Federal protection granted for imperiled freshwater mussels

By JOHN FLESHER
AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Two freshwater mussel species are getting federal protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday it will designate the longsolid and round hickorynut mussels as threatened. This means they’re likely to become in danger of extinction. They are among many native mollusks that help cleanse waters by filtering out pollutants as they feed. They’ve slumped because of habitat loss, competition from nonnative mussels and rising stream temperatures. Their range includes waters in Eastern and Midwestern states as far south as Alabama and as far north as Michigan and New York.