Yesterday, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity and the Maricopa Audubon Society, we filed a lawsuit challenging the failure of the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) to conserve the Huachuca Water Umbel, a highly endangered plant. The Umbel was once widespread in the southwest, but livestock grazing and human settlement have eradicated most of its habitat. Today, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area—which Congress specifically mandated BLM to “conserve, protect, and enhance”—hosts the largest remaining population of Umbels and most of the species’ critical habitat. However, BLM has failed to take basic, common-sense steps protect the Umbel, or the Conservation Area, such as maintaining a boundary fence to protect the species from trespass livestock. As a result of BLM’s failure to protect the species, its habitat is growing badly degraded and it is vanishing from the heart of its scant remaining range. Our lawsuit alleges that BLM’s failure to protect and restore the Umbel violates its duties under the Endangered Species Act. A copy of the Complaint can be found here.

*Image courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service