DOCSLIB.ORG

Investigations of the Endangered Kanab Ambersnail: Monitoring of Translocated Populations and Surveys of Additional Habitat

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Investigations of the Endangered Kanab Ambersnail: Monitoring of Translocated Populations and Surveys of Additional Habitat INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ENDANGERED KANAB AMBERSNAIL: MONITORING OF TRANSLOCATED POPULATIONS AND SURVEYS OF ADDITIONAL HABITAT Clay B. Nelson, Nongame Wildlife Specialist Jeff A. Sorensen, Nongame Wildlife Specialist Nongame Branch, Wildlife Management Division Arizona Game and Fish Department Technical Report 200 Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Program Chief: Terry B. Johnson Arizona Game and Fish Department 2221 West Greenway Road Phoenix, Arizona 85023-4399 May 2002 CIVIL RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMPLIANCE The Arizona Game and Fish Commission receives federal financial assistance in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S . Department of the Interior prohibits disc1imination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further infom1ation please write to: Arizona Game and Fish Department Office of the Deputy Director, DOHQ 2221 West Greenway Road Phoenix, Arizona 85023-4399 and The Office for Diversity and Civil Rights U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Room 300 Arlington, Virginia 22203 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE The Arizona Game and Fish Department complies with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document is available in alternative format by contacting the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Office of the Deputy Director at the address listed above or by calling (602) 789-3290 or TTY 1-800-367-8939. RECOMMENDED CITATION C.B. Nelson, and J.A. Sorensen. 2002. Investigations of the Endangered Kanab Ambersnail: Translocated Population Monitoring and Additional Habitat Surveys. Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Technical Report 200. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the following individuals for their contributions in the field : Dan Adikes, Laurie and Roy Averill-Murray, Joe Bailey, Dave Baker, Ken Baker, Ken Bartlett, Jeff Behan, Sandy Bernstein, Tom Blackledge, Catherine Bland, Steve Bledsoe, Laurie Bonham, BJ. Boyle, Nikolle Brown, Bill Burger, Kirk Burnett, Karla Burnley, Joe Busch, Lita Byerly, Roger Cogan, Tim Dale, Necia Davidson, Brian Dierker, Brad Duncan, Rachael Earle, Stan Faeth, Bill Fagan, Matt Ferris, Kay Fielding, Ayoola Folarin, Chris Franke, Melinda Frankus, Maria Fruin, Josh Gilman, Robert Glennon, Dan Godec, Mark Gonzales, Kenton Grua, Sara Hatch, Brenda Healy, Joy Hernbrode, Stephanie Hettinger, Jim Hoffman, Joel Huettig, Lil Jonas, Christine Karas, Bruce Keller, Krissie Killoy, Chris Klug, Keith Kohl, Dennis Kubly, Steve Lamphear, Margie Latta, Elaine Leslie, Mike Mallett, Jerry Martinez, Vicky Meretsky, Verma Miera, Becky Muller, Neibert Niemi, Bob Nelson, Lance Nelson, Eric North, Flo1ia Parker-Jones, John Perez, Marianne Porter, Barb Ralston, Mike Randolph, Jessamy Rango, Beth Roeser, Tom Ryan, Elda Sanchez, Maaike Schotborgh, Mike Seidman, Jim Shurtliff, Thorry Smith, Della Snyder, John Sorensen, Candan Soykan, Dave Speas, Tara Sprankle, Michelle Starr, Lew Steiger, Eric Swanson, Matt Sweeney, Harlan Taney, Melinda Thompson, Brent Uilenberg, Bill Vercammen, Susan Young, Eric Wallace, Melaine Webb, Guy Webster, Dave Wegner, Pete Weiss, Patrick Whitesell, Terri Williams, Bob Wilson, Bob Winfree, and Cathy Wise. Logistical and administrative support was provided by: Tony Morton and Tom Scoville (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation); Ralph Swanson (Central Utah Project Completion Act Office); Debra Bills and Larry England (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); Carol Fritzinger, Steve Gloss, Barry Gold, and Jake Tiegs (Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center); Larry Stevens (Grand Canyon Wildlands Council); Anne Hagele and RV. Ward (National Park Service); Linda Allison, Mike Demlong, Jim Hatten, Ed Jahrke, Terry Johnson, Alicia Jontz, Bill Persons, and Richard Winstead (Arizona Game and Fish Department). Cover image by Dan Godec. PROJECT FUNDING Funding for this project was provided by: Voluntary contributions to Arizona's Nongame Wildlife Checkoff; the Arizona Heritage Fund; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Grant No. 01-FG- 40-4870, Central Utah Project Completion Act Cooperative Agreement No. 7-FC-CU-AZ0 10, and ESA Section 6 Federal Aid. Logistical support provided by Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. File: NGTR 200 KAS Translocation Update.20020508.doc EXECUTIVE SUMMARY To alleviate operational restrictions on Glen Canyon Dam and further recovery objectives for the endangered Kanab ambersnail (Succineidae: Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis Pilsbry), the Arizona Game and Fish Department partnered with the Central Utah Project Completion Act Office, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region, and the National Park Service to establish an additional wild population of the snail in Grand Canyon National Park. State, federal, tribal, and private cooperators affiliated with the Kanab Ambersnail Working Group and the Glen Canyon Technical Work Group participated in the environmental compliance process. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Biological Opinion in 1998 authorizing this translocation effort. In mid-September 1998, 450 Kanab ambersnails (::c; 5 mm in shell size) were collected from Vaseys Paradise as founding stock for translocation efforts. These snails were collected from the lower vegetated zone, an area frequently inundated by river flows of 30,000 cfs (849.9 m3/s) or less. Translocated snails were released at 3 sites (150 snails/site) in Grand Canyon National Park. The 3 sites ("KeyHole Spring" at 47.1 mi, Upper Elves Chasm at 116.6 mi, and Lower Deer Creek Spring at 136.1 mi) were selected following a National Environmental Policy Act review. In July 1999, another 450 snails were translocated in an effort to augment population densities and maintain genetic variability at each of the new sites (also 150 snails/site). In July 2000, a minor translocation of 30 Kanab ambersnails from Vaseys Paradise were moved to 2 of the 3 sites (20 snails to Upper Elves Chasm and 10 snails to Lower Deer Creek Spring) to help maintain genetic variability of new populations. No ambersnail were translocated to "KeyHole Spring" in July 2000 due to dry habitat resulting from the continued drought. The results of the ambersnail translocation and seasonal monitoring from October 1998 through August 2001 are summarized in this report. No mortalities of ambersnails occurred during transit from Vaseys Paradise to the 3 translocation sites in each translocation effort. No parasites were detected in any of the translocated snails. Resident native landsnails at the translocation sites were documented when encountered­ Catinella sp. at "KeyHole Spring" and Lower Deer Creek Spring, and Zonitoides sp. at Upper Elves Chasm. Densities and distribution of resident landsnails at these sites did not appear to be affected by ambersnail translocation. Of the 3 sites, Upper Elves Chasm continues to harbor numerous translocated Kanab ambersnails, and appears to be establishing a new population under the draft criteria for determining establishment success for Kanab ambersnails (Sorensen and Nelson 2000, 2001). Successive surveys at this site have consistently found live Kanab ambersnails and successful recruitment. In addition, this population is slowly increasing in abundance and is surpassing densities that are observed at Vaseys Paradise. Ambersnail translocations to "KeyHole Spring" and Lower Deer Creek Spring appear to be unsuccessful after 3 years and 2 attempts at releasing founding stock (September 1998 and July 1999). Observations of live ambersnails were sporadic and limited to a few individuals at each site during the first 2 years. No live Kanab ambersnails or shells were found in 2001 at either "KeyHole Spring" or Lower Deer Creek Spring. However, periodic sampling may be useful to detennine if any remnant ambersnails from prev10us translocations in 1998 and 1999 survived the last 2 years of drought. Continued monitoring of Upper Elves Chasm is highly warranted, since this new population has full protection under the Endangered Species Act. In addition to achieving recovery objectives, the ambersnail population at Upper Elves Chasm and its occupied habitat can be included in mitigation decisions regarding the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and incidental take statements for Kanab ambersnails at Vaseys Paradise, and allowing for more flexibility with regards to future Beach/Habitat-Building Flows. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Sumn1ary ......... ............ .. ..... ................. ... .. ....... .. .... ............................. ...... ...... ................. i Introduction .... ................ ........................ .. ...... ................. .. ...... .. .. ..... ....... .. ......................... ...... ....... 1 Methods ........................................................... ........................... .................................... ................. 2 Environmental Compliance ...................................... .. ... .. ..... .................. ..................................... 2 Habitat Evaluation ............................ ... .................... ....................... .. ... .............. .... ..... ................. 2 Collection and Trans location of KAS ..................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Biological Conference Opinions Glen Canyon
    United States DeDanment... of Lh.e Interior Fish and Wildlife Se:vice Arizona EcJlogic:l1 Se..-.rices Field Office 2:321 w. Roy.I P::.1.r:l Road. Suite 103 Ph.oeni:::. ArizoC!.2. 85021-:'9S1 • [n Reply R.efC" To: (602) 640-2:7"-0 M..::; (602) 640-ZT.!Q ABSO/SE 2-21-93-F-167 February 16, 1996 MEM:ORAND illvf TO: Regional Director, Bureau of Reciamation. Salt La.1ce Cicy, Utah FRO~!: Field Supervisor SUBJECT: Biological and Conference Opinions on OpeT:arion of Glen Canyon Dam ­ Conrrolled Rele3.Se for Habitat and Beach Building (Your Refere:lce UC-320, aN-l.OO) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed the Bureau of Reclamation's proposed. test of beachlhabir:at-building flow (rest flow) from Glen Canyon Dam. in spring 1996 in the CoLorado Rivet: located in Coconino County, Arizona. Your November 20, 1995, request for formal consultation was received on November 21, 1995. This doc..uneru: represents the Service's biological and conference opinions on the effects of that action on the following endangered •• species: humpback: chub (Gila cypha); Kanab ambermail (Oxy{oma. haydeni kCJwbensis); and southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidon.ax traillii e:xtimus); and on critic:tl habitat for the humpback: chub and proposed. critical habitat for southwes-..ern willow flyC3.!Cher, in accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as ame::lde:i, (16 U.S.C. 1531 ec seq.). Tnese biologiCJ..1 and confere~ opinions are based. on information provided in the November 1995 biological assessment.
    [Show full text]
  • Endangered and Threatened Animals of Utah
    Endangered and Threatened Animals of Utah Quinney Professorship for Wildlife Conflict Management Jack H. Berryman Institute U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife Resources Utah State University Extension Service Endangered and Threatened Animals of Utah 1998 Acknowledgments This publication was produced by Utah State University Extension Service Department of Fisheries and Wildlife The Jack H. Berryman Institute Utah Division of Wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Extension and Publications Contributing Authors Purpose and Introduction Terry Messmer Marilet Zablan Mammals Boyde Blackwell Athena Menses Birds Frank Howe Fishes Leo Lentsch Terry Messmer Richard Drake Reptiles and Invertebrates Terry Messmer Richard Drake Utah Sensitive Species List Frank Howe Editors Terry Messmer Richard Drake Audrey McElrone Publication Publication Assistance by Remani Rajagopal Layout and design by Gail Christensen USU Publication Design and Production Quinney Professorship for Wildlife Conflict Management This bulletin was developed under the auspices of the Quinney Professorship for Wildlife Conflict Management through the sponsorship of the S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation in partnership with the College of Natural Resources, Jack H. Berryman Institute for Wild- life Damage Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Department of Natural Resources, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. i Contents Purpose of this Guide . iii Introduction . v What are endangered and threatened species? . vi Why some species become endangered or threatened? . vi Why protect endangered species? . vi The Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) . viii Mammals Black-footed Ferret . 1 Grizzly Bear . 5 Gray Wolf . 9 Utah Prairie Dog . 13 Birds Bald Eagle .
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 150/Monday, August 9, 2021
    43470 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 150 / Monday, August 9, 2021 / Proposed Rules How can I get copies of the proposed digital television service, including Federal Communications Commission. action and other related information? propagation characteristics that allow Thomas Horan, EPA has established a docket for this undesired signals and noise to be Chief of Staff, Media Bureau. receivable at relatively far distances and action under Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– Proposed Rule OAR–2021–0208. EPA has also nearby electrical devices to cause developed a website for this proposal, interference. According to the For the reasons discussed in the which is available at https:// Petitioner, it has received numerous preamble, the Federal Communications www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions- complaints of poor or no reception from Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR vehicles-and-engines/proposed-rule- viewers, and explains the importance of part 73 as follows: revise-existing-national-ghg-emissions. a strong over-the-air signal in the Portland area during emergencies, PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST Please refer to the notice of proposed SERVICES rulemaking for detailed information on when, it states, cable and satellite accessing information related to the service may go out of operation. Finally, ■ 1. The authority citation for part 73 proposal. the Petitioner demonstrated that the continues to read as follows: channel 21 noise limited contour would Dated: July 29, 2021. fully encompass the existing channel 12 Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 155, 301, 303, William Charmley, contour, and an analysis using the 307, 309, 310, 334, 336, 339. Director, Assessment and Standards Division, Commission’s TVStudy software ■ 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Gap Ranch Biological Resource Evaluation
    RED GAP RANCH BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION Prepared for: Southwest Ground-water Consultants, Inc. Prepared by: WestLand Resources, Inc. Date: February 14, 2014 Project No.: 1822.01 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................ 1 2. EXISTING ENVIRONMENT AND BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................... 2 2.1. Approach ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2. Physical Environment ................................................................................................................... 2 2.3. Biological Environment and Resources ....................................................................................... 3 3. SCREENING ANALYSIS FOR SPECIES OF CONCERN ................................................................ 5 3.1. Approach ...................................................................................................................................... 5 3.2. Screening Analysis Results .......................................................................................................... 7 3.2.1. USFWS-listed Species ...................................................................................................... 7 3.2.2. USFS Coconino National Forest Sensitive Species ........................................................ 15 3.2.3. USFS Management Indicator Species ............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Kanab Ambersnail (Oxyloma Kanabense)
    TOC Page | 88 KANAB AMBERSNAIL (OXYLOMA KANABENSE) Navajo/Federal Statuses: NESL G4 / listed endangered 17 APR 1992 (57FR:13657). Distribution: Only two populations known: 1) near Kanab in Kane County, UT; 2) at Vasey's Paradise in Grand Canyon National Park (75.3 km downstream of Glen Canyon Dam). Potential is likely restricted to western Navajo Nation; including tributaries of Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers, springs on Echo Cliffs, and creeks north and west of Navajo Mountain. Habitat: Restricted to perennially wet soil surfaces or shallow standing water and decaying plant matter associated with springs and seep-fed marshes near sandstone or limestone cliffs. Vegetative cover is necessary; cattails, monkeyflower, or watercress are present at the two known locations, but wetland grasses and sedges may suffice. Similar Species: other Succineid snails; see Pilsbry, 1948. Phenology: m.MAR-l.MAR: emergence from winter dormancy by previous year’s young e.APR-e.JUL: maturation e.JUL-l.AUG: peak reproduction l.AUG-l.SEP: growth of young, die-off of adults >l.SEP: growth of young, winter dormancy Survey Method: Pedestrian surveys within suitable habitat examining on and under wetland vegetation for live or dead snails. Federal permit required for collection. Suggested reference: Spamer and Bogan, in press. Avoidance: No surface disturbance year-round within 60 m of occupied habitat; no alteration of water quantity and chemistry. References: Pilsbry, H.A. 1948. Land mollusca of North America (North of Mexico). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Monographs II, No.3. (description, p.797) Spamer, E.E. and A.E. Bogan. in press.
    [Show full text]
  • The Conservation of the Kanab Ambersnail
    The conservation of the Kanab Ambersnail of the snail, either by transporting eggs that become stuck on the bird, or by ingesting adult The Kanab Ambersnail is a critically snails and passing them through the digestive endangered snail that is endemic to three system. Snails residing in the Upper Elves locations in the Grand Canyon region. Canyon were from a population of 340 snails Complicating restoration efforts is the lack of that were transported by humans from 1998 to information about the snail and its habitat, 2002 as a conservation measure. origin, and population size. A recent presentation by Ann Holmes, a UC Davis Graduate ecology student described the Kanab Ambersnail and its habitat, the conflicts between snail conservation and ecosystem conservation, the lack of genetic data, and she provided recommendations for where we go from here. What is the Kanab Ambersnail? The Kanab Ambersnail (Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis), shown in Figure 1, was first discovered in 1909 in Utah. Initially, it was thought to be another known species of snail, Figure 1: Kanab Ambersnail until 1949 when it was reclassified to what we Concern with High Flow Experiments? know today. The snail is about 1 cm in length, which is about the diameter of a dime. Typical High flow experiments which have been lifespan of the snail is 15 months, with periods used to restore fish habitat, riparian areas and of dormancy during the cooler winter months. beaches along the river can have negative Due to the small size and dormancy periods it consequences for invertebrates, such as the has been difficult to survey the population size Kanab snail.
    [Show full text]
  • Hualapai Boundaries E. Richard Hart Bibliography and Exhibit List 1
    Hualapai Boundaries E. Richard Hart Bibliography and Exhibit List 1. Adams, Ward R. History of Arizona. Phoenix: Record Publishing Co., 1930. 2. Anderson, Michael F. Polishing the Jewel: An Administrative History of Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon, Arizona: Grand Canyon Association, 2000. 3. Arizona Engineering Commission. “Report Based on Reconnaissance Investigation of Arizona Land Irrigable from the Colorado River,” 1922-1923 and Smith, G. E. P. “A Discussion of Certain Colorado River Problems,” University of Arizona, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 100. Tucson: University of Arizona, February 10, 1925; in Arizona. Colorado River–Misc. Arizona Documents, a volume of bound documents relating to Arizona water from the 1920s, Huntington Library. 4. Babbitt, Bruce (ed.). Grand Canyon: An Anthology. Flagstaff: Northland Press, 1978. 5. Bailey, Garrick and Roberta Glenn Bailey. A History of the Navajos: The Reservation Years. Santa Fe, New Mexico: School of American Research, 1986, pp. 17-27, 47-49, 80, 95 and 114. 6. Bancroft, Hubert Howe. History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888. Albuquerque: Horn & Wallace, Publishers, 1962 (facsimile reprint of 1889 edition), pp. 546-547 and 585. 7. Bandel, Eugene. Frontier Life in the Army, 1854-1861 (translated by Olga Bandel and Richard Jente; edited by Ralph P. Bieber). Philadelphia: Porcupine Press, 1974, pp. 57 and 248. 8. Barber, Abe, Law Examiner, General Land Office and Felix S. Cohen, Assistant Solicitor, (approved by Oscar L. Chapman, Assistant Secretary), “Examiners’ Report on Tribal Claims to Released Railroad Lands in Northwestern Arizona together with Transcript of Final Hearing and Exhibits,” May 28, 1942, Record Group 279, Indian Claims Commission, Docket 90, Box 1054, Plaintiff’s Exhibit No.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 6 – References
    Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan December 2015 Draft Environmental Impact Statement 1 6 REFERENCES 2 3 4 Ackerman, M.W., 2008, 2006 Native Fish Monitoring Activities in the Colorado River, Grand 5 Canyon, Annual Report, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, Ariz. 6 7 Ackerman, M.W., D. Ward, T. Hunt, S. Rogers, D.R. Van Haverbeke, and A. Morgan, 2006, 8 2006 Grand Canyon Long-term Fish Monitoring, Colorado River, Diamond Creek to Lake 9 Mead, 2006 Trip Report, prepared for U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and 10 Research Center, Flagstaff, Ariz. 11 12 ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality), 2006a, Recommendations to Address 13 Colorado River Water Quality, Water Quality Division, Clean Colorado River Alliance, Jan. 14 15 ADEQ, 2006b, Final Arizona Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Reference Case Projections 1990– 16 2020, March. Available at http://www.azclimatechange.gov/download/O40F9293.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 29, 2013. 18 19 Albrecht, B., R. Kegerries, J.M. Barkstedt, W.H. Brandenburg, A.L. Barkalow, S.P. Platania, 20 M. McKinstry, B. Healy, J. Stolberg, and Z. Shattuck, 2014, Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen 21 texanus Research and Monitoring in the Colorado River Inflow Area of Lake Mead and the 22 Lower Grand Canyon, Arizona and Nevada, final report prepared by BIO-WEST, Inc., for 23 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Salt Lake City, Utah. 24 25 Alpine, A.E. (ed.), 2010, Hydrological, Geological, and Biological Site Characterization of 26 Breccia Pipe Uranium Deposits in Northern Arizona, Scientific Investigation Report 2010-5025, 27 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • National Archives at Kansas City September 2013 Newsletter
    THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE S AT KANSAS CITY September 2013 Kevin Fedarko to Discuss The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Inside This Issue Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon VIRTUAL GENEALOGY 2 FAIR On Thursday, September 5 at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives at Kansas City will host Kevin Fedarko for a TROLLEY TOUR 3 discussion and signing of his book, The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the PRESERVATION 4-5 Grand Canyon. A 6:00 p.m. reception will precede the MATTERS lecture. Copies of The Emerald Mile will be available for HIDDEN TREASURES 6-7 purchase onsite from Rainy Day Books. In 1983 the largest El Niño event on record, a chain of Upcoming Events “superstorms,” swept in from the Pacific Ocean and battered Unless noted, all events the entire West. That spring, a massive snowmelt sent runoff are held at the racing down the Colorado River toward the Glen Canyon National Archives Dam, a 710-foot-high wall of concrete that sat at the head 400 West Pershing Road of the most iconic landscape feature in America, the Grand Kansas City, MO 64108 Canyon. As the water clawed toward the parapet of the dam, worried Federal officials desperately scrambled to SEPTEMBER 5 - 6:30 P.M. avoid a worst-case scenario - one of the most dramatic dam AUTHOR LECTURE: THE EMERALD MILE BY KEVIN FEDARKO failures in history. In the midst of this crisis, beneath the light of a full moon, a trio of river guides secretly launched a small, hand-built wooden boat, a dory named the Emerald Mile.
    [Show full text]
  • Grand Canyon National Park United States of America
    GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA This is the most spectacular gorge in the world, carved by the Colorado river 1,600m into the plateau that has risen around it. It bisects half the Grand Canyon National Park, and its strata record the geological history of the past 2 billion years. There are also traces of prehistoric human adaptation to this harsh environment. COUNTRY United States of America NAME Grand Canyon National Park NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE SITE 1979: Inscribed on the List of World Heritage sites under criteria vii, viii, ix and x. One of the first four natural World Heritage sites to be established. STATEMENT OF OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE [pending] The UNESCO World Heritage Committee issued the following statement at the time of inscription: Statement of Significance The Grand Canyon is among the earth’s greatest on-going geological spectacles. Its vastness is stunning, and the evidence it reveals about the earth’s history is invaluable. The 1.5-kilometer (0.9 mile) deep gorge ranges in width from 500 m to 30 km (0.3 mile to 18.6 miles). It twists and turns 445 km (276.5 miles) and was formed during 6 million years of geologic activity and erosion by the Colorado River on the upraised earth’s crust. The buttes, spires, mesas and temples in the canyon are in fact mountains looked down upon from the rims. Horizontal strata exposed in the canyon retrace geological history over 2 billion years and represent the four major geologic eras. Criterion (vii): Widely known for its exceptional natural beauty and considered one of the world's most visually powerful landscapes, the Grand Canyon is celebrated for its plunging depths; temple-like buttes; and vast, multihued, labyrinthine topography.
    [Show full text]
  • Advances in Genetic Research Reveal Kanab Ambersnail Not a Distinct Subspecies Subspecies Removed from Endangered Species Act List
    News Release U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Missouri and Upper Colorado Basin Region 134 Union Boulevard Lakewood, Colorado 80228 For Immediate Release June 17, 2021 Contact: Joe Szuszwalak, [email protected], 303-236-4336 Advances in Genetic Research Reveal Kanab Ambersnail Not a Distinct Subspecies Subspecies removed from Endangered Species Act list Western Oxyloma sp. from Vasey's Paradise, Grand Canyon, AZ Photo credit: Jeff Sorenson, AZ Game and Fish DENVER — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is announcing today the publication of a final rule to remove the Kanab ambersnail (Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis) from the Endangered Species Act list of threatened and endangered species. This determination follows a review of the best available science, which has indicated the Kanab ambersnail is not a distinct subspecies and therefore cannot be listed as an entity under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This action follows the publication of the proposed rule on January 6, 2020. The Kanab ambersnail was initially listed as endangered in 1991. It is a small snail in the Succineidae family, typically inhabiting marshes and other wetlands watered by springs and seeps at the base of sandstone or limestone cliffs. Three populations have been known to the Service, one in Three Lakes, UT, and in Vasey’s Paradise and Upper Elves Canyon, AZ. In 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published a comprehensive, peer-reviewed, comparative genetic and morphological study of 11 populations of ambersnails (Oxyloma) in Utah and Arizona, including the Kanab ambersnail. USGS analyzed genetics, shell morphology, and reproductive soft tissue anatomy and found that the subspecies known as Kanab ambersnail is not a distinct subspecies.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Anatomy of Novisuccinea Strigata (L
    B2017-21-Forsyth:Basteria-2015 11/22/2017 9:02 PM Page 123 On the anatomy of Novisuccinea strigata (L. Pfeiffer, 1855) (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora , Succineidae) from British Columbia, Canada Robert G. Forsyth Research Associate, Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 9W2; [email protected] 123 the reproductive system be examined, but for a num - Novisuccinea strigata (L. Pfeiffer, 1855) is an arctic - ber of North American nominal species, anatomical boreal terrestrial mollusc that is both amphiberingian characters remain unknown or poorly described. and occurring across a large area of northwestern Novisuccinea strigata (L. Pfeiffer, 1854) is an arctic - Canada, including northern British Columbia, Yukon, boreal terrestrial snail that occupies a wide variety of and the Northwest Territories . The shell, jaw, and re - mesic to xeric habitats including grassy slopes, coastal productive anatomy is described from specimens col - tundra, and coniferous, mixed-wood or regenerative lected near the Hyland River, on the Liard Plain for forests (Dall , 1905; Kalas , 1981; Forsyth , 2005). It has a northern British Columbia. Reproductive anatomy, broad range that extends from eastern Siberia across and most notably the twisting of the free oviduct the Bering Strait through Alaska and northern Canada around the duct of the bursa copulatrix, indicates that (Dall , 1905; Pilsbry , 1948; Likharev & Rammel’meier , this species properly belongs to the genus Novisuccinea 1962). In Canada, this species is known to occur in as redefined by some American workers. northern British Columbia (Forsyth , 2005), the Yukon Territory (Dall , 1905; Pilsbry , 1948; La Rocque , 1953) Key words: morphology , reproductive anatomy , dissection, and the Northwest Territories (Dall , 1905; Pilsbry , amphiberingian species, Canada .
    [Show full text]