August 2, 1999

Government proposes delisting of Aleutian Canada geese

By JOHN HUGHES
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government Friday will propose removing Aleutian Canada geese from the threatened species list, citing a remarkable recovery after foxes introduced by fur farmers pushed the birds to the brink of extinction.

The migratory geese can be found on remote islands off the Alaska coast and near the Pacific City, Ore., and Modesto, Calif., areas during winters.

They were among the first animals to be listed under the Endangered Species Act and numbered just 790 in 1975.

But removing foxes from the birds' nesting islands, protecting their migration habitat and relocating geese to more islands helped bring their numbers to about 32,000 Friday, the Fish and Wildlife Service said.

"Humans nearly drove the Aleutian Canada goose to extinction, and humans through the Endangered Species Act saved this magnificent bird," Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said in a prepared statement.

The geese were defenseless when fur farmers and trappers introduced foxes to more than 190 islands in the birds' nesting range off Alaska as early as 1750.

The fox introductions at the previously mammal-free islands hit their peak from 1915 to 1936, when fur demand was high.

Biologists found no Aleutian Canada geese from 1938 through 1962, but then discovered a remaining population on the rugged, remote Buldir Island in the western Aleutian Islands.

The birds with the distinctive white neck bands were declared endangered species in 1967 under the Endangered Species Protection Act of 1966, a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act by seven years.

The birds' status was upgraded from endangered to threatened in 1990 after geese populations reached 6,300.

The geese could be taken off the threatened species list in about a year, following a final comment period.

Japanese Ambassador Kunihiko Saito, Russian Ambassador Yuriy Ushakov and Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott were expected to join Babbitt for Friday's delisting announcement.

The United States, Russia and Japan have a joint project to revive geese populations in the Kuril Islands off the coast of Russia. Eighty-six birds have been released so far at the islands and more releases are planned.

Friday's announcement marks the Fish and Wildlife Service's seventh proposed delisting this year. Only 27 species have been delisted since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, and 16 of those disappeared or had been listed by mistake.

There are still 1,181 species listed under the Endangered Species Act, 60 percent of which are plants.