U.S. Fish and Wildlife denies emergency listing for Clear Lake hitch; full species evaluation to be completed in 2025
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that it will not grant an emergency endangered species listing to the Clear Lake hitch, however, a listing under the agency’s regular process could still happen after a species evaluation is complete in two years’ time. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it will continue to invest in projects that support the hitch’s recovery while moving forward with its full evaluation of the species scheduled to be completed by January 2025. Lake County News reached out to Sarah Ryan, environmental director for the Big Valley Pomo on Tuesday, to ask for the tribe’s comment. However, as of press time, the tribe did not offer a formal response to the federal emergency listing decision.