A Strategy for Conservation of Springsnails in Nevada and Utah, USA

Abstract

The Nevada and Utah Springsnail Conservation Strategy (the Strategy) is a comprehensive and proactive 10-year plan to protect 103 species of truncatelloidean springsnails and their habitats (primarily springs). Springsnails are tiny, aquatic, and often locally endemic truncatelloidea and cerithioidean snails threatened by both local and regional stressors. A bi-state agreement (the Agreement) was forged by state and federal agencies and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2018 in a manner consistent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) conservation criteria. Successful achievement of Agreement objectives will protect springsnails and their habitats in the two states, precluding the need for a federal listing of those species. The objectives of the Agreement are to: (1) compile springsnail ecology and distribution data into a single database; (2) identify, assess, and reduce threats to the taxa and their habitats; (3) maintain, enhance, and restore spring habitats; (4) develop and maintain a springsnail conservation team (SCT); and (5) create an effective education and outreach program for landowners, agencies, and the general public. The SCT held in-person and multiple virtual meetings in 2019–2020 to initiate the Strategy, introduce and clarify member roles, and pursue the integration of available information. The SCT assembled information and literature on each taxon in the two states into the Springs Online database (springsdata.org), a password-protected, easily used online information management system for archiving and reporting on springs-dependent species taxonomy, distribution, associated species, and population and conservation status data. The information gathered was used to generate conservation reports for individual species that can be readily updated as new information emerges. Within each Agreement objective, we describe issues to ensure springsnail species representation, resiliency, and redundancy, which are USFWS metrics of population integrity. We describe springsnail diversity and distribution, the threats and challenges to effective springsnail conservation, and the process the SCT is using to address those issues. Development of the Strategy enables the SCT to monitor, prioritize, and readily report on springsnail conservation progress over the decadal life of the Agreement. As one of the largest springs and springs-dependent species conservation efforts in the world, the context and development of the Strategy provide key lessons for other such efforts.