IT'S OFFICIAL -- PEREGRINE, OPSREY AND LOON ARE DELISTED

WATERBURY, VT -- A new rule for Vermont's endangered and threatened species went into effect on April 23, bringing with it an important milestone in wildlife conservation. Three bird species -- the common loon, peregrine falcon and osprey -- were listed as endangered. They are officially removed from the list.

"This is the first time we have succeeded in restoring endangered species to secure standing," said Dr. Craig McLaughlin, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department's wildlife division director. "It is a major accomplishment and testimony to what is possible when we're committed to species conservation."

All three species benefited from the regulation of pesticides, habitat protection and active management under programs led by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Partnerships with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), National Wildlife Federation, Vermont electric utility companies, and the support of the private landowners and the public were important to these successes.

Peregrine falcons disappeared from the state in the mid-1900s due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. In 1976, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department purchased Birdseye Mountain near Rutland to protect an historic nesting site. The department, partnering with VINS, reintroduced the peregrine to Vermont by releasing 93 young captive-bred falcons at three hack sites from 1982 to 1987.

Vermont's peregrine falcon recovery took hold in 1985, when the first post-reintroduction peregrine nesting occurred on the cliffs of Mount Pisgah in Westmore. By 1989, peregrines were once again nesting on Birdseye Mountain. Vermont's breeding population has steadily increased over the past two decades and has met the state's recovery goals of a five-year average of at least 24 naturally breeding pairs producing 36 fledglings per year.

Osprey also suffered from the effects of DDT. Surveys for osprey breeding in Vermont found no nesting activities from 1975 to 1986. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department began putting up nesting platforms in the late 1970s and partnered with electric utility companies to erect more nesting structures where suitable osprey habitat was found. The results were dramatic. Between 1999 and 2004, an average of 44 osprey nests have produced an average of 75 young ospreys each year.

Vermont's common loon numbers reached a low of eight breeding pairs in 1983 and was designated a state endangered species in 1987. The Vermont Loon Recovery Project, a joint effort between Vermont Fish & Wildlife and VINS, monitored the state's loon numbers and began management efforts to increase nesting success.

Artificial nesting platforms, reducing human disturbance and coordinating with hydroelectric companies and other agencies to stabilize water levels during the nesting period greatly benefited Vermont's loons. From 1983 to 1989 Vermont's breeding loon population gradually increased at an average rate of one pair per year. The numbers held steady at 14 to 16 breeding pairs from 1989 to 1994, and then dramatically increased statewide during the next ten years to 43 pairs in 2004.

"We are proud to share this success story with our partners and the landowners that supported our management efforts on their properties," said McLaughlin. "Although these species are no longer on the endangered species list, they are still protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and we will continue our monitoring and management efforts to ensure that their future is secure."

The new rule also removed many-leaved sedge from the state's Threatened and Endangered Species List. It also changed the status of upland sandpiper and black tern from threatened to endangered, added eastern ratsnake and eastern racer as threatened, and added dwarf chinkapin oak and pygmy water-lily as endangered.

The new rule is the sixth revision of the Vermont Threatened and Endangered Species List since it was first adopted by rule in 1987. The list is designed to protect Vermont's plants and animals that are in jeopardy of disappearing from the state. The complete list of threatened and endangered species can be found on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com).

                         -30-


For Further Information please contact: Steve Parren at 802-241-3700 or email to steve.parren@anr.state.vt.us