PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal petition today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking protection for the Donner und Blitzen pebblesnail under the Endangered Species Act. Also known as the strange pebblesnail, the species is a critically imperiled freshwater gastropod found only at Page Springs in the Donner und Blitzen River drainage in southeast Oregon.

“Saving this little pebblesnail means saving Page Springs, which is beloved by people from all over the world,” said Tara Zuardo, a senior advocate at the Center. “As the world warms, it’s becoming increasingly important to take care of natural waters like this spring and protecting these snails can help us do that.”

Like other freshwater snails facing extinction, the Dunner und Blitzen pebblesnail has a small habitat with a highly restricted range. It faces threats from the popular Page Springs Campground, which is operated by the Bureau of Land Management, as well as from water use, drought, and climate change. The limited, single-spring range of the snail makes it especially vulnerable to any disturbance of its habitat.

“The Endangered Species Act has saved hundreds of plants and animals, and it can certainly save the Donner und Blitzen pebblesnail, too,” said Zuardo. “Careful management of the nearby campground and consistent groundwater monitoring are needed to ensure that agricultural and other activities aren’t depleting the aquifer and threatening the snails. It should be easy to protect these irreplaceable snails from sliding into extinction.”

Freshwater snails are one of the most imperiled groups of species in the United States. Already 67 species have gone extinct and more than 450 species — 64% of all freshwater snail species — are at risk, reflecting the degree to which people have damaged the waters we all need to survive.