19 



When the panel convened, no one from OES was allowed to attend to present 

 the administrative and biological record. A memorandum from a FWS 

 individual not having experience with turtles or their biology was used 

 by the Director to stop listing, even though the memorandum misrepresented 

 the panel's conclusions and ignored an extensive amount of biological data. 

 As a result, FWS' credibility took a severe blow in the scientific community 

 among those familiar with the data. 



The Illinois mud turtle today is endangered by habitat alteration 

 as recognized in the original proposal of 1978, as well as the decreasing 

 water table levels which have become more of a problem since then (Dodd, 

 ms.). It is not likely that listing under provisions of the Act would 

 automatically have reversed this apparent decline, but it would have 

 allowed strong federal protection, including the development of a recovery 

 plan with some federal money, to supplement state and private conservation 

 activities. Illinois, Missouri and IIGE are to be commended for their 

 continuing involvement and commitment towards the subspecies' conserva- 

 tion. However, in spite of these efforts, the habitat and the turtle 

 are in trouble. Unless suitable areas can be preserved, individual 

 Illinois mud turtles may persist for many years, yet their fate will have 

 been decided. As the largest population. Rig Sand Mound must be preserved 

 in perpetuity, for as C. Golliher of IIGE has noted (in a letter to FWS 

 dated November 4, 1981), the policies of companies can change according 

 to future needs and demands. Only long term protection can be expected 

 to be effective. 



In the Illinois mud turtle controversy, no one benefited, least of 

 al 1 K. f_. spooneri . 



ACKNOWLEnGMENTS 



I thank the following individuals for providing information used in 

 the development of this paper: C. Becker, J. W. Bickham, L. E. Brown, 

 S. Chambers, J. L Christiansen, B. J. Gallaway, C. Golliher, .1. R. Iverson, 

 T. Johnson, D. A. Kangas, D. Moll, E. Moll, J. Murphy, and M. J. Sweet. 

 Without their assistance, the paper would have been impossible to write. 

 Lauren Brown, Don Moll, and George R. Zug provided valuable comments and 

 criticism of the manuscript. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Anonymous, (undated). Monsanto and the environment. A report on environ- 

 mental planning at the company's Muscatine, Iowa, plant. Monsanto 

 Agric. Products Co., St. Louis, Missouri. 



Becker, C. (1980). Management of the Illinois mud turtle ( Kinosternon 

 flavescens spooneri ) at Sand Ridge State Forest. Illinois Dept. of 

 Conservation, mimeo, 7 p. 



