■Small-game hunting is expected to decline slowly in the next five decades. Big- 

 game hunting is expected to remain relatively stable in all regions except the 

 North, where it declines. Migratory bird hunting will decline somewhat before 

 2000, when it will rise again. 



■ More opportunities for cold water fishing, migratory bird hunting, big-game 

 hunting, and small-game hunting could lead to somewhat higher demand trends 

 for these wildlife and fish recreation activities. 



■ Increases in nonconsumptive uses will grow about twice as fast as the 

 population to 2000. Warm water and cold water fishing activity will increase at 

 about the same rate as the population. These will accelerate slightly after 2000. 



•Analysis of participation in wildlife recreation opportunities indicates that national 

 forests and other public lands are expected to become relatively more important 

 for big- and small-game hunting and cold water fishing if access remains 

 generally unrestricted and free. 



■ Hunting in designated areas for a fee, especially on private lands, is expected to 

 become more important in the future and may increase the pressure on public 

 lands. Closure of private lands to free access does not necessarily mean fewer 

 recreation opportunities. 



Issue Highlight— 

 Patterns of Species 

 Endangerment 



The number of species being listed as threatened and endangered continues to 

 increase. At the time of the writing of this report, a total of 728 plant and animal 

 species receive protection under the Endangered Species Act— an increase of nearly 

 197 species since publication of the 1989 RPA Assessment. The number of species 

 listed, however, represents only a fraction of those that could be listed in the coming 

 decade. The probability of a species being listed increases as land use and/or land 

 cover changes. We initiated a study to determine if there are broad synecological 

 patterns in the geographic distribution of species endangerment that may be related 

 to land use and land cover patterns (Flather, et al., 1994). 



The study involved analysis of available information on 660 of the species currently 

 listed as threatened or endangered under the terms of the Endangered Species Act. 

 The information included taxonomy, known and potential county occurrence, known or 

 potential occurrence on public lands, land-type associations, reasons contributing to 

 species endangerment, and actions recommended for recovery. 



Land-Type Associations Among Listed Species 



The number of threatened and endangered species among the general land 

 cover categories was distributed equally among forest land, rangeland, and 

 aquatic habitats. Approximately 250 species were associated with each of these 

 land cover types. 



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