Species at risk - Species at Risk - Canadian Wildlife Service

Conserving Borderline Species: A Partnership between the United States and Canada

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What You Can Do

Under the U.S.-Canada Framework, any interested party, whether government or private, may seek the assistance of either of the two Federal wildlife agencies in establishing cooperative programs with its counterpart in the other country, even if the species is at risk in only one of the two countries. Here are some things the public can do to help protect wild species:

Report sightings of migratory species, like whooping cranes, to area wildlife agencies. Scientists carefully monitor species during migration to determine what flight paths they are following, where their staging grounds are along the way, and what influences are impacting on them during the journey;
Observe the behavior of species at risk and let biologists know what you've learned. Keen naturalists in California were the first to observe that marbled murrelets feed at dawn and dusk, critical information in efforts to protect this small bird;
Cooperate with scientists in research and recovery activities. Hundreds of volunteers have participated in international piping plover inventories, helping officials to identify plover numbers and habitat in the wild;
Join local wildlife groups. Many conservation organizations have local chapters, and, in many rural and urban areas, groups have been established to help preserve specific species or groups of species or restore their habitats;
Inform area wildlife agencies of opportunities for developing or expanding endangered species recovery cooperation. You may live near the habitat of an endangered species that no one knows about, or know of ways the habitat of a known species could be enhanced or protected;
Do not disrupt the habitat of a species at risk. For the piping plover, for example, biologists ask the public to respect all areas fenced or posted as plover habitat, to not approach or linger near plover nests, to keep pets on a leash and cats indoors, and to refrain from littering beaches, which attracts plover predators like raccoons;
Ensure that species at risk are not in harm's way. For example, biologists helping to recover the Lake Erie water snake suggest that you use a broom, rake, or stick to gently encourage this harmless, nonvenomous species to move off roads and away from boat motors and other machinery where they can be injured.
Learn about species at risk, and tell others what you have learned, at home, in conversation, during trips into the wild, or at school. Many wildlife agencies give out brochures, posters, videos, or other communications materials that describe a species at risk and explain how its decline contributes to reducing the planet's cherished plant and animal diversity.
Respect endangered species laws. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act carries protective measures for listed species. For example, it is illegal to remove or destroy any western prairie fringed orchids in any area under Federal jurisdiction, or to knowingly violate any State law protecting the species. In Canada, several Provinces have laws that protect species at risk. As well, an Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk has been approved-in-principle by Federal, Provincial, and Territorial wildlife ministers. Other pieces of Federal and Provincial legislation, such as the Migratory Bird Convention Act, also afford protection to species at risk.
Protect natural areas from invasive species. Plant only species that are native to your area for landscaping and habitat restoration. Do not release any animals into the wild that didn't come from that location.

For More Information

In Canada, contact the Canadian Wildlife Service at 1-800-668-6767 or visit [www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca]. In the United States, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-WILD or visit [http://endangered.fws.gov].

This publication is also available in French and online at either web site.

Framework for Cooperation Between the U.S. Department of the Interior and Environment Canada in the Protection and Recovery of Wild Species at Risk

The goal of this framework is to prevent populations of wild species shared by the United States and Canada from becoming extinct as a consequence of human activity, through the conservation of wildlife populations and the ecosystems on which they depend.

The United States and Canada:

share a common concern for and commitment to the protection and recovery of wild species at risk of extinction;
have a long history of cooperation in the management of shared populations of wildlife and plants, as demonstrated by collaborative efforts for the recovery of endangered migratory species such as the whooping crane (Grus americana) and the piping plover (Charadrius melodus);
recognize that greater success in protecting and recovering shared populations of species at risk can be achieved through cooperative, coordinated action; and
acknowledge that conservation action is most often effective when implemented using a multi-species approach at the landscape level.

The United States Department of the Interior and Environment Canada Announce a Framework for Coooperative Action to:

facilitate the exchange of information and technical expertise regarding the conservation of species at risk and their habitat;
harmonize the evaluation and identification of such species;
provide a means of identifying species at risk that require bilateral action;
promote the development and implementation of joint or multi-national recovery plans for species identified as endangered or threatened;
encourage expanded and more effective partnerships between our two agencies and states, provinces, and territorial aboriginal and tribal governments, and the private sector (individuals, conservation groups, corporations, etc.) in recovery efforts;
create greater public awareness and involvement regarding the need to conserve wildlife populations and the ecosystems on which they depend, and to prevent the loss of shared species; and
use the cooperative arrangements established in the Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management to provide a mechanism for establishing mutual priorities, coordinating recovery actions, and ensuring efficient use of available resources for the protection and recovery of species at risk.

The implementing agencies for this framework are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada.

In recognition of the continental nature and importance of many species at risk, and existing partnerships, the United States and Canada intend to invite the participation of Mexico in this framework.

Signed at Washington, D.C.
This 7th day of April 1997;

For the United States of America

Department of the Interior

For Canada

Department of the Environment

Secretary Bruce Babbitt

Minister Sergio Marchi

Credits

Canada

Reviewers of maps and text:

B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks: Matt Austen, Ian Hatter, James Quayle

Canadian Wildlife Service: Diane Amirault, Theresa Anískowicz-Fowler, Lu Carbyn, Paul Goossen, Brian Johns, Ken Morgan, Simon Nadeau, Kent Prior

Manitoba Conservation: Jason Greenall

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources: Terry Crabe, Mike Oldham

Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management: Earl Wiltse

Canadian coordinator: Danielle Gagnon, Canadian Wildlife Service

Text: West Hawk Associates Inc.

Maps: Mike Elliot, Canadian Wildlife Service

Design: ACR Communications Inc.

United States

Reviewers of maps and text:

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation: Julianne Hoagland

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Suzanne Audet, Anne Hecht, Buddy Fazio, Lee Folliard, Pete Gober, Karen Kreil, Mike Lockhart, Bob Murphy, Robyn Niver, Christopher Servheen, Janet Smith, Tom Stehn

U.S. Geological Survey: Marsha Sovada

University of Minnesota: Jennifer Stucker

U.S. coordinator: Susan Jewell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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