The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed listing the West Coast Distinct Population of fisher as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal was officially released in the Federal Register on October 7, 2014 for a 90 day comment period. In an accompanying news release, the USFWS cited the use of anti-coagulant rodenticides on public and private lands as a significant contributor to the decline of the species. Such rodenticides are commonly found on illegal marijuana cultivation sites, and have been shown to be a cause of fisher deaths in certain areas on the West Coast, including the Southern Sierra Nevada. No critical habitat designations are being proposed as a result of the listing, and the final determination on the listing is expected within a year.
The USFWS has announced one public hearing in Redding, and a series of workshops in California, Oregon, and Washington to take public input on the proposal. The California workshops will be held in Arcata, Yreka, Turlock, and Visalia. Comments are due by January 5, 2015. Full hearing and workshop details, as well as all other information on the proposal and instructions for filing comments, can be accessed here.