Dalles Mountainsnail – Oregon Conservation Strategy

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Overview

Species Common Name Dalles Mountainsnail
Species Scientific Name Oreohelix variabilis variabilis

Ecoregions

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Special needs

Dalles mountainsnails prefer talus or basalt habitat with minimal vegetation cover.

Limiting factors

Dalles mountainsnails are endemic to the Lower Deschutes and/or Columbia Gorge. They are limited in their distribution and threatened by habitat loss due to development and road construction. Roadside spraying can also be harmful to mountainsnails.

Data gaps

Assess distribution. Determine species-specific habitat requirements, including vegetation components that support this species in riparian or springside sites.

Conservation actions

Maintain appropriate habitat. Minimize impacts from talus mining to Dalles mountainsnail.