CAMBRIDGE, Md. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel from the endangered species list.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made the announcement Friday in Cambridge. She says conservation efforts by landowners and other partners have enabled the squirrel to recover across many parts of its historic range.

It was one of the first species ever listed as part of the Endangered Species Act in 1967.

Since it was listed, the squirrel’s range has increased from four to 10 counties. Its current population is estimated to be up to 20,000, covering 28 percent of the Delmarva Peninsula.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe says it joins the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and the American alligator as symbols of Endangered Species Act recovery success.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.