ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. � The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comments on the draft recovery plan for the Chupadera springsnail, an endangered freshwater snail currently found in one isolated location in Socorro County, New Mexico. The recovery plan’s goal is to recover the species so that it no longer needs protections under the Endangered Species Act. The 30-day public comment period opens on Aug. 26 and closes on Sept. 26, 2025.
The Chupadera springsnail was listed as endangered under the ESA in 2012, with critical habitat designated at its native site in the Chupadera Mountains. The species currently lives in one desert spring on private land in Socorro County, New Mexico, within the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This freshwater snail has a tan to brown shell and is tiny, measuring 0.06 to 0.12 inches (1.6 to 3 millimeters) long. The species� most significant threats are unmanaged livestock grazing, groundwater pumping, spring modifications, and water pollution.
The Service, in collaboration with stakeholders and partners, develops and implements recovery plans to support the conservation and recovery of endangered and threatened species. These are not regulatory documents, and implementation of actions is not required by the ESA. Instead, recovery plans serve as road maps with specific management actions to foster cooperation in conservation for listed species and their ecosystems. The draft recovery plan defines actions that contribute to the recovery of the Chupadera springsnail, describes the time and cost estimates for implementing those actions, and outlines objective and measurable criteria for downlisting and delisting.
A crucial component of this recovery plan is the restoration and protection of the Chupadera springsnail’s aquatic habitat. Water is necessary for the viability of this freshwater snail, as it is a fully aquatic species that uses gills to breathe. In addition, the species does not disperse from one habitat to another without assistance, due to its small size and dependence on isolated springs.
The draft recovery plan’s strategy includes ensuring adequate water quantity and quality, managing and protecting the species� aquatic habitat, addressing threats to the species, increasing knowledge about the species, collaborating with partners and stakeholders to achieve conservation goals, and engaging in community outreach.
The Service encourages the public, federal and state agencies, tribes, and other stakeholders to review and provide comments.Submit comments by mail to the New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna Road NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 or by email at [email protected].
The Chihuahuan Desert is a priority ecoregion for global conservation, and its desert spring systems have high biodiversity, including sensitive, rare aquatic invertebrates. The Service will work cooperatively with partners, private landowners and other stakeholders to minimize or eliminate threats to the Chupadera springsnail and to close knowledge gaps that are critical for informing recovery efforts.
