** Biologists suspect mining company for mysterious loss of rare wildflower
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Monday, September 21, 2020
Thiem's Buckwheat. Photo: Jim Morefield, Nevada Natural Heritage Program ([link removed])
Federal and state authorities are investigating ([link removed]) whether a mining corporation is responsible for the sudden loss of a significant percentage of the remaining Thiem's Buckwheat ([link removed]) , an extremely rare wildflower that exists only in Nevada. The Center for Biological Diversity estimates ([link removed]) that as many as 17,000 plants were destroyed, approximately 40 percent of the remaining Thiem's Buckwheat plants in existence. The species is currently under consideration for federal protected status ([link removed]) while an Australian-owned mining company
([link removed]) seeks to develop some of the largest untapped lithium deposits in the world in the same location as its habitat.
An investigation by the mining company and state biologists concluded the damage was likely caused by small mammals, but Naomi Fraga, director of conservation at the California Botanic Garden is challenging that conclusion, saying ([link removed]) , "I find it hard to believe that two species, buckwheat and rodents, that have lived at the same site presumably for decades, centuries, or even longer have an interaction that is catastrophic for the buckwheat for the first time at a time when protection of the species and the site is under serious scrutiny."
Others agree with Fraga's suspicion of foul play ([link removed]) , including Benjamin Grady, an assistant biology professor at Ripon College in Wisconsin, who wrote a technical report for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on buckwheat in 2015 and heads a national association of scientists who study the genus. Grady said of the incident ([link removed]) , “I have visited hundreds of different wild buckwheat populations from Colorado to California and New Mexico to Montana and have never seen herbivore damage anywhere close to this severe. It seems very likely that this event was a deliberate human action.”
** TODAY: Tune in to New Mexico "Road to 30" virtual event featuring Sen. Udall & Rep. Haaland
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Please join the Center for Western Priorities and the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club ([link removed]) for a virtual discussion of the bold vision ([link removed]) to protect 30 percent of America’s lands and water by 2030, and the importance of local conservation efforts in New Mexico. The event will feature New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland, State Representative Georgene Louis, and Camilla Feibelman, Director of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter. The discussion is part of the Center for Western Priorities’ “Road to 30” virtual tour ([link removed]) , which highlights the pressing need to conserve our natural heritage, strengthen communities, protect wildlife, and improve public health.
Quick hits
** The environment loses a powerful ally with the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Scientific American ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed])
** As more Americans participate in outdoor recreation activities, retailers have become more politically active
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Facing existential challenge, oil companies adopt minimal climate-friendly measures to avoid tighter regulations
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** Biologists suspect mining company for mysterious loss of rare Nevada wildflower under consideration for protection
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Associated Press ([link removed])
** The BLM spent LWCF funds in Utah to protect Mojave desert tortoise and now proposes a road through habitat
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** Tribes' ancestral remains returned to Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park
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Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** September oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming still on, but with fewer parcels available for auction
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])
** Opinion: Utah must protect its public lands
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Deseret News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
If the Trump administration is able to get her [late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's] successor confirmed it could mean that the environment always loses in the Supreme Court for a whole generation."
—Bob Percival ([link removed]) , head of the University of Maryland's environmental law program
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