Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in two separate sections in central Chaves County, New Mexico, United States, a few miles northeast of the city of Roswell. Both sections lie on the banks of the Pecos River. The refuge was established in 1937 to provide habitat for migratory birds such as the sandhill crane and the snow goose, but it is also notable for rare native fish and the over 90 species of dragonflies and damselflies that inhabit the refuge.
The blue-billed duck is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm (16 in). The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck's common name. The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding season, reverting to a dark grey. The female retains black plumage with brown tips all year round. The duck is endemic to Australia's temperate regions, inhabiting natural inland wetlands and also artificial wetlands, such as sewage ponds, in large numbers. It can be difficult to observe due to its cryptic nature during its breeding season through autumn and winter. The male duck exhibits a complex mating ritual. The blue-billed duck is omnivorous, with a preference for small aquatic invertebrates. BirdLife International has classified this species as Least concern. Major threats include drainage of deep permanent wetlands, or their degradation as a result of introduced fish, peripheral cattle grazing, salinization, and lowering of ground water.
The Alabama cavefish is a critically endangered species of amblyopsid cavefish found only in underground pools in Key Cave, located in northwestern Alabama, United States in the Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge. It was discovered underneath a colony of gray bats in 1967 by researchers Robert A. Kuehne and John E. Cooper and scientifically described in 1974.
Assiminea pecos is a rare species of snail in the family Assimineidae known by the common name Pecos assiminea. It is native to New Mexico and Texas in the United States. Specimens known from Mexico are now treated as members of a separate species, Assiminea cienegensis. The Pecos assiminea was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 2005.
Pyrgulopsis is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae.
The San Bernardino springsnail is an endangered species of freshwater snail in the family Hydrobiidae. This species is endemic to a small number of springs in the USA and northern Mexico.
The Bruneau hot springsnail, scientific name Pyrgulopsis bruneauensis, is a species of very small freshwater snail that has a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Hydrobiidae. This species is endemic to the United States, Bruneau River in Idaho. Its natural habitat is thermal springs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Montezuma Well springsnail is a species of freshwater snail in the family Hydrobiidae, the mud snails. It is endemic to Montezuma Well, a large sinkhole in Yavapai County, Arizona, in the United States.
Brune's tryonia, scientific name Tryonia brunei, is a species of very small freshwater snail that has a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae. This species is endemic to the United States (Texas). It was formerly listed as Threatened in 1993/1994 and Data Deficient since 1996 until it was changed to Critically Endangered and possibly extinct in 2012; this is because it is found only in Phantom Lake, Balmorhea Lake, has range of less than 100 km², and was last observed in 1993. A 1991 report by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service also listed it as Endangered and they also later noted the unknown population. It is found in firm substratum and on mud before modification.
Gammarus hyalelloides is a species of amphipod crustacean in the family Gammaridae. It is endemic to four springs in Jeff Davis County and Reeves County, Texas, and is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.
Gammarus pecos, commonly known as the Pecos amphipod, is a species of crustacean in family Gammaridae. It is endemic to Pecos County, Texas in the United States, where it is known from only two locations: Diamond Y Spring and Leon Creek.
Stygobromus pecki, the Peck's cave amphipod, is a rare species of crustacean found in four cavern areas of southwestern Texas in the United States. It is a federally listed endangered species in the United States and is also listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Because of the species' limited geographical distribution, not much information on S. pecki is known. As of April 2022, there is no available 5-year review, Species Status Assessment, or recovery plan for the species. However, the Edwards' Aquifer Habitat Conservation Program (EAHCP), with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS), has been attempting to further study and promote conservation of S. pecki.
The Socorro springsnail, scientific name Pyrgulopsis neomexicana, is an endangered species of minute freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Hydrobiidae, the mud snails.
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge is located on the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County, Arizona. Situated at 3,720 to 3,920 feet (1,130–1,190 m) elevation in the bottom of a wide valley, the refuge encompasses a portion of the headwaters of the Yaqui River, which drains primarily western Chihuahua and eastern Sonora, Mexico. The 2,309-acre (9.34 km2) ranch was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982 to protect the water resources and provide habitat for endangered native fishes.
The Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in the foothills of the southwestern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. The refuge is one of four units of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex for California condors.
Dikerogammarus villosus, also known as the killer shrimp, is a species of amphipod crustacean native to the Ponto-Caspian region of eastern Europe, but which has become invasive across the western part of the continent. In the areas it has invaded, it lives in a wide range of habitats and will prey on many other animals. It is fast-growing, reaching sexual maturity in 4–8 weeks. As it has moved through Europe, it threatens other species and has already displaced both native amphipods and previous invaders.
The spring pygmy sunfish, Elassoma alabamae, is a species of pygmy sunfish endemic to springs in northern Alabama. It was historically known to occur in springs in North Alabama along the Tennessee River in Limestone and Lauderdale counties. The spring pygmy sunfish was first discovered in Cave Spring in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1937 but in 1938, this site was flooded by the creation of the Pickwick Reservoir. The spring pygmy sunfish was considered extinct until its rediscovery in the Beaverdam Spring complex in 1973 by researchers from the University of Tennessee.
Three Forks is a location in Apache County, Arizona where three forks of the Black River converge. It has an estimated elevation of 8,225 feet (2,507 m) above sea level.
Salt Creek Wilderness is a designated Wilderness Area located on the Pecos River approximately 12 miles north-east of Roswell, New Mexico. Established in 1970 as a unit of the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the 9,621 acre Wilderness is administered by the U. S Fish and Wildlife Service. Combining the scrub lands of the Chihuahuan Desert with the riparian environment of the Pecos River and the Artesian basin of eastern New Mexico, Salt Creek represents a rare convergence of desert and wetlands.
