Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive, and Other "Species of Concern" in Virginia

timber rattler
timber rattler
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Digital Library

Virginia has "native" plants and animals, species that were living here before the arrival of Europeans. A few such species are restricted in their range to Virginia - just Virginia. It is most likely that these endemic to Virginia species actually evolved here in Virginia, separating from predecessor species to become genetically distinct.

The Plethodon genus of salamanders in the Blue Ridge have had 200-300 million years without glaciation to adapt to local drainages and microclimates. Since salamanders don't go for long walks, several species that evolved in Virginia's Blue Ridge have never crossed a state line on their own. Many have been carried back to out-of-state university labs in glass jars and plastic baggies by biologists, after collecting samples.

Species that have evolved to take advantage of unique characteristics in local situations are less flexible when circumstances change. "Generalist" species like Virginia pine may be at a slight disadvantage when competing with Table Mountain pine, but the "specialist" species are at a disadvantage when the circumstances change.

For example, the Fraser fir in the southern part of the Blue Ridge may have evolved from the Balsam fir. The Balsam fir is common up into Canada, but the Fraser fir is restricted to the Appalachian highlands. Perhaps the Fraser fir is better adapted to deal with the heat and drought in the southernmost part of the Balsam fir range. However, the Fraser fir is threatened by the wooly adelgid, a tiny insect that seems to be killing the Fraser fir forest on the top of Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fraser fir on Mount Rogers and elsewhere are also threatened, and the species while the survival of the Balsam fir is not in question.

More specific to Virginia, the round leaf birch is a tree know to occur naturally at only one location, in Cressy Creek watershed near Chilhowee, Virginia. Other birch species occur throughout the area, especially "sweet birch," but along that one streamside a genetic mutation was favorable and a new species was better-adapted for that site. When the species was rediscovered in 1975, after being thought extinct, there were only 41 trees.1

not surprisingly, the shape of the round-leaved birch leaves are distinctive
not surprisingly, the shape of the round-leaved birch leaves are distinctive
Source: Wikipedia, Betula uber (by Jean-Pol Grandmont)

There is a very real possibility that the round leaf birch is naturally going extinct rather than just evolving into a new species. The round leaved species of birch may be poorly-adapted to current conditions. The one natural location could be the last remnant of a declining species, rather than the beginnings of the spread of a new species.

Extinction is natural. Botanists exploring the diversity of the "New World" collected seeds from the Franklinia atamaha tree in Georgia. The tree has never been seen in the wild since the 1700's, but the species survives in gardens across the world.

The current rate of extinction is unusually high due to human transformation of landscapes since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Ecologists are referring to the current time as the Anthropocene, reflecting the rapid rate of change in the natural settting as habitats and the climate are affected by the impacts of over eight billion humans now on Earth.

A species that is restricted in its range is usually at high risk of disappearing completely if circumstances change. The chain link fence surrounding the small plot of land on Cressy Creek does not even keep out vandals (maintenance of the fence is intermittent) and certainly would not stop what the lawyers call an "Act of God." One flood, one fire, and the round leaf birch could be eliminated from that one natural site in Virginia.

Like the Franklinia, the round leaf birch has been planted in other locations as a precautionary measure. Human vandalism, including illegal collecting for private gardens, was determined to be the greatest threat, and 15 years after discovery only 11 of the original 41 trees were still surviving.

The state and Federal governments provided seedlings from a nursery to reduce collection pressure on the natural population. Additional sites also reduced the risk that one disaster, such as a hurricane like Camille, could eliminate the species. In 2023 the US Fish and Wildlife Service started building a genetic library, "biobanking" the genetic information of species thought to be at risk of disappearing. Cryogenically preserving DNA was an insurance policy that would allow future study of genetic diversity and perhaps even restoration of a "lost" species.

The Virginia Round-leaf Birch Recovery Plan prime objective was to grow the existing population to a sustainable level of 10,000 trees. The goal was defined:2

Increase the number of B. uber individuals in the wild to a level where the species can be removed from endangered status, currently estimated at 1000 individuals in each of 10 populations.

Mechanics who take apart a piece of equipment are careful to save all the nuts, bolts, screws, and washers as well as the large and obviously-important pieces. As humans change the landscape of Virginia, the endangered species advocates want to save all the pieces of our natural systems, including more than the whales and elephants. Conservation involves tradeoffs; protecting critical habitat may raise the cost of building new houses, roads, power plants, docks in tidal creeks, etc.

The main law protecting rare plants and animals is the Federal Endangered Species Act. It is not popular in some places, and is known as the "shoot, shovel, and shut up" act in a few locations where the economic impact of conserving habitat is high.

Even though there is strong public support for saving charismatic megafauna like the bald eagle, officials still get reliable reports of secret, illegal destruction of eagle nests that might interfere with projects such as Cherry Hill on the Potomac River in Prince William County. It is much harder to convince developers, or the average taxpayer and voter, that the small pieces of the web of life are just as important as the national symbol.

The Shiny Pigtoe mussel (Fusconaia cor) in the upper Tennessee River watershed may have evolved to be slightly different from other mussels since the ice ages, but it does not appear to hold the key to curing cancer. Why should we spend so much time and effort saving it? The Lee County cave isopod is just an isopod, and from a utilitarian perspective... what has that species ever done for humans?

the Shiny Pigtoe mussel lives naturally only in the headwaters of the Tennessee River, and nowhere else in the world
the Shiny Pigtoe mussel lives naturally only in the headwaters of the Tennessee River, and nowhere else in the world
the Shiny Pigtoe mussel lives naturally only in the headwaters of the Tennessee River, and nowhere else in the world
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Fusconaia cor and Shiny Pigtoe (Fusconaia cor)

The decision to "delist" the bald eagle will allow more development of its natural habitat, such as the forested shorelines along the Potomac/Rappahannock/York/James rivers. The proposal was controversial - the current populations of bald eagles are healthy, but look for second homes to line the shorelines in 20 more years. If the population drops again, this time because of loss of habitat instead of DDT poisoning, the eagle might be relisted in the year 2020. Biologists have really long calendars, when they talk about extinction potential.

bald eagle with fish in talons
bald eagle with fish in talons
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Digital Library

Virginia identifies "rare" species in the state, in addition to those species officially listed as "threatened" or "endangered" by the Federal government. There's a standard set of codes for "rare" species. Code "S1" means they are rare in Virginia, while "S5" means they are common. G1 means a species is rare globally, and "G5" means it is common worldwide.

The state designation is of concern to Virginia agencies - but walk across the border into North Carolina and the classification might be different. So... if a species is at the edge of its normal range, rare in Fairfax County but common elsewhere - should we bother to protect it here?

For example, the "Common Moorhen" (Gallinula chloropus) is S1/G5 - common elsewhere, but rare in Virginia. The bird is, well, inedible at best; it is also known as the "mudhen." Because it is rare in Virginia, does that mean policy makers should not propose a highway through its habitat in Virginia if the alternative is to route the highway through already-existing subdivisions and tear down occupied houses?3

species that are rare in Virginia, such as the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), may be common in other places and require no special protection
species that are rare in Virginia, such as the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), may be common in other places and require no special protection
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Common Moorhen

In 2021, there were 71 species in Virginia listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as "threatened" or "endangered." The Federal agency proposed to remove 23 species nationwide in late 2021. On October 16, 2023, the Federal agency delisted 21 species and declared them to be "extinct." That ended the need to designate and protect critical habitat for those specis, but in some cases other species still on the threatened and endangered list required the same habitat to remain protected.

The green-blossom pearly freshwater mussel (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculum), one of those 21 species reclassified as extinct, was formerly found in Virginia. Its shells were still present in the Clinch River in Southwest Virginia in 2023, but no live green-blossom pearly freshwater mussels had been spotted since 1984.4

former habitat of the green-blossom pearly freshwater mussel  (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculum)
former habitat of the green-blossom pearly freshwater mussel (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculum)
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS)

Delisting was justified because it was too late to achieve recovery under the Endangered Species Act (ESA):5

Based on rigorous reviews of the best available science for each of these species, the Service has determined these species are extinct, and thus no longer require listing under the ESA. The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. For the species proposed for delisting today, the protections of the ESA came too late, with most either extinct, functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the timing of listing.

Also in 2021, Virginia banned keeping an Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) as a pet. The US Fish and Wildlife Service did not list the species as threatened, but some states have listed it as a species of special concern. The Virginia Herpetological Society is concerned about the loss of reproductive adults in isolated woodlots and forest fragments.

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

An official in the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources commented that the ban did not limit enjoying turtles encountered in the wild:6

People can still go out, look at these turtles in the wild, pick them up and take photos... There is no need to take it home.

The presence of the endangered smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) forced a re-routing of the planned "Smart Road" at Virginia Tech./ The Virginia Department of Transportation had to identify alternatives to avoid impacting the population on the preferred route. The patches of smooth coneflower in Montgomery County were one of the 21 remaining populations, and 39 other known populations had disappeared.

The Smart Road, which could have become part of a new I-73, ended up as just a test track for automobile research. Efforts to recover the smooth coneflower succeeded in creating a total of 44 populations betwen Georgia and Virginia, and in 2022 the species was downlisted from "endangered" to "threatened."7

Bats of Virginia

the endangered smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) was a barrier to a proposal to extend the Smart Road to I-81 in 1994
the endangered smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) was a barrier to a proposal to extend the Smart Road to I-81 in 1994
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, A bumblebee foraging on a smooth coneflower

Links

round leaved birch
round-leafed birch
Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Digital Library

References

1. "Virginia Round-leaf Birch," US Fish and Wildlife Service, October 2005, (last checked October 20, 2021)
2. "Virginia Round-leaf Birch Recovery Plan," US Fish and Wildlife Service, March 3, 1982, p.22, https://books.google.com/books?id=BofwAAAAMAAJ; "USFWS Is Creating a Frozen Library of Biodiversity to Help Endangered Species," Inside Climate News, October 4, 2023, https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04102023/usfws-biobanking-to-help-endangered-species/ (last checked October 12, 2023)
3. "Definitions of Abbreviations used on Natural Heritage Resource Lists," Natural Heritage, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/help; "Common Gallinule," NatureServe Explorer, https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.872346/Gallinula_galeata (last checked October 18, 2023)
4. "Scientists work to catch up with Va.'s endangered and threatened species before it's too late," Virginia Mercury, October 20, 2021, https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/10/20/scientists-work-to-catch-up-with-vas-endangered-and-threatened-species-before-its-too-late/; "Endangered and Threatened Species in Virginia," US Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/endangered/map/va-info.html; "Aquatic center works to restore imperiled freshwater mussels," Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 1, 2021, https://richmond.com/news/state-and-regional/aquatic-center-works-to-restore-imperiled-freshwater-mussels/article_42666ef5-5cdf-54b6-9908-c780bf348e2c.html; "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction," US FIsh and Wildlife Service, October 16, 2023. https://fws.gov/press-release/2023-10/21-species-delisted-endangered-species-act-due-extinction (last checked Octber 18, 2023)
5. "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction," US Fish and Wildlife Service news release, September 29, 2021, https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?_ID=37017 (last checked November 1, 2021)
6. "Ban on pet box turtles takes effect in Virginia," Virginia Mercury, July 1, 2021, https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/07/01/ban-on-pet-box-turtles-takes-effect-in-virginia/; "Woodland Box Turtle," Virginia Herpetological Society, https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/turtles/eastern-box-turtle/eastern_box_turtle.php; "Eastern Box Turtle," National Wildlife Federation, https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Eastern-Box-Turtle (last checked July 3, 2022)
7. "Coneflower taken off endangered list - Flower that rerouted Smart Road removed from endangered list," The Roanoke Times, July 9, 2022, https://roanoke.com/news/local/flower-that-rerouted-smart-road-removed-from-endangered-list/article_ec6db264-ff00-11ec-a7b5-9f60c7f3c174.html; "Echinacea laevigata," US Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/species/smooth-purple-coneflower-echinacea-laevigata (last checked July 12, 2022)

the Franklinia tree went extinct naturally in the wild in the 1700's
the Franklinia tree went extinct naturally in the wild in the 1700's
Source: Wikipedia, Plate 59 from The North American Sylva: Franklinia alatamaha - Franklin tree


Habitats and Species
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