U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Kenk’s amphipod kenki

In the hustle and bustle of our nation’s swimming. The amphipod’s sensitivity capital, there are special places that to water quality makes its presence an offer a haven for nature. Thanks to the indication of safe water and healthy foresight of planners, Rock Creek Park food webs. in Washington, D.C., is one of those places set aside for residents to enjoy The Kenk’s amphipod measures and to thrive. between one eighth and one quarter inch in length as an adult. Since it lives This site in the Rock Creek valley primarily underground, it is colorless protects some of the last remaining and has no eyes. While much of the natural springs in the highly developed life history of the species remains a metropolitan area–springs that are mystery, biologists believe it may eat homes to salamanders and food bacteria and fungi found on dead and resources including insects and decaying leaves. Its underground . Living in this natural habitat makes it very difficult to study,

place is the extremely rare Kenk’s and it is infrequently present in the USFWS amphipod, a tiny found spring outflows on the surface. Biologists search for Kenk’s in just two places in the world: Rock amphipods by overturning leaves and Creek valley and 60 miles south in An In Peril carefully digging in the fine soil of Caroline County. Kenk’s amphipod was first discovered spring seepages. by Dr. Roman Kenk in 1967, found Amphipod Who? on leaves and fine soils where are less common, like the Kenk’s An amphipod is a small shrimp-like underground water comes to the amphipod, often have less capacity to freshwater crustacean. The order surface in the waters of seepage spring adapt. name means “different outflows. Since that time, the species’ feet” in Latin, referring to the many story is mixed: the amphipod has While the cause remains unknown, types of legs these crustaceans have, disappeared from many natural areas the animal’s decline could be due to including some for eating and some for where it was once found in the nation’s changes in water quality and quantity. capital, yet it has also been discovered While many of the springs are in in a new area 60 miles away. protected areas, activities occurring outside park boundaries could affect Before 2016, the species was known the groundwater. Toxic spills, sewer from only six sites in Washington, D.C., leaks, and the accumulation of and Montgomery County, Maryland. pollutants from development in the Five of these sites are within the Rock watershed can alter water quality. Creek drainage, with four of those Land disturbance or conversion to in Rock Creek Park managed by the roads, pavement, roofs, or changes in National Park Service. The sixth is the amount or timing of precipitation in within the Northwest Branch drainage the D.C. area, can affect the amount or in the Northwest Branch Stream Valley level of water. Park managed by Montgomery County. Researchers were pleased to find

USFWS Recent data from multiple surveys the Kenk’s amphipod in 2016 in four Colorless, without eyes, and about the in 2015 and 2016 indicate that Kenk’s seepage springs in the Army’s Fort size of the tip of your pinky fingernail: amphipod can no longer be found at A.P. Hill in Caroline County, Virginia. While these amphipods aren’t cute or five of the six Washington, D.C., and The Army has maintained the cuddly, they are helpful warnings for Maryland sites, even though other basins supplying these four springs, water quality issues and are food for common amphipod species have been avoiding potential water quality other animals like salamanders. present at most sites. Species that issues. Although areas between D.C. and Caroline County, Virginia, have Following a review of scientific How You Can Help Keep Water Safe been surveyed for other amphipods, and commercial information n Dispose of trash properly. additional surveys will provide more on the Kenk’s amphipod, n Do not dump trash, oil, or other certainty on whether Kenk’s amphipod the U.S. Fish and Wildlife products into storm water drains. could be present in those areas. Service proposed September n Consider alternative methods for 30, 2016, to list the species as The survival of Kenk’s amphipod maintaining your lawn without the federally endangered under use of herbicides and pesticides. may be dependent on good water the Endangered Species Act. quality in the few areas continuing n Report illegal dumping and Following a 60-day public discharges to community leaders. to support the species. By protecting comment and peer review period, the groundwater, we can ensure clean we will make a final decision to n Plant native gardens or rain gardens water for the animals that depend on list as endangered or threatened, to help reduce stormwater runoff. it and ourselves. Several organizations or to withdraw the proposal. are working together to learn more For more information, contact: about Kenk’s amphipod, to ensure that The amphipod is state-listed as Chesapeake Bay Field Office high-quality natural springs persist endangered in Maryland, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service into the future, and to protect these was only recently identified in 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive natural areas for the benefit of wildlife Virginia. Annapolis, MD 21401 and people. 410/573 4537 410/266 9127 Fax

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September 2016

Current distribution of the 10 known sites of the Kenk’s amphipod, though the amphipod has not been recently found at five of the six Washington, D.C., and Maryland sites. Due to scale, some sites are obscured by the symbols of others.