BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR PETITION TO LIST THE TEMBLOR LEGLESS LIZARD (Anniella alexanderae) AS A THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND TO CONCURRENTLY DESIGNATE CRITICAL HABITAT CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OCTOBER 19, 2020 1 NOTICE OF PETITION Submitted this 19th day of October, 2020 David Bernhardt, Secretary Gary Frazer, Asst. Director for End. Species U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1849 C Street NW 1849 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Washington, D.C. 202040 [email protected] [email protected] Aurelia Skipwith, Director Paul Souza, Regional Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1849 C Street NW 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W2606 Washington, D.C. 20240 Sacramento, California 95825 [email protected] [email protected] Petitioner: Center for Biological Diversity 1212 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94612 Contact: Jeff Miller, [email protected] Pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b); section 553(e) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 553(e); and 50 C.F.R. § 424.14(a), the Center for Biological Diversity hereby petitions the Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to protect the Temblor legless lizard (Anniella alexanderae) as a threatened or endangered species under the ESA. Petitioners request immediate action on the listing of the Temblor legless lizard, considering the ongoing impacts of oil and gas development in its limited range. The USFWS has the authority to promulgate an emergency listing rule for any species when an emergency exists that poses a significant risk to the species. 16 U.S.C. §1533(b)(7). The USFWS has jurisdiction over this petition. This petition sets in motion a specific process, placing definite response requirements on USFWS. USFWS must issue an initial finding as to whether the petition “presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.” 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(3)(A). USFWS must make this initial finding “[t]o the maximum extent practicable, within 90 days after receiving the petition.” The Center for Biological Diversity is a non‐profit, public interest environmental organization dedicated to the protection of native species and their habitats through science, policy, and environmental law, supported by more than 1.7 million members and online activists. The Center and its members are concerned with the conservation of endangered species and the effective implementation of the Endangered Species Act. 2 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4 I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5 II. NATURAL HISTORY…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 A. Taxonomy and Description……………………………………………………………………………………….5 B. Biology..........................................................................................................................7 C. Habitat......................................................................................................................... 9 III. RANGE AND STATUS................................................................................................................10 A. Range..........................................................................................................................10 B. Historic and Current Distribution................................................................................12 IV. THREATS..................................................................................................................................13 A. Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat or Range.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13 i. Oil and Gas Development.........................................................................13 ii. Urbanization..............................................................................................21 iii. Habitat Fragmentation..............................................................................22 iv. Industrial Solar Projects.......................................................................... .22 B. Overutilization............................................................................................................24 C. Disease and Predation................................................................................................24 D. Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms.........................................................24 i. Federal Protections...................................................................................24 ii. State Protections.......................................................................................26 iii. Local Zoning..............................................................................................27 E. Other Factors..............................................................................................................28 i. Climate Change.........................................................................................28 ii. Wildfires....................................................................................................31 iii. Invasive Species........................................................................................32 V. REQUEST FOR CRITICAL HABITAT.............................................................................................33 VI. CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................33 VII. REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................35 3 Executive Summary The Temblor legless lizard (Anniella alexanderae) is a unique and beautiful reptile that is only found in a few locations in the San Joaquin Valley in central California. The lizard’s preferred habitat is alkali desert scrub or annual grasslands with plenty of loose soil and leaf litter for burrowing and hunting. This lizard is dependent on duff and litter layer for moisture and protection. The legless lizard can be distinguished from a snake due to its moveable eyelids and detachable tail, which is used to escape predators. All species of the genus Anniella are currently listed as Species of Special Concern in the state of California and experts recommend listing the Temblor legless lizard under the federal or state Endangered Species Act. The legless lizard is restricted to an exceedingly small area on the southeast side of the Temblor Mountains, from the western edge of Kern County north to western Fresno County. The species’ entire range is a single narrow strip less than 200 kilometers long, between the Temblor Range and Highway 33. It is currently only known to exist at four sites. The majority of the lizard’s habitat is privately owned and highly developed for oil and gas drilling. Kern County is California’s largest oil‐producing county, and over 98% of the lizard’s range is open for oil and gas development. The Temblor legless lizard warrants immediate listing as a threatened or endangered species. The lizard is immediately threatened by oil and gas development. A large body of scientific research has documented that oil and gas developments have wide‐ranging, adverse impacts on wildlife species and ecosystems. Key ecological impacts include: habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation; habitat avoidance; decreased water quality and quantity; human disturbance; increased climate disruption; and noise, light, and air pollution. Disturbance from oil and gas activities also removes the duff and litter layer the lizards require. The Temblor legless lizard is also threatened by habitat loss from urban development, wildfires, invasive species, and climate change. Reptiles are highly sensitive to anthropogenic climate change since all aspects of their life are influenced by temperature and moisture. Temperature related stress due to climate change could exacerbate population declines for the legless lizard, which already has a very limited range. To have a chance at survival and recovery, the Temblor legless lizard requires protection under the Endangered Species Act. 4 I. INTRODUCTION Reptiles play a pivotal role in nature as predator, prey, grazer, seed disperser and commensal species; due to their generally narrow distributional ranges and specific microhabitat associations, they are susceptible to anthropogenic threats (Bӧhm et al. 2013, p. 376). The most significant threats to lizard populations in general, and Temblor legless lizard populations in particular, are habitat loss and degradation, pollution, global climate change, and invasive species (Gibbons et al. 2000, p. 654; Bӧhm et al. 2013, p. 376‐385; Fitzgerald et al. 2018, p. 166). Globally, one in five lizard species are threatened with extinction (Bӧhm et al. 2013, p. 376). Scientists estimate that more than 25 percent of amphibians and reptiles are at risk of extinction in the U.S. (IUCN 2020, p. 1), yet they represent less than 5% of ESA protected species (USFWS 2020a, p. 1). First identified in 1852, the California legless lizard, genus Anniella, is found only in California and Baja California, Mexico. Originally considered to consist of only two distinct species, A. pulchra and A. geronimensis, Papenfuss and Parham (2013, p. 1) formally split A. pulchra into five distinct