BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A member of Kentucky wildlife is under threat.
A proposal put forth Monday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could change its fate.
According to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, the Kentucky creekshell is facing habitat loss, water pollution and nonnative, invasive clams from Asia as threats to its environment and continued place in the ecosystem.
The Center filed a proposal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the native mussel.
Kentucky creekshells grow up to three inches in length and are yellowish-tan with numerous green rays on their shells.
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.
“I’m thrilled that this mussel will receive these urgently needed protections,” a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity Will Harlan said. “This is a win for mussels and communities across Kentucky and Tennessee who depend on clean drinking water.”
Protection for the clam falls under the the Endangered Species Act. The center petitioned the Service in 2010 for the protection of the Kentucky creekshell.
The Center said 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 release said.
The Service proposed to protect 545 miles of critical habitat in spring-fed river systems, like Green, Nolin, Barren and more.
Species with federally protected critical habitat are more than twice as likely to be moving toward recovery than species without it, the release says.
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.
