[dalereed]

Fairy shrimp are totally useless except to some university AH. They only live a few days or weeks in mud puddles after a rain and don't serve as a food source for anything that I know of.

The only purpose they serve is to provide enviro whackos a means of stopping all development or grading. Those AHs run out and file suit to stop development if they can find any depression in the land that could collect a few gallons of water if it rains.

[Muleteam1]

Sorry but my knowledge of fairy shrimp is limited. I have only seen them in the playa lakes of southeastern New Mexico and I have lightly dealt with them in regard to a National agricultural pesticide program. Although I am very familiar with the rationale for protecting species of limited distribution, I cannot speak to the significance of the fairy shrimp in California.

Muleteam1

[Grampa Dave]

You have nailed the Fairy Shrimp bs. In N California, it usually doesn't rain from about May until late Sept or sometime in October, and often not until November.

In the world before the evil man came along, these fairy shrimp died (unless Herons or Egrets ate them as an appetizer) when their little winter/spring seasonal pools dried up.

"Fairy shrimp are totally useless except to some university AH. They only live a few days or weeks in mud puddles after a rain and don't serve as a food source for anything that I know of."

"The only purpose they serve is to provide enviro whackos a means of stopping all development or grading. Those AHs run out and file suit to stop development if they can find any depression in the land that could collect a few gallons of water if it rains."