New England Wild Flower Society, America's oldest plant conservation organization announces a PRESS CONFERENCE on Tuesday, February 28th beginning at 10 a.m. at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham. Peter Galvin, Conservation Director of The Center for Biological Diversity headquartered in Tucson, Arizona presents the findings of their comprehensive study of the results of the Endangered Species Act in the northeastern United States. They demonstrate that 93% of the species improved or remained stable under the Act.
The success of the Federal Endangered Species Act at achieving recovery of federally protected species is a focal point in political discussions of legislative changes to the Act. This study is the first part of a comprehensive assessment of the overall success of conservation efforts to recover threatened and endangered species. The conference is an opportunity for news media to explore thorough and accurate information on the Act and its results.
This study summarizes the status of 54 endangered plants and animals that currently or historically bred or migrated in the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, and Maine) to determine if those species have improved, declined or remained stable since being listed under the Endangered Species Act.
At each concurrent presentation in New York City, Framingham, MA, and Providence, RI, representatives from the Center for Biological Diversity present the findings joined by renowned regional scientists and conservationists discussing the on-the-ground conservation work for both plant and animal species.
At the Garden in the Woods presentation in Framingham, Bill Brumback, New England Wild Flower Society Conservation Director, and Doug Weihrauch, Alpine Ecologist of the Appalachian Mountain Club speak about the Potentilla robbinsiana, (Robbins' cinquefoil), the first plant to be removed from the list due to successful recovery in the wild. It is a small plant native to one of the harshest and most rare habitats in New England: the treeless alpine zone of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Before receiving Endangered Species Act protection in 1980, this plant was on the brink of extinction, with only 3,700 known plants. Today there are more than 14,000.
Robbins' cinquefoil's recovery is the result of a conservation partnership between the New England Wild Flower Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Center for Plant Conservation. Starting in 1983, the White Mountain National Forest and the Appalachian Mountain Cub rerouted the trail away from the species' critical habitat and built an enclosure to protect the primary population. NEWFS began propagating the plant in its nursery and reintroduced plants to the primary population as well as two additional sites with suitable habitat within the National Forest. Partners continue to monitor the health of these populations.
"The federal Endangered Species Act along with the collaboration between the organizations was the real key to the success of this project," said Brumback, NEWFS'. "The techniques learned during the project will be highly applicable for other recovery efforts."
When a plant or animal is observed to be in trouble, like Robbins' cinquefoil, a group or individual can petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put it on the Federal Endangered Species list. Scientific evidence must be provided, and the species must be in danger of extinction in all or a significant part of its range in the United States. Once it is on the List, special protections apply. The species becomes eligible to receive funding to help in planning for its recovery and management.
Some people ask, why all the fuss over one tiny plant, or why let one species stop "human progress" or development? For those who dedicate themselves to conservation every day, this answer is very clear: In addition to ethical and philosophical concerns, we simply do not know which seemingly small and insignificant members of our ecosystem could be eliminated without dire effect, and how many can disappear before the whole system falls apart. If we think of our ecosystem as an airplane with wings held on by rivets, how many rivets can we let fall off before the plane goes down? And which of these rivets is expendable?
Environmentalists feel that we are responsible for keeping the biodiversity inherent in our ecosystem intact. This is the mission behind the organizations that are dedicated to preserving and protecting our native plant and animal species. With an estimated 25% of America's native plant species in decline or at risk of extinction, this is not a short-term issue with a quick fix. But there are wonderful and achievable lessons to be learned from success stories like that of this small cinquefoil.
For directions to Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01720 at the New England Wild Flower Society website at www.newfs.org or 508-877-7630. Look for a summary report in March online at www.newfs.org and www.biologicaldiversity.org.
Some images from the study may be found here.
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