After receiving a petition from an environmental group, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is initiating a status review for the pinyon jay to determine if the species warrants listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The pinyon jay is a “crestless, blue jay that travels in large flocks throughout piñon-juniper woodlands, chaparral and scrub-oak woodlands in the western U.S.,” according to All About Birds.
Joe Szuszwalak, acting deputy assistant regional director for the USFWS Mountain-Prairie Region, told WLJ the agency announced a positive finding on the petition to list the species; a 90-day finding is only a determination that a listing may be warranted.
Szuszwalak said the positive finding was “due to the petitioners identifying multiple credible threats, including climate change, wildfire, woodland management and invasive species among others. The petition also cited the inadequacy of regulatory mechanisms intended to circumvent the impacts of those threats which further demonstrates the species may warrant listing.”
The 2022 petition by Defenders of Wildlife claimed the population of the pinyon jay has declined by an estimated 80% over the past 50 years. Without an ESA listing, it will further decline by half due to the loss of its piñon-juniper woodlands habitat, the petition claimed. According to the petition, the most significant population of the jay is in the southern Rockies and the Great Basin, with nearly 60% of the population in New Mexico and Nevada. The pinyon jay also occupies portions of nine other states in the West and Midwest. It is considered a sensitive species by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Idaho, New Mexico and Nevada.
“Despite the well documented importance of piñon-juniper woodlands to the pinyon jay and numerous other species, land managers continue to remove extensive amounts of piñon and juniper in the name of wildfire risk reduction, resilience or sagebrush restoration,” the petition read.
The petition noted that information on past and present piñon-juniper woodland reductions is unavailable because federal land management agencies do not have a central database of land management projects. The BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are the primary agencies responsible for pinyon treatments. BLM has reduction plans totaling over 79,000 acres in six states and USFS has plans over 78,000 acres in five states.
The management of mule deer and greater sage-grouse to preserve sagebrush habitat has contributed to the decline of piñon-juniper woodlands, the petition claimed. Additionally, the group points to man-made factors such as development and agricultural use. The petition noted mining, oil and gas development, renewable energy and urban encroachment historically contributed to habitat decline and will in the foreseeable future.
“A larger agricultural impact on piñon-juniper habitats has been management for the livestock industry,” the petition wrote.
The petition noted that since the 1950s, the practice of chaining and other mechanical means has resulted in the loss of over 3 million acres for grazing and also introduced invasive species such as cheatgrass.
The petition also said predation by crows and ravens, and West Nile virus, along with the decline of piñon-juniper woodlands through climate change and drought, has also contributed to the decline in the pinyon jay population.
According to Audubon, the jay forgoes nesting without an ample supply of pinon nuts, resulting in a population decline. Audubon pointed out that studies on piñon-juniper woodland habitat have been few, and what has been done shows the woodlands are less diverse and less productive than what they once were.
“What’s contributing to the decline of pinyon jays is something about the quality of the habitat, rather than the amount of the habitat,” John Boone, research coordinator at Great Basin Bird Observatory, told Audubon.
Reaction
Defenders of Wildlife applauded USFWS’ decision to consider listing the pinyon jay from the evidence the group presented in the petition.
“This decision moves us one step closer to reversing the trend of one of the fastest declining birds in North America,” said Peggy Darr, Defenders of Wildlife New Mexico representative. “Without pinyon jays, we stand to lose iconic Southwestern landscapes, cultures and cuisines intimately tied to piñon pine nuts.”
Under the ESA, USFWS will conduct a 12-month in-depth review process to determine the status of the pinyon jay population. A final determination on whether the listing of the pinyon jay is warranted or unwarranted will be released after the 12-month review and a comment period.
Currently, USFWS is accepting comments on the proposal. To view the documents or to comment, visit www.regulations.gov and enter FWS-R6-ES-2022-0177.
Written comments can be sent to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R6-ES-2022-0177, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
