Signed CCAA for six species in the Trinity River Basin

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved a 10-year agreement with the Trinity River Authority of Texas (TRA) to conserve six imperiled species: four species of freshwater mussels (Texas heelsplitter, Trinity pigtoe, Texas fawnsfoot and Louisiana pigtoe) and two species of turtles (western chicken turtle and alligator snapping turtle).

The agreement provides incentives for at-risk species protection. In return for implementing the specified activities, the agreement provides assurance that if a species becomes listed in the future, no additional conservation measures will be required without consent and the TRA will continue to meet the water needs for millions of residents of the Trinity River basin.

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The Texas Coastal and Central Plains Ecological Services Field Office focuses on Federal project and infrastructure review; threatened and endangered species listing, recovery, consultation, and permits; Natural Resource Damage and Assessment; Partners for Fish and Wildlife; and Gulf Restoration...
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A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Species
The Louisiana pigtoe is a rare freshwater mussel with a thick, inflated, triangular to sub-quadrate shell. The beaks are elevated well above the hinge line but are sometimes eroded. The external shell is without sculpturing and reddish-brown, dark brown, or black in color. The interior shell...
FWS Focus
The Texas heelsplitter is a rare freshwater mussel with a thin, smooth, elliptical shell and a straight hinge line. The beaks are slightly elevated above the hinge line. External shell color is tan to dark brown or black that fades to a lighter color on the beaks. Some specimens have low, poorly...
FWS Focus
The western chicken turtle is a small to medium-sized freshwater turtle that is easily identified by its extraordinarily long, striped neck. The egg-shaped carapace (top half of the shell) is rough textured and tends to be olive to brown in color with a faint cream, yellow, or orange netlike...
FWS Focus
Subject tags
Freshwater mussels
Endangered and/or Threatened species
Aquatic animals
Aquatic environment
FWS and DOI Region(s)