The following response to my question concerning the possible downlisting
of Whooping Cranes from "endangered" to "threatened" is from Anne Lacy,
International Crane Foundation (ICF) Senior Manager – North America
Programs:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) does not have a “plan… to
weaken or end protections” for Whooping Cranes (the only species I can
speak to). The Service has a Species Status Assessment (SSA) that is in
draft form currently; all listed species have this review at regular time
intervals. This SSA is what the ICF and other entities will be going over
with them to see if the species can indeed be downlisted. The main goal
with any listed species is downlisting. However, the fact that there is
another population in and of itself is not enough to fulfill the specs for
downlisting; the Service stipulates that any other separate populations
should also be *self -sustaining *in order to ensure the secure recovery of
the species. Neither the Eastern Migratory nor Louisiana populations of
Whooping Cranes have achieved that status yet. Our perspective is that,
yes, downlisting remains our goal; however, we are not there quite yet…
Mary Yandell
Louisville
Mary W. Yandell
*Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes*
http://kyc4sandhillcranes.com/
*Eastern Crane Bulletin*, Editor
https://kyc4sandhillcranes.com/eastern-crane-bulletin/
