The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Kentucky creekshell (Leaunio ortmanni [=Villosa ortmanni]) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Service is also proposing to designate approximately 544.6 steam/river miles in the Green River basin in Kentucky and Tennessee as critical habitat for the species, affecting the counties of Adair, Allen, Barren, Breckinridge, Butler, Edmonson, Grayson, Green, Hardin, Hart, Larue, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, Taylor and Warren.
The Kentucky creekshell is a small, freshwater mussel that inhabits medium-sized rivers, small streams, and spring runs and is often found in riffles composed of sand and gravel or adjacent depositional areas near the shore.
The species is usually associated with spring influenced habitats that is the preferred habitat for its host fish, the banded sculpin.
The species is endemic to the Upper Green River basin with extant populations in the Upper Rough River basin, Upper Nolin River basin, Green River, Russell Creek, and multiple tributaries of the Barren River. Historic populations that are now considered extirpated include the Lower Nolin River, Bays Fork, and the mainstem Barren River.
The primary threats affecting the Kentucky creekshell include impacts from habitat loss and degradation (i.e., incompatible land use, siltation/sedimentation, gravel mining, instream barriers), climate change, invasive species, and other unknown causes of population decline.
The Kentucky creekshell exists in a limited number of populations/watersheds that are disjunct from each other. Each population is small and only a portion of the remaining populations show signs of recent reproduction. These populations are not capable of sustaining themselves at such low levels of abundance, which elevates the risk of local extirpations.
When a species is listed under the ESA, the Service is required, where possible, to identify areas essential to the conservation of that species, known as critical habitat. The proposed critical habitat for the Kentucky creekshell includes streams and tributaries in the Upper Green River, Barren River, Nolin River and Rough River.
Of the 544.6 river miles being proposed for critical habitat designation, 385.5 river miles (71 percent of the total proposed critical habitat) are considered currently occupied by the species. The other 159.1 river miles (29 percent of the total proposed critical habitat area) being proposed are considered unoccupied. Approximately 24 percent of the areas proposed as critical habitat for the species overlap with occurrences or critical habitat of other federally listed mussels which have similar conservation requirements.
The document can be found here: www.federalregister.gov/documents/current.
After the date of publication, links to documents can be found here: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR.
The proposed rule, economic analysis, and other supporting documents are available at www.regulations.gov, Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0065. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877–8339.
For more information, contact:
Taylor Fagin
Fish and Wildlife Biologist,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Kentucky Ecological Services Field Office
330 W. Broadway, Room 265
Frankfort, KY 40601-8670
Telephone 502-653-0541
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339.
