The Willow Flycatcher will continue to be an endangered species if the federal government continues the destruction of their native riparian willow habitat. Due to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, when a species is placed on the list, the government is required to devise a recovery plan (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2002). If the recovery plan of the Willow Flycatcher is successful than the Willow Flycatcher will no longer be an endangered species. Within a recovery plan, there are established goals and objectives to recover a species, but it also includes information on the period and estimated expenses associated with the recovery of the Willow Flycatcher (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2002). The Technical Subgroups (TSG) and the Implementation Subgroups (ISG) have transcribed the paperwork necessary for the recovery plan of the Willow Flycatcher species to be instituted. These two groups goals are to address the difficulties in recovering the species and discover how they can best utilize science to their abilities.
To ensure the survival of the Willow Flycatcher, it is exceedingly important to protect their habitat. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has devised a recently developed plan to preserve the habitat of the Willow Flycatcher. The recovery plan of the Willow Flycatcher advises individuals and groups to undertake the actions to maintain and restore flowing streams; restore natural flood cycles where possible; reduce impacts of domestic livestock, native ungulates, and feral horses and burros; improve population stability; secure long-term protection of breeding habitat; manage exotic plants; reduce brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds; and conduct research to refine management practices and knowledge of flycatcher and riparian habitat ecology (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2002). The people, not just the government need to take the necessary steps and actions to preserve the habitat of the Willow Flycatcher.
The image above is a representation of a recovery plan for the Willow Flycatcher’s riparian habitats (United States Department of Agriculture 2015).
willow flycatcher 