U.S. Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect

Complete The Removal of African Oryx,

White Sands National Monument

Otero and Doña Ana Counties, New Mexico

SUMMARY: This environmental assessment describes two action alternatives and a no-action alternative, and their impacts to complete the removal of African oryx (estimated 12-20) from White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. The preferred alternative is by lethal reduction (shooting). A non-lethal reduction alternative and a no action alternative are described. Two potential alternatives are considered but rejected as infeasible. African oryx are large (up to 500 pound) members of the African antelope family, and were released by New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in the 1960s on military land near the monument to establish a population for hunting. The National Park Service completed a boundary fence in 1996, with some animals contained within the fence. The fenced area is over 225 square miles or 144,000 acres. The monument is closed to public hunting. By 1998 soil and vegetation impacts were apparent. A variety of non-lethal operations removed 228 since 1993. Non-lethal removal methods are hazardous to workers and became increasingly expensive as animal density declined.

SUMMARY i

INTRODUCTION 1

PURPOSE AND NEED 11

ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

Alternative A (Preferred): Complete The Removal Of African Oryx By Lethal Reduction 12

Alternative B Complete The Removal Of African Oryx By Non-lethal Reduction 12

Alternative C: No Action – No Oryx Reduction 12

Alternatives Considered But Rejected 13

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 16

Impact Topics Analyzed In This Environmental Assessment 16

Impact Topics Dismissed From Further Analysis 18

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 25

Impacts Of Alternative A 27

Impacts Of Alternative B 29

Impacts Of Alternative C 31

Identification Of Environmentally Preferred Alternative In Compliance With NEPA

Sections 102, 102(1) 33

CONSULTATION/COORDINATION 34

REFERENCES 34

PREPARER 35

MAPS 5, 7, 9

TABLE 1: Summary of Alternatives 14

TABLE 2: Summary of Potential Environmental Impacts 15

White Sands National Monument (the monument) was established in 1933 by presidential proclamation for "...the preservation of the white sands and additional features of scenic, scientific, and educational interest." The monument contains about half of the world’s largest gypsum sand dune field and is managed by the National Park Service (NPS) under the Department of Interior.

White Sands National Monument is located within the Tularosa Basin in south-central New Mexico. The nearest town is Alamogordo, 15 miles east of the monument, and the city of Las Cruces is 60 miles southwest of monument headquarters. A visitor center and administrative facilities are located at monument headquarters, on highway U.S. 70 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico. The western portion of the monument is within Doña Ana County, and the eastern portion of the monument is within Otero County.

The monument is almost entirely surrounded by military lands, including the White Sands Missile Range managed by the U.S. Army, and Holloman Air Force Base. Land within the monument boundary is entirely federally owned.

Oryx are native to desert lands of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and are also known as gemsbok or Oryx gazella. They are a type of African antelope and members of the family Bovidae.

Between 1969 and the early 1970s, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish released 95 African oryx on White Sands Missile Range adjacent to the monument, for the purpose of developing a population for public hunting on the White Sands Missile Range. Oryx thrive in southern New Mexico, and the population has increased to over 4,000. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish issues 900 annual hunting permits for scheduled hunts on White Sands Missile Range, plus an additional 500-800 permits for off-range depredation hunts. The hunter success rate is about 95 percent. White Sands Missile Range and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish goals are to reduce the existing oryx population of over 4,000 to 750-1,250 animals.

Adult oryx are about the size of female elk, with adult males weighing up to 500 pounds. Both males and females have long, sharply pointed horns and both males and females fight with their horns. Sexes are hard to differentiate from a distance. Calves are born year around. The gestation period is nine months, and females can become pregnant almost immediately after calving. This makes for a possible birth rate of 1.3 calves per mature (at least two years old) female per year (Estes, 1991). Calf mortality is estimated at 30-35 percent the first year. The sex ratio of calves is 1:1. Twin calves are very rare (Burkett 1999). Oryx in New Mexico do not migrate seasonally, and appear to have favored territories. Oryx live in dispersed small bands, often consisting of a dominant male, several females, and non-breeding juveniles. Solitary males or groups of males are also sighted.

The southern New Mexico oryx range has mild winters. In mountain areas with more severe weather, occasional extreme winters result in mass reductions of elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and other native wildlife populations. This is not the case with oryx. Severe droughts also do not affect oryx populations, because they are not dependant on surface water. Oryx can subsist with little or no surface water by using the moisture in plant material or digging to ground water. American predators are ineffective in controlling the population, with the exception of calves under 14 days old (Burkett 1999).

A demographic model is being developed as part a three-year interagency research project on White Sands Missile Range. Preliminary information indicates that the oryx population is increasing and their range is spreading out (personal communication, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and White Sands Missile Range staff) (USGS-BRD 2000).

In 1996 the National Park Service completed a six-foot high oryx exclusion fence around the perimeter of the monument. Cost for 67.6 miles of fence was $1,040,000. Annual cost to maintain the fence is approximately $5,000. Approximately 12-20 oryx are currently contained within the fence on monument land. A section of 3.8 miles of fence was constructed on Air Force land, with about 1,900 acres of Air Force land included within the fenced area. A section of 5.0 miles of fence was constructed on Army land, with about 3,200 acres of land Army land within the fenced area.

A total of 228 oryx have been removed from the monument by non-lethal means from 1993 to 2001. Total cost was $399,000 (direct cost for crew, helicopters, supplies, and equipment, does not include planning, benefits, or administrative overhead). Assisting agencies were the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In all cases, animals were released on White Sands Missile Range, where the oryx population can be controlled by public hunting. Removal methods included use of horsemen, trucks, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), and helicopters to herd groups of oryx to fence openings. Success was variable and it became apparent oryx have a strong home range affinity (want to return home), and the farther they are herded, the more they tend to break away from the herd to head back. This results in loosing a large percentage of animals in a given herding operation. Labor was also needed to take down 100 yards of fence, remove the wire and posts, then replace before dark on a daily basis for the herding operation. Temporary wing fences were used at two locations of about 0.25 mile each, with burlap fabric draped over the fence to create a visual barrier.

As the animal density became less and herding became less effective, the operation shifted to using helicopters for capture by darting and sling loading. Oryx were located by flying helicopters in a grid search pattern. When an animal was located, the first helicopter flew within 30 feet of the running animal, and a dart gunner fired a hypodermic dart with anesthesia drug into a muscle mass of the animal. After the oryx became unconscious, a second (and larger) helicopter landed with a crew of animal handlers to load the 500 pound animal into a specially designed bag, which was hooked to a sling line below the hovering helicopter. The bagged oryx was then flown to a release site on White Sands Missile Range outside the monument. A receiving crew at the release site included a veterinarian. Vital signs were recorded, the anesthesia reversed, and the recovered animal walked away. While the second helicopter flew the sling load to the release site, a third helicopter picked up the animal handler crew and flew them to the next downed animal. Meanwhile, the 1^st helicopter was searching for another animal, and the cycle was repeated.

This was a very hazardous operation due to factors of flying low in pursuit of the running animal, handling hypodermic darts with very potent anesthesia drug, working under hovering helicopters while sling loading, and working around large animals with sharp horns and hooves.

Cost of removal per animal increased as the population and density were reduced. The first operation in 1993 cost about $145/animal. Herding with helicopters in 1999 and 2000 cost $900/animal and $1,200/animal. Darting was more expensive due to need for more helicopters, animal handling crew, veterinary fees, and anesthesia drugs. Again, cost per animal increased as animals decreased and became harder to locate. Darting cost $3,300/animal in 2001, however the last day only produced one animal. Cost of removing this animal was about $20,000. Costs are direct costs of crew salary, helicopters, equipment, and supplies, and do not include benefits, administrative overhead, or other indirect cost.

TOTAL: 228 oryx removed by non-lethal methods

Between September 10 and 13, 2001, public scoping meetings were held in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Alamogordo, New Mexico. The purpose of the meetings was to announce the preparation of an environmental assessment, and identify issues and stakeholders. The Las Cruces meeting was attended by two representatives of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and no members of the general public. No one attended the Albuquerque meeting. Three persons attended the Alamogordo meeting, with one comment made preferring non-lethal removal if practical.

The National Park Service uses the word "park" to mean any unit managed by the Service. The degree of protection of resources is the same for parks and monuments.

National Park Service policy prohibits hunting by the general public on park/monument lands, unless specifically authorized by the legislation establishing that unit of the National Park System. The executive order that established White Sands National Monument in 1933 did not authorize hunting.

In 1916, Congress (16 USC 1) established the National Park Service

National Park Service policy is to manage park/monument wildlands to protect native species, and to remove non-native species when feasible. In this case, oryx is a non-native species to the monument and to North America. The Management Policies: U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service (National Park Service 2000) (4.4.4.2) states:

The Management Policies also state (1.4.4):

By 1998, impacts on soil and vegetation were evident over widespread areas of the monument. Soil impacts included broken soil surface crust from game trails, trampled soil at oryx gathering sites, and soil pits dug for water and roots (National Park Service photo files). Game trails were numerous and evident, especially when viewed from aircraft, to the point of looking like web networks. Desert lichen soil crust is ecologically very important in processes of soil formation, stabilizing soil from wind and water erosion, holding moisture, and fixing nitrogen. Game trails make a visual intrusion on an otherwise naturally appearing landscape where no large game trails would naturally exist.

Impact on vegetation includes destroying plants while digging for roots, and browsing on flowers, leaves, and buds. Oryx eat native plants, including flower tops and roots of yucca, grass, and the leaves and buds of shrubs and cottonwood trees (Dye 1997) (Esterak 1992) (York 1992). Such grazing or browsing consumption reduces plant productivity in a desert ecosystem where productivity is low to begin with, and introduces unnatural disturbance to native plant community processes (Reid and Patrick 1983) (Saiz 1975). Oryx spread mesquite by eating seeds, which remain viable after passing through the animal (Esterak 1992) (Smith 1994).

No reported confrontations have occurred between monument visitors and oryx, however oryx have injured personnel on White Sands Missile Range. Oryx are not highly aggressive toward humans, however do fight other oryx (Walther 1980) and are not afraid of people. Numerous injuries of visitors in other national parks have occurred by curious people getting too close to large wild animals.

To resolve problems described above, a method of resolving the oryx situation is needed that:

• Eliminates the source of soil and vegetation impacts caused by oryx,
• Manages oryx by a method that is safe for staff, cost effective, flexible, and can be performed over years,
• Complies with NPS management policy to eliminate where possible non-native species.

The purpose of the action alternatives would be to complete the removal of oryx from within the fenced area of the monument. An estimated 12-20 oryx are contained within the boundary fence of White Sands National Monument. This is down from an estimated 190 in 1998, as a result of non-lethal oryx removal. If left untreated, this remaining population would approach previous levels within 10 years, negating the effort and expense of past oryx population reduction action and resulting in resource impacts (see below), and conflict with NPS policy of removing non-native species (see above).

Authorized monument staff in conjunction with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and White Sands Missile Range wildlife officers would locate (over time) and shoot the remaining estimated 12-20 oryx. For long-term monument resource management, whenever oryx sign is detected within the fenced area, immediate action would be taken to locate and shoot the animal. No public hunting on the monument would occur. Significant use of helicopters is not anticipated. Off-road travel for locating animals and removing carcasses would be by foot, ATVs, and horses. Carcasses would be salvaged whenever possible and transferred to New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for human use by standard department procedure. Wild game carcasses are sold for the meat, hides, and horns by New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. On Air Force land within the fenced area, existing procedures would be followed for animal control.

To mitigate impacts from ATV tracks, playa surfaces (about 20 percent of the monument) would be avoided due to long lasting nature of tracks on these soil/moisture conditions. ATVs would not follow other ATV tracks but would take a separate route to avoid deepening tracks. Vehicle speed would be moderate (about 5-10 miles per hour) and turns gentle to minimize track depth. An archeologist would oversee ATV use in dune areas with known archeological sites and two village sites would be avoided. No shooting would occur in areas open to the public, during public use times.

Monument staff would continue use of non-lethal methods to complete the removal of the 12-20 remaining oryx from the 144,000-acre (225 square-mile) fenced area of the monument. Methods could include herding to fence openings using helicopters, ATVs, horsemen; and using helicopters for darting with anesthesia drug and sling loading to a release site out of the monument on White Sands Missile Range. With existing low oryx numbers and very low density, the method of using helicopters for darting and sling loading would be more effective than herding. Herding only works on animals within 10 miles of the west and south boundary fence, where animals can be driven onto White Sands Missile Range. Animals cannot be driven to the east because Holloman Air Force Base on the east side of the monument will not accept oryx. A concerted removal effort would be made during winter of 2002. After this time when occasional oryx are detected, a removal operation would be delayed until the following year or years until funding and staffing could be secured. Non-lethal removals would place oryx on White Sands Missile Range, where they are then hunted game animals.

No removal of animals by lethal or non-lethal means would occur for the near future, allowing the population to build up within the 67 mile boundary fence enclosing over 144,000 acres (225 square miles). Within 5-10 years, the oryx population would equal 1998 levels of about 190, and would continue to increase over time.

Helicopters would be used for locating the remaining 12-20 oryx, and females would be darted with contraceptive drug to prevent reproduction. Contraception drugs require a booster be given within six weeks, then annually. Each application would use helicopters for locating animals and darting. The population contained within the boundary fence would be rendered sterile and in 10-15 years would die off from natural attrition.

Reason For Rejection: The concept is not technically feasible. No single dose, permanent contraception drug is available. One dose of the drug lasts one year, so the process would be repeated annually to renew the medication effect of the contraceptive drug. Due to the large monument area with a low density of free-ranging animals, helicopters would have to be used annually for locating and darting oryx, and this would be prohibitively expensive as well as hazardous. Contraception works better for confined animals where the process of locating them is not difficult, such as domestic livestock, or in animals with a short lifespan and high birth rate (rodents, small birds). Contraception is about 80-90 percent effective, so some births would still occur. At this time, no contraception drug is approved and commercially available for wildlife use. Experimental applications can be approved and used under veterinary supervision. Female oryx have horns and are hard to tell from males except at very close range, further complicating the process. A method of long-term marking each animal would have to be made at each darting, so that treated versus un-treated animals could be visually identified, as they would intermingle in a free-ranging setting. The same methods would have to be used to treat occasional oryx that enter via temporary fence breaks from flash flood damage. For these reasons, contraception is not considered feasible as an alternative.

One-way gates would be installed in fence corners where oryx walk the fence line, and water tanks or feed would be placed outside the fence for bait.

Reason For Rejection: This was tried, with two different designs of gates used at four different locations for one year each. Water troughs and alfalfa were used as bait. Track counts were made on raked ground at each gate, and only one animal was recorded as definitely passing through a gate.

Soils: The western alluvial slopes are well-drained silt-loam calcareous soils of moderate gradient of the Mimbres-Glendale Association and Duneland-Dona Ana Complex. Lake Lucero playa and Alkali Flats are flat or very gently sloping gypsum soil of a fine silty texture that is poorly drained due to a high water table. The white sand dunes are granules of nearly pure hydrated calcium sulfate and range up to 50 feet in height. Annual dune movement varies from 30 feet per year to nearly stationary where vegetation predominates. Older dune deposits are stabilized and have extensive soil crust and some vegetation, of the Duneland-Yessum Association. East and south of the dunefield is mostly flat, deep, well-drained wind-deposited soil of moderately coarse texture and very high in gypsum content of the Yessum-Holloman Association (USDA-SCS 1976).

Vegetation: Vegetation along the west side of the monument is characterized as creosote/mesquite shrubland sloping down to grassland just west of Lake Lucero. Lake Lucero playa and Alkali Flats range from no visible vegetation to sparse vegetation. Between Lake Lucero and the dune field, and south and east of the dunes, grasslands composed of alkali sacaton, little bluestem, gyp-gramma grass, and Indian ricegrass intergrade into four-wing saltbush shrubland. Different portions of the dune field have different stages of vegetation cover, depending on the site’s exposure to the prevailing wind and how mobile the dunes are in that area (New Mexico Natural Heritage Program 1994).

The following plant communities are found:

• 64,000 acres or 44 percent grass/shrubland
• 11,000 acres or 8 percent creosote/mesquite
• 23,000 acres or 16 percent semi-vegetated dunefield
• 20,000 acres or 14 percent very sparsely vegetated dunefield
• 26,000 acres or 18 percent very sparsely vegetated playa/Alakali Flats

Non-native or exotic plants include salt cedar (tamarisk) scattered throughout the monument. Salt cedar and other exotics are being controlled in the area within one mile of monument public roads. African rue, Russian thistle, star-thistle, and ragweed are found on disturbed sites around buildings and road shoulders.

Cultural Resources Including Archaeological Sites, Historic Buildings, and Ethnographic Resources: The National Historic Preservation Act, as amended in 1992 (16USC 470 et seq.); the National Environmental Policy Act; and the National Park Service's Cultural Resource Management Guideline (1996), Management Policies (2001), and Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis and Decision Making Handbook (2001), require the consideration of effects on cultural resources, including those listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The undertakings described in this document are subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, under the terms of the 1995 programmatic agreement among the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. This document will be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for review and comment.

Unmapped prehistoric sites are found scattered throughout the monument, dating from the archaic period to the Jornada-Mogollon and possible Apache cultures. Sites are generally of two types: surface scatterings on nearly flat ground of lithic and ceramic material, and raised hearth sites on gypsum sand. Two village sites are known and assigned state site numbers.

The visitor center and seven other headquarters buildings were constructed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district.

Several ruins of ranch sites remain on the monument, including fence posts, corrals, wells, and water storage structures, but there are no standing buildings. A missile tracking station was constructed in the 1950s by the military. Several buildings, concrete pads, road, and earth works remain but are no longer used by the military.

A Native American group is allowed to collect limited quantities of certain plants for traditional medicine.

Monument Oryx Management Operations: Past non-lethal oryx removal operations were complex operations requiring advance scheduling, detailed planning, interagency assistance, and considerable cost to the NPS and partner agencies, and extensive staff exposure to highly hazardous conditions. Helicopter use for herding, darting, and sling transport requires considerable flight time in hazardous conditions of low speed, hovering, and low elevation flying within 100 feet or less above ground level. Normal helicopter flight involves a take off and landing, with the rest of the flight at hundreds of feet above ground level and at normal cruising speed, with the exception of sling-load transportation. Both factors of higher elevation above ground level and higher speed provide a safety margin should a malfunction occur, but these factors are not options for much of wildlife flight work. Darting oryx and handling the anesthesia drug to load and transport darts also exposes crew to hazardous conditions on a repetitive basis. The sling loading operation for transporting oryx requires crew to work under hovering helicopters, which is a hazardous condition.

Two roads penetrate into the 144,000 acres (225 square miles) of monument backcountry, with the rest of the backcountry accessible by ground only from roads near the boundary. No formally designated wilderness is within the monument. A wilderness study was made in 1972, with a finding of not suitable for designation at that time (National Park Service 1972).

Impairment Of Park Resources Or Values: In addition to determining the environmental consequences of the preferred and other alternatives, National Park Service policy (Management Policies, 2001) requires analysis of potential effects to determine whether actions would impair park resources.

The fundamental purpose of the national park system, established by the Organic Act and reaffirmed by the General Authorities Act, as amended, begins with a mandate to conserve park resources and values. National Park Service managers must always seek ways to avoid, or to minimize to the greatest degree practicable, adverse impacts on park resources and values. However, the laws do give the National Park Service the management discretion to allow impacts to park resources and values when necessary and appropriate to fulfill the purposes of a park, as long as the impact does not constitute impairment of the affected resources and values. Although Congress has given the National Park Service the management discretion to allow certain impacts within parks, that discretion is limited by the statutory requirement that the National Park Service must leave park resources and values unimpaired, unless a particular law directly and specifically provides otherwise. The prohibited impairment is an impact that, in the professional judgement of the responsible National Park Service manager, would harm the integrity of park resources or values, including the opportunities that otherwise would be present for the enjoyment of those resources or values. An impact to any park resource or value may constitute an impairment. An impact would be more likely to constitute an impairment to the extent it affects a resource or value whose conservation is:

Impairment may result from National Park Service activities in managing the park, visitor activities, or activities undertaken by concessionaires, contractors, and others operating in the park. This environmental assessment will analyze the potential effects of all alternatives presented to determine if the alternative would result in an impairment of park resources. An impairment finding is included in the conclusion section for the following impact topics: Soil, Vegetation, Cultural Resources, and Monument Oryx Removal Operations, as well as the conclusion section for each alternative.

Air Quality: Section 118 of the 1963 Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et. Seq.) requires a National Park Service unit to meet all federal, state, and local air pollution standards. White Sands National Monument is designated a Class II air quality area under the Clean Air Act, as amended. A Class II designation allows moderate deterioration of air quality within national ambiant air quality standards. The Clean Air Act also provides that the federal land manager has an affirmative responsibility to protect air quality related values (including visibility, plants, animals, soils, water quality, cultural resources, and visitor health) from adverse pollution impacts.

There would be no affect by proposed actions as emissions from helicopters or ATVs would be well within usual background levels of normal daily operations in the region.

Terrain Features: No proposed action would affect terrain features. The monument consists of 144,000 acres (225 square miles) of Chihuahuan Desert valley floor between elevations of 3,890 and 4,116 above sea level. The monument is known for the world’s largest gypsum sand dune field, of which about half is on the monument and the rest on military land. Just west of the monument, the rugged San Andres Mountains slope down to the western portion of the monument. From the western boundary of the monument, low gradient alluvial slopes (bajadas) drain down into a closed basin, with the low area of the basin and monument forming a playa or mostly dry lakebed called Lake Lucero. North and east of the playa is a very gently sloping land surface called Alakali Flat, which merges easterly into the sand dune field. East and south of the dune field are flat areas of grass mixed with shrubs.

Water Resources Including Floodplains and Wetlands: No proposed action would affect water resources including floodplains and wetlands.

National Park Service policies require protection of water quality consistent with the Clean Water Act (1977), a national policy to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters and to prevent, control, and abate water pollution.

Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands, requires federal agencies to avoid, where possible, impacts on wetlands. Proposed actions that have the potential to adversely impact wetlands must be addressed in a Statement of Findings. Proposed actions would avoid wetlands, including the Lake Lucero playa surface, therefore, the topic of wetlands has been dismissed from further analysis and a Statement of Findings for wetlands will not be prepared.

Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, requires all federal agencies to avoid construction within the 100-year floodplain unless no other practical alternative exists. There would be no construction in the proposed actions and no affect on floodplains.

Rainfall averages 8-10 inches per year, although summer storms can be very intense and local in nature. Stream channels from the San Andes Mountains west of the monument discharge into the monument toward Lake Lucero during summer thunderstorm rain events. Lake Lucero is a playa lakebed and is seasonally flooded by highly mineralized water. Besides flash floods along the west boundary, the only other surface water affecting the monument is the Lost River, which is an ephemeral stream at the northeast corner of the monument. Surface water of Lost River has not flowed into the monument since 1996, when a sand dune blocked the stream channel 1,000 feet upstream of the monument boundary. Ground water from the Lost River reaches into the dune field as evidenced by a large area of salt cedar along the stream channel in the monument. Ground water in the dune field at the end of the public road is within 3-6 feet below the surface. This water is highly mineralized and is not potable for humans.

Native Wildlife: No proposed action would affect native wildlife. Actions would be specific to oryx. Native wildlife includes six species of amphibians, 12 snake species, 13 lizard species, one turtle species, 210 bird species, and 26 mammal species. Bird species include various perching birds as winter migrants and nesting during spring, some spring and fall migratory shore birds and waterfowl, and migratory raptors. Mammals include various rodents, kit fox, coyote, badger, raccoon, ringtail, and bobcats.

Endangered Species: There would be no effect on state- or federally-listed threatened or endangered species. The Endangered Species Act (1973) requires an examination of impacts on all federally-listed threatened or endangered species. National Park Service policy also requires examination of the impacts on federal candidate species, as well as state-listed threatened, endangered, candidate, rare, declining, and sensitive species.

The following species are listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act as endangered or threatened and may be found on the monument. Several state-listed species may also be found. State and federal listings are by county, with no explanation of where in the county they may be found. None of the listed plants are known on the monument, and with the exception of night blooming cereus cactus, are not likely to be found due to requirements of soil type, elevation, and moisture. Cereus grows within mesquite thickets, which would protect it from any disturbance related to oryx removal. No listed birds or mammals are known to nest or breed within the monument. Occasional sporadic through flight or foraging use is possible by migratory birds. A breeding population of the state-listed white sands pupfish occupies the Lost River, which ends about 1,000 feet upstream from the monument boundary.

Common Name Scientific Name Listing Status

Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus federal: threatened

Interior least tern Sterna antillarum federal: endangered

Mexican spotted owl Strix occidentalis lucida federal: threatened

Northern aplomado falcon Falco femoralis septentrionalis federal: endangered

Southwestern willow flycatcher Empidonax trailii extimus federal: endangered

Sneed pincushion cactus Coryphantha sneedii sneedii federal: endangered

Night blooming cereus Peniocereus greggii state: endangered

Dune prickly pear Opuntia arenaria state: endangered

Mescalero milkwort Polygala rimulicola mescalerorum

state: endangered

Big free-tailed bat Nyctinomops macrotis federal: species of concern

Desert pocket gopher Geomys bursarius arenarius federal: species of concern

Fringed myotis Myotis thysanodes federal: species of concern

Greater weestern mastiff bat Eumops perotis californicus federal: species of concern

Occult little brown bat Myotis lucifugus occultus federal: species of concern

Organ Mountains Colorado chipmunk Eutamias quadrivittatus australis

federal: species of concern

Townsends big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii federal: species of concern

Western red bat Lasiurus blossevillii federal: species of concern

Pecos River muskrat Ondatra zibethicus ripensis federal: species of concern

Spotted bat Euderma maculatum federal: species of concern

White Sands woodrat Neotoma micropus leucophacea federal: species of concern

American peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus anatum federal: species of concern

Arctic peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus tundrius federal: species of concern

Baird’s sparrow Ammodramus bairdii federal: species of concern

Black tern Chlidonias niger federal: species of concern

Feruginous hawk Buteo regalis federal: species of concern

Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus federal: species of concern

Western burrowing owl Athene cunicularia hypugaea federal: species of concern

White faced ibis Plegadis chihi federal: species of concern

Yellow billed cuckoo Coccyzus americanus federal: species of concern

Desert viceroy butterfly Limenitis archippus obsoleta federal: species of concern

Texas horned lizard Phrynosoma cornutum federal: species of concern

Anthony blister beetle Lytta mirifica federal: species of concern

Dona Ana talussnail Sonorella todseni federal: species of concern

Alamo beardtongue Penstemon alamosenis federal: species of concern

Night blooming cereus Cereus greggii var greggii federal: species of concern

Mescalero milkwort Polygala rimulicola var mescalerorum

Nodding rock-daisy Perityle cernua federal: species of concern

Organ Mountain primrose Oenothera organensis federal: species of concern

Organ Mountain figwort Scrophularia laevis federal: species of concern

Sand prickly pear Opuntia arenaria federal: species of concern

Sandhill goosefoot Chenopodium cycloides federal: species of concern

Standly whitlow-grass Draba stanleyi federal: species of concern

Common Name Scientific Name Listing Status

Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus federal: threatened

Interior least tern Sterna antillarum federal: endangered

Mexican spotted owl Strix occidentalis lucida federal: threatened

Northern aplomado falcon Falco femoralis septentrionalis federal: endangered

Southwestern willow flycatcher Empidonax trailii extimus federal: endangered

Brown pelican Pelecanus accidentalis federal: endangered

White sands pupfish Cyprinodon tularosa state: threatened

Kuenzler’s hedgehog cactus Echinocereus fendleri kuenzleri federal: endangered

Sacramento Mountains thistle Cirsium vinaceum federal: threatened

Sacramento prickly poppy Argemone pleiacantha extimus federal: endangered

Todsen’s pennyroyal Hedeoma todsenii federal: endangered

Big free-tailed bat Nyctinomops macrotis federal: species of concern

Black-tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus federal: candidate species

Cave myotis Myotis velifer federal: species of concern

Desert pocket gopher Geomys bursarius arenarius federal: species of concern

Fringed myotis Myotis thysanodes federal: species of concern

Gray footed chipmunk Tamias canipes federal: species of concern

Greater weestern mastiff bat Eumops perotis californicus federal: species of concern

Guadalupe southern pocket gopher Thomomys umbrinus guadalupensis

New Mexico meadow jumping mouse Zapus hudsonius luteus federal: species of concern

Occult little brown bat Myotis lucifugus occultus federal: species of concern

Townsends big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii federal: species of concern

Spotted bat Euderma maculatum federal: species of concern

White Sands woodrat Neotoma micropus leucophacea federal: species of concern

American peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus anatum federal: species of concern

Arctic peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus tundrius federal: species of concern

Baird’s sparrow Ammodramus bairdii federal: species of concern

Black tern Chlidonias niger federal: species of concern

Feruginous hawk Buteo regalis federal: species of concern

Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus federal: species of concern

Northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis federal: species of concern

Western burrowing owl Athene cunicularia hypugaea federal: species of concern

White faced ibis Plegadis chihi federal: species of concern

Yellow billed cuckoo Coccyzus americanus federal: species of concern

White Sands pupfish Cyprinodon tularosa federal: species of concern

Sacramento mountain salamander Aneides hardii federal: species of concern

Texas horned lizard Phrynosoma cornutum federal: species of concern

Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly Euphydrydryas anicia cloudcrofti