NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is the most biologically diverse inland state in the country, but a new report released by the National Wildlife Federation finds that as many as one-third of America's wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction.

According to "Reversing America's Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of Our Fish and Wildlife," 150 U.S. species are listed as extinct, and nearly 500 species have not been seen in recent decades and could possibly be extinct. The report comes as Congress is considering a bill that would allocate funds already being collected from oil and gas extraction to protect vulnerable or declining species.

Mike Butler, CEO of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, said much is at stake in the state.

"There are 1,400 species that we need to be paying attention to, that really need good monitoring, good management, to ensure that they never reach a point where we have to think about putting them on the list for the Endangered Species Act,” Butler said.

Species at risk in the Volunteer State include the northern bobwhite quail, the Chickamauga crayfish, the Virginia big-eared bat and the red squirrel.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act is currently in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. If passed, it would redirect $1.3 billion of existing revenue annually to state-led wildlife conservation efforts.

Bruce Stein, chief scientist and associate vice president at the National Wildlife Federation, said as development has spread to even the most rural areas, natural wildlife is running out of room to sustain and survive.

"Plants and animals, wildlife need habitat in order to survive,” Stein said. “And as we have converted much of the natural habitat across America to other uses, that sort of put a squeeze on many of the species - particularly those that require very specialized habitats."

Butler said funding preventive measures would be less costly for the country and the wildlife in the long run.

"When you put things on that list, you get into a lot of expense. You do preventative management," Butler said. "If you are proactive, it's a lot less expensive and you end up being able to take care of the habitats that provide this diversity for both non-game and game species."

Currently, sportsmen fees fund 80 percent of the state's wildlife agencies. If the bill passes, it would provide additional funding to broaden the capabilities of agencies to restore and protect wildlife and their habitats.

Information on the state's wildlife action plan is available at TNSWAP.com.



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The State of Washington is proposing to downgrade gray wolves from "endangered" to "sensitive" status as a species.

At last count, there were 260 gray wolves in Washington, a population which has steadily grown at an average rate of 23% since 2008, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Colin Reynolds, senior adviser for the Northwest program at Defenders of Wildlife, contended changing the gray wolf status could jeopardize the progress. He said in the western two-thirds of the state, gray wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act but in the eastern third, there are no federal protections and wolves are managed by the state.

"Right now in the eastern third of Washington, there are penalties for the illegal killing of gray wolves, and there's also penalties ascribed to that," Reynolds explained. "If the classification goes from 'endangered' to 'sensitive,' as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would like, those penalties are a little bit less, in a number of circumstances."

Reynolds pointed out the gray wolf recovery efforts are guided by the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, adopted in 2011. Since then, wolves have met recovery standards in certain parts of the state but not all, so he argued it is no time to change the rules.

The state countered reclassification is warranted, as gray wolves have seen 15 years of consecutive population growth, data models project it is likely to continue and there are enough state-level protections already in place to keep the population sustainable. Reynolds disagreed.

"We totally recognize and celebrate that the population has grown," Reynolds acknowledged. "But a population growth isn't the same as the recovery standards in the Wolf Plan. We haven't met that geographical distribution."

Reynolds also noted recent instances of gray wolf killings across the West. The deaths of three gray wolves in Oregon prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a $50,000 reward for information about the case.

Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss are making it difficult for many indigenous species to survive.

A coalition of conservation organizations will hold the annual Manu o Ku Festival this weekend to celebrate the islands' myriad species.

John Kantor, a wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Federation, said the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act has helped preserve many exotic Hawaiian species.

"The federal Endangered Species Act, and the funds that are raised for migratory birds under the various programs there, are funding the frontline researchers and conservationists and folks that are trying to solve this multitude of issues that threaten Hawaii's birds," he explained.

The festival, sponsored by the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the National Wildlife Federation, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Coronation Pavilion of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

Kanter said the Migratory Bird Treaty was created in 1918 and updated in 1936. In conjunction with Canada, Mexico and other nations, it limits the taking of certain species for commercial products or as game. He cited the wood duck as one example, which is now plentiful but was almost wiped out a century ago.

"That species was almost extinct," he said, "and it is a hunted species - but there's strict regulations that are developed between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states every year, based on the number of birds, that then are applied to the following season."

This year's festival celebrates the manu o ku, or white fairy tern, as an ambassador for other native Hawaiian species. Organizers have said conservation groups, educators and others are invited to share games and activities for people of all ages in learning about the manu o ku.

An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Arkansas mudalia snail under the Endangered Species Act.

In Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River, mudalia are critically endangered freshwater snails.

Trisha Sharma, legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity, emphasized the need to save the snail from vanishing entirely. She said freshwater mollusks are the most endangered group of animals in North America, and snails are the most endangered mollusks.

"We've already lost more than 70 species of freshwater snails," Sharma pointed out. "The Endangered Species Act has a very high success rate. So if we can get it listed and protected under the ESA, it's highly likely that the species will survive and be able to continue playing its important role in the ecosystems where it's found."

Sharma noted areas where the Arkansas mudalia can be found have decreased by 90% and the main threat to the species is habitat degradation, primarily from dam construction and operation along the rivers.

Sharma emphasized mudalia is also threatened by habitat loss from grazing, logging and mining. She added climate change is also expected to threaten the species.

"Part of what can make a species more resilient to climate impacts is its ability to disperse as its habitat becomes unsuitable, and to essentially relocate to areas where it can survive," Sharma explained. "But snails have a pretty narrow set of habitat requirements and very limited dispersal capabilities."

Sharma said freshwater snails play a crucial role in managing nutrients by consuming detritus and plant matter, preventing their decay and subsequent disruption of water quality, and snails are vital for food webs, converting unusable food sources into usable ones for birds and turtles.


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