The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is releasing the draft recovery plan for the endangered Three Forks springsnail and seeking comments on the plan. The draft recovery plan serves as a roadmap for the conservation of the species, which was originally listed in 2012 as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The 30-day public comment period will close on Jan. 24, 2025.
“Because of the uncertainty in how climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change projections may manifest, the recovery plan provides us with flexibility in recovering the Three Forks springsnail,” said Nichole Engelmann, a wildlife biologist with the Service’s Arizona Ecological Services Field Office. “While it is very small, this springsnail brings important biodiversity to our ecosystem.”
The shells of the Three Forks springsnail (Pyrgulopsis trivialis) vary in color from tan to green to black and are small, measuring between 0.06 and 0.19 inch (1.5 to 4.8 millimeters) in length. The springsnail has an extremely narrow range, mostly found along a single drainage of less than four miles within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in eastern Arizona. The species completes all life stages within 10 feet (3 meters) of springheads, mostly in bog-like habitats.
“The Three Forks springsnail is a species that many wouldn’t consider looking for because it’s so small and needs such specific habitat,” said Engelmann. “It was actually only recently discovered in the 1990s. A short time after, we thought the springsnail had gone extinct, but it was later rediscovered. We quickly realized that the species was at risk of extinction due to predation by non-native crayfish and climate change.”
The overall recovery strategy for the Three Forks springsnail includes establishing self-sustaining populations at three geographically distinct complexes across its known range, establishing captive populations that can support springsnail releases into the wild, mitigating direct threats to the species, and restoring, maintaining and protecting its high-elevation spring habitats.
While they are not regulatory, recovery plansprovide a framework for the recovery of a species so that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary. The draft recovery plan describes actions that are considered necessary for recovery of the Three Forks springsnail, establishes delisting criteria, and estimates the time and cost to implement recovery actions for the species.
An electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is available online at ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1017. The Service will consider comments received by Jan. 24, 2025. The Service encourages the public, federal and state agencies, Tribes, and other stakeholders to review the draft recovery plan and provide comments. Submit your comments on the draft recovery plan by mail to the Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue Suite C3, Phoenix, Arizona 85051 or by email at incomingAZcorr@fws.gov.
