Here's the latest on local efforts to restore Carlsbad's endangered species
Work was underway throughout 2023 to recover three imperiled species native to the Carlsbad area and southeast New Mexico, all threatened by human land uses like oil and gas extraction and agriculture.
The Texas hornshell mussel was listed as endangered in 2018, and the lesser prairie chicken received the same protections last year. The dunes sagebrush lizard was proposed for a listing earlier this year, with a final decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expected in 2024.
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Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), an animal or plant can either be listed as “endangered,” the highest class of protection if extinction is deemed imminent, or “threatened” if the agency believed an endangered designation will soon be warranted.
Carlsbad-based nonprofit the Center for Excellence (CEHMM) works in the region to restore habitats and mitigate human impacts on these species, using conservation agreements signed by landowners.
Several miles of fencing, oil and gas well pads, roads and other infrastructure were removed from habitat areas by CEHMM to protect the species, while ranchers worked to graze more efficiently to not damage areas needed to restore populations.
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Why is restoring these animals needed?
Endangered listings require the Service devise a plan to restore the species, including setting aside lands for habitat restoration and re-growing population.
That can become controversial, as landowners and users worry such regulatory action could restrict their activities and inhibit their industries.
But the health of these species is often an indicator of the health of the environment they rely on, and the restoration work seeks to mitigate threats to that ecosystem.
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CEHMM partnered with industry and local landowners to begin the process of restoring habitats and recovering the species endangered by human activities.
The organization facilitates agreements with the landowners on federal, state and private land that see them take on certain conservation practices ahead of a listing, insulating landowners from further restrictions once a listing is put in place and maintaining those efforts after.
Here’s the latest work being done to restore the three species.
Texas hornshell mussel struggles in small portion of the Black River
One of the last remaining mussels native to New Mexico, the Texas hornshell mussel declined as more water was pumped out of the Pecos River and its tributary the Black River where the animal dwells.
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Today, it was estimated to survive in only an eight-mile stretch of the Black River and be vulnerable to increased aridity in the region.
To support the river flows and thus the hornshell mussel, CEHMM reported continual monitoring with a minimum flow goal of 9.3 cubic feet per second, which the river was frequently below.
On low-flow days, CEHMM notifies users of the water to curtail their pumping as required by their agreements.
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This occurred on about 97 percent of the days in the third quarter of 2023, CEHMM reported, with a notice of curtailment sent out once.
A population monitoring project was also funded with $149,987, read the report, running until July 31, 2025, in a partnership with Miami University.
“The results of these analyses will inform management activities that seek to secure the existing population in the Black River and allow tracking of the population trajectory over time,” the report read.
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Lesser prairie chicken, dunes sagebrush lizard impeded by development on eastern plains
The lesser prairie chicken lives in eastern New Mexico, requiring the wide-spanning plains to breed in groups called leks.
The leks avoid tall structures where predators can perch and can be impacted by developments like power lines or tall buildings.
Continued development of the region and its impacts on the bird led the Fish and Wildlife Service to list a southern portion of the species in southeast New Mexico and West Texas as endangered, with a norther population in several other states deemed threatened.
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That drew concerns as the endangered region was amid the Permian Basin oil and gas industry, and CEHMM worked with energy developers to move infrastructure out of habitat areas.
The group reported its enrollment for the bird ended in March 2023 after the listing went into effect, but work continued to open up areas for it to regrow.
Meanwhile, the dunes sagebrush lizard occupies similar habitat and was proposed for a listing earlier this year, so CEHMM’s actions were often mutually beneficial to both species.
What efforts were taken to save the chicken and lizard?
In the third quarter of 2023, CEHMM completed several projects aimed at both the lesser prairie chicken and dunes sagebrush lizard.
This included relocating seven well pads, and 15 rights of way, read the report, while vegetation monitoring was conducted at 16 enrolled ranches between August and October.
About 65 total miles of fencing was removed from habitats, and aerial treatments were conducted on about 13,000 acres to remove invasive mesquite plants.
Other projects like installing stock tanks and pipelines were intended to help ranchers graze more efficiently to mitigate species impacts.
How much land is set aside for the work?
A total of about 2.4 million acres were enrolled in conservation agreements by the ranching industry, with about 3.2 million from the oil and gas industry, according to preliminary numbers.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Here's the latest efforts to restore Carlsbad's imperiled species
