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cation of the American alligator from endangered to threatened by similar- ity of appearance only. Other species, however, have also been brought back from critically low numbers. The Aleutian Canada goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia) was once widespread throughout the Aleutian chain in Alaska and the Bering Sea. The species suffered a drastic decline when commercial fox farmers intro- duced non-native foxes onto the is- lands from about 1836 to about 1930. The geese were easy prey. Only 200- 300 geese were thought to remain by the time the species was listed as en- dangered in 1967. Originally, though nesting was believed restricted to a single small island, Buldir Island, additional remnant populations were subsequently found. Hunting and loss of wintering habitat also may have contributed to the decline of the Aleutian Canada goose. Eliminating foxes from the islands and relocating wild family groups of geese from Buldir resulted in successful reestab- lishment on additional islands with natural reestablishment of other is- lands. In the wintering grounds, a major effort was undertaken to pro- tect the wintering flock from hunting and to preserve roosting and feeding habitat. Several key staging and win- tering habitats in Oregon and A biologist tags a hawksbill sea turtle in an effort to gather more information on its movement and habitat needs. The threats facing the species include habitat destruc- tion and commercial demand for stuffed juveniles and products made out of its shell. Smaller than the well-known Canada goose, the Aleutian Canada goose population has dramatically improved largely due to reintroduction efforts and predator control programs for the non-native arctic fox. The Fish and Wildlife Service recently down- listed the species to threatened. California have been protected through easements and inclusion within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Other important areas have been acquired by the California State Wildlife Area and Park systems. As a result of the recovery effort in both the breeding and wintering grounds, the Aleutian Canada goose popula- tion has increased in the wild from fewer than 800 birds in 1975 to ap- proximately 5,800 today. Surveys this past summer indicate that the endan- gered goose now nests on eight islands in the Aleutian chain, up from three at the start of recovery efforts. Results of the nesting surveys supported the Service's reclassifica- tion of the Aleutian Canada goose from endangered to threatened. Once common along the eastern seaboard and in the Midwest, the pip- ing plover (Charadrius melodus) now breeds only in scattered locations on beaches, lakeshores, and sand bars on the Atlantic coast, the northern Great Lakes, and the Great Plains. Increased predation and human dis- turbance are thought to be the main causes of the plover's decline. Cooperative efforts among a number of agencies and private groups have been instrumental in supporting the recovery of the plover. Atlantic Coast piping plover production was up in 1990, thanks to increased habitat pro- tection and public education. Over 700 pairs (about 60 more than last year) nested on coastal beaches. The Gila trout, native to relatively undisturbed mountain streams in the southwestern U.S., once was a com- mon game fish in Arizona and New 4