The June sucker, the humback chub and the Ute ladies’-tresses have been listed under the Endangered Species Act for decades. But each has made strides toward recovery over the last five years, the Department of Wildlife Resources says.
An endangered species is any species at serious risk of extinction in a specific area or throughout all of its natural habitat.
The June sucker is a native fish only found in Utah Lake and its tributaries. DWR reports the fish declined due to overharvesting, water-flow alterations and drought, habitat changes, and more. At one point, fewer than 1,000 June suckers were in existence. The fish was added to the endangered species list in 1986.
In 2021, the June sucker was downlisted from endangered to threatened. Ongoing conservation efforts, like Provo River Delta Restoration Project, have helped increase the June sucker population 30,000 to 45,000.
The humpback chub is a relatively small fish with a pronounced hump behind its head. It was listed as endangered in 1973 after large dams and human water use changed river flow, impacting its population.
The fish was downlisted to threatened in 2021 after successful conservation efforts through the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
Finally, the Ute ladies’-tresses is an orchid plant. It features a long spike of small white flowers arranged in a gradual spiral.
The plant was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992 due to habitat loss. At the time, it was found only in Utah and Colorado.
Through habitat management and protection work the wildflower can now be found in eight Western states and southern British Columbia in Canada. In January the Ute ladies’-tresses was removed from the list.
