By Abdullahi Lukman
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a series of proposed actions that could affect California farmers and ranchers.
These proposals involve the listing of certain species as threatened or endangered and the designation of critical habitats under the U.S. and state Endangered Species Acts.
The agency’s mission is to protect species facing severe population declines or imminent risks due to habitat loss, invasive species, or environmental degradation.
Once the Fish and Wildlife Service releases a proposed decision to list a species, it has one year to make a final determination.
Public comments can influence these decisions during this time. Kari Fisher, Senior Director and Counsel of Legal Advocacy at the California Farm Bureau, noted that public input could have a significant impact on the outcome.
For example, public comments are due by March 17 on the proposed listing of the Clear Lake hitch, a freshwater minnow found in Lake County, California.
The species has seen population declines due to habitat loss, the introduction of non-native fish, and poor water quality. Michael Fris, field supervisor for the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, noted that survey data has shown a long-term decline in the hitch population, although there is variability from year to year due to changing environmental conditions.
Justin Fredrickson, Senior Policy Analyst at the California Farm Bureau, emphasized that agricultural water users in the area have been working together to collect data and implement conservation efforts, which should be considered when making a decision on the species’ status.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has also proposed designating 91,630 acres of critical habitat for the San Francisco Bay-Delta population segment of the longfin smelt.
The proposal, which is open for comment until March 17, focuses on factors such as food availability, turbidity, temperature, and water flow necessary for the smelt’s spawning and rearing. The longfin smelt was listed as endangered in July 2024.
In Modoc County, the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the service to declare three species of fish in Goose Lake as endangered.
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These species—the Goose Lake sucker, Goose Lake lamprey, and Goose Lake tui chub—are threatened by agriculture, livestock grazing, and climate change. Goose Lake straddles the California-Oregon border, and these fish are only found in the lake and its tributaries.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is also considering the designation of 760,071 acres of critical habitat for four distinct population segments of the foothill yellow-legged frog in California.
The agency has cited threats to the species including altered water flows, predation, disease, climate change, wildfires, water-related recreation, and habitat degradation.
Some flexibility for forest fuels management is included in the proposal for certain populations of the frog.
Private landowners will be affected only if their activities involve federal funding or permitting, and about half of the proposed critical habitat falls on federal lands.
In addition to these federal proposals, state-level actions could also impact California farmers.
The California Fish and Game Commission is considering several species listings under the California Endangered Species Act.
The comment period for the proposed listing of the western burrowing owl ends February 15.
This species is threatened by habitat loss from development, pesticide exposure, and destruction of nest burrows.
The commission voted to list the owl as a candidate species last October and has a year to complete a status review.
The commission also voted to list the white sturgeon as threatened, and it must complete a status review by early July.
The white sturgeon, the largest freshwater fish in North America, could affect water supplies for farmers, with the petition citing threats from water diversion and other factors.
These proposed actions highlight the growing importance of conservation efforts and the potential impact on California’s agricultural community.
