|
The spreading navarretia prefers to stick close to the earth, growing out more than up as it spreads its pointy leaves and little, star-like flowers over the ground. This plant is also pretty picky about where it sinks its roots: it grows only in special clay soils that hold water well, and it has a particular liking for areas that harbor vernal pools — temporary collections of standing water — in the spring, when it blooms. But as agriculture, wetland alterations, and development take over California, the spreading navarretia is experiencing a serious downgrade in living conditions. More and more, these elegant plants are clinging to life by resorting to human-dug ditches for homes.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE
PROTECTION STATUS: Threatened
YEAR LISTED: 1998
CRITICAL HABITAT: 652 acres in Los Angeles and San Diego counties
RECOVERY PLAN: 1998
RANGE: Disjunct and restricted populations from the Santa Clarita region of Los Angeles County, east to Riverside County, and south through San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico
THREATS: Habitat destruction and fragmentation from agricultural development, wetland alteration, off-road vehicles, grazing, weed abatement, fire suppression, pipeline construction, and invasive species
POPULATION TREND: Fewer than 30 populations of spreading navarretia remain in the United States, with nearly 60 percent of these concentrated in just three California locations: Otay Mesa in southern San Diego County, along the San Jacinto River in Riverside County, and near Hemet in Riverside County. The majority of populations contain fewer than 1,000 individuals and occupy less than an acre of habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the species is found on less than 300 acres of total habitat in the United States. In Mexico, it occurs in only about 10 populations.
|
SAVING THE SPREADING NAVARRETIA
Despite its name, the spreading navarretia is far from widespread. Though its overall range covers an area from Southern California to northern Mexico, individual populations are small and localized. And while it’s been listed under the Endangered Species Act for 20 years, thanks to the administration’s tricks, the plant still has a laughably small area of protected habitat on the edges of its range.
The Center first took action for the spreading navarretia back in 2001, when we sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to force critical habitat designation for the plant. We won our case the next year, but the Service ended up protecting only 652 acres of land for the plant — hardly enough for long-term survival, much less recovery. So we included the plant in our 55 species campaign, which we kicked off in August 2007 with a notice of intent to sue the administration over wrongful — and politically tainted — decisions affecting 55 endangered species and their habitat. Our efforts for the spreading navarretia won’t stop until it gets the critical habitat it deserves.
ACTION TIMELINE
+ CAMPAIGN LINKS
NATURAL HISTORY
+ MEDIA
Contact: Ileene Anderson |
