U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News Release 10/4/11

Questions about this news release should be directed to the contact listed below

For Release on October 4, 2011
Contacts: Sacramento, CA - Sarah Swenty, (916) 414-6571
Klamath Falls, OR - Matt Baun, (530) 842-5763
Portland, OR - Janet Lebson, (503) 231-6179
Lacey, WA - Doug Zimmer, (360) 753-4370
Spokane, WA - Joan Jewett, (503) 807-4886


26 West Coast Snails and Slugs Will Be Considered for Federal Protection
Fish & Wildlife Service opens a 60-day comment period prior to detailed
review

Twenty six rare mollusks may warrant federal protection as a threatened or
endangered species, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) announced
today, following an initial review of a petition seeking to protect 29
species of mollusks under the Endangered Species Act (Act).

Today’s decision, known as a 90-day finding, is based on scientific
information about the species provided in the petition requesting listing
of the species under the Act. The petition finding does not mean that the
Service has decided it is appropriate to give the 26 mollusks federal
protection under the Act. Rather, this finding is the first step in a long
process that triggers a more thorough review of all the biological
information available.

Twenty-nine species and subspecies of mollusk included in the petition were
reviewed. All are endemic (native and restricted) to the Pacific Northwest
and occur in western Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. The
mollusks are found mostly on federal lands where they receive some
protections under the Northwest Forest Plan’s Survey and Manage Program.
Fourteen of the petitioned species and subspecies are aquatic and 15 are
terrestrial (13 land snails and 2 slugs). They exist primarily in small
isolated populations. Fourteen of the species and subspecies are known
from 10 or fewer sites.

Fish and Wildlife Offices in California, Oregon and Washington involved in
the management of each species are listed below:
Sacramento, CA: Big Bar hesperian snail, Canary duskysnail, Cinnamon
juga snail, Goose Valley pebblesnail, Hat Creek pebblesnail, Knobby
rams-horn snail, Nugget pebblesnail, Potem Creek pebblesnail, Shasta
chaparral snail, Shasta hesperian snail, Shasta pebblesnail, Shasta
sideband snail, Siskiyou sideband snail, Tehama chaparral snail, Wintu
sideband snail
Klamath Falls, OR: Diminutive pebblesnail, Nerite pebblesnail, Tall
pebblesnail
Portland, OR: Basalt juga snail, Columbia duskysnail, Columbia Oregonian
snail, Crater Lake tightcoil snail, Dalles sideband snail
Lacey, WA: Evening fieldslug, Hoko vertigo snail, Keeled jumping-slug,
Puget Oregonian snail
Spokane, WA: Chelan mountainsnail, Masked duskysnail

To ensure a comprehensive status review, the Service is soliciting
information from state and federal natural resource agencies and all
interested parties regarding the mollusks and their habitat.

Based on the status review, the Service will make one of three possible
determinations for each species:
1) Listing is not warranted, in which case no further action will be
taken.
2) Listing as threatened or endangered is warranted. In this case, the
Service will publish a proposal to list, solicit independent scientific
peer review of the proposal, seek input from the public, and consider the
input before a final decision about listing the species is made. In
general, there is a one-year period between the time a species is proposed
and the final decision.
3) Listing is warranted but precluded by other, higher priority
activities. This means the species is added to the federal list of
candidate species, and the proposal to list is deferred while the Service
works on listing proposals for other species that are at greater risk. A
warranted but precluded finding requires subsequent annual reviews of the
finding until such time as either a listing proposal is published, or a not
warranted finding is made based on new information.
The Act provides a critical safety net for America’s native fish, wildlife
and plants. This landmark conservation law has prevented the extinction of
hundreds of imperiled species across the nation and promoted the recovery
of many others.

Anyone wishing to submit information regarding the 26 mollusk may do so in
one of the following two ways:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search docket
FWS-R8-ES-2011-0076 and follow instructions for submitting comments.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn:
FWS-R8-ES-2011-0076 Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington,
VA 22203.

Comments must be received by December 5, 2011. The Service will post all
information received on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means
posting any personal information included in the submission.

For more information about the 29 mollusks petitioned and this finding,
please visit www.fws.gov/sacramento.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our
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