Biological Resources Documentation
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Bexar County Karst Invertebrates Draft Recovery Plan
Bexar County Karst Invertebrates Draft Recovery Plan March 2008 Bexar County Karst Invertebrates Draft Recovery Plan BEXAR COUNTY KARST INVERTEBRATES DRAFT RECOVERY PLAN Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico March 2008 Approved: ___DRAFT_______________________________________ Regional Director, Southwest Region Date U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Concur: __DRAFT____________________________________________ Executive Director Date Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ii Bexar County Karst Invertebrates Draft Recovery Plan DISCLAIMER Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions that the best available science indicates are necessary to recover or protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), but are sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery 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 are guidance and planning documents only. Identification of an action to be implemented by any private or public party does not create a legal obligation beyond existing legal requirements. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act (U.S.C. 1341) or any other law or regulation. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views or the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the Service. They represent the official position of the Service only after the plan has been signed by the Regional Director as approved. -
Contributions of Intensively Managed Forests to the Sustainability of Wildlife Communities in the South
CONTRIBUTIONS OF INTENSIVELY MANAGED FORESTS TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF WILDLIFE COMMUNITIES IN THE SOUTH T. Bently Wigley1, William M. Baughman, Michael E. Dorcas, John A. Gerwin, J. Whitfield Gibbons, David C. Guynn, Jr., Richard A. Lancia, Yale A. Leiden, Michael S. Mitchell, Kevin R. Russell ABSTRACT Wildlife communities in the South are increasingly influenced by land use changes associated with human population growth and changes in forest management strategies on both public and private lands. Management of industry-owned landscapes typically results in a diverse mixture of habitat types and spatial arrangements that simultaneously offers opportunities to maintain forest cover, address concerns about fragmentation, and provide habitats for a variety of wildlife species. We report here on several recent studies of breeding bird and herpetofaunal communities in industry-managed landscapes in South Carolina. Study landscapes included the 8,100-ha GilesBay/Woodbury Tract, owned and managed by International Paper Company, and 62,363-ha of the Ashley and Edisto Districts, owned and managed by Westvaco Corporation. Breeding birds were sampled in both landscapes from 1995-1999 using point counts, mist netting, nest searching, and territory mapping. A broad survey of herpetofauna was conducted during 1996-1998 across the Giles Bay/Woodbury Tract using a variety of methods, including: searches of natural cover objects, time-constrained searches, drift fences with pitfall traps, coverboards, automated recording systems, minnow traps, and turtle traps. Herpetofaunal communities were sampled more intensively in both landscapes during 1997-1999 in isolated wetland and selected structural classes. The study landscapes supported approximately 70 bird and 72 herpetofaunal species, some of which are of conservation concern. -
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Justin Augustine (CA Bar No. 235561) Jaclyn Lopez (CA Bar No. 258589) 2 Center for Biological Diversity 351 California Street, Suite 600 3 San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415) 436-9682 4 Fax: (415) 436-9683 [email protected] 5 [email protected] 6 Collette L. Adkins Giese (MN Bar No. 035059X)* Center for Biological Diversity 8640 Coral Sea Street Northeast 7 Minneapolis, MN 55449-5600 Tel: (651) 955-3821 8 Fax: (415) 436-9683 [email protected] 9 Michael W. Graf (CA Bar No. 136172) 10 Law Offices 227 Behrens Street 11 El Cerrito, CA 94530 Tel: (510) 525-7222 12 Fax: (510) 525-1208 [email protected] 13 Attorneys for Plaintiffs Center for Biological Diversity and 14 Pesticide Action Network North America *Seeking admission pro hac vice 15 16 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 17 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 18 SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 19 20 CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL ) 21 DIVERSITY, a non-profit organization; and ) Case No.__________________ PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK ) 22 NORTH AMERICA, a non-profit ) organization; ) 23 ) Plaintiffs, ) COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY 24 ) AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF v. ) 25 ) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ) 26 AGENCY; and LISA JACKSON, ) Administrator, U.S. EPA; ) 27 ) Defendants. ) 28 _____________________________________ ) Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief 1 1 INTRODUCTION 2 1. This action challenges the failure of Defendants Environmental Protection Agency and 3 Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, (collectively “EPA”) to consult with the 4 United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) and National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS”) 5 (collectively “Service”) pursuant to Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. -
Revision of Karst Species Zones for the Austin, Texas, Area
FINAL REPORT As Required by THE ENDANGERED SPECIES PROGRAM TEXAS Grant No. E - 52 Endangered and Threatened Species Conservation REVISION OF KARST SPECIES ZONES FOR THE AUSTIN, TEXAS, AREA Prepared by: George Veni Robert Cook Executive Director Matt Wagner Mike Berger Program Director, Wildlife Diversity Division Director, Wildlife 3 October 2006 FINAL REPORT STATE: ____Texas_______________ GRANT NUMBER: ___E - 52____________ GRANT TITLE: Revision of Karst Species Zones for the Austin, Texas Area REPORTING PERIOD: ____1 September 2004 to 31 August 2006 OBJECTIVE: To re-evaluate and redraw, as necessary and in a GIS, all four karst zones within the twenty-two 7.5’ topographic quadrangle area as defined by Veni and Associates (1992). SEGMENT OBJECTIVE: 1. Re-evaluate and re-draw, as necessary and into a Geographic Information System (GIS), all four karzt zones within the twenty-two 7.5’ topographic quadrangle area as defined by Veni and Associates (1992) within six (6) months of contract award date. SIGNIFICANT DEVIATION: None. SUMMARY OF PROGRESS: Please see Attachment A. LOCATION: Austin Area, Texas. PREPARED BY: ___Craig Farquhar______ DATE: October 3, 2006 APPROVED BY: _____________________ DATE: October 10, 2006 Neil (Nick) E. Carter Federal Aid Coordinator 2 George Veni & Associates Hydrogeologists and Biologists Environmental Management Consulting Cave and Karst Specialists REVISION OF KARST SPECIES ZONES FOR THE AUSTIN, TEXAS, AREA by George Veni, Ph.D., and Cecilio Martinez prepared for: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 4200 -
Lizard ID Guide
Lizards of Anderson County, TN Lizards are extraordinary gifts of nature. World-wide there are close to 6,000 species. The United States is home to more than100 native species, along with many exotic species that have become established, especially in Florida. Tennessee has 9 species, 6 of which are listed for Anderson County. Some are fairly widespread and easy to observe, such as the Common Five-lined Skink below. Unfortunately, the liberal use of pesticides, combined with predation by free roaming house cats have taken a heavy toll on our lizard populations. Most lizards are insect eating machines and their ecological services should be promoted through backyard and schoolyard wildlife habitat projects. Lizard watching is great fun, and over time, observers can gain interesting insights into lizard behavior. Your backyard may be a good place to start your lizarding career. This guide will be helpful for identifying our local lizards and will also provide you with examples of lizard behaviors to observe. Some species must be captured—this can be challenging—to insure accurate identification. Please see the back page for more resources. Lizarding Lizard watching, often referred to as lizarding, will likely never be as popular as bird watching (birding), but there is an advantage to being a “lizarder.” Unlike birders, you don’t need to be an early riser. Bright sunny days with warm temperatures are the keys for successful lizarding, but like birding, close-up binoculars are helpful. A lizard’s life centers around three performance activities: 1) avoiding predators, 2) feeding, and 3) reproduction. Lizard performance is all about optimal body temperature. -
Petition to Delist the Bone Cave Harvestman (Texella Reyesi) in Accordance with Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
Petition to delist the Bone Cave harvestman (Texella reyesi) in accordance with Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 PETITION TO DELIST THE BONE CAVE HARVESTMAN (TEXELLA REYESI) IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 4 OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973 Petitioned By: John F. Yearwood Kathryn Heidemann Charles & Cheryl Shell Walter Sidney Shell Management Trust American Stewards of Liberty Steven W. Carothers June 02, 2014 This page intentionally left blank. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The federally endangered Bone Cave harvestman (Texella reyesi) is a terrestrial karst invertebrate that occurs in caves and voids north of the Colorado River in Travis and Williamson counties, Texas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) listed T. reyesi as endangered in 1988 on the basis of only five to six known localities that occurred in a rapidly developing area. Little was known about the species at the time, but the USFWS deemed listing was warranted to respond to immediate development threats. The current body of information on T. reyesi documents a much broader range of known localities than known at the time of listing and resilience to the human activities that USFWS deemed to be threats to the species. Status of the Species • An increase in known localities from five or six at the time of listing to 172 today. • Significant conservation is in place with at least 94 known localities (55 percent of the total known localities) currently protected in preserves, parks, or other open spaces. • Regulatory protections are afforded to most caves in Travis and Williamson counties via state laws and regulations and local ordinances. -
Comment (2) of Ross Melinchuk on Behalf of Texas Parks and Wildlife
HULY'VjVLCIVES ~7r~ ~~/2 November 5, 2010 ~NOV~F I Ac 'N- 8:5 3 UEAPAKU Life's better outside.: Ms. Cindy K. Bladey Chief, Rulemaking and Directives Branch R .HF\Ac:D Commissioners Office of Administration Mail Stop: TWB-05-BOIM Peter M.Holt Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission San Antonio Washington, DC 20555-0001 T. Dan Friedkin Vice-Chairman Houston RE: Proposed Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plants Units 3 and 4 Combined Mark E. Bivins Amarillo License Application Review, Draft Environmental Impact Statement Ralph H. Duggins (DEIS), Somervell and Hood Counties Fort Worth Antonio Falcon, M.D. Rio Grande City Dear Ms. Bladey: Karen J. Hixon San Antonio Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received the August 6, 2010 Dan Allen Hughes, Jr. notification for issuance of and request for comment on the above-referenced Beeville DEIS. The notification was submitted in accordance with the National Margaret Martin Boerne Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Fish and S. Reed Morian Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934, as amended. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Houston (NRC) prepared the DEIS as part of its review of Luminant Generation Company Lee M. Bass Chairman-Emeritus LLC (Luminant) application for combined licenses for construction and operation Fort Worth of two new nuclear units at its existing Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP) site near Glen Rose, Texas. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth Carter R Smith District (USACE) is a cooperating agency in the DEIS so that the EIS can be used Executive Director to decide on issuance of permits pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. -
Section IV – Guideline for the Texas Priority Species List
Section IV – Guideline for the Texas Priority Species List Associated Tables The Texas Priority Species List……………..733 Introduction For many years the management and conservation of wildlife species has focused on the individual animal or population of interest. Many times, directing research and conservation plans toward individual species also benefits incidental species; sometimes entire ecosystems. Unfortunately, there are times when highly focused research and conservation of particular species can also harm peripheral species and their habitats. Management that is focused on entire habitats or communities would decrease the possibility of harming those incidental species or their habitats. A holistic management approach would potentially allow species within a community to take care of themselves (Savory 1988); however, the study of particular species of concern is still necessary due to the smaller scale at which individuals are studied. Until we understand all of the parts that make up the whole can we then focus more on the habitat management approach to conservation. Species Conservation In terms of species diversity, Texas is considered the second most diverse state in the Union. Texas has the highest number of bird and reptile taxon and is second in number of plants and mammals in the United States (NatureServe 2002). There have been over 600 species of bird that have been identified within the borders of Texas and 184 known species of mammal, including marine species that inhabit Texas’ coastal waters (Schmidly 2004). It is estimated that approximately 29,000 species of insect in Texas take up residence in every conceivable habitat, including rocky outcroppings, pitcher plant bogs, and on individual species of plants (Riley in publication). -
Karst Invertebrates Taxonomy
Endangered Karst Invertebrate Taxonomy of Central Texas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Austin Ecological Services Field Office 10711 Burnet Rd. Suite #200 Austin, TX 78758 Original date: July 28, 2011 Revised on: April 4, 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 ENDANGERED KARST INVERTEBRATE TAXONOMY ................................................. 1 2.1 Batrisodes texanus (Coffin Cave mold beetle) ......................................................................... 2 2.2 Batrisodes venyivi (Helotes mold beetle) .................................................................................. 3 2.3 Cicurina baronia (Robber Baron Cave meshweaver) ............................................................... 4 2.4 Cicurina madla (Madla Cave meshweaver) .............................................................................. 5 2.5 Cicurina venii (Braken Bat Cave meshweaver) ........................................................................ 6 2.6 Cicurina vespera (Government Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver) ............................................. 7 2.7 Neoleptoneta microps (Government Canyon Bat Cave spider) ................................................ 8 2.8 Neoleptoneta myopica (Tooth Cave spider) .............................................................................. 9 2.9 Rhadine exilis (no common name) ......................................................................................... -
United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78758 512 490-0057 FAX 490-0974 December 3, 2004 Wayne A. Lea Chief, Regulatory Branch Fort Worth District, Corps of Engineers P.O. Box 17300 Fort Worth, Texas 76102-0300 Consultation No. 2-15-F-2004-0242 Dear Mr. Lea: This document transmits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) biological opinion based on our review of the proposed water operations by the Colorado River Municipal Water District (District) on the Colorado and Concho rivers, located in Coleman, Concho, Coke, Tom Green, and Runnels counties. These actions are authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) under Permit Number 197900225, Ivie (Stacy) Reservoir project, pursuant to compliance with the Clean Water Act. The District and the Corps have indicated, through letters dated September 10, 2004, and September 13, 2004, respectively, that an emergency condition affecting human health and safety exists with this action. We have considered the effects of the proposed action on the federally listed threatened Concho water snake (Nerodia harteri paucimaculata) in accordance with formal interagency consultation pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The emergency consultation provisions are contained within 50 CFR section 402.05 of the Interagency Regulations. Your July 8, 2004, request for reinitiating formal consultation was received on July 12, 2004. You designated District as your non-federal representative. This biological opinion is based on information provided in agency reports, telephone conversations, field investigations, and other sources of information. -
Ophisaurus Attenuatus Cope Slender Glass Lizard
111.1 REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: SAURIA: ANGUINIDAE OPHISAURUS ATrENUATUS Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. coastal scrub or old dune scrub associations in the interior. The preferred habitat of O. a. attenuatus in the west is dry, HOLMAN,J. ALAN. 1971. Ophisaurus attenuatus. grassy areas. Ophisaurus attenuatus Cope • FOSSIL RECORD. Etheridge (1961) reported Ophisaurus attenuatus from Upper Pliocene and Pleistocene (Sangamon Slender glass lizard and Illinoian) deposits in Meade County, Kansas, and (1960, Opheosaurus [sic] ventralis attenuatus Cope, 1880:18. Type• 1961) from the Pleistocene (Illinoian) of Harper County, locality, "Dallas, Texas." P. Smith (1961:163) pointed out Oklahoma. Vertebrae from a Pleistocene (Sangamon) locality that Cope, rather than Baird, validated the name O. v. in Denton County, Texas, probably represent this species attenuatus. No type-specimen designated. Neotype, U. S. (Holman, 1963). NatI. Mus. 15537, a male from Cooke County, Texas, • PERTINENTLITERATURE.Behavior and ecology of O. at• collected by G. H. Ragsdale (designated by McConkey, tenuatus were mentioned by Blair (1961), P. Smith (1961), 1954:149) . and Fitch (1965, 1967). Food of O. attenuatus was listed by Ophisaurus attenuatus: Boulenger, 1885:282. First use of Burt (1928a). Habitat preferences were discussed by Garman combination. Neill, 1949:100. (1892), Hurter (1911), Force (1930), and Clarke (1958). Ophisaurus ventralis ventralis: Cope, 1900:497-498. See Re• Recent references to geographic distribution are in Hudson marks. (1942, Nebraska), Goodman (1948, Iowa), Brown (1950, Texas), Dickinson (1950, Wisconsin), Peterson (1950, Texas), • CONTENT.Two subspecies are recognized: attenuatus and Breukelman and Clarke (1951, Kansas), Brumwell (1951, longicaudus. Kansas), Fitch (1952, Kansas), H. Smith and Sanders (1952, • DEFINITION. -
A Biodiversity and Conservation Assessment of the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion
A Biodiversity and Conservation Assessment of the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion June 2004 © The Nature Conservancy This document may be cited as follows: The Nature Conservancy. 2004. A Biodiversity and Conservation Assessment of the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion. Edwards Plateau Ecoregional Planning Team, The Nature Conservancy, San Antonio, TX, USA. Acknowledgements Jasper, Dean Keddy-Hector, Jean Krejca, Clifton Ladd, Glen Longley, Dorothy Mattiza, Terry The results presented in this report would not have Maxwell, Pat McNeal, Bob O'Kennon, George been possible without the encouragement and Ozuna, Jackie Poole, Paula Power, Andy Price, assistance of many individuals and organizations. James Reddell, David Riskind, Chuck Sexton, Cliff Most of the day-to-day work in completing this Shackelford, Geary Shindel, Alisa Shull, Jason assessment was done by Jim Bergan, Bill Carr, David Singhurst, Jack Stanford, Sue Tracy, Paul Turner, O. Certain, Amalie Couvillion, Lee Elliott, Aliya William Van Auken, George Veni, and David Wolfe. Ercelawn, Mark Gallyoun, Steve Gilbert, Russell We apologize for any inadvertent omissions. McDowell, Wayne Ostlie, and Ryan Smith. Finally, essential external funding for this work This project also benefited significantly from the came from the Department of Defense and the U. S. involvement of several current and former Nature Army Corps of Engineers through the Legacy Grant Conservancy staff including: Craig Groves, Greg program. Without this financial support, many of the Lowe, Robert Potts, and Jim Sulentich. Thanks for critical steps in the planning process might not have the push and encouragement. Our understanding of ever been completed. Thank you. the conservation issues important to the Edwards Plateau was greatly improved through the knowledge and experiences shared by many Conservancy staff including Angela Anders, Gary Amaon, Paul Barwick, Paul Cavanagh, Dave Mehlman, Laura Sanchez, Dan Snodgrass, Steve Jester, Bea Harrison, Jim Harrison, and Nurani Hogue.