PETITION TO LIST THE Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) UNDER THE U.S. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Northern bog lemming. Photo © Dean Pearson (used with permission). Petition Submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Interior Acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Petitioner: WildEarth Guardians 1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 310 Denver, Colorado 80202 303.573.4898 Address correspondence to: Taylor Jones
[email protected] Petition prepared by: Taylor Jones WildEarth Guardians and Laura L. Melton University of New Mexico, School of Law September 29, 2014 INTRODUCTION WildEarth Guardians (Guardians) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) list the northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis) as “threatened” or “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544). WildEarth Guardians also requests that the Service designate critical habitat for this species. The northern bog lemming is found only in the northern hemisphere in subarctic climates along the northern tree line south into Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, and New England. Though they typically inhabit sphagnum bogs, they can occasionally be found in other habitats including alpine tundra, wet subalpine meadows, and mossy forests. The glacial relict habitats of northern bog lemmings are isolated and patchy in nature, as are lemming populations, making the risk of extinction very high. No populations of northern bog lemmings are known to exist in captivity and the small mammals are difficult to trap and rarely seen in the wild. Population density surveys have not been successful due to the inability of surveyors to find and trap the lemmings for counting.