Editorial

Not all earthworms are created equal.
Most, such as the lowly Aporrectodea trapezoides that inhabit the countryside, live a quiet subterranean existence far from the spotlight of fame.

The giant Palouse earthworm, however, is the superstar of annelids. It's a native son of the Northwest, attracting attention wherever it goes, as environmentalists try to protect it, scientists study it and others scratch their heads to determine what the big deal is.

A little background: When it was first discovered in 1897 the giant Palouse earthworm -- Driloleirus americanus -- was reputed to be 3 feet long, white and prone to spit at passers-by. This great white whale of worms also smelled like a lily plant.

It is also shy, as earthworms go, having been sighted only a few times during the past several decades. Perhaps the fact that it lives underground and burrows as deep as 16 feet would be a contributing factor to its rare appearances.

That aside, scientists have been intent on tracking down the wily worms -- so intent as to employ electric probes that "tickle" the critters in an effort to round them up for further study.

Such was the case March 27 when University of Idaho research support scientist Karl Umiker inserted his electric worm probe into the ground near Moscow, Idaho. Out popped a juvenile giant Palouse earthworm -- GPE for short -- which he scooped up. An adult remained lurking just below the surface and Umiker, trowel in hand, pounced on it and wrestled it into the sample case, according to a university press release.

Umiker had come across the mother lode of GPEs. Three earthworm cocoons were also found.

Such is the stuff of scientific breakthroughs. Suspected GPEs have surfaced around the Northwest for 113 years. Few specimens were identified until the late 1980s, when James "Ding" Johnson, a University of Idaho entomologist, found two in a forest near Moscow, according to a UI press release. They really don't spit, although they do regurgitate mucus, he told a reporter.

More than a decade later, in 2005, UI graduate student Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon found one on Washington State University property near Albion, Wash. Unfortunately, it was cut in half as she was digging a worm-watching hole to stake out the critters.

Wherever there are worms or other creatures, there are sure to be those intent on saving them. From what is not entirely clear.

Some argue the GPEs and the Palouse prairie go hand-in-glove and that one couldn't exist without the other. Others say the fact that the worms have turned up in forested areas and areas outside the Palouse -- an unconfirmed 2008 sighting was near Leavenworth in west-central Washington -- mean the two really don't share a yin-and-yang relationship.

In a world of snail darters, spotted owls and other endangered and threatened species, this is more than a little worrisome for agricultural groups. Farmers, ranchers and timber operators have had to go to court time and again to fend off environmental groups, which latch onto any type of flora or fauna they can in their efforts to raise money for themselves and curb the activities of those who feed, clothe and house the world.

Already, a handful of such groups have trundled into court seeking to protect the great white whale that is the giant Palouse earthworm. They were unsuccessful, but this new discovery -- and another chance to grab the spotlight and shake the money tree -- could well set off yet another round of legal maneuvers.

We hope not. The giant Palouse earthworm is alive and well, thank you very much. And it's remained that way without the help of anyone, much less the environmentalists.