Into the Wormhole - life on the prairie

Into the Wormhole
Environmentalists hope saving a rare giant earthworm could help save a prairie
—By Eric Kelsey, Utne.com

September 27, 2007 Issue

Fifteen feet below the windswept Palouse prairie of eastern Washington and western Idaho, a spitting, three-foot-long, white worm that smells like lilies is thought to live. The fate of the once common, native, giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) is today a mystery. Experts conjecture on its habits, its role within the ecosystem, and why it has been spotted only twice in the past 25 years, most recently in 2005. Meanwhile, environmentalists are rallying to the cause of this little-seen, little-understood worm, and hoping that by saving it, they can save the Northwestern prairie where it makes its home.

According to the Associated Press, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and three other environmental groups have filed a notice of intent to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming that the federal agency -- following a familiar pattern of foot-dragging on endangered species -- has missed legally mandated deadlines to respond to a petition filed to protect the worm in August 2006. (The US Fish and Wildlife Service tells the Associated Press that the year-old petition remains under review and the agency has yet to draw any conclusions on the matter.)

http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2007_318/news/12793-1.html

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