A least tern checks her eggs in
May 2010 on a beach in Gulfport, Miss. On Wednesday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service proposed taking the least tern off the endangered species list.
A bird that dwells in Arkansas,
the Missouri River and the lower Mississippi River no longer needs to be
considered endangered, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal.
Research shows the population of
least tern has rebounded from a loss of habitat related to river damming.
Colonies numbered near 500 in
2005, up tenfold from 20 years before. The population is estimated to be 18,000
now.
In Arkansas, researchers at
Arkansas Tech University have been surveying the bird's population since about
2001 and recommending to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ways to help the
bird. The Corps has paid the university for the surveying and research most
years since then.
The least tern has a long life
span, up to 20 years, said Thomas Nupp, professor of wildlife science and
director of Arkansas Tech's fisheries and wildlife science program.
"That means they don't need
to be successful in reproduction every year but need to be consistent over the
years," Nupp said. "That was a very interesting and unique thing
about their biology compared to other birds."
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