U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PROPOSES TO LIST THE CEDAR KEY MOLE SKINK AS ENDANGERED
2024 August 7
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Cedar Key mole skink as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is also proposing critical habitat for the species.
“The Cedar Key mole skink is a unique and important part of the local ecosystem,” said Billy Brooks, fish and wildlife biologist for the Service’s Southeast Region “By taking this science-based step we are ensuring this species will continue to be an important part of the ecosystem and that it will be here for future generations.”
The slim, tan Cedar Key mole skink is a small, secretive, and elusive lizard. Mole skinks are semi-fossorial, meaning they dig, burrow and live underground. Cedar Key mole skinks are often found underneath ground cover such as seagrass wrack, leaves, and logs that accumulate on beaches and dunes. They are only found in small numbers on 10 islands within the Cedar Keys in Levy County, Florida. Coastal erosion, severe storms, and sea level rise driven by climate change are threatening the species after development has reduced its habitat.
The Service is proposing to designate 2,713 acres of critical habitat for the Cedar Key mole skink, in Levy County, Florida. This area will help future resiliency for habitat loss from sea level rise. Approximately 1,139 acres, or 42 percent of the proposed critical habitat for the Cedar Key mole skink overlaps with proposed critical habitat for the red knot, a federally threatened species. Additionally, the proposed critical habitat for the Cedar Key mole skink overlaps with the ranges of other co-occurring listed species including piping plovers, eastern black rails, eastern indigo snake and Florida salt marsh voles.
Private landowners are not affected by the critical habitat designation unless there is an action involving federal funds, permits, or activities. This designation does not affect land ownership, establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve or other conservation area, nor does it allow the government or public to access private lands. Critical habitat requires federal agencies to consult with the Service if their actions may adversely modify or destroy critical habitat for listed species.
For more information on this proposed listing and critical habitat for the Cedar Key mole skink, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.
This proposal is available here. https://www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0053. Submit comments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, October 7, 2024. The agency must receive requests for public hearings by Sept. 23, 2024 in writing to: email Lourdes Mena or hard copy: Florida Ecological Services Office, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256-7517.
For more information contact Lourdes Mena, Classification and Recovery Division Manager, 904-731-3134, Florida Ecological Services Office, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256-7517. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov/southeast. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws, and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.
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