Presenter: Mike Berger
Angel Montoya

Commission Agenda Item No. 13
Briefing
Northern Aplomado Falcon Recovery and Restoration
November 2006

I. Executive Summary: This item is an update on restoration efforts for the Northern Aplomado Falcon in Texas and elsewhere. The Northern Aplomado Falcon was listed as an endangered species by the federal government in 1986. Mr. Angel Montoya, Senior Field Biologist with The Peregrine Fund will provide a review of 2006 activities and results, plans for 2007, and long-term objectives. The Wildlife Diversity Program within the Wildlife Division has been providing an average of $6,000 per year towards this effort.

II. Discussion: Established in 1970, The Peregrine Fund works nationally and internationally to conserve wild birds of prey. The Aplomado Falcon Restoration Project is administered from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, and currently includes restoration sites in Texas and New Mexico. The goal of the restoration project is to re-establish viable wild populations of the Northern Aplomado Falcon in their historical range in the southwestern United States through the release of captive-bred young, with the ultimate goal of seeing the species officially de-listed. In 2006, an additional 292,392 acres were enrolled in the Safe Harbor Program, which now totals over 2.1 million acres in Texas. This is 37,634 acres larger than the state of Delaware. Enrolling additional acreage and developing relationships with landowners is critical to the success of this effort and continues to be one of the program's highest priorities.