Tiny rare snail in Nevada inches toward ESA listing

A tiny rare Nevada snail just inched closer to being listed as an endangered or threatened species after federal wildlife managers found that protection for the species may be warranted. 

Following a three month review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that an in-depth status review of the Kings River pyrg— a small springsnail found in northern Nevada — is needed to determine whether the springsnail should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Federal wildlife managers will now examine potential and ongoing threats that could impact the springsnail during a year-long study to decide whether listing is warranted, not warranted, or warranted but precluded.

The wildlife agency said they intend to monitor and conserve the species and its habitat while it conducts the review. 

The Kings River pyrg is the latest in a long list of Nevada species to be considered for listing by the federal government, joining two toads, a pond turtle, two wildflowers, and a rabbit in the last three years alone. 

Many species of springsnail are highly endemic, meaning they are often found only in a single spring or cluster of springs where they feed on algae — and the Kings River pyrg is no exception.

The Kings River pyrg is about the length of the tip of a ballpoint pen and is only known to exist in 13 shallow, isolated springs within a 14-mile radius in Thacker Pass and the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County.

The decision to perform an in-depth status review comes after the Western Watersheds Project, a conservation group, petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022 to list the rare Kings River pyrg under the Endangered Species Act.

Spring modification and water diversions are currently a major threat to the springsnail and can affect water volume or flow patterns within the species’ range and within locations where the species is likely to occur, say conservationists. 

According to Western Watersheds Project’s petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, spring flows have already been modified at four of the springs inhabited by the rare springsnail. 

The spring snail is also highly vulnerable to natural and human-caused threats, including livestock grazing, roads, drought, climate change and mining. Nearly all of the known springs inhabited by the springsnail already suffer from some degree of habitat degradation due to those threats, according to Western Watersheds Project.

One specific threat to the springsnail is the Thacker Pass lithium mine being developed by Canada based Lithium Americas Corp. Conservationists believe the mine’s operation could deplete aquifers that feed the springs inhabited by the Kings River pyrg, causing springs to dry up and threatening the species’ survival.

The Kings River pyrg “has landed on the brink of extinction due to nearby lithium mining that threatens to de-water the local aquifer and dry up the springs the snail needs to survive, and also due to water diversions and habitat degradation at the springs themselves as a result of cattle grazing,” said Paul Ruprecht, Nevada Director for Western Watersheds Project. 

“Strip-mining for lithium at Thacker Pass, as presently approved, would ultimately involve pumping out the groundwater that feeds the springs inhabited by the Kings River pyrg, and without adequate spring flows the snail would go extinct,” Ruprecht said.

Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, was not involved in the original petition for the rare spring snail, but echoed those same concerns. 

“It turns out that the same unique geology and hydrology that make Nevada rich in lithium resources also provide the isolated niche habitats that foster endemic species. If Nevada can’t get a grip on where is and is not appropriate for lithium mining, there will be an ever-rising tide of endangered species listings all across the state. Nevada needs a plan for how to provide for lithium production while avoiding sensitive biodiversity,” Donnelly said.

The Center has spearheaded the push for other recent endangered listings in Nevada.

If the federal government determines in its 12-month finding that listing Kings River pyrg as a threatened or endangered species is warranted, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register, providing the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed listing.