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8 Endangered Species Tech. Bull. 1 (1983)

handle is hein.animal/endanspb0008 and id is 1 raw text is: January 1983 Vol. VIII No. 1 m U ~~ m wam sunN __ _ Department of interior. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program, Washington, D.C. 20240 Woodland Caribou Listed as Endangered in Emergency Rule The only population of caribou that still regularly occurs in the contermi- nous United States has been declared Endangered in an emergency rule (F.R. 1/14/83). Sometimes known as the southern Selkirk Mountain herd, this very small population of woodland cari- bou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) found in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and southern British Columbia (Canada), has fallen to a level that prob- ably cannot sustain the herd much longer. Illegal hunting, habitat loss, col- lisions with motor vehicles, and inbreed- ing problems are the primary threats to the herd. The emergency listing will remain in effect for 240 days (until 9/12/83), during which time the Service intends to proceed with a proposal for a permanent rule. Background Both the caribou of North America and the reindeer of Eurasia belong to a single species, Rangifer tarandus. One subspecies, the woodland caribou (R. t. caribou) once occupied nearly the entire forested region from southeast- ern Alaska and British Columbiato New- foundland and Nova Scotia. In the conterminous U.S., populations occurred in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wiscon- sin, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Largely because of killing and habitat alteration, indigenous cari- bou disappeared from New England by about 1908 and from the Great Lakes States by 1940. A few individuals wan- dering across the border from Canada into Minnesota and Montana have been reported in recent years, but they are not members of the herd covered by this rule. The only caribou population that still regularly occurs in the conterminous U.S. is the southern Selkirk Mountain herd. Early records indicate that, in the 19th century, caribou were plentiful in the mountains of northeastern Washing- ton, northern Idaho, and southern Brit- ish Columbia. By 1900, however, unrestricted hunting led to a major reduction in numbers. Logging of old- growth trees that bear lichens, the major part of the caribou's winter diet, contri- buted in the decline. Among the other factors, especially as the population drop accelerated in recent decades, have been low rates of calf survival and a lack of immigration from other herds. The absence of natural augmentation to the isolated population from outside sources causes the herd to rely on inbreeding for recruitment and reduces the genetic variability of the offspring, further weakening the viability of the herd. With a current population of only 13-20 individuals, the woodland caribou is one of the most critically vulnerable mammals in the U.S.. At such low levels, the herd is increas- ingly jeopardized by illegal hunting. Poachers killed at least one animal in each of the years 1980, 1981, and 1982, in addition to those taken unlawfully in previous years. Caribou are relatively easy for hunters to approach and shoot. There is also the possibility that a licensed deer or elk hunter could shoot a caribou by accident. The threat to the herd is greatest where the caribou fre- quent areas with good road access for hunters. (Fortunately, the herd has spent more time during the past decade in the Canadian portion of its range where there are fewer roads.) Previous restrictions have not been effective in stopping the poaching. The situation has now reached such a critical state that the premature death of even one more animal could mean the difference between survival and extinction for the herd. In addition to the problem of increas- ing access to the habitat, roadconstruc- tion is adding to the potential for caribou-vehicle collisions on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) roads used by loggers, miners, and recreationists. Accidents involving deer are known to occur. Much of the caribou habitat in Washington and Idaho is on land man- aged by the USFS. Although that agency considers the woodland caribou to be a sensitive species, it has allowed a con- siderable amount of timber harvesting and road building in old-growth forests within the southern Selkirk population's range. Some of this activity has been having adverse effects on the herd. Continued on page 4 A bull caribou feeding in the forests of the Selkirk Mountains, northern Idaho. MMMMUMMOM 0 amon I no

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