delirious for Driloleirus: protecting a national earthworm treasure

I was browsing my incoming search terms, wondering why in the world everyone suddenly wanted to know about Driloleirus americanus, when it hit me: it must be in the news. Sure enough, the Seattle P-I reports that environmentalists want to declare the Giant Palouse Earthworm an endangered species, with all the attendant regulations and hoopty-hoo.

The petition was sent by certified letter on Aug. 30 to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a former Idaho governor, said Paulson, an author of the petition who lives in Lenore, Idaho.

It's too soon to know if anyone will object to the listing, or what lands might be considered critical habitat, Paulson said. He suspected that only lands that have not been developed, which represent only a fraction of 1 percent of the Palouse prairie, would be preserved as habitat.

My favorite quote: When Paulson says, "This worm is the stuff that legends and fairy tales are made of."

That and cheesy Kevin Bacon flicks.

(If you want to learn more via Google, be sure you spell it right. Driloleirus, not driroleirus or driloreilus. Heck, just cut-and-paste.)