Investments from the state and other partners in listed species recovery have been significant since the passage of the Endangered Species Act more than 50 years ago. With the investments that have been made, partners should be seeing success in the form of delisting or downlisting species. Some of Utah's species should be considered for regulatory status changes, but the US Fish and Wildlife Service, without this partnership, does not have the staff needed to work through the lengthy status review and regulatory process to delist or downlist a species.

Objective 1 - Use criteria (considerations) for evaluating Utah's listed species for delisting or downlisting consideration to update species in the queue for consideration. Objective 2 - Implement the regulatory process to consider species for delisting or downlisting based on those identified in Objective 1.

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Listed species under consideration may have specific recovery plans that are considered during this effort.

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The regulatory process identified in the Endangered Species Act will be followed to ensure compliance with the Act.

Methods initially include applying the established Criteria (Considerations) for Evaluating Utah's Listed Species for Delisting or Downlisting Consideration to develop a short list of species that meet the criteria for consideration. Once a short list is established and agreed to by Partners, the regulatory process as defined under the Endangered Species Act and US Fish and Wildlife Service policies is implemented. This regulatory process includes: 1) conducting a Species Status Assessment that includes the recommendation of whether a change in regulatory status should be considered; 2) if a change in regulatory status is recommended, an internal US Fish and Wildlife Service review team determines whether to move forward with a formal status change recommendation; 3) a proposed status change is published in the Federal Register with a public comment period; 4) public comments are considered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and if nothing is submitted to change their proposed status change, the final rule to change the species status is published in the Federal Register, typically one year after it is proposed.

Post delisting monitoring is a requirement under the Endangered Species Act for species successfully ushered through the delisting process.

Partners to this effort include: US Fish and Wildlife Service Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources US Department of the Interior, CUPCA Completion Office US Bureau of Reclamation US Bureau of Land Management Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission Central Utah Water Conservancy District Public Lands Policy Coordination Office

Once a species is downlisted or delisted, conservation needs for the species does not end. But without being federally listed, species management returns to the state Division of Wildlife Resources (for 'protected wildlife'). Specific species may be managed under a state-led conservation agreement under the umbrella of the Utah Wildlife Action Plan.

As species are down/delisted from ESA, management of wildlife species returns to the State. This provides the potential to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses.