The Kings River pyrg is about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. The snail is found only in a remote corner of northwestern Nevada called Thacker Pass, where there are plans to mine lithium, the key ingredient for electric car batteries.
Paul Ruprecht, Nevada director for the Western Watersheds Project, said mining will shrink the small springs that the snail relies on.
“The species is really vulnerable because fluctuations in water availability could really impact its ability to continue to exist in these areas,” said Ruprecht, noting the snail’s range is limited to just 13 small springs within a 14-mile radius.
The conservation group had previously petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snail as endangered. The agency was supposed to make a decision this year but never did.
In response, the Western Watersheds Project and several tribes on Nov. 12 sent a formal notice of their intent to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service. The People of Red Mountain is a group of knowledge keepers and descendants from the Fort McDermitt Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock Tribes. They say they have a cultural responsibility to protect native species in the area.
The Fish and Wildlife Service now has until mid-January 2025 to respond to the notice. If the agency does not respond, the conservation group and tribes say they will sue.
Construction of the Thacker Pass lithium mine, which broke ground last year, is projected to be completed in 2027. The mine is expected to be producing at full capacity in 2028.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
