Black Warrior waterdog listed as endangered

Friday
Jan 5, 2018 at 8:00 AM

By Ed Enoch Staff Writer

A rare aquatic salamander commonly called the Black Warrior waterdog and found only in the river basin in Alabama has been added to the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made our New Year happy today by announcing the listing of the Black Warrior waterdog as endangered under the Endangered Species Act,” said Eva Dillard, staff attorney for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, in a statement released by the nonprofit group celebrating the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that Necturus alabamnesis, commonly referred to as the Alabama mudpuppy or Black Warrior waterdog, is now a federally protected species, and 420 miles of waterway in the Black Warrior River basin has been designated critical habitat for the nocturnal salamander.

“My hope is that is by bringing it to light and getting these critical habits maybe we can improve the water quality up there,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Matt Laschet.

But the conservation effort will require public support and awareness.

“We can’t do it without the public,” Laschet said.

The endangered designation means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The endangered species status and critical habitat designation means federal agencies are required to make special conservation efforts to help protect and conserve when they work, fund or permit activities in those areas.

The designation is expected to have little or no impact on private landowners unless they are taking action that require federal funding or permits, according to the announcement. Since some of the habitat is already being protected for other species, the new designation along the tributaries is not expected to require additional regulatory action nor have additional impact on forestry and coal mining in the region because they are already operating under pollution and water quality requirements, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The waterdog is a large, fully aquatic salamander with highly permeable skin and external gills, making it susceptible to declines in water quality in the streams it inhabits, Laschet said.

“Water quality is the biggest factor,” Laschet said.

The waterdog depends on streams with clay or bedrock bottoms with minimal sand and abundant rock crevices and rock slabs in which they can forage, shelter and lay eggs.

Sedimentation is among the conservation challenges for the species in the Black Warrior basin since heavy siltation could reduce cover, food, and smother nests and eggs. The silt can be abrasive to the species eternal gills and fill up crevices they inhabit, Laschet said. Heavy metals accumulating in the silt are also a concern.

Sedimentation remains a long-term issue for conservation of the species, though Laschet noted practices for managing runoff, erosion and wastewater have improved.

The only known stable population of the waterdogs is in the Bankhead National Forest where researchers have consistently been able to capture the salamanders during surveys, Laschet said.

The areas designated critical habitats include streams where researchers are finding salamanders or evidence of their presence, Laschet said. The waterways designated critical habitats represent more than 50 percent of the waterdog’s historical habitat.

“It doesn’t mean other (streams) aren’t important, but with everything going on we are trying to protect what they have,” Laschet said.

The 420 miles of waterway includes five tributaries within the Black Warrior River Basin; the Sipsey Fork in Lawrence and Winston Counties; the Locust Fork in Blount, Etowah, Jefferson and Marshall counties; Blackwater Creek in Walker and Winston counties; and Yellow Creek in Tuscaloosa County.

The area includes 127 miles of habitat already designated for other federally protected aquatic species, according to the fish and wildlife service. There are 26 federally protected animals found in basin.

Currently, there is no recovery plan to reintroduce the salamanders across all their historic range, though the federal agency could work with state counterparts in the future, Laschet said.

“I am quite sure those areas they are historically in, if water quality improves in those areas, there is a good chance we can reintroduce them into those areas they are no longer present,” he said.

The endangered species listing and critical habitat rule become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. Laschet said the designation would take effect in early February.

Friday
Jan 5, 2018 at 8:00 AM

By Ed Enoch Staff Writer

A rare aquatic salamander commonly called the Black Warrior waterdog and found only in the river basin in Alabama has been added to the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made our New Year happy today by announcing the listing of the Black Warrior waterdog as endangered under the Endangered Species Act,” said Eva Dillard, staff attorney for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, in a statement released by the nonprofit group celebrating the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that Necturus alabamnesis, commonly referred to as the Alabama mudpuppy or Black Warrior waterdog, is now a federally protected species, and 420 miles of waterway in the Black Warrior River basin has been designated critical habitat for the nocturnal salamander.

“My hope is that is by bringing it to light and getting these critical habits maybe we can improve the water quality up there,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Matt Laschet.

But the conservation effort will require public support and awareness.

“We can’t do it without the public,” Laschet said.

The endangered designation means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The endangered species status and critical habitat designation means federal agencies are required to make special conservation efforts to help protect and conserve when they work, fund or permit activities in those areas.

The designation is expected to have little or no impact on private landowners unless they are taking action that require federal funding or permits, according to the announcement. Since some of the habitat is already being protected for other species, the new designation along the tributaries is not expected to require additional regulatory action nor have additional impact on forestry and coal mining in the region because they are already operating under pollution and water quality requirements, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The waterdog is a large, fully aquatic salamander with highly permeable skin and external gills, making it susceptible to declines in water quality in the streams it inhabits, Laschet said.

“Water quality is the biggest factor,” Laschet said.

The waterdog depends on streams with clay or bedrock bottoms with minimal sand and abundant rock crevices and rock slabs in which they can forage, shelter and lay eggs.

Sedimentation is among the conservation challenges for the species in the Black Warrior basin since heavy siltation could reduce cover, food, and smother nests and eggs. The silt can be abrasive to the species eternal gills and fill up crevices they inhabit, Laschet said. Heavy metals accumulating in the silt are also a concern.

Sedimentation remains a long-term issue for conservation of the species, though Laschet noted practices for managing runoff, erosion and wastewater have improved.

The only known stable population of the waterdogs is in the Bankhead National Forest where researchers have consistently been able to capture the salamanders during surveys, Laschet said.

The areas designated critical habitats include streams where researchers are finding salamanders or evidence of their presence, Laschet said. The waterways designated critical habitats represent more than 50 percent of the waterdog’s historical habitat.

“It doesn’t mean other (streams) aren’t important, but with everything going on we are trying to protect what they have,” Laschet said.

The 420 miles of waterway includes five tributaries within the Black Warrior River Basin; the Sipsey Fork in Lawrence and Winston Counties; the Locust Fork in Blount, Etowah, Jefferson and Marshall counties; Blackwater Creek in Walker and Winston counties; and Yellow Creek in Tuscaloosa County.

The area includes 127 miles of habitat already designated for other federally protected aquatic species, according to the fish and wildlife service. There are 26 federally protected animals found in basin.

Currently, there is no recovery plan to reintroduce the salamanders across all their historic range, though the federal agency could work with state counterparts in the future, Laschet said.

“I am quite sure those areas they are historically in, if water quality improves in those areas, there is a good chance we can reintroduce them into those areas they are no longer present,” he said.

The endangered species listing and critical habitat rule become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. Laschet said the designation would take effect in early February.

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