What would catch your eye more – a photo of a bald eagle or a photo of a freshwater mussel? If both were asking for funding for important conservation work, which would you donate to? For many people the bald eagle is the easy choice. This comes down to the species’ charisma, and some human psychology. Charisma might be something you associate with the recent pop culture term “rizz,” but it can also be considered an attribute of many species. A charismatic species is well-known and popular, and is typically large, somewhat-dangerous, or appealing to humans in some way or another. This charisma isn’t innate to the species, it’s built by humans through culture, media, art, science, and more. In general, if you were asked to quickly name a species you’d probably name a charismatic species: lions, elephants, wolves, gorillas, salmon, cardinals, bears, eagles… the list could go on. 

This distinction is utilized often in conservation, zoos, and advertising, as people are more drawn to want to see or care about these species. Using them as flagship species for conservation projects (a flagship species is a species chosen to be the ambassador for a cause, like honey bees for “save the bees” movements) can often bring in funding and public support, which is important for success. However, there are many more species that are also in need of conservation funding and support that they may not receive due to not being as charismatic. Think of species that might seem at first glance to be unremarkable, disgusting, or scary. We can’t easily relate to these species. You may not even know these species exist. Consider: mice, bats, spiders, bees, mussels. 

Or, more specifically, consider the rusty patched bumble bee - endemic to a large swath of the eastern United States and lower Canada but listed as federally endangered in 2017. Their population declined significantly due to cumulative stressors such as habitat loss, pathogens from non-native bees, and pesticides. Rusty patched bumble bees need a range of many flowers to meet their nutritional needs and support their colony, a need that can be difficult to meet depending on environmental conditions and habitat quality. Bumble bees can “buzz pollinate” meaning that their buzz shakes out the hard to reach pollen that other bees can’t get. They are crucial bees for pollination of wild flowers, tomatoes, and more. 

While you may not have heard of this bumble bee in particular, perhaps you have heard about the ‘save the bees’ movement, or how important native bees are to ecosystems (honey bees aren’t native!). This speaks to the power of the media in making a species charismatic. There is conservation action and reporting being done for the rusty patched bumble bee, with articles put out on what can be done to help - leaving leaves in some areas or your yard, avoiding pesticides, and planting flowers in the early spring. The rusty patched bumble bee was even named the state bee of Minnesota! What was likely an unknown and unliked species lumped in with all other bees has been highlighted, taught about, and popularized (increasing their charisma) to gain support for their conservation. 

Another example specific to New York State are freshwater mussels. Have you noticed mussels in water bodies near you? Freshwater mussels are easy to overlook as they don’t possess the traits that typically make a species charismatic (and have been largely overshadowed by zebra mussels and other invasives), and they haven’t been a point of focus in popular media. However, freshwater mussels should be on our minds more!

The yellow lampmussel is one such freshwater mussel, and is declining throughout its range. It is ranked as vulnerable in New York State, but endangered overall. This is not unique to the yellow lampmussel species; ⅔ - ¾ of native mussel species populations have faced extreme losses and require conservation due to a range of threats. 

The yellow lampmussel has been documented in 25 New York water bodies, including many in the St Lawrence River basin including the Grasse, Raquette, St. Regis, and Oswegatchie rivers. Main threats to this freshwater mussel are runoff from agricultural and developed areas (including Potsdam and Massena), flood control projects and dams that change the natural flow of water, ecosystem modification, and climate change. 

While there is little direct conservation of mussels, there is habitat protection in place that benefits mussels, though not framed as such. Water quality protection laws including those under the New York Environmental Conservation Law that regulate any disruption of protected streams can be beneficial to some populations of mussels, but don’t protect all. About 40% of waters that have yellow lampmussels do not fall under the designation of “protected”. While these water quality protection laws are a starting point, much more is needed for effective conservation of yellow lampmussels. Actions that should be taken include adding riparian buffer zones around water bodies, increased monitoring of mussel populations, increased regulations on wastewater discharge and runoff, habitat restoration, increased research, expanded protection to address all threats, and increased public awareness of freshwater mussels. The species assessment report done by the DEC that I got all these actions from is now 10 years old. I was unable to find much information about conservation projects directly related to the yellow lampmussel or species status from more recent years, perhaps evidence of their lack of charisma even with the DEC. 

Yellow lampmussels have an important role in the ecosystem as filter feeders, by which they naturally improve water quality. They are also a link in the food chain as prey to many other species such as fish, waterfowl, otters, and muskrats. Lastly, they are an indicator species, meaning that the condition of yellow lampmussel populations reflects the condition of the habitat they live in. This presents the question: if this species was more well known and charismatic, would there be more done to protect and promote it? 

On the other side of the spectrum, we have the bald eagle, an undeniably charismatic species. Around here, bald eagles can be a common sight and can be found at Indian Creek Nature Center. I saw more bald eagles last year than I probably had during the rest of my life! However, this was not always the case for these symbolic birds. 

In 1960 there was only one breeding pair of bald eagles in New York State, a significant decrease from the 70 pairs just 60 years earlier. This decline was due largely to DDT, a pesticide that was widely applied at the time and is now banned. DDT bioaccumulated in bald eagles (concentrations built up faster than it could be expelled by the animal), and resulted in a thinning of their egg shells and low chick survival through incubation. This, plus human killing of bald eagles (there was once a bounty offered for killing them), led to drastic population declines. However, conservation efforts were put in place, and now there are over 170 pairs in New York State!

A combination of efforts including a ban on DDT in 1972, the Endangered Species Act in 1973 that prohibited killing bald eagles, and a DEC restoration project led to the incredible restoration of bald eagle populations in New York State. The DEC project involved relocating and hand rearing young eagles (known as “hacking”), as well as manipulating the remaining native pair to foster young eagles. This project was in conjunction with other groups such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Cornell University, and sourced eagles from other states as far away as Alaska. A grand total of 198 nestling eagles were released during this program! The program concluded in 1989, having successfully met its goal of establishing ten breeding pairs in New York State. Bald eagles are still listed as threatened in New York State, as there are many remaining threats such as habitat loss, bioaccumulation from lead or mercury, collisions, and human disturbance. As such, management and conservation is still necessary for these symbolic birds to thrive. 

At present, both bald eagles and yellow lampmussels are listed as species of conservation note in New York State. Part of the success of bald eagle restoration projects and continued conservation funding has to do with its charismatic status as a national symbol. While the yellow lampmussel does not currently have this rapport to garner support for its conservation, by learning about them you can help them gain charisma! Additionally, conservation can still be implemented for under-resourced species through indirect protections as mentioned previously with the yellow lampmussel and water quality protection acts. While these protections may not be all encompassing, they can be effective. 

A species’ level of charisma is not set in stone, and often fluctuates with both threats that it faces and pop culture trends. Do you remember when capybaras were all the rage? Have you heard of Moo-Deng the baby hippo? What about Fat Bear week at Katmai National Park? If done right, the power of trends can be harnessed for the unpopular species too. So let’s celebrate the success stories like the bald eagle, but don’t forget about species like the yellow lampmussel or the rusty patched bumble bee. While unassuming, they have charisma too if you just know where to look.

For more information about the topics discussed, the sources have been linked below. Take a moment to read up on the history of bald eagle conservation, the role that charismatic species have played in New York and elsewhere, and general info on species like the yellow lampmussel.

• "Conservation Imbalance: Charismatic Megafauna v/s The Rest"
• Journal article: "Charismatic species should be large: The role of admiration and fear"
• Journal article: "Beyond Animal Charisma: A Sociological Approach to Charismatic Species"'.
• "It Must Be Exhausting Always Rooting for the Anti-Hero: Why non-charismatic fauna deserves some spotlight". 
• "Saving the rusty patch bumble bee" 
• Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Information 
• Yellow Lampmussel Species Status Assessment by DEC 
• Yellow Lampmussel Information 
• Bald Eagle - NYSDEC 
• Bald Eagle Management - NYSDEC
• Bald Eagle Restoration In New York, 1976 To 1989 - NYSDEC 
• Bald Eagle Information