WildEarth Guardians

Monday, April 11, 2011
Imperiled Arizona Springsnails Proposed for Federal Protection

At Long Last, Two Species May Get the Help They Need to Avoid Extinction
Contact: Taylor Jones (303) 573-4898 x1159

Washington, DC—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will propose two imperiled springsnails for listing and critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in tomorrow’s Federal Register.  The San Bernardino springsnail (Pyrgulopsis bernardina) has been a candidate for ESA protection since 2007, but at one point, land managers had to turn a garden hose on Snail Spring, its only remaining U.S. habitat, in a last-ditch effort to keep the spring from drying out and save the species.  The Three Forks springsnail (Pyrgulopsis trivialis) has been waiting for protection since 2001, though one of its two populations almost vanished in 2004. 

“These species desperately need federal protection to survive,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians.  “Species have gone extinct while waiting on the candidate list, and without protection these two springsnails will likely join their ranks.  We applaud this proposal, as it is high time that these snails are moved towards full protection under the ESA.”

WildEarth Guardians petitioned for listing of the San Bernardino springsnail in 2007 given its ranking by scientists as “critically imperiled.”  The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Three Forks springsnail for listing in 2004.  The Service recognized that both snails faced “imminent, high-magnitude” threats to their survival.

Both springsnails are members of the genus Pyrgulopsis, important indicators of water quality and spring health.  The Three Forks springsnail occurs only on two spring complexes in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in east-central Arizona, while the San Bernardino springsnail is now limited to two or possibly three springs, all located on the John Slaughter Ranch in Cochise County, southern Arizona.  It is unclear whether or not the species exists in Mexico.

According to the Service, the greatest threat to the Three Forks springsnail is exposure to wildfire and fire retardants.  A long history of fire suppression in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests allowed a buildup of woody fuels that resulted in less frequent but much hotter and more damaging fires.  Fire retardant chemicals released to control two of these extreme fires in 2004 contaminated Three Forks Springs’ waters – the snail was abundant at Three Forks Springs in 2002 and 2003, but after the fire it nearly disappeared.  The snail also faces threats from nonnative crayfish that prey upon it and grazing by wild ungulates left uncontrolled because of insufficient natural predators.

There were once at least six populations of San Bernardino springsnail, but due to water depletion and diversion they are now found in only two or three springs on private property, where they continue to experience habitat loss.  Three springs on the Slaughter Ranch have been converted into one large artificial pond, and no springsnails have been found there since.  When the irrigation system at Slaughter Ranch in on, there is a visible decline in flow from Snail Spring.  Snail Spring has not had consistent natural water flow since 2005, and no springsnails have been observed there since 2005.

Although the Service owns the water rights to the water being used on Slaughter Ranch, they have so far failed to protect the San Bernardino springsnail from groundwater depletion, instead allowing the water this snail needs for survival to be used for irrigating turf grass and a cattle pasture.  Even though the species continues to persist at Goat Tank and Horse Springs (two other Slaughter Ranch springs), it occurs in low numbers likely due to poor habitat conditions.  If groundwater depletion were to affect Goat Tank and Horse Spring, the San Bernardino springsnail could be eliminated.  Herbicide and pesticide runoff from the ranch could also negatively affect the snails.

Both species have small ranges and limited ability to leave degraded habitat in search of a new home.   With just one drought, fire, or exposure to pesticide, these fragile creatures could vanish forever.

“These snail are in a perilous situation,” said Taylor Jones.  “What happens next is crucial: the federal government must add these two unique animals to the endangered species list and get on with the business of pulling them back from the brink.”

WildEarth Guardians included the San Bernardino springsnail in its report, “America’s Top 40: A Call to Action for the Nation’s Most Imperiled Species.”  The report was released on the 100^th day of the Obama administration, urging President Obama to escalate the endangered species listing program.  So far, President Obama has added only 4 new species in the continental U.S. to the list since taking office.