Endangered species in Tennessee

in Tennessee

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State environmental policy
U.S. environmental policy
Endangered species policy
State endangered species
Federal land policy
Environmental terms

Endangered species policy in Tennessee involves the identification and protection of endangered and threatened animal and plant species. Policies are implemented and enforced by both the state and federal governments.

See the tabs below for further information:

1. Background: This tab provides contextual information about the Endangered Species Act and key terms and concepts.
2. Listed species: This tab provides information about endangered and threatened animal and plant species in Tennessee; information about the process of listing a species as endangered or threatened is also provided.
3. Provisions: This tab provides information about legal provisions relating to private and governmental activities.
4. Governance: This tab provides information about federal and state agencies and, where applicable, state laws.

Background

Overview

See also: History of the Endangered Species Act

The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 provides for the identification, listing, and protection of both threatened and endangered species and their habitats. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the law was designed to prevent the extinction of vulnerable plant and animal species through the development of recovery plans and the protection of critical habitats. ESA administration and enforcement are the responsibility of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.^[1][2]

The law authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to allocate funds to states for assisting in the recovery of threatened and endangered species. The law also created the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund to award grants to states for voluntary projects on non-federal lands.

The law mandates that states adopt their own endangered and threatened species management programs subject to approval by the federal government. The law requires states to do the following:^[3][4][3]

1. Conserve the species of fish or wildlife determined by the state or federal government to be endangered or threatened
2. Create conservation programs for all species of fish or wildlife identified by the federal government as endangered or threatened and provide detailed plans for these programs to the U.S. Department of Commerce
3. Be authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct investigations to determine the status and requirements for survival of resident species of fish and wildlife
4. Be authorized before establishing programs to acquire land or aquatic habitats for conserving endangered or threatened species

Key federal ESA terms

See also: Glossary of Endangered Species Act terms

• Candidate species: Animal and plant species for which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has sufficient information to propose them as endangered or threatened, but for which a proposed listing has not been processed because of higher priority listings.
• Critical habitat: Specific geographic areas, whether occupied by listed species or not, that are determined to be essential for the conservation and management of listed species.^[5]
• Delisting: The process of removing an animal or plant species from the threatened or endangered species list upon a determination that threats against it have been sufficiently reduced or eliminated.^[6]
• Endangered species: The classification provided to an animal or plant in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.^[7]
• Listed species: Species, subspecies, or a distinct vertebrate population segment that has been added to the federal lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.^[8]
• Range: The geographic area a species is known or anticipated to occupy.^[9]
• Species recovery: The elimination or reduction in threats to an animal or plant species' survival. Once a species has recovered, it is removed from the federal list of endangered species.^[10]
• Taking a species: Taking a species generally includes causing any harm to a federally protected animal or plant species. Any individual that knowingly takes a listed species can be fined up to $25,000 by the federal government for each violation or instance. The text of the law outlining federal penalties can be accessed here.^[11]
• Threatened species: Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Listed species

Federally listed species in Tennessee

There were 93 endangered and threatened animal and plant species believed to or known to occur in Tennessee as of July 2016.^[12]

The table below lists the 73 endangered and threatened animal species believed to or known to occur in the state. The word "entire" after a name indicates that the species occurs throughout the state.

Endangered animal species in Tennessee
Status	Species
Endangered	Acornshell, southern (Epioblasma othcaloogensis)
Endangered	Bat, gray Entire (Myotis grisescens)
Endangered	Bat, Indiana Entire (Myotis sodalis)
Endangered	Bat, Virginia big-eared Entire (Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) townsendii virginianus)
Endangered	Bean, Cumberland (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Villosa trabalis)
Endangered	Bean, purple (Villosa perpurpurea)
Endangered	Blossom, green (pearlymussel) Entire (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculum)
Endangered	Blossom, tubercled (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma torulosa torulosa)
Endangered	Blossom, turgid (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma turgidula)
Endangered	Blossom, yellow (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma florentina florentina)
Endangered	Clubshell Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Pleurobema clava)
Endangered	Clubshell, ovate (Pleurobema perovatum)
Endangered	Combshell, Cumberlandian Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma brevidens)
Endangered	Combshell, upland (Epioblasma metastriata)
Endangered	Crayfish, Nashville Entire (Orconectes shoupi)
Endangered	dace, Laurel Entire (Chrosomus saylori)
Endangered	Darter, amber Entire (Percina antesella)
Endangered	Darter, bluemask (=jewel) Entire (Etheostoma sp.)
Endangered	Darter, boulder Entire (Etheostoma wapiti)
Endangered	Darter, Cumberland Entire (Etheostoma susanae)
Endangered	Darter, duskytail Entire (Etheostoma percnurum)
Endangered	Elktoe, Appalachian Entire (Alasmidonta raveneliana)
Endangered	Elktoe, Cumberland (Alasmidonta atropurpurea)
Endangered	Fanshell (Cyprogenia stegaria)
Endangered	Kidneyshell, fluted (Ptychobranchus subtentum)
Endangered	Kidneyshell, triangular (Ptychobranchus greenii)
Endangered	Lampmussel, Alabama Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Lampsilis virescens)
Endangered	Lilliput, pale (pearlymussel) Entire (Toxolasma cylindrellus)
Endangered	Logperch, Conasauga Entire (Percina jenkinsi)
Endangered	Madtom, chucky Entire (Noturus crypticus)
Endangered	Madtom, pygmy Entire (Noturus stanauli)
Endangered	Madtom, smoky Entire (Noturus baileyi)
Endangered	Marstonia, royal (snail) Entire (Pyrgulopsis ogmorhaphe)
Endangered	Moccasinshell, Coosa (Medionidus parvulus)
Endangered	Monkeyface, Appalachian (pearlymussel) (Quadrula sparsa)
Endangered	Monkeyface, Cumberland (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Quadrula intermedia)
Endangered	Mucket, pink (pearlymussel) Entire (Lampsilis abrupta)
Endangered	Mussel, oyster Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma capsaeformis)
Endangered	Mussel, sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus)
Endangered	Mussel, snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, birdwing Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Lemiox rimosus)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, cracking Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Hemistena lata)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, dromedary Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Dromus dromas)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, littlewing Entire (Pegias fabula)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, slabside (Pleuronaia dolabelloides)
Endangered	Pigtoe, Cumberland Entire (Pleurobema gibberum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, finerayed Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Fusconaia cuneolus)
Endangered	Pigtoe, Georgia (Pleurobema hanleyianum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, rough (Pleurobema plenum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, shiny Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Fusconaia cor)
Endangered	Pigtoe, southern (Pleurobema georgianum)
Endangered	Pimpleback, orangefoot (pearlymussel) (Plethobasus cooperianus)
Endangered	Rabbitsfoot, rough (Quadrula cylindrica strigillata)
Endangered	Riffleshell, tan Entire (Epioblasma florentina walkeri (=E. walkeri))
Endangered	Ring pink (mussel) (Obovaria retusa)
Endangered	Riversnail, Anthony's Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Athearnia anthonyi)
Endangered	Spectaclecase (mussel) (Cumberlandia monodonta)
Endangered	Spider, spruce-fir moss (Microhexura montivaga)
Endangered	Squirrel, Carolina northern flying Entire (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus)
Endangered	Sturgeon, pallid Entire (Scaphirhynchus albus)
Endangered	Tern, least interior pop. (Sterna antillarum)
Endangered	Wartyback, white (pearlymussel) (Plethobasus cicatricosus)
Threatened	Bat, Northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis)
Threatened	Chub, slender Entire (Erimystax cahni)
Threatened	Chub, spotfin Entire, except where listed as an experimental population (Erimonax monachus)
Threatened	Dace, blackside Entire (Phoxinus cumberlandensis)
Threatened	Darter, slackwater Entire (Etheostoma boschungi)
Threatened	Darter, snail Entire (Percina tanasi)
Threatened	Madtom, yellowfin Entire, except where EXPN (Noturus flavipinnis)
Threatened	Pocketbook, finelined (Lampsilis altilis)
Threatened	Rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica cylindrica)
Threatened	Shiner, blue Entire (Cyprinella caerulea)
Threatened	Snail, painted snake coiled forest Entire (Anguispira picta)
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Listed species believed to or known to occur in Tennessee"

The table below lists the 20 endangered and threatened plant species believed to or known to occur in the state.^[13]

Endangered plant species in Tennessee
Status	Species
Endangered	Aster, Ruth's golden (Pityopsis ruthii)
Endangered	Avens, spreading (Geum radiatum)
Endangered	Bladderpod, Short's (Physaria globosa)
Endangered	Bladderpod, Spring Creek (Lesquerella perforata)
Endangered	Bluet, Roan Mountain (Hedyotis purpurea var. montana)
Endangered	Grass, Tennessee yellow-eyed (Xyris tennesseensis)
Endangered	Ground-plum, Guthrie's (=Pyne's) (Astragalus bibullatus)
Endangered	Leather flower, Morefield's (Clematis morefieldii)
Endangered	Lichen, rock gnome (Gymnoderma lineare)
Endangered	Prairie-clover, leafy (Dalea foliosa)
Endangered	Rock-cress, Braun's (Arabis perstellata)
Endangered	Sandwort, Cumberland (Arenaria cumberlandensis)
Endangered	Sunflower, whorled (Helianthus verticillatus)
Threatened	Fern, American hart's-tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum)
Threatened	Goldenrod, Blue Ridge (Solidago spithamaea)
Threatened	Pogonia, small whorled (Isotria medeoloides)
Threatened	Potato-bean, Price's (Apios priceana)
Threatened	Rosemary, Cumberland (Conradina verticillata)
Threatened	Skullcap, large-flowered (Scutellaria montana)
Threatened	-
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Listed species believed to or known to occur in Tennessee"

The United States contained 2,389 species protected under the Endangered Species Act as of July 2016 (this includes the 50 states but not U.S. territories). The map below displays the number of species protected under the Endangered Species Act in each state as of July 2016.^[14]

Number of species protected under the Endangered Species Act by state (as of July 2016)

Listing a species

Before a species is added to the federal threatened and endangered list, it is first placed on a list of candidate species. This placement happens in two ways. The public may petition to list a species, or biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) may study a species whose population is thought to be declining and decide themselves whether the species qualifies as a candidate. The law stipulates that FWS scientists must use accurate scientific information collected from several sources to back their candidate decisions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service applies five criteria to label a species as endangered or threatened:

“	the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; disease or predation; the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; other natural or manmade factors affecting its survival.[15]	”
—U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service[4]

If one or more of these criteria are met, the agency can begin action to protect the species and its habitat.

Petitioning to list a species

See also: Listing petition

Any citizen or group may petition the federal government to list a species as endangered or threatened. The process occurs as follows:^[16][17]

1. Petitioners submit information on the biology, distribution, and threats to a species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Office generally must respond to a petition within 90 days.
2. Within one year of receiving the petition, the agencies must publish a finding on whether listing a particular species is warranted.
3. If the agencies do not meet these timelines, citizens and groups are permitted under the Endangered Species Act to sue the agencies to enforce the timelines so that the species receives federal protection.
4. When a species is listed, the government is required to review its status every five years.

Delisting a species

See also: Delisting a species

Delisting is the process of removing the endangered or threatened status of species. Downlisting is a reclassification of status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from endangered to threatened. When the service delists or downlists a species, this generally means that the recovery or conservation of a species has been successful. To delist a species, the agencies must determine that the species is not threatened based on population size, stability of habitat quality and quantity, and control or elimination of threats to the species. Species are also delisted if they become extinct.^[18][19][20]

As of July 2016, 63 endangered or threatened species had been delisted. Of those species, 34 were delisted due to recovery, 19 species were listed in error (for scientific reasons or because new information about a species was discovered), and 10 species went extinct.^[18]

Provisions

See also: Private property and the Endangered Species Act

Taking a species

The Endangered Species Act makes the taking of an animal on the endangered or threatened species list illegal. According to the act, to take is to "harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service further defines harm to mean "an act which actually kills or injures wildlife." According to the act, harassment of a species is defined as "an intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering." State governments may apply further restrictions on the taking of an endangered or threatened species. Any individual that knowingly takes a listed species can be fined up to $25,000 by the federal government for each violation. The text of the law outlining federal penalties can be accessed here.^{[4][21][22][23]}

Federal law prohibits individuals from engaging in interstate or foreign commerce with a federally protected plant species. Federal law also prohibits taking (e.g., moving, damaging or destroying) a protected plant on federal property. However, individuals may take, move, damage, or destroy a federally protected plant on private land, unless a state law prohibits such activity.^[24]

Private activities requiring permits

In addition to taking a species, delivering, receiving, selling, purchasing, or transporting a threatened or endangered animal species is prohibited without a permit, whether the species is alive or dead. Permits are also required for individual or group activities that involve interfering with a species' habitat. Individuals engaging in activities that might result in the taking of a protected species must abide by a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which includes information on how to mitigate or minimize any impacts to the species or its habitat.^[25]

Regional offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issue incidental take permits. An incidental take permit is required if an activity may result in the taking of a threatened or endangered species. Those who apply for this permit must submit a habitat conservation plan to the proper federal or state authority ensuring that the effects of taking the species will be minimized and mitigated.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly half of all federally protected threatened and endangered species have at least 80 percent of their habitats on private land. This means that private landowners, which include private citizens, businesses, and organizations, must cooperate with federal agencies to conserve listed species.^[26]

Private parties may be required to work with the Fish and Wildlife Service in the following ways:

• Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are implemented by non-federal groups (state governments, private individuals, and groups) in consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service. The plans are required in order to obtain incidental take permits. Habitat Conservation Plans contain information on the predicted effects of taking a species, how these effects will be minimized or mitigated, and how the plan will be funded. Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attempts to assure property owners that they will not face additional land restrictions beyond those outlined in their Habitat Conservation Plans. The plans can be applied to listed species, candidate species, species proposed for listing, and non-listed species (usually for the purpose of preventing future listing).^[27]
• Candidate Conservation Agreements are made by the Fish and Wildlife Service with non-federal property owners to provide incentives for conserving candidate species so that they are not listed as endangered or threatened.^[28]

Affected governmental activities

Federal law requires conservation programs for all listed endangered and threatened species and their habitats. This requirement can affect all federal agencies.

• Consultations are partnerships between the Fish and Wildlife Service and federal agencies. Federal law requires all federal agencies to participate in conserving listed species, stipulating that agency activities must not be "likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify designated critical habitats." Consultations can involve recovering the habitats of listed species, addressing threats to listed species from federal programs or actions, and coordinating projects and resources between federal agencies. Examples of federal activities that require require consultations include oil and natural gas drilling on federal land, offshore drilling in areas owned by the federal government, and oil and gas activities affecting wetlands or other waters of the United States.^{[29] [30]}
• Recovery is a process to halt the decline of endangered or threatened populations by removing or reducing threats. In its recovery efforts, the Fish and Wildlife Service collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as conservation groups, businesses, private individuals, and volunteers. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, recovery plans are implemented "to stabilize, recover, and ultimately delist" threatened and endangered species.^[31]

Governance

Federal and state agencies

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a federal agency responsible for the Endangered Species Act. The agency recovers and conserves endangered or threatened species. The agency also classifies endangered or threatened species. The agency's enacted budget for fiscal year 2014 totaled $2.79 billion.^[32][33]
• The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission is responsible for managing and conserving the state's endangered species.^[34]

Federal grants

2015

The table shows the amounts Tennessee received under the Recovery Land Acquisition Grant program in fiscal year 2015. These grants were given to fund land acquisition.

Federal grants for land acquisition in fiscal year 2015
Area	Grant	Cost per acre*	Purpose
Cumberland County	$511,890	N/A	This grant went toward habitat conservation plans for aquatic and forest habitat, which are home to listed species like the Indiana bat, gray bat, and the spotfin chub (a fish species).
*Cost per acre was calculated by dividing the grant cost by the total number of acres conserved. Some funds may have gone to activities other than land acquisition. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "FY 2015 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Project Descriptions Arranged by State"

2014

The table shows the amounts Tennessee received under the Recovery Land Acquisition Grant program in fiscal year 2014. These grants were given to fund land acquisition.

Federal grants for land acquisition in fiscal year 2014
Area	Grant	Cost per acre*	Purpose
Davidson County	$800,000	$328.54	This grant went toward acquiring 2,435 acres for habitats near the Caney Fork River, which is home to two endangered aquatic species, the bluemask darter (a fish species) and the Cumberland pigtoe (a mollusk species). The land acquired was also used to protect imperiled bats, such as the gray and Indiana bats.
*Cost per acre was calculated by dividing the grant cost by the total number of acres conserved. Some funds may have gone to activities other than land acquisition. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "FY 2014 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Project Descriptions Arranged by State"

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee endangered species. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• 

• 

• 

• Environmental policy in Tennessee
• Endangered Species Act
• Implementation of the Endangered Species Act
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Endangered species

External links

• Text of the Endangered Species Act
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website
• U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Service
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission

Footnotes