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- Utah is home to over 275 rare plant species (or in same case varieties) including 24 species that are federally listed
as endangered or threatened.
Utah's federally listed plant species as of January 11, 2003 (USFWS list) (24 species)
- BLM Sensitive Plant Species List for Utah August 2002 (99 taxonomic entities)
- Washington County's Endangered Plants
- The founding of UNPS in 1978 was in large part due to the concern for the survival of various rare/endangered plant species.
UNPS has been an advocate for the protection of many rare plant species and held annual rare plant review meetings and conferences in the 1980's
and thru the early 90's (which have been revived by UNPS starting again in the late 90's).
In early 1983 UNPS initiated conservation action for the dwarf bearclaw poppy, Arctomecon humilis and has been active in its
conservation ever since.
UNPS has partnered with other conservation organizations, most notably The Nature Conservancy, to assist in protecting rare plant habitats
(one example being the clay phacelia, Phacelia argillacea).
The UNPS Sego Lily newsletter has often served as a source of original (and only!) publication for certain information about Utah rare plants.
- Dr. Duane Atwood, then with the US Forest Service (and formerly a long term board member of UNPS and rare plant chair) spearheaded the
1991 publication Utah Endangered, Threatened and Sensitive Plant Field Guide ("blue book") which was one of the first field guides of its kind and
which became a model for other states to follow.
- After investigating options in 2001, in early 2002 UNPS began a prototype conversion of the blue book in hopes that funding could be found to update and complete it.
Federal funding as it turns out was appropriated by the BLM in 1997 to update the book, and UNPS in 2003 partnered with The National Park Service, Forest Service and the BLM
under a challenge grant to assist in an effort to make a web-enabled as well as a printable/CD version of the blue book.
- We frequently comment on proposed BLM, Forest Service and other projects and related impacts on rare plants.
In this regard, see Committees --> Conservation --> News and Letters as well as the News and Archived News sections.
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- While not our preferred course of action, events of recent years have forced us join or advocate suits
in situations where government funding has been lacking or fully absent and/or when the provisions of the Endangered Species Act
have not been adequately addressed. This has included (no membership fees
have been used to support these activities):
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- Sclerocactus brevispinus (2005 - petition to list)
- Astragalus desereticus (2005 - critical habitat designation)
- Astragalus holmgreniorum and Astragalus ampullarioides (2004 - critical habitat designation)
- Penstemon grahamii (2002 - petition to list)
- (in 2002 we also became signatory to the Equal Protection for Plants Campaign initiated by the California Native Plant Society)
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