New proposed protections for the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan — an alpine bird subspecies whose snowy habitat is shrinking — have drawn the attention of the Board of Lewis County Commissioners.
On Monday, Commissioner Gary Stamper, whose rural and expansive district includes most of East Lewis County, said the recent announcement is “something we need to stay on top of.”
The county will be reaching out to the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) about the issue as well. The timber industry lobbying group previously worked with Lewis County in an attempt to chip away at protections for the northern spotted owl, a species that became a key part of the discussion around timber, a once-booming local industry.
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced its proposal to list the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, granting it federal protections.
The move comes after a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as scientific assessment on the subspecies. The bird, found high up in the Cascades, is the smallest member of the grouse family, and has adapted to living in the snow. Now, climate change is squeezing the animals’ frigid climate, according to USFWS.
“Changing habitat conditions, such as loss of suitable alpine vegetation and reduced snow quality and quantity, are expected to cause populations to decline,” USFWS documents read. According to the federal agency, spring snowpack statewide declined by 30% from 1955 to 2016, and is expected to decline by another 38-46% by mid-century.
Rising temperatures will have “direct and rapid” impacts on the bird, which experiences “physiological stress” when temperatures reach 70 degrees.
Populations of the birds aren’t well connected, “and it is unlikely that Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan will adapt to the changing climate by moving northward because alpine areas north of their current range are expected to undergo similar impacts due to climate change,” USFWS noted.
According to Stamper, potential regulations stemming from the listing of the birds may not have a direct impact on Lewis County, since the species is found in such high altitudes. But regulations could still impact timber “buffer zones,” he noted.
Previously, Lewis County joined neighboring counties as well as AFRC to pressure — through public comments as well as litigation — USFWS to significantly diminish critical habitat protected for the threatened species.
Under former president Donald Trump, the agency did strip away protections for the owls — much to the outrage of environmental groups. But implementation was put on pause this year, and the USFWS has since signaled that it will prepare a “revision or withdrawal” of the controversial rule.
Just as the northern spotted owl is an indicator species for old growth forests, the white-tailed ptarmigan is an indicator for the health of high-elevation ecosystems. According to USFWS, critical habitat designations are “not prudent” for the ptarmigans.
The public is invited to comment on the ptarmigans’ proposed listing through Aug. 16. Find details at https://tinyurl.com/zw499a5t.
