Development Plan Imperils Fairy Shrimp, Conservation Groups Say

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrongly approved a mixed-use development in Northern California that threatens several species that rely on seasonal ponds, called vernal pools, in violation of the Endangered Species Act, conservation groups said in a lawsuit.

The complaint concerns the permitting of the proposed Stonegate Development Project, a 314-acre site that includes multifamily dwellings to be built in Chico, Calif. The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and water protection group AquAlliance and also names the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

The site is “home to imperiled species like the vernal pool fairy shrimp” ...