Two conservation groups have notified two federal agencies that they plan to sue for failure to protect the Ozark hellbender and four other species in the Mark Twain National Forest in southeast Missouri.

The 60-day notice of impending litigation, which was filed Thursday, is required under the Endangered Species Act.

The notice of intent to sue was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity of Tucson, Ariz., and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment in St. Louis against the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Ozark hellbender is a salamander found in the wild only in Arkansas and Missouri. Only about 200 remain in Arkansas, all in the Eleven Point River in Randolph County, said Kelly Irwin, herpetologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Missouri has about 600 Ozark hellbenders in the wild, all living in three rivers: the Current, Jack’s Fork and Eleven Point.

The Mark Twain National Forest operates under a 2005 forest plan, according to a news release from the conservation groups.

Six years after that plan was written, in a settlement with the center, the Fish and Wildlife Service protected the Ozark hellbender and two mussels - the spectaclecase and snuffbox - as endangered. The service also designated critical habitat for the Hine’s emerald dragonfly and Tumbling Creek cavesnail, according to the release.

In the filing Thursday, the groups claim the habitat for all of those species is being harmed by timber harvests, grazing, road construction and recreational activities that cause soil or pollutants to enter waterways.

The lawsuit will likely result in amendments to the 2005 plan, according to the release. Those amendments could prohibit, for example, construction of bridges or boat ramps near hellbender habitats.

Tim Patronski, a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife’s Midwest Region, said the agency had no comment on the pending litigation.

The Ozark hellbender can grow to more than two feet in length, which makes it the largest salamander in North America.

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Ozark hellbender to its endangered species list, saying its population had declined by 75 percent since the 1980s.

Hellbenders live in crevices between rocks and under boulders in flowing rivers. There are two subspecies: Ozark and eastern. Ozark hellbenders live only in Missouri and Arkansas. Eastern hellbenders live in 16 states from Missouri and Mississippi to New York. The eastern hellbender isn’t endangered but its status is under review.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 10 on 02/01/2013