dotty- i'm sending your inquiry to a herpetologist friend of mine who works for the science museum here in raleigh and has tons of contacts. It'd be helpful if i knew your email. Could you email me and let me know what t is? Mine should be accessible through my page. thanks.

Good for you for continuing to pursue this! Unbelievable that it is so hard to get anyone's attention. Perhaps the powers that be that work on the roads don't want it known. I take it although the reporter contacted you, he had no sources he could contact you with? Wonder if folks are just blowing you off, assuming you can't possible know what you're talking about with that quantity of whatever it is. what is it, btw?

You know, you could try writing a letter to the editor type letter to at least get some coverage. or perhaps call your local TV troubleshooter. Not quite the normal channel, but they may be able to get you some attention, or know someone who can. TV stations love that kind of thing- good for ratings!

Tam..sent you an email (succinct I'm not..sorry)
This is the Carolina Heelsplitter mussel..almost extinct due to its need for pristine clean stream water.

My guess is that an email from a citizen is less notable than a letter/call from an "authority". That way it seems more 'credible' or 'reliable' of a report to them (the agency).

Perhaps you could try Donna with (catawba) Riverkeepers. She might be able to point you in the right direction. What about the Science Museum at Freedom Park?

s.

Another group might be the NC Nature Conservancy - I believe there's a state office somewhere and individual chapters scattered about the state. And check with the local Audobon group, even though their main focus is bird populations they often have the ear of the power brokers when it comes to environmental causes.

Do not notify anyone associated with the highway construction department - they will do everything in their power to stop the flow of information - and I mean anything.

Dottie
I to contacted the US Fish and Wildlife
I got the same response you did (NONE)
Keep up the faith as I do.
I to have a stream that will go dry in a matter
of time ,trying to protect the wildlife,snapping
turttles,frogs the birds a pair of eagles the plants.
Blueangel

Reporting back.
I got a nice long email from the head biologist at FWS and he copied the other biologist I had emailed.
He feels that what I am finding is likely a more prevalent,although protected, mussel and requested I send him the empty shells I've found for identification.

He said what I am doing , relocating the mussels that have been left high and dry to water areas, is exactly what they do when walking the beds of a stream they are examining.
He was very nice and very thorough in explaining what the FWS does and is doing. The relocation I requested for the mussels he says is not possible at this time but they are negotiating with a landowner further down the creek system closer to SC and it may be possible at a later date.

Here I was half expecting to get hollered at for moving protected species (to save them) and he essentially told me to continue doing what I am doing.
And, so I shall.
And, so should you, Blueangel ('cept maybe for those snapping turtles..so you get more frogs) At least your critters are 'ambulatory'.