Why is there a petition to save the Giant Palouse Earthworm?”
The giant Palouse earthworm has taken on mythic qualities in this vast agricultural region that stretches from eastern Washington into the Idaho panhandle — its very name evoking the fictional sandworms from “Dune” or those vicious creatures from the movie “Tremors.” The worm is said to secrete a lily-like smell when handled, spit at predators, and live in burrows 15 feet deep. There have been only a handful of sightings. But scientists hope to change that this summer with researchers scouring the Palouse region in hopes of finding more of the giant earthworms. Conservationists also want the Obama administration to protect the worm as an endangered species, even though little research has been done on it. The worm may be elusive, but there’s no doubt it exists, said Jodi Johnson-Maynard, a University of Idaho professor who is leading the search for the worm. To prove it, she pulled out a glass tube containing the preserved remains of a fat, milky-white worm. One of Johnson-Maynard’s gr
Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the rare, sweet-smelling species. The worm has been seen only four reported times in the past 110 years, but supporters contend it is still present in portions of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. The worm can reach 3 feet in length, is white in color and reportedly possesses a unique lily smell. Environmental groups are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the worm as an endangered species. The Bush administration rejected an earlier petition, but supporters hope to have better luck with the Obama administration.
PORTLAND, Oreg.— Friends of the Clearwater, Center for Biological Diversity, Palouse Prairie Foundation, Palouse Audubon and Palouse Group of Sierra Club filed a petition today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting that the agency protect the giant Palouse earthworm as an endangered species. The earthworm has been found only four times in the past 110 years, including in 2005, and is immediately threatened by agriculture, urban sprawl, and invasive earthworms. “The giant Palouse earthworm is critically endangered and needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act to have any chance of survival,” said Noah Greenwald, biodiversity program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
