Martin,
Did you know that hardworking freshwater mussels in our streams and rivers are quietly keeping the water clean? The mussels suck in and expel water as they eat plankton—filtering out bacteria like E. coli, and even pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and flame retardants.
But 70 percent of freshwater mussels in North America are imperiled or have already gone extinct.
Right now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is considering listing six freshwater mussels that are at risk. Martin, will you lend your voice to save these crucial species?
With quirky names like Texas fatmucket, six freshwater mussel species are in jeopardy due, in part, to water management plans that ignore the needs of local fish and wildlife in rivers and streams.
Freshwater mussels are keystone species. If the populations of these six species decline further, then the river ecosystems will suffer significantly as well! We only have a few days before the deadline to send a message urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help save these mussels, please take action now.
Listing these mussels under the Endangered Species Protection Act will protect critical habitat for the species, ultimately benefiting a variety of other local fish and wildlife that are struggling to survive in poor river conditions.
Please support granting these six mussels additional protections under the Endangered Species Act!
Thank you for all that you do to protect fish and wildlife.
