August 15, 2001
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT LISTING PETITION FOR CENTRAL VALLEY VERNAL POOL
Petition demonstrates that the Midvalley Fairy Shrimp is in danger of
extinction and listing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Carol Witham, VernalPools.Org (530) 753-5872
Kassie Siegel, Center for Biological Diversity (510) 841-0812
More Information: Midvalley
Fairy Shrimp, Goldenstate
Today the Center for Biological Diversity ("Center") and VernalPools.Org
filed a listing petition under the federal Endangered Species Act ("ESA")
for the Midvalley Fairy Shrimp. The petition demonstrates that the species
faces a significant threat of extinction and requests that U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service ("Service") promptly protect the species.
Fairy shrimps are
crustaceans that live in vernal pools, seasonal wetlands that fill with
water during fall and winter rains. Fairy shrimps swim upside down and
filter bacteria, algae, and protozoa from their aquatic habitat. They
are short-lived animals that hatch and reproduce during a short interval
in the winter when the vernal pools are filled with water. Fairy shrimp
cysts (encysted embryos) fall to the bottom of the pool where they withstand
the hot, dry summers of California's grasslands. After one or more dry
seasons, the cysts will hatch when the pools are once again inundated,
and the cycle of life begins again.
The Midvalley Fairy
Shrimp (Branchinecta mesovallensis) is a newly-described species that
inhabits pools in only a handful of counties within the Great Central
Valley, including Sacramento, Solano, Merced, Madera, San Joaquin, Fresno,
and Contra Costa counties. The Midvalley Fairy Shrimp is closely related
to three other federally listed species, the Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp,
Conservancy Fairy Shrimp, and Longhorn Fairy Shrimp. These three species
were listed by the Service in 1994, primarily due to the threats posed
by destruction of their vernal pool habitat. Today's petition demonstrates
that the Midvalley Fairy Shrimp is at an even greater risk of extinction
that these species, however, because it has a more restricted range and
inhabits the most shallow and ephemeral vernal pools.
Vernal pools are one
of the most threatened habitat types in the world. Over 97% of California's
original vernal pool habitat has already been lost due to urban sprawl,
agribusiness, offroad vehicles, livestock grazing, and wetland draining.
Vernal pools are home to many plants and animals that in turn form a valuable
part of the food chain for a wide array of animals, including birds of
prey, shorebirds, migratory waterfowl, frogs, toads, salamanders and pollinating
insects. "Fairy shrimps are a vital part of the web of life,"
said Kassie Siegel, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
"The Service must act immediately to prevent the Midvalley Fairy
Shrimp and its habitat from disappearing forever."
One of the greatest
threats to the Midvalley Fairy Shrimp is the University of California's
plans to build a new campus and city on one of the largest remaining vernal
pool mosaics in the state. The proposed 1,300 acre UC Merced campus will
directly impact dozens of acres of vernal pools some of which are occupied
by the Midvalley Fairy Shrimp. Increased urban sprawl, agricultural and
residential conversion, and indirect impacts (such as altered hydrology)
resulting from the proposed UC Merced campus, a new town of 30,000 people,
and associated infrastructure development are anticipated to destroy,
fragment and degrade nearby Midvalley Fairy Shrimp habitat as well. "Perhaps
the largest single threat facing this species is the proposed UC Merced
campus at Lake Yosemite," said VernalPools.Org Coordinator, Carol
Witham. "The new site adjacent to the Merced Hills Golf Course contains
important Midvalley Fairy Shrimp habitat and impacts will be significant."
Today's petition sets
in motion a process that sets definite timelines the Service must follow
in deciding whether to list the species. Within 90 days, the Service must
decide whether the petition presents sufficient information showing the
listing may be warranted. Within one year, the Service must either propose
the species for listing or find that the listing is not warranted or precluded
by other priorities. If the Service finds that listing is warranted, the
listing must be finalized within 2 years of the receipt of this petition.
Under the Bush administration,
the Service has vowed not to accept or consider listing petitions for
new species until at least the end of this fiscal year. Since Bush took
office, only two species have been listed under the Endangered Species
Act, one as a result of a Center petition and one as the result of a Center
lawsuit. At this time in the Clinton administration, 42 species had been
listed. "The Bush Administration has deliberately decided to stand
by and do nothing while multiple species, including the Midvalley Fairy
Shrimp, spiral towards extinction," said Siegel. "If they fail
to process this important petition, we will challenge the listing moratorium