Bureau of Land Management Special Status Species

It is the policy of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conserve Threatened and Endangered species and the ecosystems they depend upon primarily by prescribing management for conservation of lands these species inhabit (BLM Manual Chapter 6840). The primary goals of the Threatened and Endangered Species Program are inventory, monitoring, plan preparation, and plan implementation to ensure the maintenance and recovery of these species.

Similarly, it is BLM policy to manage Candidate species and their habitats to ensure that BLM actions do not contribute to the need to list any Candidate species as Threatened or Endangered. The Idaho BLM Director has the authority to designate Sensitive (or Special Status) Species, which are to be managed under the same policy as Candidate species. It is also BLM policy to carry out management for the conservation of state-listed plants and animals. The State Director is to develop policies that will assist the state in achieving their management objectives for those species.

Special status species protocols, established by the Idaho Bureau of Land Management in 2003, consist of 5 categories. Category definitions differ slightly between plants and animals and, therefore, are presented separately below.

Type 1. Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Candidate species. These species are listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as Threatened or Endangered, or they are Proposed or Candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Type 2. Rangewide/Globally Imperiled Species - High Endangerment. These are species that have a high likelihood of being listed in the forseeable future due to their global rarity and significant endangerment factors. Species ranked by the network of Conservation Data Centers and Natural Heritage Programs with Global Ranks of G1-G3 or T1-T3 with a threat priority of 1-9 using the USFWS Listing Priority Criteria.

Type 3. Rangewide/Globally Imperiled Species - Moderate Endangerment. These are species that are globally rare with moderate endangerment factors. Their global rarity and inherent risks associated with rarity make them imperiled species. Idaho BLM sensitive species that are ranked by the network of Conservation Data Centers and Natural Heritage Programs with Global Ranks of G1-G3 or T1-T3 with (a) a threat priority of 10-12 using the USFWS Listing Priority Criteria or (b) an Idaho Native Plant Society ranking of Priority 1-2 or Sensitive--i.e., Sensitive with the majority of the population on BLM-administered lands.

Type 4. Species of Concern. These are species that are generally rare in Idaho with small populations or localized distribution and currently have low threat levels. However, due to the small populations and habitat area, certain future land uses in close proximity could significantly jeopardize these sepcies. This includes sensitive species that are not Type 3.

Type 5. Watch List. Watch list species are not considered BLM sensitive species, and associated sensitive species policy guidance does not apply. Watch list species include species that may be added to the sensitive species list depending on new information concerning threats and species biology or statewide trends. This includes (a) Idaho Native Plant Society Monitor and Review species and (b) Idaho Native Plant Society Sensitive species (Types 2, 3, or 4) that are only suspected to occur in a BLM resource area.

Type 1. Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Candidate species. These species are listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as Threatened or Endangered, or they are Proposed or Candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Type 2. Rangewide/Globally Imperiled Species. These are species that are experiencing significant declines throughout their range with a high likelihood of being listed in the foreseeable future due to their rarity and/or significant endangerment factors. This includes species ranked by the network of Conservation Data Centers and Natural Heritage Programs with Global Ranks of G1-G3 or T1-T3 or recent data indicate a significant rangewide risk which is not currently reflected by Global Ranks.

Type 3. Regional/State Imperiled Species. These are species that are experiencing significant declines in population or habitat and are in danger of regional or local extinctions in Idaho in the forseeable future if factors contributing to their decline continues. This includes Idaho BLM sensitive species (a) that are not in Type 2, (b) that have an Idaho Conservation Data Center State Rank of S1 or S2 (exception being a peripheral or disjunct species), (c) that score high (18 or greater) using the Criteria for Evaluating Animals for Sensitive Species Status, or (d) for which other regional/national status evaluations (e.g., Partners in Flight scores) indicate significant declines.

Type 4. Peripheral Species. These are species that are generally rare in Idaho with the majority of the breeding range largely outside the state. This includes sensitive sepcies that have an Idaho Conservation Data Center State Rank of S1 or S2 but are species peripheral to Idaho.

Type 5. Watch List. Watch List species are not considered BLM sensitive species, and associated sensitive species policy guidance does not apply. Watch List includes species that may be added to the sensitive species list depending on new information concerning threats, species biology, or statewide trends. The Watch List includes species with insufficient data on population or habitat trends or the threats are poorly understood. However, there are indications that these species may warrant special status species designation and appropriate inventory or research efforts should be a management priority.