KENTUCKY’S reatened and Endangered SPECIES Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources OurOur MissionMission We are stewards of Kentucky’s fish and wildlife resources and their hab- itats. We manage for the perpetuation of these resources and their use by present and future generations. Through partnerships, we will enhance wildlife diversity and promote sustainable use, including hunting, fishing, boating and other nature-related recreation. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources KENTUCKY’S reatened and Endangered SPECIES Compiled and Edited by Tim Slone & Traci Wethington Endangered Species Biologists Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources 1998 Revised 2001 The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal op- portunity to participate in all programs and activities. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS is publication was developed by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in cooperation with Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission and was partially funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act. AUTHORS: Kim Hermes Tim Slone Traci Wethington Deborah White LAYOUT AND DESIGN: John Boone COVER ART: Rick Hill iv v CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................2 MAMMALS Virginia big-eared bat..............................................................................4 Gray bat ..................................................................................................4 Indiana bat .............................................................................................6 BIRDS Peregrine falcon ......................................................................................7 Bald eagle................................................................................................8 Red-cockaded woodpecker .....................................................................9 Interior least tern...................................................................................11 REPTILES Copperbelly water snake........................................................................11 FISH Relict darter ..........................................................................................12 Duskytail darter....................................................................................13 Palezone shiner......................................................................................14 Blackside dace .......................................................................................15 Pallid sturgeon ......................................................................................16 INSECTS American burying beetle .......................................................................16 CRUSTACEANS Kentucky cave shrimp ...........................................................................17 MUSSELS Cumberland elktoe............................................................................... 20 Fanshell................................................................................................ 20 Cumberlandian combshell.....................................................................21 Oyster mussel........................................................................................21 Catspaw ............................................................................................... 22 Northern riffleshell............................................................................... 22 Pink mucket..........................................................................................23 Ring pink..............................................................................................23 Little-wing pearlymussel........................................................................24 Orange-foot pimpleback........................................................................24 Clubshell...............................................................................................25 Rough pigtoe ........................................................................................25 Fat pocketbook..................................................................................... 26 Cumberland bean ................................................................................ 26 PLANTS Price’s potato-bean ................................................................................27 Braun’s rock cress ..................................................................................27 Cumberland rosemary...........................................................................28 Eggert’s sunflower .................................................................................29 Cumberland sandwort.......................................................................... 30 White-haired goldenrod ....................................................................... 30 Short’s goldenrod...................................................................................31 Virginia spiraea .....................................................................................32 Running buffalo clover..........................................................................33 PHOTO CREDITS............................................................................. 34 iv v Kentucky’s reatened and Endangered Species INTRODUCTION Contained within the boundaries of Kentucky is an amazing diversity of plants and animals. is tremen- dous diversity is linked to the wide range of habitat types that are found in Kentucky. From the swamps and sloughs in the West to the mountainous highlands in the East, Kentucky’s landscape changes dramatically in all directions. e streams and rivers of our state contain a diversity of life so rich and varied that they have been compared to tropical rainforests. When Daniel Boone first crossed the Cumberland Gap, he must have mar- veled at the variety of plants and animals that he found. Times have changed since Daniel Boone crossed the mountains in 1776. As the human population of Ken- tucky has grown, the land has been changed. Forests have been replaced with subdivisions; swamps have been drained for farms; rivers have been dammed to create reservoirs; and streams have been choked with silt from mining and logging operations. A few species have benefitted from these changes but many more have declined. Kentucky has a growing number of species that are in trouble. Some plants and animals are being pushed to the very brink of extinction. For most of these species, there is still hope. By protecting the remaining habitats that these plants and animals need, we can insure their survival. Plants and animals discussed in this book are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. In 1973, the United States Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. e Endangered Species Act is one of the most powerful laws ever enacted to prevent the extinction of plants and animals. e act protects plant and animal species and their habitats that may face extinction unless action is taken. Factors the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers in the decision to list a species are: 1. the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; 2. overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; 3. disease or predation; 4. the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; 5. other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Many species are in danger of disappearing from Kentucky but not necessarily from their entire range. Although there are no state laws protecting these species, the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission maintains a list of species for Kentucky that are considered endangered, threatened, or of special concern. e Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission gather information on the biology and habitat of rare species that helps to determine the reasons for their de- cline and to focus protection efforts. Government agencies and private conservation organizations are working to slow or reduce the loss of habitat in our state but working alone cannot solve the problems facing wildlife today. All Kentuckians have a role to play in protecting our natural heritage. Ultimately, the citizens of Kentucky will decide the fate of our endangered species. 2 3 DEFINITIONS ENDANGERED: Species in imminent danger of extinction throughout all or a large part of their range. THREATENED: Species that are likely to become endan- gered within the foreseeable future. ENDEMIC: A plant or animal restricted to a particular area, region, or river system. RELICT: A plant or animal species living in isolation in a small local area, or as a remnant of an almost extinct group. EXTIRPATED: Species that have disappeared from Ken- tucky but still exist elsewhere. EXTINCT: Species that no longer exist. HABITAT: e place where a plant or animal lives that pro- vides food, water, shelter, and space. ABOUT THE MAPS e range maps in this book represent the current county distribution in Kentucky. Many of these species occupied a much larger area in the past. Distribution information is a compilation of data from