Habitat Destruction Gone Nuts

Habitat Destruction Gone Nuts

Source: Care2

By: Alisa Watts

Inhabiting only the Pinaleño Mountains in the Stafford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Arizona lives the Mount Graham red squirrel. Mature to old-growth species of mixed conifer and spruce-fir trees standing above 8,000 ft. tall create the ideal habitat for this unique red squirrel. This habitat provides the red squirrel with full, forested canopy cover for protection from aerial predators and arboreal transportation. When lost, these 100 to 300 year old growth trees are not easy to replace. 

Due to drought, catastrophic wildfires, and epidemics caused by insect species, the Mount Graham red squirrel's habitat is rapidly being degraded. The limited habit is causing the red squirrel to relocate and is ultimately decreasing the population of this species overall. In 1987, the Mount Graham red squirrel was listed as endangered with critical habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Population estimates were at their all time low in the late 1980’s with only 140 squirrels accounted for, but numbers quickly rose to over 560 in the late 1990’s due to their endangered listing. The Mount Grahams are now living in lower elevations in the mixed conifer forests resulting in closer association to the competing Abert’s squirrel. With habitat loss quickly increasing, the population of the red squirrel has significantly dropped and fluctuates between 200 and 300 squirrels.  Squirrels' Main Food

It is crucial that there are several prospering species of conifers available for the squirrels because they supply the mammals with both food and shelter which ultimately control the existence of the species. The Mount Graham red squirrel’s main diet revolves around conifer seeds, buds, and cambium, however, it also ingests many of its nutrients from sources such as macro fungi, berries, and seeds. For shelter, the red squirrels create middens, essentially piles of cones, in which they live and store food for the winter and spring. Moist conditions near the base of large mature trees, along with dead logs, allow the squirrels to build their middens. Breeding occurs from February through early April, according to most populations studied. Unfortunately, compared to other red squirrels, on average, female Mount Graham red squirrels give birth to fewer young. In the wild, the maximum longevity for this breed of squirrel is ten years.                                                                                                                      

                                 Squirrels' Habitat Range                                                                      

Mount Graham red squirrel potential range, Pinaleño Mountains Source: Mount Graham Red Squirrel Recovery Team

Squirrels' Midden

Source: Eileen Schuh

In 2011 the Mount Graham red squirrel recovery plan was created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in hopes to ultimately remove the squirrel from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The recovery plan focuses mainly on working to improve the habitat for the squirrels, and by doing so, the red squirrels will increase in population and success. Improving the mixed conifer and spruce-fir forests by reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire and eliminating threats of insect outbreaks, is the main strategy listed in the recovery plan to regenerate the squirrels’ habitat. The Pinaleño Ecosystem Restoration Project, which is a 5,754-acre fuels reduction project made by the USFS, is working to restore the habitat for the endangered squirrel. The USFS is also implementing a reforestation project that will plant seedlings in areas that experienced moderate to extreme burns during the Nuttall-Gibson Complex Fire in 2004. 

In order to maintain the current population of the Mount Graham red squirrel, the recovery plan is continuing to enforce current vehicle speed restrictions in order to reduce roadkills. The enforcement of Arizona Game and Fish Department’s prohibition against hunting the squirrel will remain implemented as well. The population of the Abert’s squirrel will also be controlled or eliminated with the help of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. If necessary, a captive breeding program will be developed to conserve genetic supplements of the Mount Graham red squirrel.

The total cost of the recovery plan is $2,919,000 which can be met with donations to programs such as the Pinaleño Ecosystem Restoration Project and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The Mount Graham Red Squirrel will be delisted from the endangered species list when there is statistical confidence that the rate of increase over the following 20 years is increasing or stable. With the help of citizens who care about the innocent red squirrel, the reconstruction of the Mount Graham squirrels’ habitat and the final removal of the mammal from the endangered species list can be made possible.

Donate Now!!!

• http://www.mountgraham.org/search/node/donate
• http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/landowner_big_game.shtml

References 

Care2. Mount Graham Red Squirrel Photograph. 2015. (http://www.care2.com/news/member/100041282/2689253)

Daniel Hickerson. News For Squirrels. (http://newsforsquirrels.blogspot.com/2012/04/squirrel-facts-endangered-mount-graham.html)

Eileen Schuh. Midden. October 12, 2009. (http://www.eileenschuh.com/did-you-know/2009/10/12/a-cache-on-the-forest-floor-created-  by-red.html)

Mount Graham Red Squirrel Recovery Team. “Draft Mount Graham Squirrel Recovery Plan.” Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. May 2011. (http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/FR00000388%20Draft%20Mount%20Graham%20Red%20Squirrel          %20Recovery%20Plan%20First%20Revision%20Final.pdf)