Red fox sighting could incite battle

WASHINGTON — The rarely seen Sierra Nevada red fox could be the next candidate for federal protection, and perhaps political controversy, now that one has been photographed prowling around Sonora Pass.

State law currently covers the fox. The federal Endangered Species Act does not. As scientists pick up the animal's elusive trail, regulatory and political choices will become more pressing.

"It looks like it may be an excellent candidate for listing," Lisa Belensky, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said Tuesday. "We're considering it."

John Buckley, director of the Twain Harte-based Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, agreed Tuesday that "there is justification for listing (the fox) and having a recovery plan."

But getting an Endangered Species Act listing is harder than ever, though 123 California plants and animals have gained that protection. The federal law remains intensely controversial, with its costs and consequences subject to question.

"Our state water supply has been hijacked by the radically irresponsible Endangered Species Act," Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, declared in a House speech last year.

Radanovich is retiring at the end of the year. His all but certain replacement, Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham of Merced, appears to share the Endangered Species Act skepticism commonly voiced by Radanovich and other valley lawmakers.

Radanovich's 19th Congressional District includes Sonora and the Stanislaus National Forest, the region where scientists are redoubling their efforts to find evidence of the Sierra Nevada red fox.

About three weeks ago, a remote camera set up by the Forest Service to monitor a bait station snapped an early-morning picture of the red fox. Saliva samples subsequently analyzed by a University of California at Davis team confirmed the fox's identity. The red fox was thought to be confined to the Lassen Volcanic National Park area, 150 miles away.

"Now there's proof, evidence that the fox's population has spread," Buckley said.

The tracks may eventually lead in several different directions. Federal scientists could propose adding the fox to the endangered species list, which currently numbers 1,959 plants and animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service identifies another 48 species that have been proposed for listing.

An additional 245 species are deemed "candidate" species. These are plants and animals deemed to be at risk but that are not added to the protected list because of what the Fish and Wildlife Service calls "higher priority" obligations.

If federal scientists don't propose protecting a species, others might step into the breach. Even then, though, years can pass before anything happens.

Bee Washington Bureau reporter Michael Doyle can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or 202-383-0006.