Oregon-Washington Threatened and Endangered Species Program
There are 66 species in Oregon and Washington that are identified as either Federally Threatened (41 species), Endangered (22 species), Proposed Threatened (2 species), or Proposed Endangered (1 species) under the Endangered Species Act. Of these, 36 are vertebrate animals, 23 are vascular plants, and 7 species are invertebrate animals.
These species inhabit a wide variety of habitat types including old growth forests, native prairies, sagebrush steppe, along with rivers, ponds, and wetlands.
Management of BLM Sensitive Species follows the Bureau Sensitive Species policy as identified in BLM Manual 6840. BLM special status species are: (1) species listed or proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and (2) species requiring special management consideration to promote their conservation and reduce the likelihood and need for future listing under the ESA, which are designated as Bureau Sensitive Species by the State Director(s). All Federal candidate species, proposed species, and delisted species in the 5 years following delisting will be conserved as Bureau Sensitive Species.
Objectives for the BLM Bureau Sensitive Species policy are:
- To conserve and/or recover ESA-listed species and the ecosystems on which they depend so that ESA protections are no longer needed for these species; and
- To initiate proactive conservation measures that reduce or eliminate threats to Bureau Sensitive Species to minimize the likelihood of and need for listing of these species under the ESA.
Currently, there are 862 Bureau Sensitive Species included on the BLM State Director’s list for BLM-administered lands in Oregon/Washington (2025 Bureau Sensitive Species List, last updated January 26, 2026 [link below]). Included on this list are 208 animal sensitive species (i.e., 84 invertebrates, 49 birds, 38 fish, 22 mammals, 13 amphibians, and 2 reptiles) and 531 vascular plant species and 123 non-vascular plant species (i.e., 51 mosses or bryophytes, 43 fungi, and 29 lichens). These species are either documented or suspected to occur on one or more District within Oregon and Washington.
The BLM works with numerous partners on projects to benefit these species including Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Agriculture Native Plant Conservation Program, Portland State University Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Program, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Northwest, Washington Native Plant Society, University of Washington - Rare Care, Washington Department of Natural Resources – Natural Areas, Washington Natural Heritage Program, University of Washington Botanic Gardens