FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Forest Health May Benefit from Protecting Rare Snails

"Canaries in Coal Mine" to Benefit from Scientific Review

Conservationists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reached agreement earlier this week that the Black Hills mountainsnail and Uinta mountainsnail - both declining forest snails that exist only in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Uinta Mountains of Utah, respectively - should be reviewed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Conservationists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service both reached agreement on October 4 that the Black Hills mountainsnail and Uinta mountainsnail - both declining forest snails that exist only in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Uinta Mountains of Utah, respectively - should be reviewed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The agreement settles a lawsuit filed in December of 2004 over the Fish and Wildlife Service's failure to respond to citizen petitions requesting the Black Hills mountainsnail and Uinta mountainsnail be protected under the Endangered Species Act. By law, the Service is required to review such petitions and make a finding whether protection may be warranted within one year. According to the agreement, the Service must issue its finding for the Uinta mountainsnail petition or before November 1, 2005, over four years after the petition was submitted. The Service must also issue its finding for the Black Hills mountainsnail petition on or before February 21, 2006, over two years after the petition was submitted.

"The Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails are both on the brink of extinction and desperately need the safety net of the Endangered Species Act," said Jeremy Nichols with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "While we're pleased to have reached an agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service, their footdragging has only pushed the snails closer to extinction."

Described as 'canaries in the coal mine,' because of their sensitivity to environmental change, the Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails are important indicators of forest health. The snails depend on relatively undisturbed forest habitat, making them especially vulnerable to the effects of poor forest management.

Thought to be extinct for decades, the Uinta mountainsnail was rediscovered alive in 2000 in the Uinta Mountains in the Ashley National Forest. Only one population is known to exist in an area less than an acre in size. Domestic livestock grazing and a proposed prescribed burn near the population threaten the snail with extinction.Once common throughout the northern and central Black Hills, the Black Hills mountainsnail has experienced significant declines over the years. Over a century of widespread domestic livestock grazing, intensive logging, and extensive road building has degraded the health of the forest, leading to the decline and endangerment of the snail. In a November 2003 letter, the Fish and Wildlife Service stated, "[R]ecent surveys indicate that the population of this species is in decline." The snail now exists at only 32 locations, where it is rare or uncommon at over 50% of these locations. The snail is now considered to be critically imperiled and at risk of extinction.

"Healthy populations of the Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails means healthy forests," explained Erin Robertson, staff biologist with the Center for Native Ecosystems. "As 'canaries in the coal mine,' if they go, we stand to lose a lot more than snails."

Forest snails, like the Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails, are integral parts of the web of life. They consume organic material on the forest floor and recycle plant and animal waste. Without snails and other invertebrates, plant and animal waste would literally choke the forests of the Black Hills and Uinta Mountains. Amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals also feed on forest snails, forming an important link in the food chain.

If the Fish and Wildlife Service determines that protection under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted for the Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails, the agency will then undertake a thorough review of their status. According to the recent agreement, this review must be completed by September 12, 2006 for the Uinta mountainsnail and November 21, 2006 for the Black Hills mountainsnail. As part of this review, the Service will determine whether or not to officially protect the snails under the Endangered Species Act.

Endangered Species Act protection for the Black Hills and Uinta mountainsnails would mean that their forest habitat would be protected and restored. Protection under the Endangered Species Act would ensure valuable and integral parts of the web of life in the Black Hills and Uinta Mountains are protected for the benefit of the health of our forest and for future generations.

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