Scott Hicks of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the 2019 celebration of the delisting of the Kirtland's Warbler. Photo by Jim Bull
On Oct. 9, 2019, a notice appeared in the Federal Register, the official journal of the U.S. Government, that announced that the Kirtland's Warbler was being removed from the federal Endangered Species List.
That morning, in an event held in East Lansing that was half ceremony-half celebration, many of the people who were and are responsible for the conservation of the bird gathered to say "Job well done." Even though it was self-congratulations, it was still well-deserved. Endangered species conservation doesn't often have a happy outcome. The Kirtland's Warbler is one of the rare stories of success.
An anniversary, even if it is just as short as five years, gives us a chance to pause and reflect, an opportunity to consider what we've done to achieve delisting and what worked and what's not since 2019.
In the years prior to delisting, we learned that we needed to understand the natural processes of the jack pine ecosystem to give the bird what it wants and needs. Since delisting, we've learned that the management that we're doing to benefit the bird is actually having a negative impact on the ecosystem as a whole: our management is helping the birds but is causing a decline in the biodiversity of the jack pine ecosystem. And just as scientists adapted jack pine management during the recovery period, they understand that this new challenge will force them to continue to adapt.
Perhaps the most important thing that we have learned is that we must continue to watch the warbler. Its actions and reactions to various conservation efforts will guide us in future decisions. In the words of Carol Bocetti, the long-time leader of the Recovery Team and Conservation Team says, "We have to continue to listen to the bird. The bird is always teaching us."
Of all the lessons that we've learned, perhaps that is the most important.
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