Idaho conservation officers are looking into how federal changes to Endangered Species Act rules could affect the Gem State, which is home to six endangered and 13 threatened species.
The Idaho Office of Species Conservation is reviewing the newly issued regulatory changes, which are set to take effect in the coming weeks and affect future listing decisions, but aren’t retroactive.
Idaho Republican U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch hailed the changes, while conservationists criticized them, and at least two states promised court challenges.
Among the most controversial of the new regulatory changes announced by the Trump administration this week is the inclusion of economic considerations, rather than just scientific ones, in decisions about endangered species. But Idaho’s office has long included that in its mission, which notes its work is done “while taking into consideration the economic vitality of the state.”
Office Administrator Scott Pugrud says the office’s biggest projects right now involve sage grouse and the governor’s salmon work group.
The six endangered species in Idaho currently are the Kootenai River white sturgeon; the sockeye salmon; the Southern Selkirk Mountains Woodland Caribou, and three types of snail. Five Idaho species have been delisted, or removed from the endangered list, including the bald eagle, the gray wolf, the peregrine falcon, and two types of snails.
Among the state’s 13 threatened species are four fish, including the bull trout and the chinook salmon; one snail; three mammals, including the Canada lynx and the grizzly bear; and five plants, including slickspot peppergrass. (Idaho Press)
