A team led by an American University professor found a species of amphipod during his search this fall for the tiny shrimp-like creatures, but it was not the endangered variety that is the subject of a federal lawsuit by opponents of the Purple Line light-rail project, according to The Washington Post.
David Culver, an environmental sciences professor, told the Post his team found no other amphipods during the 10 to 15 searches they conducted in the spring and fall, but said the endangered Hay’s Spring amphipod could still exist in Rock Creek Park or other streams near the route of the Purple Line in Montgomery County. However, he said he has no plans to continue searching, according to the report.
That doesn’t the mean everyone’s giving up though. Ajay Bhatt, the president of Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, told the paper the group will continue to fund a $20,000 study to search for DNA of the rare endangered amphipods in Rock Creek Park. The funds for that study were provided by the Town of Chevy Chase.