PETITION TO LIST THE SONORAN DESERT TORTOISE (Gopherus agassizii) UNDER THE U.S. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Photo courtesy of George Andrejko © In the Office of Endangered Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service United States Department of Interior October 9, 2008 Petitioners: WildEarth Guardians Western Watersheds Project 312 Montezuma Ave. P.O. Box 2364 Santa Fe, New Mexico Reseda, California 91337 87501 (818) 345-0425 (505) 988-9126 October 9, 2008 SENT VIA CERTIFIED U.S. POSTAL MAIL Dirk Kempthorne Dale Hall, Director Secretary of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Washington, DC 20240 Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103 Re: Petition to List the Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act The following petitioners hereby petition for a rule to list the Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act and to designate critical habitat to ensure its recovery (16 U.S.C § 1531 et seq.): • WildEarth Guardians WildEarth Guardians is a regional conservation organization with offices in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. The mission of WildEarth Guardians is to protect and restore wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places in the American West. • Western Watersheds Project Western Watersheds Project is a regional conservation organization with offices in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The mission of Western Watersheds Project is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife habitats through education, scientific study, public policy initiatives, and litigation. This petition is filed under 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(3)(A) and 50 C.F.R. § 424.19, which give interested persons the right to petition for the issuance of a rule. Sincerely, Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D. Michael J. Connor, Ph.D. Wildlife Program Director California Director WildEarth Guardians Western Watersheds Project <[email protected]> <[email protected]> 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................6 II. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................7 III. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS......................................................11 IV. LIFE HISTORY.....................................................................................................................................................12 COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 ACTIVITY AND BEHAVIOR --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 HOME RANGE AND LONG DISTANCE MOVEMENT ------------------------------------------------------- 15 PHYSIOLOGY AND MATING -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 V. TAXONOMY..........................................................................................................................................................21 GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS ---------------------------------------23 ECOLOGICAL DIVERGENCE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 VI. DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS.........................................................................................................................29 VII. POPULATION ABUNDANCE AND TRENDS ...............................................................................................37 MONITORING----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------37 ABUNDANCE AND TRENDS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 VIII. THREATS...............................................................................................................................................................48 (1) PRESENT AND THREATENED DESTRUCTION, MODIFICATION, OR CURTAILMENT OF RANGE49 Livestock Grazing.................................................................................................................................................49 Urbanization and Development...........................................................................................................................56 Urbanization and Private Development .............................................................................................................57 Federal Development Projects............................................................................................................................62 Mining...................................................................................................................................................................65 International Border Patrol Activities................................................................................................................68 (2) OVERUTILIZATION FOR COMMERCIAL, RECREATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69 Poaching and Collection as Pets ........................................................................................................................69 Shooting, Vandalism and Trash ..........................................................................................................................70 (3) DISEASE OR PREDATION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 71 Upper Respiratory Tract Disease, Cutaneous Dyskeratosis and other Pathogens.........................................71 Predation ..............................................................................................................................................................75 (4) INADEQUACY OF EXISTING REGULATORY MECHANISMS -----------------------------------------------78 Current Legal Status ............................................................................................................................................78 Agency Conservation ...........................................................................................................................................79 Arizona Interagency Desert Tortoise Team (AIDTT).................................................................................79 Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD)............................................................................................82 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ..........................................................................................................83 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)....................................................................................................86 National Park Service (NPS) .......................................................................................................................87 U.S. Forest Service (USFS)..........................................................................................................................89 Native American Nations .............................................................................................................................90 Other Federal Agencies................................................................................................................................91 Other State and local Agencies....................................................................................................................93 (5) OTHER NATURAL OR MAN-MADE FACTORS AFFECTING ITS CONTINUED EXISTENCE ---------94 Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Use........................................................................................................................94 3 Fire........................................................................................................................................................................96 Roads.....................................................................................................................................................................99 Drought and Global Climate Change...............................................................................................................100 Drought .......................................................................................................................................................100 Global Climate Change..............................................................................................................................102 IX. CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................................................105 X. LITERATURE CITED.......................................................................................................................................108