USFWS Announces Recovery of Channel Island Fox

photo courtesy of Kim Michaels

Today is a banner day for island foxes and for those who have worked so long for their recovery and long-term conservation, including Friends of the Island Fox.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) proposed today that the three subspecies of island foxes on the northern Channel Islands be delisted; that is, that they be taken off the Federal list of "threatened" and "endangered" species, because they are recovered. The USFWS  has determined that those subspecies meet the criteria for complete delisting, as set forth in their island fox recovery plan. The  USFWS also proposed that island foxes on Santa Catalina Island be downlisted, meaning that their status would change from "endangered" to "threatened."

photo courtesy of Channel Islands National Park

Four island fox subspecies were listed as "endangered" in 2004 because of impacts from an unexpected predator (golden eagles) on the northern Channel Islands and canine distemper virus on Santa Catalina Island. More than a decade of recovery actions conducted by a host of organizations and individuals, in a cooperative conservation effort that now serves as model for species conservation, has resulted in one of the quickest recoveries, ever, of an endangered species.  Most species stay on the list for about 25 years and the island fox will exit after a mere 12 years on the list. The quick recovery is a testament to the effectiveness of the recovery actions, which included captive breeding and reintroduction of island foxes, capture and relocation of golden eagles, vaccination of foxes against distemper, and larger ecosystem recovery actions of bald eagle restoration and nonnative ungulate removal (pigs, deer and elk).

photo courtesy Catalina Island Conservancy

What happens next? Today’s action by the  USFWS is a proposed rule; after a period of public comment, the  USFWS will publish a final rule which actually takes the three northern island fox subspecies (in Channel Islands National Park) off the list, and upgrades the status of the Santa Catalina Island fox from "endangered" to "threatened." That final rule will likely be published later in 2016, perhaps as soon as several months from now. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of this momentous action! 

We at Friends of the Island Fox (a program of the Channel Islands Park Foundation), with your help and support, have been working toward this goal of island fox recovery since our inception in 2005. After official recovery, we will still work for the long-term conservation of this special species. Its small population size and restricted range make it vulnerable to catastrophic mortality causes such as canine disease, and it faces unknown impacts from global climate change; island foxes will always need to be monitored closely to detect and mitigate future mortality causes. With your help, we’ll continue to be on the job!

Tim Coonan, Island Fox Program Director 

photo courtesy of Melissa Baffa

Link to USFWS Official Press Release regarding Delisting of the Channel Island Fox
http://www.fws.gov/ventura/newsroom/release.cfm?item=357

Link to USFWS Island Fox Recovery Plan 
http://www.fws.gov/ventura/docs/recplans/Recovery%20Plan%20for%20Four%20Subspecies%20of%20Island%20Fox_2-27-15%20final.pdf  

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day at Santa Barbara Zoo

Take your valentine to see a Channel Island fox!

February 14, 2016

11 AM - 3 PM

Come Celebrate

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day

at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Friends of the Island Fox will have two booth locations during the Santa Barbara Zoo's celebration.

COME EXPERIENCE

• Challenge yourself to put the island fox's ecosystem in balance
• Compare a Channel Island fox to an African fennec
• Participate in our Discovering Science activity to answer a question regarding the human sense of smell 
• Create in fox-themed crafts
• Discover information about the island fox's home in Channel Islands National Park  
• Support Channel Island fox conservation: Friends of the Island Fox T-shirts & pins will be available for purchase

Channel Island fox at Santa Barbara Zoo

 SEE LIVE FOXES (the following events are planned for the day)

• 11:30 AM - Keeper Talk at Fennec Exhibit
• 12:30 PM - Meet "Beau" the Channel Island Fox on Amphitheater Stage
• 1:30  PM - Training Session at Channel Island Fox Exhibit
• 2:00 PM - Enrichment for the Island Fox, at Exhibit
• 2:30 PM - Keeper Talk at Channel Island Fox Exhibit

Fennecs at Santa Barbara Zoo

Make it a sweet day with the Channel Island fox.

All activities and programs are included with regular admission.