TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The tiny Midwestern interior least tern, each about 1-1/2 dunces at most, has come back and been removed from the endangered species list. The tern popoulation is now18,000 with about 480 nesting sites in 18 states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. When listed as endangered in 1985 the terns numbered fewer than 2,000 with only a few dozen nesting sites. They were the victim of a millinery craze for their plumage and river dams and levees that destroyed their habitat. Federal officials said that 35 years of legal protection and habitat restoration efforts had brought the tern back. The Fish and Wildlife Service credited state and federal agencies, tribes, businesses and conservation groups for the comeback. The agency credited the Army Corps of Engineers as key ifochanging river management strategies and placing dredged material to create new nesting and dwelling spots.
Thank you, ladies. Fewer hats mean less demand for interior least tern plumage.