BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Kentucky creekshell as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and designated 545 river miles of critical habitat in Kentucky and Tennessee.

“I’m thrilled that this mussel will receive these urgently needed protections,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is a win for mussels and communities across Kentucky and Tennessee who depend on clean drinking water.”

Habitat loss, water pollution, dams and nonnative invasive Asian clams threaten Kentucky creekshell mussels. Development from Bowling Green, the third-largest city in Kentucky, has filled the mussels’ rivers with sediment, which suffocates them. Numerous dams are also choking the mussels’ rivers, and gravel mining and agricultural pollution are degrading their habitat.

The Center petitioned the Service to protect the Kentucky creekshell in 2010.

Kentucky creekshells grow up to 3 inches in length and are yellowish-tan with numerous green rays on their shells. These mussels require a specific host fish, the banded sculpin, to complete their life cycle. Both Kentucky creekshells and banded sculpins require clean, flowing water without dams or sedimentation.

Kentucky creekshells live in the riffles of spring-fed rivers and streams in central Kentucky and Tennessee, including the Green, Nolin, Barren and Gasper rivers as well as Drakes and Russell creeks.

The Service proposed to protect 545 miles of critical habitat in these river systems. Species with federally protected critical habitat are more than twice as likely to be moving toward recovery than species without it. Federal agencies that fund or permit projects in critical habitat must consult with the Service to ensure habitat is not harmed.

Mussels like the Kentucky creekshell improve water quality by filtering out contaminants, sediments and nutrients from rivers and streams. Kentucky creekshells also provide refuge and food for other creatures and indicate the health of a river.

Kentucky is one of the most diverse places in the world for freshwater mussels. The state is home to 103 species — about one-third of all North American mussel species.

Mussels are also the most imperiled group of animals on the planet. Nearly 100 mussel species are listed under the Endangered Species Act, including 30 in Kentucky.