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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Idaho Snail Is Still Threatened, Feds Say

WASHINGTON (CN) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Bliss Rapids snail, found only in the middle-Snake River in Idaho, is still threatened by ground water depletion and impaired water quality and should not be removed the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

The agency listed the Bliss Rapids snail as threatened in 1992 when it determined that it was threatened by the proposed construction of new hydropower dams, the operation of existing hydropower dams, degraded water quality, water diversions, and the introduction of the New Zealand mudsnail.

Acting on a petition from the Governor of Idaho and the Idaho Power Company to delist the snail, Fish and Wildlife conducted a 12 month status review which included empanelling an expert scientific review panel to evaluate the data and testimony presented during the public comment period. Although the agency found that some remediation action has nominally improved water quality, the Bliss Rapids snail remains threatened by most of the same factors that led to its original listing.

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