Patrick Donnelly/Center for Biological Diversity / AP
This June 1, 2019, photo provided by the Center for Biological Diversity shows the rare desert wildflower Tiehm’s buckwheat in the Silver Peak Range about 120 miles southeast of Reno.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 | 3:50 p.m.
Tiehm’s buckwheat, a perennial wildflower only known to exist in Nevada’s Silver Peak Range in Esmeralda County, could get state protection.
The Nevada Division of Forestry announced Monday that it was considering protection for the flower.
There are an estimated 20,000 to 43,000 of the flowers on 21 acres in the mountain range, said Patrick Donnelly, director of the Nevada Center for Biological Diversity, which has been pushing for the protected status.
“It’s wonderful that the state of Nevada is taking the first steps to protect this beautiful little flower,” Donnelly said. “We look forward to working with everyone who loves Nevada’s biodiversity to make sure this rare wildflower isn’t snuffed out.”
Until recently, the flower never faced any real significant threats because of its remote location. That changed when a mining company started showing interest in lithium deposits in the area, said Bradley Crowell, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Lithium is a key component in the manufacturing of batteries for electric cars.
The company, which had started drilling in the area, agreed to cease operations for the time being.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in October to protect the flower.
The center also filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas claiming the federal Bureau of Land Management bypassed its own regulations requiring an environmental review before land in the area could be disturbed.
The Nevada Division of Forestry will host meeting to gather public input regarding the status of the flower from 1 to 3 p.m. April 3 at in Tonopah and from 9 a.m. to noon April 10 in Carson City. The April 9 meeting will be livestreamed to the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas.
