Explanation of classifications for species included in the
“Summary of Species for Relevant States and Agencies”
***DRAFT***
Definitions:
Illinois Endangered Species: Any species which is in danger of extinction as a breeding species in Illinois.
State Threatened Species: Any breeding species which is likely to become a state endangered species within the foreseeable future in Illinois.
Criteria for listing:
A species shall be included on the official list of endangered and threatened species when one or more of the following criteria exists: (1) Species included in the Federal list of Endangered or Threatened Species, (2) Species proposed for Federal Endangered or Threatened Species which occur in Illinois, (3) Species which formerly were widespread in Illinois but have been nearly extirpated from the State due to habitat destruction, collecting, or other pressures resulting from the development of Illinois, (4) Species which exhibit very restricted geographic ranges of which Illinois is a part, (5) Species which exhibit restricted habitats or low populations in Illinois, or (6) Species which are significant disjuncts in Illinois (i.e., the Illinois population is far removed from the rest of the species' range).
Indiana
Definitions:
Endangered - Any animal species whose prospects for survival or recruitment within the state are in immediate jeopardy and are in danger of disappearing from the state. This includes all species classified as endangered by the federal government which occur in Indiana.*
Special Concern - Any animal species about which some problems of limited abundance or distribution in Indiana are known or suspected and should be closely monitored.
Extirpated - Any animal species that has been absent from Indiana as a naturally occurring breeding population for more than 15 years.
Michigan
Michigan’s list presents the Endangered (E), Threatened (T), and Probably Extirpated (X) animal species of Michigan, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan (Part 365 of PA 451, 1994 Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act). The current list became effective on March 20, 1999, after extensive review by technical advisors to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the citizenry of the state.
Also included in this list are animal species of Special Concern (SC). While not afforded legal protection under the Act, many of these species are of concern because of declining or relict populations in the state. Should these species continue to decline, they would be recommended for Threatened or Endangered status. Protection of Special Concern species now, before they reach dangerously low population levels, would prevent the need to list them in the future by maintaining adequate numbers of self-sustaining populations within Michigan. Some other potentially rare species are listed as Special Concern pending more precise information on their status in the state; when such information becomes available, they could be moved to threatened or endangered status or deleted from the list.
Wisconsin
E = Endangered
T = Threatened
SC= Special Concern
Special concern species are those species about which some problem of abundance or distribution is suspected but not yet proved. The main purpose of this category is to focus attention on certain species before they become threatened or endangered. No definitions are provided for the Endangered or Threatened categories on the Wisconsin DNR website.
Categories indicate the primary reasons why the species or population is of concern to the Service. These
reasons relate to biological status and legal authorities. No definitions for categories were provided in the Service’s Conservation Priorities Document.
Forest Service
Species included on this list for the Forest Service occur within the proclamation boundaries the Eastern Region (R9) National Forests located in the states in Lake Michigan’s basin: Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and are either candidates for Federal listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), species delisted under ESA in the last five years, or are globally (G or T) or nationally (N) ranked* 1-3 by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Association for Biodiversity Information (ABI) [this group of species is marked "GTN" under the column labeled Criteria] or considered Sensitive on the forests based on Risk Evaluations [this group of species is
marked "RISK" under the column labeled Criteria].
Explanation of TNC and ABI Ranks:
Species have both a Global Rank (G) (or Trinomial Rank (T) for subspecies) and a National Rank (N). The numeric ranks describe the status of the species:
1 = the species (or trinomial) is either globally or nationally critically imperiled
2 = the species (or trinomial) is either globally or nationally imperiled
3 = the species (or trinomial) is either rare or uncommon
4 = the species (or trinomial) is either globally or nationally widespread, abundant, or apparently secure, but with
cause for long-term concern
5 = the species (or trinomial) is either globally or nationally demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure
In addition or in place of the to the numeric rank, the Global (G), Trinomial (T), or National (N) Rank can have one of the following descriptive qualifiers:
? = the species (or trinomial) is either unranked or has a questionable rank
U = the species (or trinomial) is unrankable
H = the species (or trinomial) is historic
X = the species (or trinomial) is extinct
Q = the species (or trinomial) has questionable taxonomy according to TNC and ABI scientists
*National rankings are not included on species lists because this was the only agency that provided that information.