Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Management and Policy

The Cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl was listed as endangered in 1997, and today numbers less than 20 throughout its range in Arizona. Due to decades of unplanned suburban sprawl in fast-growing southern Arizona, this tiny carnivore faces imminent extinction. Defenders is fighting to return the pygmy-owl to the endangered species list and is also working with local communities to improve planning processes and habitat protection.

Development Industry & Bush Administration Push for Delisting

Making matters worse for the pygmy-owl, the US Fish and Wildlife Service under the Bush Administration took advantage of a prolonged court battle instigated by the development industry to strip the owl of all federal protections. This, despite the fact that less than 20 owls remain in Arizona, and despite the fact that the best available science continues to confirm that this species is on the brink of extinction. See a timeline of the court battles waged over the pygmy-owl.

Defenders continues to fight to return the pygmy-owl to the endangered species list, and in March 2007 submitted a petition to re-list the western population. Read the petition to re-list the pygmy-owl as endangered here.

In response to the petition to relist the pygmy owl as endangered, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced in a 90-day finding that the petition presented significant information indicating that relisting may be warranted, and that the Service will review the status of the species during the following year (June 2, 2008 - June 2, 2009).

The FWS encourages the public to provide any new relevant information on the historical and current status of the species, including distribution, biology and ecology, ongoing conservation measures for the species and its habitat, and threats to the species or its habitat. Comments and information will be accepted until Friday, August 1, 2008 and must be submitted online.

Local Communities Working to Safeguard Burrowing Owls

Regional collaborative efforts currently hold the most hope for the owl, and have offered a safeguard for the species while the battle over federal listing continues. Since 1998 Defenders has been working with communities across southern Arizona to protect the pygmy-owl locally through regional conservation and land use planning efforts that aim to responsibly plan for future growth by guiding development away from important Sonoran desert habitat.

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan: Pima County, Arizona hopes to stop the owl’s decline with the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP), an award-winning habitat conservation and land use plan that aims to protect the owl and many other vulnerable native species essential to health of the region. This visionary planning effort will allow the local community to plan responsibly for needed growth and economic expansion while protecting its wildlife and fragile desert landscapes for the benefit of all.

Since 1998, ranchers, businesspeople, neighbors and conservationists, including Defenders of Wildlife, have come together to participate in this groundbreaking effort, and there is widespread community support to protect Pima County’s unique Sonoran desert home. As the only national organization actively participating in this effort, Defenders continues to play a critical role in the development of the plan. While there are several challenges still facing the county as it works to complete some critical details, the SDCP is still on track to be the most successful plan of its kind in the country. We look forward to continuing to work with the county to address these outstanding issues and move forward on implementation.

Other Local Planning efforts: In addition to working with Pima County, we also work with other regional jurisdictions who are interested in developing their own conservation planning efforts. The Town of Marana and the City of Tucson, the two largest population centers in Pima County, have both followed Pima County’s lead and begun working on similar habitat conservation plans. Because of our effective collaboration with the County, Defenders of Wildlife has been invited to help guide these planning efforts also, in the hopes of creating seamless conservation plans across the region.

Pima County Open Space Bonds: In May 2004 Pima County voters once again showed their support for protecting their natural heritage by voting for a $174.3 million open space bond package. This money has allowed Pima County to begin purchasing some of the area’s most sensitive and threatened lands, and will continue the county’s proud legacy of safeguarding the community’s natural resources for generations to come.

Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection: We helped to found and continue to direct the work of the formidable Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the lead force behind the development of the SDCP and other regional conservation planning efforts. Learn more  about the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and our work with Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.