WASHINGTON— In response to more than a decade of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today agreed to again consider granting Endangered Species Act protections to the Arkansas mudalia.

This critically imperiled freshwater snail is found only in a few sites in Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River.

“I’m so glad that the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to take a fresh look at whether to protect these rare little snails,” said Trisha Sharma, a legal fellow at the Center. “They’re an important part of a beloved ecosystem, and we really need to give them a chance to recover and thrive.”

The snails were wrongly denied protection by the Trump administration in 2019, even though their range has shrunk by 90% because of worsening water quality in their streams. Today’s agreement comes out of a lawsuit challenging the decision to deny protections to the snail.

Arkansas mudalia are threatened by water pollution from grazing, logging, mining and dam construction and operation. Rising temperatures and more severe weather events are also expected to worsen these threats, further limiting the remaining suitable habitat. Several isolated populations have a low number of individuals, which creates a risk of genetic problems and population loss.

“I’m hopeful that the Fish and Wildlife Service will make the right decision the second time around,” said Sharma. “We’re losing freshwater wildlife to extinction at an alarming rate. Endangered Species Act protection will ensure Arkansas mudalia don’t join that list.”

Freshwater gastropods like the Arkansas mudalia are highly sensitive to disruptions in their environments and are some of the most imperiled species in North America. They are indicators of stream health and indicate whether human activity has altered rivers and streams in ways that are harmful to wildlife and people.