Endangered Species Program: Fish and Wildlife Service

Silvery Minnows Return to Texas


Photo by Raymond Skiles/NPS

January 28, 2009
One of America’s most critically endangered species, the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus), began to face a brighter future on December 17, 2008, with the release of more than 430,000 hatchery-raised fish into former habitat in the Big Bend region of west Texas. A bucket brigade of volunteers met a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish transportation truck near Rio Grande Village, one of four release sites in and near Big Bend National Park. The Service plans to release additional fish there over the next four years to establish an experimental, self-sustaining wild population in the lower Rio Grande.

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Ultralight-Led Whooping Cranes Reach Florida


Seven of 14 in flight led by ultra-light arrives at Florida’s St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Joe Duff/Operation Migration

January 22, 2009
Seven of 14 ultra-light led migrating whooping cranes arrived at Florida’s St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Saturday, January 17 after traveling more than 1,200 miles from their summer grounds at Necedah NWR in Wisconsin. Half of the flock is expected to remain at St. Marks NWR for the winter. The rest of the birds will continue south to Chassahowitzka NWR, 65 miles north of St. Petersburg.

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Video Journey of St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. (c) Drew Smith

Service Releases Interim Update on Status of Greater Sage Grouse


Greater Sage Grouse. Photo by Gary Kramer / USFWS

January 16, 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is making available an interim update reflecting the Service’s ongoing synthesis of the biological information currently available regarding the status of the Greater sage-grouse. The final decision on whether the Greater sage-grouse should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) originally due in May 2009, has been delayed pending new information about the species and its habitat. Publication of this new information is currently expected during the summer of 2009.

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