Humboldt Marten in Petition Process for Endangered Species List

The following a press release from the Environmental Protection Information Center:

Humboldt Marten at Bait Station

Humboldt Marten at Bait Station

ARCATA, Calif.— The Environmental Protection Information Center and the Center for Biological Diversity today petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to protect the Humboldt marten under the California Endangered Species Act. The Humboldt marten is a cat-sized carnivore related to minks and otters that lives in old-growth forests in Northern California and southern Oregon. Most of the marten’s forest habitat has been destroyed by logging, and the remaining martens in California likely number fewer than 100 individuals. Consequently, California’s Humboldt martens are at grave risk of being lost entirely from the state.

“California’s Humboldt martens have been eliminated from 95 percent of their historic range,” said Rob DiPerna, EPIC’s California Forest and Wildlife Advocate. “Survival and recovery of the marten demands immediate action.”

The historic range of the marten extends from Sonoma County in coastal California north through the coastal mountains of Oregon. Once thought extinct, the Humboldt marten was rediscovered on the Six Rivers National Forest in 1996. Since that time, researchers have continued to detect martens in California, but also determined that Humboldt martens declined substantially between 2001 and 2008 and have not rebounded from that decline.

“The population size of the Humboldt marten is disturbingly low,” said Justin Augustine, with the Center for Biological Diversity. “We hope the commission works quickly to protect this species and help rebuild a viable marten population in California.”

The Fish and Game Commission has 10 days to refer the petition to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department in turn has 90 days to make its recommendation as to whether the petition presents substantial information indicating that protecting the marten under the California Endangered Species Act may be warranted. After the department’s recommendation is received, the commission must make its own determination as to whether listing of the marten may be warranted. If so, the department will then have one year to

conduct a more thorough status review of the marten.

Though fewer than 100 martens remain in California, last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to protect them under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Center, which petitioned for federal protection for the marten in 2010, plans to challenge the decision.

“The denial of protection is simply not a scientifically defensible decision,” said Augustine.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
LAZY SKUNK RANCH
Guest
LAZY SKUNK RANCH
8 years ago

Guess they need to rip out grape vines to save this wonderful creature. Grape growers through their greed have destroyed their habitat by clearing land and pumping water.

They should be ashamed of themselves and tear out the vineyards on their own, setting aside their greed for the good of nature.

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
Ernie Branscomb
8 years ago

They should tear out their vinyards
Yeah, like that is going to happen. The BIG problem is world over- population. Do you see anybody deciding to have fewer babies? I thought not.

Sadly, those sweet little guys are probably doomed.

LAZY SKUNK RANCH
Guest
LAZY SKUNK RANCH
8 years ago

Population is in decline, save immigration. Every industrialized nation faces depopulation, look it up.

Grape growers have raped the land, pumped the water, and through their greed wrecked the forest these creatures have lived in. Each vineyard should be allowed only 6 plants and no more than 2 lbs of grapes for everyone’s safety. A task force should count these grapes to ensure compliance and anyone in violation should have their homes ransacked, children taken, and property stolen.

Get with the program, Comrade Ernie.

Klamathman
Guest
Klamathman
8 years ago

In my neck of the woods the greatest threat to these little guys is high intensity wildfire. Logging on the national forests is currently and has been so minimal for the last couple of decades that it is really not a threat. Unfortunately with the attempt to save the critter thru the process of “listing” it, it will become harder to implement fuel breaks and prescribe fire.

Coletta Hughes
Guest
Coletta Hughes
7 years ago
Reply to  Klamathman

Over suppression of naturally occurring fire is the cause then, because that’s why we have high intensity wildfires in national forest.

Jennifer Lance
Guest
8 years ago

I saw one yesterday on the Redwood Creek Trail!