When was the snail darter listed as endangered?
October 9, 1975
On October 9, 1975, we published a final rule in the Federal Register (40 FR 47505) listing the snail darter as an endangered species due to the threat of the impoundment of the only known location of the species by the completion of Tellico Dam.
Why are darters endangered?
The darter has disappeared from at least half its range because of pollution, plus competition and hybridization with other fish. It was first deemed in need of protection in 1982. The Center sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2015 to get a court-binding date for a decision.
Why is the snail darter important?
Pushed by the Act’s protections, the Tennessee Valley Authority improved dam operations to increase oxygen and provide pulsing flows to reduce sediment on river bottoms below dams. The snail darter is often used as an example by critics of the Endangered Species Act as having blocked a major hydropower dam.
Which environmental law was first challenged in the court case of the snail darter versus Tellico Dam?
the Endangered Species Act
Hill, the Court’s first decision interpreting the Endangered Species Act, remains one of the most instructive cases in American environmental law.
Did the snail darter go extinct?
The snail darter was downlisted from endangered to threatened in 1984 due to successful relocations and the discovery of new populations. It can now be found in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.
What happened to the snail darter?
The snail darter is a federally protected species and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as a result of habitat destruction from the completion of the Tellico Dam. Another factor in the decline of snail darters is siltation, which degrades spawning habitat and food availability.
What is meant by snail darter?
Definition of snail darter : a darter (Percina tanasi) of the Tennessee River drainage system of eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia.
What was the significance of the debate of the construction of the Tellico Dam in the late 1970s?
Construction of the Tellico Dam was controversial and marks a turning point in American attitudes toward dam construction. Until the 1960s and 1970s, few questioned the value of building a dam; dams were widely considered to represent progress and technological prowess.
Why was the Tellico Dam built?
The 4,800-acre Tellico Village was built in the 1980s, part of a plan by TVA to use the shoreline lands around the lake for industrial, residential and recreational development.
Who discovered the snail darter?
David Etnier and Robert Stiles, discovered the snail darter in the Little Tennessee River in August of 1973. After catching several specimens of these three-inch creatures, they returned to Knoxville to examine their find.