The Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) has been listed as a threatened species in the state of Washington since 1993. Now, the state has decided to list the species, sometimes known as the silver gray squirrel, as endangered.

Following a periodic status review meeting on Nov. 17, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) requested an approval from the department’s Commission to reclassify the Western gray squirrel as endangered.

According to the WDFW presentation during the review meeting, the species had a declining population in the late 1800s, and it became rare to see these squirrels by the 1970s. Today, their range has declined further, leaving just three isolated populations in the state. The remaining populations are located in Okanogan County, Klickitat County and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

While the total number of squirrels is unknown, WDFW estimated about 400 to 1,400 remaining squirrels in the state, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Despite recovery efforts, the number of Western gray squirrels has continued declining. WDFW explained that worsening wildfires linked to climate change could be to blame, noting that since the squirrels were first listed as threatened, their habitat in the Cascade Mountain Range has decreased more than 20%. Logging and development have also contributed to the habitat loss, and disease contributed to significant losses of Western gray squirrels in the population around Klickitat County in the late 1990s through 2005.

“These shy forest squirrels need better protection for their habitat from logging and other threats,” Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “I’m hopeful that endangered status will ring the alarm bells and spur action.”

The Western gray squirrel, which features a long and bushy tail and is often confused with the non-native Eastern gray squirrel, is the largest native tree squirrel in Washington. The Western gray squirrel prefers habitats with transitional forests of coniferous to deciduous trees. This type of habitat provides the squirrels with the appropriate food and nesting sites they need to thrive.

Although the species will be listed as endangered in Washington, it is not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Western gray squirrel was considered for federal protections in 2003 but was denied in 2004.

With the decision to list the species as endangered, the next step will be to strengthen protections and recovery efforts.

“We’re happy to see that the commission made a unanimous decision to uplist the western gray squirrel,” Rudy Salakory, conservation director at Friends of the Columbia Gorge, shared in a statement. “Now the hard but critical work of developing stronger protective measures begins. We hope to see changes that favor this vanishing species.”

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