In response to a 2007 petition by WildEarth Guardians, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today listed the meltwater lednian stonefly (Lednia tumana) as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
This marks one of the first decisions since the Trump administration eviscerated the Endangered Species Act, rendering it practically useless against the climate crisis; disturbingly, in the stonefly listing, the Service sidesteps addressing the climate crisis and declines to protect critical habitat for the stonefly.
Native to Glacier National Park, the species is imperiled by climate change, since it relies on streams formed by glacier meltwater to survive. Glacier is a symbolic ground zero for the climate crisis, with air temperatures rising at almost double the global average and glaciers in the park projected to disappear as early as 2030.
Read the press release.
