News release: Rare desert wetland wildflower advances toward endangered species protections
In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the rare western wildflower Tecopa bird’s beak may qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The small herbaceous plant with delicate pale pink flowers grows in alkali wetlands in two desert basins in western Nevada and eastern California. Its existence is threatened by groundwater pumping for agriculture, compounded by numerous proposed mining projects across its range.
Related article:
- Fox 5 KVVU-TV (Las Vegas, Nevada): Nevada wildflower moves closer to endangered species protections
