Index to News 1998-2000

Nevada Natural Heritage Program spins a web (2 May 2000): These web pages are new as of October 1998, and many additions and enhancements are planned, particularly under What's News, Species Lists, Reports and Publications, Maps, Images, and Recommended readings. This news item will remain at the top of the What's News page to bring you the latest information on our site. Recent additions to the site include Nevada Wildflower Reports On-line, links to the text of Nevada laws and regulations, and updated information on the two meetings we regularly host: the Nevada Rare Plant Workshop and the Nevada Scorecard of Highest Priority Conservation Sites. We plan to add news items of interest to the top of this page regularly; older news items will move down in reverse chronologic order. As species lists of general interest are produced as part of our daily activities, many will be added to the Species Lists page, although some may be one-time lists or updated very infrequently. The newest additions are the Detailed Rare Animal List and the list of Plant Taxa of High Priority for Field Surveys and Data Development. The main sensitive species lists and watch list for Nevada will be updated frequently, and should be revisited often for current information. Reports and Publications initially will contain mostly lists of available and planned items; we hope to slowly add texts of more popular documents for on-line viewing and printing. Likewise, as maps and images of general interest are produced, more will be added to these pages. We are also serving as the initial host for the Northern Nevada Native Plant Society home page (see separate news item). We welcome your suggestions and requests for additions and improvements; please contact the web page coordinator with your comments. [go to index]

Nevada Rare Plant Workshop finishes agenda early! (7 April 2000): Thirty-four participants met on 6 April 2000 near Reno-Tahoe International Airport for the annual Nevada Rare Plant Workshop. Co-sponsored by the Nevada Natural Heritage Program (NNHP) and the Northern Nevada Native Plant Society (NNNPS), this one-day workshop gathers botanical experts and resource professionals from throughout the west to discuss current and new information on Nevada's rarest plant species, and to review and recommend conservation priorities for those species. For the first time in participants' collective memory, the workshop finished its entire agenda (including items left from the previous year) with 30 minutes to spare!. Among the details of the 2000 workshop, we heard rare plant program updates from most federal and state resource management agencies in Nevada. Two species, Astragalus beatleyae and Primula capillaris, were recommended a second time for removal from the State of Nevada's critically endangered list, and will now be formally proposed to the Nevada Division of Forestry for de-listing. Two more species, Ivesia webberi and Eriogonum corymbosum var. glutinosum, were recommended for adding to the State critically endangered list, pending re-concurrence at next year's workshop. The workshop also moved 2 taxa from the NNNPS Threatened List to the Watch List based on decreased threats and/or increases in known abundance, and added 1 new taxon to the Threatened List. Another 9 taxa were newly added to the Watch List, and 3 were removed. Two taxa were recommended for addition to the Nevada BLM sensitive list. The next workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 April 2001, in Las Vegas. Contact the NNHP Botanist for the latest information. [go to index]

Scorecard meeting 2000 productive (23 March 2000): A Natural Heritage "Scorecard" reviews and ranks sensitive species, and the sites they occupy, according to measures of vulnerability, protection urgency, and management needs, using the best available scientific data. It then identifies the highest-priority conservation sites in the state, and outlines their locations, sizes, ownership and survey status, biological features, and their conservation status. This year's biennial Scorecard meeting was well-attended and productive. Much valuable information and feedback was shared by the group of biologists, land managers, and conservation professionals, significantly revising the March 2000 draft, and reducing from 86 to 67 the number of highest-priority conservation sites. These changes will be incorporated into the final scorecard for 2000, and will be most helpful in providing the best possible set of priorities for rare species site conservation in Nevada. Thank you to all who attended and gave of your time and expertise, and to the many more people and organizations who shared information and supported our efforts over the past two years and beyond. Your contributions to wise conservation planning in Nevada are widely used and greatly appreciated. The next scorecard meeting is tentatively scheduled for Spring of 2002 at the Nevada Natural Heritage Program in Carson City. [go to index]

Goodbye and Hello (1 Nov 1999): In 1999 we welcomed two new faces among our five staff positions. In spring, biological data manager Kim Goodwin departed for Montana after training program biologist Carrie Carreño to be the acting data manager. Carrie then continued training new program biologist Jennifer Newmark in the duties of both positions, pending Carrie's summer departure for Arizona. As Carrie prepared to leave, we also welcomed new biological data manager Eric Miskow. Both Jennifer and Eric were initiated with several months of intensive (and ongoing!) training, required of all employees new to Natural Heritage operations and methods, and we were fortunate that both could overlap with their predecessors. During this transition period, both these positions were also upgraded to the Biologist III level to better reflect their duties and responsibilities. Jennifer came to us with a B.S. in conservation biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and and M.S. in Biology from Boston University, where she studied bat behavior. Her previous experience includes diverse research and teaching in biology. Eric earned a B.S. in geography from the University of Nevada, Reno, and has extensive undergraduate and graduate course work and experience in biology, fisheries, and GIS/drafting. The best consolation we could hope for, after bidding farewell to two highly productive, skilled, and loyal employees within three months of each other, was who we were fortunate enough to find: two more highly productive, skilled, and loyal employees within three months of each other. Welcome aboard, Jennifer and Eric! [go to index]

California kangaroo rat found in NV for the first time (1 Sep 1999): The California kangaroo rat (Dipodomys californicus) generally occurs in northern California and southcentral Oregon and now appears to be an uncommon or shy resident of the northeastern Great Basin Desert (Stangl et al. 1999). On 19 June 1995, a single road-killed body was found in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge at an elevation of 1760 meters in sagebrush (Artimesia tridentata) habitat. This specimen is the first known record from the state of Nevada. This record is evidence of the scanty knowledge of many Nevada mammals. Further surveys are needed to determine the abundance of D. californicus in Nevada and monitor its population trend. [go to index]

Bats in Esmeralda and Mineral Counties?! (1 Sep 1999): The spotted bat, Euderma maculatum, and the pallid bat, Antrozous pallidus, have been observed in Esmeralda and Mineral counties, respectively, for the first time. Kuenzi et al. (1999) recently conducted a comprehensive bat survey of west central Nevada. They captured the rare E. maculatum in the Sylvania mountains of Esmeralda county and detected them by their audible vocalizations in Mineral county. This marks the first occurrence of this species in both counties. The survey also resulted in the capture of A. pallidus in Mineral county for the first time. Further bat surveys are needed in all parts of the state to monitor and assess the status of Nevada's bat populations. [go to index]

New species of silverscale described from Pahrump area (15 Jun 1999): A new member of the annual silverscale (Atriplex argentea) complex was recently described by Stutz et al. (1999). The new species, Atriplex longitrichoma, is "most abundant in Pahrump Valley, NV, in abandoned agricultural fields, in roadside borrow pits; and, in favorable years, occurs in contiguous, undisturbed sites", and also extends into adjacent California in Steward Valley. The name longitrichoma means "long hairs", an abundance of which helps distinguish the new species from its closest relatives, Atriplex hillmanii (A. argentea var. hillmanii) and Atriplex argentea. Because of its abundance in disturbed areas of the rapidly-developing Pahrump area, and its possibly incompletely-known overall distribution, Atriplex longitrichoma is currently of uncertain but potentially significant conservation concern. The Nevada Natural Heritage Program will further assess its situation in case tracking as a sensitive species is warranted. [go to index]

First Las Vegas meeting of Nevada Rare Plant Workshop (15 April 1999): In 1999, the Nevada Rare Plant Workshop was held in southern Nevada for the first time. Thirty-three participants met on 6 April at McCarran International Airport. Co-sponsored by the Nevada Natural Heritage Program (NNHP) and the Northern Nevada Native Plant Society (NNNPS), this one-day workshop gathers botanical experts and resource professionals from throughout the west to discuss current and new information on Nevada's rarest plant species, and to review and recommend conservation priorities for those species. Among the details of the 1999 workshop, we heard rare plant program updates from most federal and state resource management agencies in Nevada. Two species, Astragalus beatleyae and Primula capillaris, were recommended for removal from the State of Nevada's critically endangered list, pending re-concurrence at next year's meeting. We also moved 13 taxa from the NNNPS Threatened List to the Watch List based on decreased threats and/or increases in known abundance. Another 12 taxa were newly added to the Watch List, and 2 were removed. Three taxa were recommended for addition to the Nevada BLM sensitive list, and 1 of those also to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest sensitive list. After a busy day, several species remained as a beginning for next year's agenda. The next workshop is scheduled for Thursday, 6 April 2000, in Reno. Contact the NNHP Botanist for the latest information. [go to index]

Washoe pine not such a rare breed after all (4 Mar 1999): Recent studies by Lauria (1997) and Brayshaw (1997) have shown fairly conclusively that Washoe pine (Pinus washoensis), the only conifer on our sensitive species list, is indistinguishable from the "North Plateau race" of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa), which occurs from northeastern California into southern British Columbia, Canada. Further studies are needed to determine whether or not this race is part of a species separate from the remainder of Pinus ponderosa in California and southern Oregon. We are grateful to Aaron Liston of Oregon State University for bringing these articles to our attention, and for supplying copies. We will soon be re-evaluating the appropriate conservation status of Washoe pine. [go to index]

Newly described ricegrass species rare in Nevada (19 Feb 1999): Stipa shoshoneana is a previously undescribed species recently named by Curto and Henderson (1999). It is known from about 200 specimens from 14 "widely separated populations … within the Salmon River Mountains and Lemhi Range of east-central Idaho," and its only other known occurrence is in the far distant Belted Range of southern Nye County, Nevada. This unusual distribution will warrant further investigation to see if more populations exist between the two areas. The new species appears most closely related to Stipa canadensis and Oryzopsis pungens, both of the north-central and northeastern United States and most of southern Canada. It is "nearly always found within moist crevices of intrusive or extrusive igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary cliffs and rock walls." Because of its relatively widespread and probably incompletely-documented global range, we do not yet consider Stipa shoshoneana to be a species of conservation concern. [go to index]

Another rare buckwheat in Nevada (27 Jan 1999): Leila Shultz of Harvard University recently described Eriogonum phoeniceum (scarlet buckwheat) as a newly recognized species closely related to Eriogonum ericifolium of Arizona. The new species is named for the "blood-red" color of its stems and old flowers (the newly opened flowers are white with reddish-brown markings), and for its occurrence on soils derived from volcanic ash. It is distinguished from E. ericifolium by its flower color and its glossy, hairless upper leaf surfaces. It has been found in "two populations in the Mahogany Mountains of SE Nevada [Lincoln County] and one population from the Wah Wah Mountains of west central Utah, on tuffaceous soils (volcanic ash), 5700-6800 ft, blooming June-September." The species was first found in 1898, then not again until the 1980s, and was not recognized as a distinct species until now. Because the scarlet buckwheat's rarity makes it highly vulnerable to extinction, the Nevada Natural Heritage Program will track it as a sensitive species. The Nevada populations occur on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. [go to index]

Butterflies in our backyard (21 Jan 1999): Just across the street, down the block, and into the salt grass from our office lies the first known location of the Carson alkali skipperling (Pseudocopaeodes eunus ssp.). Originally discovered in 1965, this humble butterfly is dull brownish-orange with black markings, spends its juvenile stages on salt grass (Distichlis spicata), then spreads its wings for about two weeks each summer and lays eggs for the next year's generation. Starting in the 1980s, Nevada butterfly expert George Austin of the Nevada State Museum kept watch over the site as Carson City grew toward it. The Nevada Natural Heritage Program identified the species and its habitat as a high-priority conservation concern statewide in 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998, as development began to shrink its habitat. The skipperling's notoriety then skyrocketed in 1996 as a proposed freeway threatened to eliminate most of its remaining habitat in Carson City. A developer donated some of the remaining habitat to The Nature Conservancy. George Austin started working with the Biological Resources Research Center at the University of Nevada, Reno to survey for remaining and new populations, with funding supplied by the Nevada Department of Transportation. Three more populations were identified between Mono Lake and Honey Lake in eastern California and western Nevada. Unfortunately, the remaining Carson City habitat is deteriorating, and no butterflies could be found there in 1998. Conservation plans and agreements currently being drafted should help minimize further habitat loss as the Carson City freeway bypass moves forward, and may eventually permit restoration of our backyard butterfly population. [go to index]

New plant discoveries abound (2 Jan 1999): There is new interest from scientists and the general public (see references below) in the constant rate at which new plant species are being discovered, both in Nevada and nationwide. Recent studies indicate plant species new to science have been described at a steady rate of about 60 per year in North America (north of Mexico) for at least the last 40 years, many coming from areas thought to be well-explored already. This suggests that North America is far from well-explored, and that perhaps 1800 or more species remain to be discovered and named there. Nevada is no exception to this. Thanks to the efforts of the New York Botanical Garden's Intermountain Flora project, our native Arnold Tiehm (who was featured in Tangley 1998 and Milius 1999, below), and 33 other botanists, at least 40 new plant species have been named from Nevada specimens since 1980 (make that 41!). The most recent (until now…) were Penstemon rhizomatosus and Penstemon tiehmii, both described by Noel Holmgren in the June 1998 issue of the journal Brittonia. These species were found in small, remote areas of the Schell Creek and Shoshone mountain ranges, respectively, and have been added to the Nevada Natural Heritage Program database since their rarity makes them potentially vulnerable to extinction. [go to index]

49 new springsnails for Nevada (18 Dec 1998): The Great Basin’s small freshwater gastropods (Family Hydrobiidae) have until recently been poorly known. Robert Hershler (1998) of the Smithsonian Institution has now described 49 new springsnails in the Great Basin portion of Nevada, greatly increasing the known gastropod diversity of the State. The typical habitats of western springsnails are usually very small springs that are often less than 1 m wide and 1 cm deep. Because such springs often are unprotected and highly vulnerable to impacts from water development and livestock activities, the Nevada Natural Heritage Program considers the new species sensitive and has started tracking their status. Twenty-two (45%) of the newly described Nevada Great Basin springsnails are known worldwide from only single locations, many of which have already experienced significant impacts. Already, 2 of the newly described springsnails are extinct: the Fish Lake Valley springsnail, Pyrgulopsis ruinosa, and the carinate Duckwater springsnail, Pyrgulopsis carinata. Keep watching the Nevada Sensitive Animal List for updates on the remaining species. [go to index]

Great Basin redband trout a candidate for federal listing (16 Nov 1998): The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that a petition to list the Great Basin redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp.) may be warranted, and has commenced a one-year review of its status to determine what, if any, listing actions are warranted. Notice was published in the Federal Register 63(220): 63657-63659 (available on-line by searching 1998 findings with the term "redband trout"). Threats to the trout are reported to include "grazing and timber harvest, the introduction of exotic fish species, irrigation practices and competition with hatchery raised trout." In Nevada, Great Basin redband trout are restricted to the northwest corner of the state. Comments and information for the status review are due by 15 January 1999 to the State Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State Office, 2600 SE 98^th Avenue, suite 100, Portland, OR 97266, (503) 231-6179. [go to index]

Gap Analysis comes to Nevada (10 Nov 1998): The Nevada Natural Heritage Program (NNHP) will be a primary cooperator in a 5-6 year project known as Southwest ReGAP. The ultimate goal of a Gap Analysis is to reveal deficiencies, or "gaps," in the protection of biodiversity within a state or region. The Gap Analysis process involves developing a detailed digital map of land cover (vegetation) and land uses in an area, then modeling the likelihood of occurrence of representative species within different land-cover types to determine which areas harbor the highest diversity of species, then determining which of these areas are not already under some kind of protective management. The National Gap Analysis Program is overseen by the Biological Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey. The first round of Gap Analysis was completed for Nevada by the Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory at Utah State University during the Gap Analysis process for Utah, and resulted in the first detailed vegetation and land-use map for Nevada. Southwest ReGAP will be a cooperative effort among the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico to produce a unified Gap Analysis for these five southwestern states. The project will include refinement of the existing land-cover maps for the region, and NNHP's main role will be the development of field survey data to help characterize vegetation cover types within Nevada. [go to index]

Sodaville milkvetch not listed (6 Oct 1998): The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has formally withdrawn its 1992 proposal to list the Sodaville milkvetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. sesquimetralis) as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Service reevaluated its status, and found that it does not currently face substantial threats. It would have become only the tenth plant species in Nevada to become federally listed. Sodaville milkvetch (photos here) remains extremely rare and vulnerable, known worldwide from only three small populations around alkaline desert springs: two on privately held lands in western Nevada, and one in Death Valley National Park in California. In Nevada, Sodaville milkvetch is on the state list of critically endangered species. Removal or destruction of any members of state-listed species on any lands requires a permit from the Nevada State Forester Firewarden. So far, the owners of the Nevada sites appear to be good stewards of their populations, and are not known to be proposing any activities that would require an endangered plant permit. [go to index]

NNNPS home page temporarily hosted here (29 Sep 1998): The Nevada Natural Heritage Program (NNHP) has agreed to be the temporary host for the Northern Nevada Native Plant Society's (NNNPS) home page until NNNPS can establish its own web site. NNNPS and its members were instrumental in developing NNHP's plant databases in NNHP's formative years, remain a source of valuable new information, and continue to co-sponsor (with NNHP) the annual Nevada Rare Plant Workshop. Thank you NNNPS! [go to index]

Las Vegas bearpoppy losing ground (24 Sep 1998): Gina Glenne of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revisited the Las Vegas metropolitan area occurrences of the Las Vegas bearpoppy (Arctomecon californica) this past summer, and the results were not hopeful. As of our 1996 status report (available here online), 12 of the original 34 metro area occurrences of this gypsum soil endemic had been extirpated (lost). Now, another 10 of these sites are gone, apparently without the required permits first having been obtained. This leaves only 12 sites in the metro area, of which at least five more may soon be lost. Only two sites in the metro area, on Nellis Air Force Base and at the North Las Vegas airport, have any degree of protection so far. Whether this will be enough to prevent long-term endangerment or extinction of the species remains to be seen. Las Vegas bearpoppy is a high priority species in the upcoming Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. This plan seeks to develop conservation measures sufficient to prevent new federal listings of threatened or endangered species in Clark County, or at least to permit incidental take of such species to accommodate urban development. Las Vegas bearpoppy is also protected by state law, and its removal or destruction on any lands requires a permit from the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF). Clark County and NDF recently developed and sent a pamphlet and notification letter to all landowners known to hold bearpoppy populations. [go to index]

Northern alligator lizard native to Nevada (10 Sep 1998): The northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) has been known to occur in Nevada since 1965, although natural populations were documented by only two unpublished specimen records in the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, and by one 1990 sighting record in the Nevada Natural Heritage Program database. Recent discoveries in 1996 and 1998 of individuals in Washoe and Douglas counties have confirmed their natural occurrence in Nevada. E. coerulea is now known from four isolated populations in the western Great Basin of California, Nevada, and Oregon. [go to index]

Over 600 Amargosa toads! (10 Sep 1998): An ambitious project has been occurring this summer in the ongoing effort to monitor the Amargosa toad (Bufo nelsoni) which lives in and around Beatty, Nevada. The Nevada Division of Wildlife has been using PIT tags to mark individual toads to obtain more accurate population estimates. Since PIT tags are permanent, an individual toad's activities can be tracked between years as well as within seasons. As of September 1998, over 600 individuals have been tagged! [go to index]

Mountain yellow-legged frog rediscovered in Nevada (10 Sep 1998): The mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) was once found throughout the marshy areas of the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Many of its populations have now vanished or have dwindled to only a few individuals. Until recently, R. muscosa had not been seen in Nevada since the mid-1980's. Over the past two seasons, a few individuals have been seen occupying one area. A survey is now being conducted and will continue over the next summer in the hope of locating other populations. [go to index]

Williams combleaf looking bigger and better (8 July 1998): For nearly a decade after it was first described, Williams combleaf (Polyctenium williamsiae) was known world-wide only from the edges of four closely-space natural ponds in the Virginia Range of southern Washoe County. Then, in 1992, Natural Heritage Program Botanist Jim Morefield found this low-growing native mustard high in the Kawich Range of central Nye County, about 200 miles to the southeast, spurring a more intensive survey effort. Now, after several years of work, contracting botanist Robert F. Holland has shown that another rare combleaf, Polyctenium fremontii var. confertum, is part of the same species, and has documented the "expanded" Williams combleaf from 25 sites in west-central Nevada and adjacent California. Several of these sites were in poor condition in 1997, but recent site visits by Lisa Sims (U.S. Forest Service), Carrie Carreño (Nevada Natural Heritage Program), and Arnold Tiehm (Northern Nevada Native Plant Society) documented much improvement, and the Forest Service has acted to enhance conservation management at several sites. The original four sites remain highly threatened due to proximity to the Reno - Carson City urban area, and these are the focus of a conservation agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management to improve management there. Very recently, a 1985 specimen of Williams combleaf from southeastern Oregon was identified by Kenton Chambers in the Oregon State University herbarium, suggesting there remains more to learn about the range of this species. The chance that Williams combleaf will require regulatory listing now appears much smaller than just a few years ago. The natural pond-shore habitat of Williams combleaf is rare in the Great Basin, though, and is highly vulnerable to livestock trampling (particularly in years of high water), off-road vehicles, water diversions, and other uses. The Natural Heritage Program will continue to monitor this species for new information and changes in status. [go to index]

We're a partner for tomorrow's West (28 June 1998): The Nevada Natural Heritage Program was featured in Partners for Tomorrow's West: Innovative Strategies for Managing our Natural Resources, recently published by the Western Governors' Association in conjunction with their 1998 annual meeting. This compilation of 19 case-studies was used to illustrate "a growing and welcome reliance on partnerships and collaboration" for environmental management in the West. [go to index]

Nevada Develops Revegetation Guidelines (2 July 1998): A multi-agency state committee, with input from the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, has developed a set of non-regulatory, consensus guidelines expressing the State's objectives and preferences for revegetation practices conducted within Nevada. The Nevada Guidelines for Revegetation were developed to assist outside agencies in interpreting the diverse and sometimes conflicting responses provided by state agencies commenting on revegetation proposals in Environmental Impact Statements and other planning documents. Such responses reflect the diverse missions and goals of various state agencies, but in general share a common desired outcome. The consensus guidelines emphasize use of native species in preference to non-natives, suppression of noxious weed invasions, erosion control, fire resistance, full documentation of proposed revegetation activities, long-term maintenance of remaining native vegetation, and in general maintaining or rehabilitating the productive conditions of all lands in the state. They also acknowledge that non-native species must sometimes be introduced to help prevent or reverse even less-desirable conditions. The committee was facilitated by the Nevada State Clearinghouse and the Nevada Seedbank Coordinating Committee. The Nevada Natural Heritage Program is hosting the on-line text of the Nevada Guidelines for Revegetation. [go to index]

1998 Natural Heritage Scorecard published (23 June 1998): The Nevada Natural Heritage Program printed 400 copies - its widest distribution ever - of Scorecard - June 1998: Highest Priority Conservation Sites. A "scorecard" reviews and ranks species, and the sites they occupy, according to measures of vulnerability, protection urgency, and management needs, using the best available scientific data. It then identifies the highest-priority conservation sites in the state, and outlines their locations, sizes, ownership and survey status, biological features, and their conservation status. The result helps focus resource management and conservation actions on those areas of the state in greatest need. In Nevada, a scorecard review is conducted every two years, with the next scheduled for early 2000. This year's review culminated on 26 February with our biannual scorecard meeting, attended by about 20 biologists and resource professionals from throughout the state. Their review and comments on the draft scorecard significantly refined the published version, and are gratefully acknowledged therein. [go to index]

Goodbye 1980s Computers! (1 June 1998): Within the past year, our office has evolved from one lonely Pentium ® machine running Windows ® 3.11, among four stand-alone DOS 386s and worse, to five speedy and happily networked Pentium II ® systems running Windows ® 95, plus a new color scanner and printer. How did we ever survive without them? (Answer: we did!) The rapid transition detracted from some of our other activities for a while, but now our capabilities and productivity are rebounding to new highs. Many of our upgrades were made possible by ongoing support from the Bureau of Land Management, for which we are ever grateful. [go to index]

Nevada Rare Plant Workshop to meet yearly (15 April 1998): The 1998 Nevada Rare Plant Workshop was held on 2 April in Carson City with 27 participants. Co-sponsored by the Nevada Natural Heritage Program (NNHP) and the Northern Nevada Native Plant Society (NNNPS), this one-day workshop gathers botanical experts and resource professionals from throughout the west to discuss current and new information on Nevada's rarest plant species, and to review and recommend conservation priorities for those species. Among the details of this year's workshop we heard rare plant program updates from most federal and state resource management agencies in Nevada. We also discussed several dozen rare plant taxa, adding several to the NNNPS Watch List, one to the NNNPS Threatened List (an undescribed Eriogonum), and withdrawing earlier recommendations for state listing of three species that have since proven more abundant and secure. The group made a number of recommendations for changes in BLM and Forest Service sensitive status as well, including removal of designations for two BLM sensitive species and one candidate for federal listing, all of which were found to be more widespread and secure. As usual, we left unfinished just enough of our agenda to provide a healthy start for the next Workshop. The group also agreed to begin meeting every year, and to add Las Vegas as a venue. The workshop will convene on the first Thursday in April in Carson City, or on the first Tuesday in April in Las Vegas. Next year's meeting will be on Tuesday, 6 April 1999, in Las Vegas, with time, place, and agenda to be announced soon. Contact the NNHP Botanist for the latest information. [go to index]

Nevada Sensitive Plant Atlas underway (19 March 1998): The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), under section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, has awarded a matching grant to the Nevada Natural Heritage Program to develop our data and GIS capabilities and produce a Nevada Sensitive Plant Atlas. The Atlas will be loose-leaf in format with one species map and supplemental information per page, for ease of future updates. We are now in the process of entering backlogged plant occurrence data, and programming our data conversion and display capabilities to automate the production of Atlas pages. Only a few printed copies of the Atlas are planned initially for the USFWS. Additional funding will be sought to make the Atlas more widely available in printed and/or electronic form. The Northern Nevada Native Plant Society has expressed interest in helping with publication costs. [go to index]

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