July 21, 2020 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed initial reviews on petitions to list two plant species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Las Vegas bearpoppy and Tiehm’s buckwheat. Each listing petition presented substantial information that the petitioned action may be warranted and consequently, the Service will initiate full status reviews on these species.
The only known population of Tiehm’s buckwheat was discovered in 1985 by two prominent Nevada botanists on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Esmerelda County, Nevada. The plant is restricted to 21 acres of land in remote Nevada, supported by unique clay desert soils. Multiple survey efforts failed to locate additional populations of the species.
The Las Vegas bearpoppy is a desert plant found only in Clark County in Nevada and Mojave County in Arizona. Primary threats to the bearpoppy cited by the petitioner include urbanization, mining, grazing and recreation.
The ESA allows citizens to petition the Service to add species to the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, remove species from the list, and to reclassify species already on the list.
