Recovery Champion Nadine Kanim takes a census of Yreka phlox. The Yreka FWO recently began to the implementation phase of the Recovery Plan for Yreka Phlox. (photo: Matt Baun)

Dozens of corsage-like clusters similar to this one, dress up China Hill during springtime in Yreka, Calif. (photo: USFWS/C. Oakley)

By Matt Baun,Yreka FWO
Yreka Fish and Wildlife Office biologist Nadine Kanim received the Service’s 2008 Recovery Champion award for her contributions to the Yreka phlox recovery effort.  Along with colleague Dave Johnson, Kanim is often found in and around the hills of Yreka, Calif.,  monitoring and studying the pink flower, which is only in bloom for a brief period.

The endangered and extremely rare Phlox hirsuta, commonly known as Yreka phlox, grows in small clusters no higher than six inches above the ground.  As butterflies and moths pollinate it, the blooms go from bright pink to a pleasing shade of white that is equally as eye-catching against the staid brown-tone geology of the region.

The biggest threat to Yreka phlox has been urban development.  But because there are only five known occurrences of the flower in the world – all in the vicinity of Yreka – random events such as fire, drought and disease are also of great concern.

But something special occurs in the spring. The drab hillside of Yreka’s China Hill is transformed into a magical place that pops to life with the emergence of dozens of bright pink flowers.  The contrast to the surrounding landscape is vivid.  It looks as if someone pinned dozens of corsages to the hillside as a rite of Spring.

Sharp-eyed locals who know where to look can catch a glimpse of this colorful show as they zoom their way along I-5 through the town of Yreka, where China Hill rises several hundred yards to the East of the freeway.   

There are also some locals who are astonished to learn of this “secret” flower. 

“I have been here for over 20 years” said one Yreka native, who accompanied a team of Service biologists to China Hill. “I never knew this flower existed.”

The data that Kanim and Johnson are collecting are central to the recovery plan.  If the Service can show that the plant has not declined after 10 years – and if other occurrences of the plant has been secured, then the plant can be downlisted to threatened status, or possibly removed from the endangered species list.

Kanim is hopeful that such a goal can be reached, perhaps even in as little as 10 years.   

“There is a lot of support in the community to recover Yreka phlox – from the local timber company to the city and county governments to average citizens,” said Kanim.  “The recovery team has identified the threats to the species and our local partners have already made a lot of progress to protect the plant from various hazards.” 

A key partner in the phlox recovery effort is the City of Yreka, which has purchased – or obtained through donations – nearly 75 percent of the land on China Hill.   This has been a tremendous achievement and has saved the Yreka phlox from being destroyed by development. 

City planning officials are also hopeful that one day it can provide full sanctuary for the phlox and turn China Hill into a public park, complete with an interpretative center that will one day tell the story of how one small community came together to save a pretty pink flower from the verge of extinction.