(a) The Secretary shall adopt by rule a State endangered species list and a State threatened species list. The listing for any species may apply to the whole State or to any part of the State and shall identify the species by its most recently accepted genus and species names and, if available, the common name.
(b) The Secretary shall determine a species to be endangered if it normally occurs in the State and its continued existence as a sustainable component of the State's wildlife or wild plants is in jeopardy.
(c) The Secretary shall determine a species to be threatened if:
(1) it is a sustainable component of the State's wildlife or wild plants;
(2) it is reasonable to conclude based on available information that its numbers are declining; and
(3) unless protected, it will become an endangered species.
(d) In determining whether a species is threatened or endangered, the Secretary shall consider:
(1) the present or threatened destruction, degradation, fragmentation, modification, or curtailment of the range or habitat of the species;
(2) any killing, harming, or over-utilization of the species for commercial, sporting, scientific, educational, or other purposes;
(3) disease or predation affecting the species;
(4) the adequacy of existing regulation;
(5) actions relating to the species carried out or about to be carried out by any governmental agency or any other person who may affect the species;
(6) competition with other species, including nonnative invasive species;
(7) the decline in the population;
(8) cumulative impacts; and
(9) other natural or human-made factors affecting the continued existence of the species.
(e) In determining whether a species is threatened or endangered or whether to delist a species, the Secretary shall:
(1) use the best scientific, commercial, and other data available;
(2) at least 30 days prior to commencement of rulemaking, notify and consult with appropriate officials in Canada, appropriate State and federal agencies, other states having a common interest in the species, affected landowners, and any interested persons; and
(3) notify the appropriate officials and agencies of Quebec or any state contiguous to Vermont in which the species affected is known to occur.
Citation: 10 V.S.A. § 5402.
(a) A committee on endangered species is created to be known as the Endangered Species Committee, and shall consist of nine members, including the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife, the Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and six members appointed by the Governor from the public at large. Of the six public members, two shall be actively engaged in agricultural or silvicultural activities, two shall be knowledgeable concerning flora, and two shall be knowledgeable concerning fauna. Members appointed by the Governor shall be entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred in the attendance of meetings, as approved by the Chair. The Chair of the Committee shall be elected from among and by the members each year. Members who are not employees of the State shall serve terms of three years, except that the Governor may make appointments for a lesser term in order to prevent more than two terms from expiring in any year.
(b) The Endangered Species Committee shall advise the Secretary on all matters relating to endangered and threatened species, including whether to alter the lists of endangered and threatened species, how to protect those species, and whether and where to designate critical habitat.
(c) The Agency of Natural Resources shall provide the Endangered Species Committee with necessary staff services.
Citation: 10 V.S.A. § 5404.