Minnesota's Dept. of Natural Resources is to update its Endangered & Threatened Species List for the first time in over a decade.

There are 145 proposed additions to the list, which is broken down into three categories:

• Endangered (Likely to become extinct)
• Threatened (Likely to become endangered) and
• Special Concern

The first two receive certain protections by law; the third isn't formally protected, but means the Dept. will keep a close eye on those species.

The majority of the list consists of plants, lichens and mosses. There are also a handful of butterflies, dragonflies, snails and fish. The list includes dozens of species of birds. There are seven mammals on the list. The only one that rises above Special Concern status is the Northern Pocket Gopher, listed as threatened.

Some of the species to be removed from the list include the Trumpeter Swan and the Peregrine Falcon. The Dept. have also proposed removing the Bald Eagle and Gray Wolf, after state-wide recovery efforts in recent years have bolstered their populations.

Some of those that haven't done as well and will be either added or bumped up on the priority list, include the American Badger and Rat Snake.

Habitat loss is by far the most prominent reason for listing a species as endangered.