The Jemez Mountain Salamander, an amphibian found only in the Jemez Mountains, could receive federal protection as a result of a settlement between Santa Fe-based conservation group WildEarth Guardians and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As a result of the agreement between the two parties announced earlier this month, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a “positive petition finding” for the Jemez Mountain Salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus), which triggers a full status review by the FWS to decide whether to designate the animal as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. According to WildEarth Guardians, the Salamander was first recognized by the federal government as likely needing federal protection in 1982.
“Because of logging, road building, climate change, and fire suppression, this unique salamander is at risk of extinction,” WildEarth Guardians stated. “Without federal protection, we may lose the Jemez Mountain Salamander and its contributions to the web of life forever.” (Click here to read about how the Jemez Mountains is at the epicenter of New Mexico climate change)
According to the conservation group, 90% of the Salamander’s habitat is in the Santa Fe National Forest. The species can be found in the Valles Caldera, both in the areas of the Caldera managed by the National Forest, as well as the portions of the Caldera managed by the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
The amphibian is small — its total length is between 1.5 and 4.5 inches, of which about half is the tail, according to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. “This salamander typically lives on shady, wooded sites at elevations of 7,500 to 9,500 feet,” according to the Department. “In these habitats, characterized by coniferous trees, salamanders spend much of their time under and in fallen logs. Old, stabilized talus slopes, especially those with a good covering of damp soil and plant debris, are important types of cover for this species.” The animal has no lungs, and thus must remain moist to breathe, according to WildEarth Guardians. It’s carnivorous and nocturnal, spending much of its time underground, eating insects found at night.
WildEarth Guardians stressed the positive benefits to the Jemez Mountains if the species is protected. “If listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Jemez Mountains salamander should be given habitat protections that will not only ensure its survival for future generations, but would also protect the Santa Fe National Forest and co-existing species,” the group stated.
The Jemez Mountain Salamander is the only species endemic to the Jemez. However, there is another subspecies of fauna found only in this volcanic range. The Goat Peak Pika, a subspecies of the American Pika (a small, hamster-like animal), is also endemic to the Jemez Mountains (click here to read about how the Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing whether the American Pika should also be protected under the Endangered Species Act).
The conservation group is intimately involved in the Jemez Mountains and the Valles Caldera. In May, the group bid $50,000 to virtually eliminate cattle grazing on the Valles Caldera National Preserve by proposing to graze 3-5 head of cattle. This move was done in an effort to counteract the damage that cattle grazing inflicts on the Preserve, including the erosion of streambanks, which among other effects raises stream temperature, adversely affecting the streams’ ecosystems, as well as the pollution of streams caused by cattle waste, and the deterioration of recreation experiences for visitors that cattle have caused. In a move that the Albuquerque Journal called “shortsighted,” the Valles Caldera Trust declined this bid, instead accepting a bid that permitted the grazing on the Preserve this summer of 500-1,500 “animal units” (an animal unit means “one mature cow of approximately 1,000 pounds and a calf up to weaning, usually 6 months of age, or their equivalent”).
WildEarth Guardians is also spending two weekends on the Valles Caldera National Preserve this summer working to remove old cattle fencing that is currently unused. “Fences are one of the many destructive things about livestock production on our public lands,” according to the group. “They impede wildlife migration patterns and cause death for young mammals, which can get caught in barbed wire. By removing them, we move closer towards our vision of making the Valles Caldera more friendly for wildlife.”
To join with the conservation group and spend Saturday, September 26 through Sunday, September 27 on the Preserve removing old fencing, which involves the seldom-enjoyed privilege of camping on the Valles Caldera National Preserve (which has never been offered by the Trust), RSVP to Rebecca Sobel at (505) 988-9126 ext. 1152 or rsobel@wildearthguardians.org.
Click here to read the AP story published in the Santa Fe New Mexican about the settlement between the FWS and WildEarth Guardians regarding the Jemez Mountain Salamander.
Click here to read the press release sent out by WildEarth Guardians about the settlement.
Click here to read the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wildlife fact sheet about the Jemez Mountain Salamander.
Finally, click here to read a story from May of 2008 by Staci Matlock in the Santa Fe New Mexican about the adverse effects of climate change on the Jemez Mountains.
