Wildlife

Status Definitions

Federal U.S. Status – FWS

BGA Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Prohibits take of bald and golden eagles without prior USFWS permit.

ESA Endangered Species Act (1973 as amended)
US Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service

Listed

LE Listed Endangered: imminent jeopardy of extinction.
LT Listed Threatened: imminent jeopardy of becoming Endangered.
PS Partial Status: listed Endangered or Threatened, but not in entire range.
XN Experimental Nonessential population.
PDL Proposed for delisting. No Status Certain populations of this taxon do not have designated status (check with state or regional USFWS office for details about which populations have designated status).
SAT Listed Threatened due to Similarity of Appearance. This happens when a member of a non-listed population is found within the geographic area of a Distinct Population Segment for a listed species (e.g., a wintering bald eagle within the DPS for listed bald eagles).

Proposed for Listing

PE Proposed Endangered
PT Proposed Threatened

Candidate Notice of Review: 2014

https://www.fws.gov/service/candidate-conservation-agreements

C Candidate. Species for which the USFWS has on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support proposals to list as Endangered or Threatened under ESA. Proposed rules for these species is precluded at present by other higher priority listing actions.
C* The Service identifies species for which they made a continued warranted-but-precluded finding on a resubmitted petition by the code “C*” in the category column. This code was put into use starting in 2008.
SC Species of Concern. The terms “Species of Concern” or “Species at Risk” should be considered as terms-of-art that describe the entire realm of taxa whose conservation status may be of concern to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, but neither term has official status (currently includes all former C2 and delisted species).

Candidate Conservation
https://www.fws.gov/service/candidate-conservation-agreements  March 2011

CCA Candidate Conservation Agreement: Formal, voluntary agreements between the FWS and one or more parties to address the conservation needs of one or more candidate species or species likely to become candidates in the near future. Participants voluntarily commit to implement specific actions designed to remove or reduce threats to the covered species, so that listing may not be necessary. The degree of detail in CCAs can vary widely, and there are no specific permits or assurances associated with them. CCAs are primarily entered into between FWS and other Federal agencies and States, but local governments, Tribes, private property owners, and other entities may also participate.
CCAA Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances: Addresses concerns about potential land use restrictions (land and water) that could occur if a species becomes listed under the ESA, by providing incentives for non-
Federal property owners to engage in voluntary conservation activities. Specifically, a CCAA provides participating property owners with a permit containing assurances that if they engage in certain conservation actions for species included in the agreement, they will not be required to implement additional conservation measures beyond those in the CCAA. Also, additional land, water, or resource use limitations will not be
imposed on them should the species become listed in the future, unless they consent to such changes.

Critical Habitat
https://www.fws.gov/project/critical-habitat

Y Yes: Critical Habitat has been designated.
P Proposed: Critical Habitat has been proposed.

DPS Distinct Population Segment: a portion of a species’ or subspecies’ population or range. The DPS is generally described geographically. A DPS can apply to a Candidate or Listed or Proposed Species.
10(j) 10(j) Recovery Area: under section 10(j), a population of a listed species reestablished outside its current range, but within its probably historic range may be designated as “experimental” at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior. The 10(j) recovery area is the geographic boundary established under Final Rule and may be larger than the actual occupied area or “primary recovery zone.”
10(a)(1)(A) An experimental population currently managed under a 10(a)(1)(A) permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A 10(a)(1)(A) permit can be issued under the authority of section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act “for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species including, but not limited to, acts necessary for the establishment and maintenance of experimental populations.” The 10(a)(1)(A) recovery area is a geographic boundary and may be larger than the actual occupied area.

USFS US Forest Service (2013 Animals, 2013 Plants)
Animals
Plants

S Sensitive: those taxa occurring on National Forests in Arizona which are considered sensitive by the Regional Forester.

BLM US Bureau of Land Management  Sensitive Species List – March 2017
BLM Phoenix Office Sensitive Species List

S Sensitive: those taxa occurring on BLM Field Office Lands in Arizona which are considered sensitive by the Arizona State Office.
P Population: only those populations of Banded Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum cinctum) that occur north and west of the Colorado River, are considered sensitive by the Arizona State Office.

Tribal Status
NESL Navajo Endangered Species List 2020
Navajo Nation, Navajo Fish and Wildlife Department Endangered Species List

The Navajo Endangered Species List contains taxa with status from the entire Navajo Nation which includes parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. In this notebook we provide NESL status for only those taxa whose distribution includes part or all of the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation.

Groups
1 Those species or subspecies that no longer occur on the Navajo Nation.
2 Any species or subspecies which is in danger of being eliminated from all or a significant portion of its range on the Navajo Nation.
3 Any species or subspecies which is likely to become an endangered species, within the foreseeable future, throughout all or a significant portion of its range on the Navajo Nation.
4 Any species or subspecies for which the Navajo Fish and Wildlife Department (NF&WD) does not currently have sufficient information to support their being listed in Group 2 or Group 3 but has reason to consider them. The NF&WD will actively seek information on these species to determine if they warrant inclusion in a different group or removal from the list.

Mexican Status
MEX Mexican Federal Endangered Species List Aug. 13, 2018
Proyecto de Norma Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-059-ECOL-2010
https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5534594&fecha=13/08/2018

The Mexican Federal Endangered Species List contains taxa with status from the entire Mexican Republic and waters under its jurisdiction. In this notebook we provide MEX designations for only those taxa occurring in Arizona and also in Mexico.

P En Peligro de Extinción (Determined Endangered in Mexico): in danger of extinction.
A Amenazada (Determined Threatened in Mexico): could become endangered if factors causing habitat deterioration or population decline continue.
Pr Sujeta a Protección Especial (Determined Subject to Special Protection in Mexico): utilization limited due to reduced populations, restricted distribution, or to favor recovery and conservation of the taxon or associated taxa.
E Probablemente extinta en el medio silvestre (Probably extinct in the wild of Mexico): Anative species whose individuals in the wild have disappeared, based on pertinent documentation and studies that prove it. The only existing individuals of the species are in captivity or outside the Mexican territory.

[ |= One or more subspecies of this species has status in Mexico, but the HDMS does not track it at the subspecies level (most of these subspecies are endemic to Mexico). Please consult the NORMA Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-059-ECOL-2000 for details.]

State Status

NPL

Plants – NPL Arizona Native Plant Law 2016
Arizona Department of Agriculture Protected Plants

HS Highly Safeguarded: no collection allowed.
SR Salvage Restricted: collection only with permit.
ER Export Restricted: transport out of State prohibited.
SA Salvage Assessed: permits required to remove live trees.
HR Harvest Restricted: permits required to remove plant by-products.

Wildlife – Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
AZGFD State Wildlife Action Plan

Arizona Game and Fish Department. Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy: 2022-2023. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona.

Each species in the SGCN list was scored for each of the following vulnerability criteria. If a species ranked as “vulnerable” (i.e., score = “1”) under one or more of the vulnerability criteria it was included in the SGCN. Ranks were not additive. The rank was based on the following criteria:

Extirpated status, Federal or State legal status, Declining status, Disjunct status, Demographic status, Concentration status, Distribution status.

Tiers

Following the vulnerability assessment, the resulting SGCN list was further refined into three tiers:

1 – Deemed vulnerable (scored “1”) in at least one of the seven categories AND matches at least one of the following:

• Federally listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
• Recently removed from ESA and currently requires post-delisting monitoring
• Specifically covered under a signed conservation agreement, CCA, or a CCAA, or a Conservation Strategy and Assessment or Strategic Conservation Plan
• Closed season species (i.e., no take permitted) as identified in Arizona Game and Fish Commission Orders 40, 41, 42 or 43

2 – Deemed vulnerable (scored “1”)  in at least one of the seven categories above, but matched none of the additrional criteria for Tier 1.

3 – Species with unknown status in at least one of the seven categories but do not rise to a Tier 2. These species are those for which we are unable to assess status, and thus represent priority research and information needs. As more information becomes available, their tier status will be re-evaluated.