Outdoorwild.com

There's new hope for some of the most imperiled freshwater species in the Southeast -- species like the Florida sandhill crane, the Alabama map turtle and even the unsung Waccamaw fatmucket. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday found that Endangered Species Act protection may be warranted for 374 species in 12 southeastern states. The Service's decision follows a 2010 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies and is part of our landmark agreement, reached this summer, that moves protection decisions forward for 757 of the country's most imperiled, least protected species.

The 374 species include 89 species of crustaceans, like the beautiful crayfish; 81 plants; 78 mollusks; 51 butterflies, moths and other insects; 43 fish; 13 amphibians; 12 reptiles; four mammals; and three birds. All these species are threatened by forces that have altered the region's waterways, such as dams, pollution, sprawl, poor agricultural practices, invasive species and a warming climate.

Read more in The New York Times and in a Huffington Post op-ed on the decision by Center Executive Director Kierán Suckling.

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