Region 6 (Northern Great Plains) of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
published a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Sprague's pipit
under the Endangered Species Act yesterday.  The finding was that listi=
ng
is warranted, but precluded by other higher priority actions right now.=

This means, however, that the Sprague's pipit is now a candidate specie=
s
(while it gets in a que for listing funding).  Region 6 has information=
 on
the finding posted on their website
(http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/birds/spraguespipit/).

Sprague's Pipits were once common breeders along the western border of =
the
state but intensive agriculture, especially in the Red River Valley (go=
tta
have those sugar beets, let's put high fructose corn syrup in everythin=
g we
eat) doomed the species in the state.  Once restoration of Glacial Ridg=
e
NWR's 32,000 acres is completed perhaps a reintroduction project might =
be
feasible along with Baird's Sparrow which shares similar habitat.
Sprague's Pipits are likely highly vulnerable to wind turbine projects
since their courtship flights take them well into the rotor sweep zone =
of
the largest turbines now popping up all over the prairies.

Bob Russell, US Fish and Wildlife Service

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