PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed petitions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today seeking Endangered Species Act protections for the Owyhee hot springsnail and Owyhee upland pyrg.

The two snails occur in small, isolated populations in the Owyhee River in the Owyhee Canyonlands, a remote, rugged corner of eastern Oregon known as a geological wonder. Both snails are threatened by habitat destruction from livestock grazing, recreation, invasive species and a warming climate that alters the snails’ sensitive spring habitat.

“Because these snails live in such a remote corner of Oregon, they’re not getting the attention they deserve despite serious threats to their habitat, so action is crucial,” said Camila Cossío, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Endangered Species Act protection would help conserve these snails’ homes and safeguard other wildlife that depend on the same springs.”

Freshwater snails are some of the most imperiled species in the United States. Already 67 species have gone extinct, and more than 450 species are at risk — 64% of all freshwater snail species — reflecting the degree to which people have damaged the waters that all living beings need to survive. Protecting these snails would also protect the Owyhee River in Oregon’s high desert, the Center notes.

The Owyhee Canyonlands, often referred to as Oregon’s Grand Canyon, were proposed for a federal wilderness designation in 2019 and as a national monument in 2023. If the canyonlands are protected, the canyons, rivers and wildlife found within the monument’s boundaries would be safeguarded from activities that harm wildlife populations and their habitats. Endangered Species Act protection is needed to ensure the Owyhee hot springsnails and Owyhee upland pyrg snails are properly monitored and conserved, the Center’s petition says.