Objectives of research program for the Spot-tailed Earless Lizard (Holbrookia lacerata)
The goal of this multi-year research program, first initiated in July 2014, was to develop science to inform the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's listing determination for Holbrookia lacerata, whether the species warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act with a formal designation as a threatened or endangered species. Thus, the objective of the studies presented in this document is to improve our understanding of:
1. Biology of the species,
2. Current condition, and
3. Future condition.
The results of these studies are organized in a manner so that they may be incorporated into a Species Status Assessment for Holbrookia lacerata. As these data were developed as part of an open, transparent process involving stakeholders, this final report details the results of the varied research program studies that were proposed over the course of the initial RFP (July 2014) and two iterative contract amendments (April 2015; February 2016), each expanding on the previous proposed work with the timeline to a listing decision by USFWS being continually pushed back to its current date in 2020 (USFWS 2016). A second separate contract focused wholly on radio telemetry work was signed (May 2017) to cover field work across 2017–2019, concluding prior to the current listing decision date.Bureau of Economic Geolog
