FLA Opposes ESA Regulation Revisions
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FLA Opposes ESA Regulation Revisions

On June 21, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Services) published several proposed revisions to Endangered Species Act regulations. The two of most importance to our members are highlighted below. Both of these regulations will change the way that the Services approach species listings and critical habitat designations….

FLA Weighs in on Spotted Owl Proposed Listing
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FLA Weighs in on Spotted Owl Proposed Listing

The spotted owl may be spelling trouble for forest landowners once again. In February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a proposal to list two distinct population segments (DPSs) of the California spotted owl. In the proposal, the Coastal-Southern California DSP would be listed as endangered, and the Sierra Nevada DSP would be listed…

Forest Landowners Association | Legislative Update
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Forest Landowners Association | Legislative Update

A rule expanding the definition of bodies of waters subject to federal environmental protections remains in place after the House failed to override President Joe Biden’s veto of a measure that would have repealed it. On Tuesday, the House passed a disapproval resolution by a vote of 227-196. While this fell short of the two-thirds…

Collaborative Conservation Leads to Decision to Not List Gopher Tortoise in Eastern Segment
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Collaborative Conservation Leads to Decision to Not List Gopher Tortoise in Eastern Segment

Collaborative conservation was the cornerstone of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding earlier this month that listing the gopher tortoise population as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act was not warranted throughout its entire range. The populations in the eastern segment, which includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and most of…

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FLA Continues Push for Flexible Forest Management in Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Rule

In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its proposal to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) from “endangered” to “threatened.” The bird had been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since its passage in 1973. The 4(d) rule associated with the downlisting included many caveats that…

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Biden Administration Seeks to Uproot Progress Made on Collaborative Conservation Under ESA

In an effort to reverse many Trump-era decisions regarding the Endangered Species Act (ESA), President Biden on his first day in office issued an executive order directing the USFWS to revise, rescind, or reinstate five major ESA regulations issued by the Trump administration.  As a result of the Executive Order, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife…