOne Complete content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Downloaded From: https://bioone.org/journals/Journal-of-Wildlife-Diseases on 16 Sep 2019 Terms of Use: https://bioone.org/terms-of-use Access provided by Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP) DOI: 10.7589/2015-12-349 Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 53(1), 2017, pp. 62–72 Ó Wildlife Disease Association 2017 PREVALENCE AND POTENTIAL IMPACT OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII ON THE ENDANGERED AMARGOSA VOLE (MICROTUS CALIFORNICUS SCIRPENSIS), CALIFORNIA, USA Amanda Poulsen,1,5 Heather Fritz,2,4 Deana L.
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DOCKETED 1516 Ninth Street 09-RENEW EO-1 Sacramento, CA 95814-5512 TN 75171 [email protected] FEB 23 2015
PO Box 63 Shoshone, CA 92384 760.852.4339 www.amargosaconservancy.org February 23, 2015 California Energy Commission California Energy Commission Dockets Office, MS-4 Docket No. 09-RENEW EO-01 DOCKETED 1516 Ninth Street 09-RENEW EO-1 Sacramento, CA 95814-5512 TN 75171 [email protected] FEB 23 2015 Re: The DRECP and the Amargosa Watershed On behalf of the members and Board of Directors of the Amargosa Conservancy, please accept our comments herein on the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Please refer to our second comment letter, dated February 23, 2015, for our comments on National Conservation Lands and Special Recreation Management Areas. Please also refer to the letter from Kevin Emmerich and Laura Cunningham, dated January 30, 2015, which the Amargosa Conservancy is signatory to. This letter details the need for a new program alternative in the DRECP which properly evaluates rooftop solar. To sum the key points of this letter: No groundwater pumping should be permissible in the Amargosa Watershed, including Charleston View, Silurian Valley, and Stewart Valley. Such activities would cause direct mortality of endangered species such as the Amargosa vole. USFWS take permits should be required for any groundwater pumping, and such permits should not be issued given the precarious conservation status of the vole. No mitigation can adequately compensate the ecosystem for the damage done by groundwater withdrawal. Retirement of water rights is not sufficient, and monitoring and triggering schemes are completely inadequate to protect the resources of the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River. Due to numerous biological, cultural, and social resource conflicts, Charleston View is not an appropriate place for utility-scale solar, should not be designated as a Development Focus Area (DFA).
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Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 138/Friday, July 17, 2020/Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 138 / Friday, July 17, 2020 / Notices 43597 B. Solicitation of Public Comment non-Federal land in California. We have permit application, draft SHA, and the This notice is soliciting comments prepared a draft environmental action draft EAS. statement (EAS) for our preliminary from members of the public and affected Background Information parties concerning the collection of determination that the SHA and permit SHAs are intended to encourage information described in Section A on decision may be eligible for categorical private or other non-Federal property the following: exclusion under the National (1) Whether the proposed collection Environmental Policy Act. We invite the owners to implement beneficial of information is necessary for the public to review and comment on the conservation actions for species listed proper performance of the functions of permit application, draft SHA, and the under the ESA. SHA permit holders are the agency, including whether the draft EAS. assured that they will not be subject to information will have practical utility; DATES: To ensure consideration, please increased property use restrictions as a (2) The accuracy of the agency’s send your written comments on or result of their proactive actions to estimate of the burden of the proposed before August 17, 2020. benefit listed species. Incidental take of collection of information; ADDRESSES: You may view or download listed species is authorized under a (3) Ways to enhance the quality, copies of the draft SHA and draft EAS permit pursuant to the provisions of utility, and clarity of the information to and obtain additional information on section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA.
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Amargosa Vole PVA Manuscript
Wildl. Biol. Pract., 2016 June 12(1): 1-11 doi:10.2461/wbp.2016.12.1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Rapid Assessment and Extinction Prediction using Stochastic Modeling of the Endangered Amargosa Vole J. Foley1,* & P. Foley2 1 School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. 2 Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento, CA 95819. * Corresponding author email: [email protected]; Phone: 530-754-9740. Keywords Abstract Difusion model; The Amargosa vole, Microtus californicus scirpensis, is an endangered Environmental stochasticity; microtine rodent obligately found in marshes near the Amargosa River, Mojave Desert in California. There are very few data to inform modeling Global climate change; and adaptive management. If interventions are postponed until data are Mojave Desert; available, the vole could go extinct in the interim, making a more fexible Population viability analysis; modeling approach imperative. The voles face threats from environmental Rapid assessment; and demographic stochasticity, Allee efects, inbreeding, genetic drift, Stochastic extinction analysis. intense predation, and disease. The modeling approach used here is based on difusion methods for time series of population size constrained by a carrying capacity, focusing on environmental stochasticity and the probability that the variance in population growth could allow the population to encounter the lower “absorbing” boundary and go extinct. We parameterized the model with Amargosa vole data that stand as Bayesian “priors” for carrying capacity, until more data can be obtained and allow us to refne a more accurate estimate. There are no multiple-year time series data or data for most demographic characteristics of the Amargosa vole, forcing us to look to California vole time series as a Bayesian prior.
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Amargosa Vole in the California Desert Conservation Area
Because life is good. CENTER for BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY working through science, law and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction. VIA CERTIFIED MAIL AND ELECTRONIC MAIL August 19, 2021 Paul Souza, Regional Director Katrina Symons U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Barstow Field Area Manager Region 8 - Pacific Southwest Region Bureau of Land Management 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2606 2601 Barstow Rd, Sacramento, CA 95825 Barstow, CA 92311 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Deb Haaland, Secretary Karen Mouritsen, California State Director Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management 1849 C Street, N.W. 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W1623 Washington DC 20240 Sacramento, CA 95825 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Andrew Archuleta, District Manager California Desert District Bureau of Land Management 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos Moreno Valley, CA 92553 Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Re: Sixty-Day Notice of Intent to Sue the Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act for Actions Relating to Management of Endangered Amargosa Vole in the California Desert Conservation Area. Dear Secretary Haaland, Regional Director Souza, State Director Mouritsen, District Manager Archuleta, and Field Supervisor Symons, This letter serves as a sixty-day notice on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity (“Center”) of intent to sue the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) over violations of Sections 2, 4, 7, and 9 of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C.
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Research and Collaboration to Improve Amargosa Vole Conservation in the Lower Amargosa River
ACTIONABLE SCIENCE Research and Collaboration to Improve Amargosa Vole Conservation in the Lower Amargosa River The Lower Amargosa River Wetlands during the Growing Season The Amargosa River is one of four river systems in the Mojave Desert and runs KEY ISSUES ADDRESSED from Nevada into the southern Death Groundwater pumping and land use conversion have Valley region of California. The lower resulted in significant wetland loss, and further watershed supports many endemic degradation due to climate shifts and continued or and endangered species, including the expanded water use by humans will impact many species Amargosa vole. This subspecies of the that depend on the ponds and vegetation of the California vole is one of the rarest Amargosa Valley. Scientific understanding of the mammals in North America and was Amargosa vole is essential for making challenging, thought to be extinct until the late potentially controversial management decisions for 1970s. It is entirely dependent on conservation of this species. This effort is intended to stands of wetland vegetation allow tracking of vole populations and prioritization of dominated by three-square bulrush, of habitat conservation and restoration. These actions will which only an estimated 50-60 acres help evaluate attempts to expand the vole’s distribution remain in the lower Amargosa River. and population size while considering future environmental conditions. PROJECT GOALS • Collect basic information on Amargosa vole biology to support conservation and reintroduction efforts • Combine monitoring and modeling to develop habitat and population projections for the future • Foster relationships with local communities based on open communication about the shared benefits Project Location of conserving wetland and riparian areas HABITAT Understanding that Amargosa voles are entirely dependent on bulrush within a restricted range allows managers to directly SPECIALISTS address conservation needs and prevent extinction.
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Subpopulation Augmentation Among Habitat Patches As a Tool to Manage
UC Davis UC Davis Previously Published Works Title Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes. Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8h76g436 Journal PloS one, 14(10) ISSN 1932-6203 Authors López-Pérez, Andrés M Foley, Janet Roy, Austin et al. Publication Date 2019 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0224246 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California RESEARCH ARTICLE Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes AndreÂs M. LoÂ pez-PeÂrez1, Janet Foley1*, Austin Roy1,2, Risa Pesapane1, Stephanie Castle 1,2, Amanda Poulsen1, Deana L. Clifford1,2 a1111111111 ID a1111111111 1 Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, a1111111111 California, United States of America, 2 Wildlife Investigations Lab, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a1111111111 Rancho Cordova, California, United States of America a1111111111 * [email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS Intensive management may be necessary to protect some highly vulnerable endangered Citation: LoÂpez-PeÂrez AM, Foley J, Roy A, Pesapane R, Castle S, Poulsen A, et al. (2019) species, particularly those dependent on water availability regimes that might be disrupted Subpopulation augmentation among habitat by ongoing climate change. The Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) is an patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave increasingly imperiled rodent constrained to rare wetland habitat in the Mojave Desert. In Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during 2014 and 2016, we trapped and radio-collared 30 voles, 24 were translocated and six anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes.
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Owens Pupfish
Amargosa vole Microtus californicus scirpensis 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation Photo Courtesy of Steven J. Montgomery U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office Ventura, CA January 2009 5-YEAR REVIEW Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) I. GENERAL INFORMATION Purpose of 5-Year Reviews: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required by section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) to conduct a status review of each listed species at least once every 5 years. The purpose of a 5-year review is to evaluate whether or not the species’ status has changed since it was listed (or since the most recent 5-year review). Based on the 5-year review, we recommend whether the species should be removed from the list of endangered and threatened species, be changed in status from endangered to threatened, or be changed in status from threatened to endangered. Our original listing of a species as endangered or threatened is based on the existence of threats attributable to one or more of the five threat factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the Act, and we must consider these same five factors in any subsequent consideration of reclassification or delisting of a species. In the 5-year review, we consider the best available scientific and commercial data on the species, and focus on new information available since the species was listed or last reviewed. If we recommend a change in listing status based on the results of the 5-year review, we must propose to do so through a separate rule-making process defined in the Act that includes public review and comment.
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Amargosa Fall 2020 Newsletter
www.amargosaconservancy.org CONSERVANCY CONNECTION Fall 2020 1 LETTER FROM THE BOARD Conservancy Connections ust last October some of you pandemic. Thus the Board has MEMBERSHIP 6 Jattended our third “Meet the elected to concentrate on programs Amargosa” event at Tecopa Hot of advocacy and education, to (re)Introducing Ourselves Springs. By all accounts, the support continued study and WHO WE ARE weekend was successful with preservation of groundwater and Working toward a sustainable engaging presentations on geology spring flows that maintain the Letter from the Amargosa Conservancy Executivefuture for the Director Amargosa River and desert plants and short region’s unique plant and animal life, and Basin through science, excursions to Tecopa marshes, China and to implement the Amargosa Wild stewardship and education. Ranch and geology outcrops. and Scenic River designation. Since then, the Amargosa Three articles in this issue elcome to the inaugural issueBOA ofRD OF DIRECTORS Conservancy has undergone describe projects involving or Chris Roholt • President changes in focus and organizational supported by the Amargosa structure. We have news to Conservancy. Naomi Fraga • Treasurer STAFF Conservancy Connection, our newly share with those interested in the The first article on Nopah W Bill Neill • Secretary Amargosa Basin and its resources. Range botany is by Carolyn Mills, Jane Gillam, John Hiatt, redesigned and revamped newsletter! Tanya Henderson is leaving the whose thesis advisor is Amargosa Patrick Donnelly Ashley Lee, Abby Mattson Amargosa Conservancy after five Conservancy Board member years of dedicated service, most Dr. Naomi Fraga, Director of Executive Director ADVISORS recently as our Executive Director. Conservation Programs at California Holly Alpert BEFinding a newOURS Executive Director Botanic Garden in Claremont.
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