Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Thursday, July 26, 2012
Conservation Groups Seek Endangered Species Protection for an Imperiled Gila River Mayfly

Loss and Degradation of High Quality Aquatic Habitats Threaten the Gila Mayfly With Extinction
Contact: Taylor Jones (303) 353-1490

Additional Contact: Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director, The Xerces Societyfor Invertebrate Conservation, 503-449-3792, sblack@xerces.org

Gila, NM – In response to a petition filed by The Xerces Society for InvertebrateConservation, WildEarth Guardians, and mayfly expert Dr. William PatrickMcCafferty, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined today that the Gilamayfly, an imperiled aquatic insect, may qualify for protection under theEndangered Species Act. A positive 90-day finding was issued, and the Servicewill now begin a status review of the species. Mayflies are insects that spendthe first part of their lives under water and they are incredibly sensitive tochanges in water quality.

Thismayfly is known solely from a small area of the Gila River drainage system in Grant Countyof southwestern New Mexico. A recent scientific status review by the XercesSociety found that the Gila mayfly is threatened by increasedstream sediment and pollution from recreational activities and cattle grazing. The Gila mayfly requires clean,fast-flowing water to survive, yet many streams in the Gila River drainage areon the Clean Water Act list of impaired waters due to high levels of aluminum. Globalclimate change threatens to alter the hydrology and flow regime of the GilaRiver, which will further impact this highly sensitive mayfly. Withoutprotection under the Endangered Species Act, this mayfly may go extinct.

“The Gilamayfly is a good indicator of the health of the Gila River and its tributaries,”said Sarah Foltz Jordan, a conservation biologist with the Xerces Society. “Becausemayflies are so sensitive to changes in water quality, the Gila mayfly can beconsidered the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of the Gila River.”

Conservation actions taken to protect aquatic insects willalso benefit other species. For example, protecting a stream that harbors acritically imperiled mayfly by reducing over-grazing or restoring streamside plantswill also benefit the fish, amphibians, mammals and birds that depend on thathabitat.

“The Gila mayflyhas a highly restricted range and remarkable behavior” stated Dr.McCafferty, a professor at Purdue University and mayfly expert. “Considering the degradation of the GilaRiver in Arizona and possible impending degradation of this river system in NewMexico that constitutes the only known habitat of the Gila mayfly, this speciesdeserves special consideration and protection among the North American aquaticfauna.”

Fly fishers have long recognized the significance of aquaticinsects such as mayflies as critical food sources for fish. These, and otheraquatic insects, serve as keystone species at the base of freshwaterecosystems. These species are also used by watershed stewards as biologicalindicators to monitor the condition of their streams.

“The Gila mayfly urgently needs the legal protections of theEndangered Species Act,” stated Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocatefor WildEarth Guardians. “Protecting these insects and their critical habitatwill safeguard water quality and ensure a healthier future for the myriad otherspecies that depend on these streams for survival.”

For more information, read the petition.

The Xerces Society is anonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation ofinvertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is at theforefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge ofscientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.

WildEarth Guardians is a conservation organizationworking to protect and restore wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places in theAmerican West. The group has a long-standing campaign to safeguard thebiodiversity and ecosystem health of the Greater Gila Bioregion.