Endangered and Threatened Species of the Platte River

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• • Endangered and Threatened Species of the Platte River Policy Responses to the Species Issues Nationwide declines in the populations of whooping cranes, interior least terns, piping plovers, and pallid sturgeon led to the listing of each under the provisions of the ESA or, in the case of the cranes, a prior act. By 1990, all four species had been listed (Table 1 -1), and there was a continuing series of consultations and opinions by USFWS related to projects in the Platte River Basin. Water withdrawals were especially at issue because of the importance of water and flow regimes to the habitat of the species. Since 1978, the history of public decision - making for water projects along the Platte River has been littered with lawsuits, negotiations, contentious debates over jeopardy opinions, and occasional agreements that allowed some projects to move forward with mitigation strategies. An example of the complications is the relicensing of hydroelectric projects by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The applications of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and the Nebraska Public Power District required 15 years for the approval of their licenses for their water and power operations. The USFWS recommendations for instream flows were also problematic for water managers. The instream flows, peak discharges, and pulses that USFWS determined to be essential to maintaining habitat for at -risk species restricted withdrawals and limited the use of river flow for other purposes. Table 1 -1 Dates of Federal Listings Under Endangered Species Act for Threatened and Endangered Species in Central Platte River Sources: EA Engineering Science, 1985, 1988; Lutey, 2002. Many of the data and nearly all the explanations of causal connections among the physical aspects of the Platte River, the ecology of habitats, and the biology of the four listed species have been questioned by commentators outside USFWS. In particular, the data related to whooping cranes, their use of the riverine habitats, and the importance of the Platte River in their ecology have attracted critical comment (G. Lingle, University of Nebraska, unpublished material, March 22, 2000). M.M Czaplewski, J.J. Shadle, J.J. Jenniges and M.M. Peyton (unpublished material, June 12, 2003) also have raised important questions about the science supporting the designation of the species as threatened or endangered and the science used to define instream flow requirements. The National Research Council committee has explored 20 Date Critical Date of Latest Species Status Date Listed Habitat Designated Recovery Plan Whooping crane Endangered Mar. 11, 1967 Aug. 17, 1978 Feb. 11, 1994 Piping plover Threatened Jan. 10, 1986 Sep. 11, 2002 May 12, 1988 (northern Great Plains breeding population) Interior least tern Endangered May 28, 1985 None Sep. 9, 1990 Pallid sturgeon Endangered Sep. 6, 1990 None Nov. 7, 1993 Sources: EA Engineering Science, 1985, 1988; Lutey, 2002. Many of the data and nearly all the explanations of causal connections among the physical aspects of the Platte River, the ecology of habitats, and the biology of the four listed species have been questioned by commentators outside USFWS. In particular, the data related to whooping cranes, their use of the riverine habitats, and the importance of the Platte River in their ecology have attracted critical comment (G. Lingle, University of Nebraska, unpublished material, March 22, 2000). M.M Czaplewski, J.J. Shadle, J.J. Jenniges and M.M. Peyton (unpublished material, June 12, 2003) also have raised important questions about the science supporting the designation of the species as threatened or endangered and the science used to define instream flow requirements. The National Research Council committee has explored 20