RENO, Nev.— In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the rare western wildflower Tecopa bird’s beak may qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The small herbaceous plant with delicate pale pink flowers grows in alkali wetlands in two desert basins in western Nevada and eastern California. Its existence is threatened by groundwater pumping for agriculture, compounded by numerous proposed mining projects across its range.

“The Tecopa bird’s beak is a precious symbol of the vibrancy of desert wetlands, thriving in harsh conditions that many other organisms can’t endure,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “As tough as it is, this resilient species can’t survive without water. The combined pressures of agriculture and mining are draining the aquifers that sustain this special wildflower, pushing it to the brink of extinction.”

The northern population of the Tecopa bird’s beak is found in Fish Lake Valley in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Water levels there have been plummeting for many years due to overpumping of groundwater for alfalfa farming. Now the entire population of Tecopa bird’s beak in Esmeralda County is on land claimed by lithium mining companies.

The wildflower’s southern population is in the Amargosa River Basin outside Death Valley, spanning from Nevada’s Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge down the river to Tecopa, California. Hydrologic modeling shows that agriculture supporting Nevada’s largest dairy near Ash Meadows will eventually draw down groundwater and dry up the Tecopa bird’s beak’s habitat. And similar to the challenges faced by the northern population, numerous gold and lithium mining proposals target the same groundwater that sustains the wildflower’s wetland habitat in the Amargosa.

“To give the Tecopa bird’s beak a fighting chance at survival, urgent action is needed to stop groundwater overpumping and rein in the mining industry’s destruction,” said Donnelly. “Desert wetlands are epicenters of biodiversity and by protecting this special little wildflower, we protect all the animals and people who also depend on water for survival. The fate of the Tecopa bird’s beak and the fate of desert communities are intertwined.”

Today’s announcement kicks off a year-long review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using the best available science to make a final decision on Endangered Species Act protection.