Prime Hook – The Delmarva fox squirrel, a larger, slower and more silver version of the common gray squirrel, and one of the first species protected by the Endangered Species Act, is no longer at risk of extinction, officials say.
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Although the species will be removed from the Endangered Species Act, there remain rare exemplars in DE, nonetheless. Fortunately, the Delmarva fox squirrel is here to lift our spirits, as it continues the streak of species being removed from the Endangered Species list.
In the mid-1990s, a few unofficial reports which couldn’t be verified stated that a small population had been established.
The Department of Interior announced the service’s partnerships with states and landowners as being instrumental in the recovery.
Now that it has been officially acknowledged that this species of squirrels is no longer endangered, authorities celebrate their achievement. It also throws light on the string of success stories that demonstrate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act.
In the specific matter of the Delmarva fox squirrel, Bean thanked the efforts of the states of Maryland, DE and Virginia, which have offered their help over the years in order to make this day possible.
In DE, numbers are still struggling, though, said Kara Coats, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control deputy secretary.
Other species like the whooping crane and the California condor have been brought back from the brink of extinction.
Announcing the delisting of the animal, Fish & Wildlife deputy assistant secretary Michael Bean said, “The fox squirrel’s return to this area, rich with farmland and forest, marks not only a major win …”
Since then, active conservation work and the support of Delmarva residents have increased the fox squirrel’s range to 135,000 acres of forest across 10 counties, and boosted populations by about 20,000 individuals, according to FWS. “Through our Delmarva Fox Squirrel Conservation Plan, we have a path forward to further enhancing and restoring Delaware’s population of Delmarva fox squirrels as part of our state’s ecological diversity and landscape”. As per the agency, over 80% of the land in the current range of the squirrel is privately owned.
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Efforts contributing to recovery include translocation of animals to establish new populations, closing of the targeted hunting season, growth and dispersal of the population, and protection of large forested areas for habitat, officials noted.
