Special Status Plants

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Endangered  Species Act Threatened &  Endangered Species Sensitive Species Rare Plants WYNDD Species of  Special Concern Endemic Species

Endangered Species Act

BLM requirements for management of federally listed and proposed species come from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). There are a total of 18 sections within the ESA, nine of which contain requirements or authorizations for the BLM (Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 18). BLM Manual 6840 - Special Status Species Management addresses these management issues.

• Penstemon, blowout (Penstemon haydenii)

Threatened & Endangered Species

A total of 987 endangered species (388 animals and 599 plants) and 276 threatened species (129 animals and 147 plants) have been identified in the United States. Currently, 13 listed animal species and four listed plant species occur in Wyoming. Three of the plant species are threatened and one (Penstemon haydenii) is endangered.

Each of the listed plant species in Wyoming has specific habitat requirements and is only known to occur in a few locales. Blowout Penstemon occurs in Nebraska as well as Wyoming. Colorado Butterfly plant occurs in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado, while the monotypic Desert Yellowhead is known from only a single population in central Wyoming. Ute Ladies' Tresses is the most widespread of listed species and occurs in occurs in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

• Colorado butterfly plant (Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis)
• Desert Yellowhead (Yermo xanthocephalus)
• Ute ladies' tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis)

Research

• Modeling the Potential Distribution of BLM Sensitive and USFWS Threatened and Endangered Plant Species in Wyoming

  • Appendix A: Distribution Models
  • Appendix B: Species abstracts

Sensitive Species

A sensitive species is any species: which is under status review by the FWS/National Marine and Fisheries Service(NMFS); or whose numbers are declining so rapidly that Federal listing may become necessary; or which occurs in typically small or widely dispersed populations; or inhabiting ecological refugia or other specialized or unique habitats.

BLM Wyoming maintains a list of sensitive species to help focus management efforts towards maintaining habitats under a multiple use mandate and to prevent future listing as a threatened or endangered species. Although the list of sensitive species is extensive, many species are not included due to the lack of status, distribution and/or habitat requirement information that can be used to focus special management attention.

The goals of BLM's sensitive species policy are to:

• Maintain vulnerable species and habitat components in functional BLM ecosystems.
• Ensure sensitive species are considered in land management decisions.
• Prevent a need for species listing under the Endangered Species Act.
• Prioritize needed conservation work with an emphasis on habitat.

Additional sensitive species lists from other agencies (Forest Service, National Parks Service etc.) are listed below. The criteria for listing as a sensitive species varies from agency to agency due to the presence or absence of a given species, and its frequency of occurrence on the lands managed by that agency.

• BLM Wyoming Sensitive Species Policy (pdf)
  • Sensitive Species
• Distribution
  • List of Rare Plants by Agency - September 2003
  • List of Rank and Trends (pdf) - September 2003
  • Maps
    • by BLM Wyoming Field Office
    • by County

Rare Plants

In 1994, representatives from various agencies, including BLM, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, compiled rare plant data from each of their Sensitive Species lists, as well as other sources, to create the Wyoming Rare Plant Field Guide. It is a helpful reference for both federal personnel and the public for identifying imperiled plant species in Wyoming.

• To request a copy of the Wyoming Rare Plant Field Guide, contact BLM Wyoming Wildlife
  Biologist at 307-775-6090.

WYNDD Species of Special Concern

The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD) has compiled a list of plant and animal species which may require management attention to ensure their survival. These include any rare, endemic, disjunct, threatened or endangered species. Plants and animals are considered species of special concern if they are vulnerable to extirpation at the global or state level due to: inherent rarity (e.g. restricted geographic range, small population size, low population density or specialized habitat requirements); or significant loss of habitat; or sensitivity to human-caused mortality or habitat disturbances.

• Plant Species of Special Concern

Endemic Species

Although not recognized as an epicenter of biological diversity, Wyoming has many endemic species (i.e. species whose distribution limited to Wyoming). Currently, 45 plants are generally recognized as being unique to Wyoming; 30 species, 13 subspecies, two hybrids and one endemic genus (Yermo). Due to their limited distribution, many of these species are vulnerable to a variety of threats, and several of these plants are listed as BLM Sensitive Species.