Intern power - protecting an endangered flower

Lindsey Imitzen, Oregon Wild Intern, Helps Protect Endangered Flower

As we all know, Oregon is a special place – and made all the more special by our wild lands, wild rivers, and wildlife. And let’s not forget about the wild plants! Earlier this year, Oregon Wild and seven other conservation groups filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection for Silvery Phacelia (Phacelia argentea) – a rare plant that grows on a 130-mile stretch of coast from Coos and Curry counties in southern Oregon to Del Norte County in northern California. The flowering plant is at risk of extinction due to off-road vehicles, coastal development, and invasion of its dune habitats by non-native beach grass. Presently, there are fewer than 30 surviving populations of the silver-leaved plant.

One of our 2013 Oregon Wild Interns, Lindsey Imitzen, played a significant role in the preparation of the Silvery Phacelia ESA listing petition. Lindsey learned everything there is to know about Silvery Phacelia, all the while pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Oregon in Germanic and Scandinavian language studies. Besides other scholastic achievements and wild Oregon knowledge, she also holds a law degree from Western New England School of Law.

In preparation for the ESA listing, Lindsey spent countless hours researching the available information on the rare plant’s geographic locations, overall biological status and the various documented threats to its continued survival. Lindsey diligently gathered, compiled and organized all of this data and information into the listing petition itself, which also included numerous appendices of the various relevant documents she both uncovered and assembled in preparation of the principal petition. This effort required many hours of ferreting out available information on both federal and two states agencies’ knowledge on the rare plant. Additionally, Lindsey communicated with, and sought documents from various land managers and private botanists.

Throughout the process, Lindsey pledged the time and accepted the responsibility to develop an intern project that now promises to make a significant environmental contribution for the health of the ecology of the south coast of Oregon and the northern coast of California.

Protecting Silvery Phacelia will not only ensure a future for this one plant species, but will also help safeguard our coastal environment for the quiet enjoyment and appreciation of humans, and for other rare species—such as the already federally listed snowy plover (shorebird)--for which Oregon Wild also coordinated the original listing petition for, and that shares a similar coastal habitat with the Phacelia.

Thank you, Lindsey for your work!

In this Silvery Phacelia protection effort, Oregon Wild also wishes to acknowledge the fine work of Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity’s Conservation Biologist, that also in coordination with Lindsey and others, put the final professional “spit and polish” on the petition and submitted it on behalf of ourselves and the other petitions:  Friends of Del Norte, Oregon Coast Alliance, the Native Plant Society of Oregon, the California Native Plant Society, the Environmental Protection Information Center, and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center.

To learn more about Silvery Phacelia, or to read the petition check out the press release.

Photo Credits
Photo copyright Oregon Wild.