Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
3310 El Camino Avenue, Suite 130
Sacramento, CA 95821-6340
99-07
Contact: Patricia Foulk, Sacramento, California - 916/979-2710 (x456)
For Release March 9, 1999
PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED ON RECOVERY PLAN
FOR SIX EL DORADO COUNTY PLANTS
SACRAMENTO, California – Strategies for recovering six species of rare California
native plants in the central Sierra Nevada foothills are the subject of a U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service draft plan now available for public review. The plants grow primarily on
the Pine Hill formation, roughly 25,000-acres in western El Dorado County. Isolated
populations of two of these plants also crop up in Nevada, Tuolumne, or Yuba counties.
Five of the plants have been protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act since 1996:
Stebbins' morning-glory, Pine Hill ceanothus, Pine Hill flannelbush and El Dorado bedstraw
are considered endangered, while Layne's butterweed is designated threatened. The recovery
plan also addresses a species of concern, the El Dorado mule-ears.
Pine Hill ceanothus, Pine Hall flannelbush, El Dorado bedstraw, and El Dorado mule-ears are known to occur only in El Dorado County. Besides the El Dorado County sites, Stebbins' morning glory can be found in Nevada County and Layne's butterweed also grows in Tuolumne and Yuba counties.
A perennial low-lying vine with deeply divided leaves, Stebbins' morning-glory produces large funnel-shaped white flowers in late spring. Pine Hill ceanothus is an evergreen shrub in the buckthorn family with prostrate branches radiating from a central trunk as in a wagon wheel. A spreading shrub in the cacao family that can range up to 4 feet high, Pine Hill flannelbush displays showy light orange to copper flowers from mid- to late-spring. El Dorado bedstraw, a small low-lying perennial in the coffee family, presents pale yellow flowers clustered at the tips of its stems from May through June. Layne's butterweed is a perennial in the sunflower family with yellow and orange flowers in May and June. Named for its enormous fuzzy leaves, the perennial El Dorado mule-ears is also in the sunflower family and its yellow flowers bloom in late spring
These plants are found on federal, state, and private land in chaparral or oak woodlands, They grow in reddish, clay-like soil, which is derived from gabbro rocks, which are high in magnesium and iron. Habitat loss is the prime reason for the decline of these plants.
Because urbanization continues to pose a threat, establishing a network of conservation areas and reserves representing most of the important gabbro habitat in western El Dorado County is a central component of the recovery plan.
Attempts to establish conservation areas for the gabbro plants have been ongoing for more than 20 years and the first such area, a 240-acre ecological reserve protecting plants on the Pine Hill summit, was established in 1979. Aware that many development projects planned for the western county would likely impact the plants, the El Dorado County established a Rare Plant Advisory Committee in 1992 with representatives from the development community, natural resource agencies, county planning staff, California Native Plant Society, and others.
The committee identified feasible preserve sites, funding mechanisms, and management strategies. The three main preserve sites are Salmon Falls, Pine Hill, and Cameron Park and there are also two smaller satellite preserve areas -- Martel Creek and Penny Lane. The total acreage of the recommended preserve sites is 3,500 acres. To date, only 1,518 acres have been protected.
The Service's recovery plan recommends preservation of at least 5,100 acres, including the 3,500 recommended by the committee. Besides the preserve system, proposed recovery actions consider developing and implementing management plans, including provisions for fire management; surveying historical locations and other potential habitat where species may occur; conducting research to guide recovery efforts; collecting and storing seeds; and providing opportunities for public participation, outreach, and education.
The goal of the Endangered Species Act is to recover species to levels where protection
under the act is no longer necessary. Recovery plans, which are blueprints for action by
federal and state agencies, other organizations, and citizens, do not obligate the
expenditure of funds or require that actions be implemented.
The Service welcomes comments on the recovery plan until June 4, 1999. Comments and
requests for copies of the plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento
Fish and Wildlife Office, 3310 El Camino Avenue, Suite 130, Sacramento CA 95821-6340.
Backgrounder & Q&A on the Draft Recovery Plan for
Gabbro Soil Plants Of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills
March 1999
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Backgrounder
Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills
• Six species of plants are covered in this plan, five of which are federally listed. There are four endangered plants including Stebbins' morning-glory, Pine Hill ceanothus, Pine Hill flannelbush, and El Dorado bedstraw; one threatened plant, Layne's butterweed; and one species of concern, El Dorado mule-ears.
• All six plants occur exclusively or primarily on gabbro soils in chaparral and woodland in the Central Sierra Nevada foothills of California.
• The plants occur primarily on the Pine Hill formation, an area of approximately 25,700 acres in western El Dorado County.
• A few known isolated occurrences of Stebbins' morning-glory and Layne's butterweed are known from in Nevada, Tuolumne, or Yuba counties.
• Urbanization, including habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, alteration of natural fire regime, and suppression of disturbance, is the major threat facing these plants.
• The plants in this recovery plan are most commonly associated with the Rescue soils. Rescue soils are well drained soils that are underlain by granular igneous rocks. The soils are reddish-brown in color.
Draft Recovery Plan
• The objective of the draft plan is to recover and delist the five federally listed species and ensure the long-term conservation of the species of concern.
• Proposed recovery actions include establishing a preserve system; developing and implementing management plans, including provisions for fire management; surveying historical locations and other potential habitat where species may occur; conducting research to guide recovery efforts; collecting and storing seeds; and providing for public participation, outreach and education.
• The total estimated cost of the plan is $49.9 million.
• The date of recovery is anticipated to be approximately 80 to 100 years due to the species relation to the fire cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a recovery plan?
A. The Endangered Species Act mandates the preparation of recovery plans for listed species unless such a plan would not contribute to their conservation. Recovery plans detail the actions necessary to achieve self-sustaining, wild populations of listed species so they will no longer require protection under the Endangered Species Act. A recovery plan is an advisory document. Cooperation from private property owners is voluntary.
Recovery plans are not required for species of concern. However, species of concern are included in this recovery plan because a community-level strategy provides for conservation of species with needs similar to those of the listed species.
Q. Who prepares a recovery plan?
A. Depending on the species, plans are prepared by Fish and Wildlife Service biologists, a panel of recognized experts under the direction of a Fish and Wildlife Service employee, or an appropriate consultant contracted by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Regional directors are responsible for approving recovery plans for listed species occurring in their region.
The Draft Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills was prepared by Kirsten Tarp of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Q. What are recovery tasks within a recovery plan?
A. Recovery tasks are actions needed to reduce or resolve the threats or limiting
factors that contributed to the endangered or threatened status of the species. These
tasks are designed to assist accomplishment of recovery objectives.
Q. What is the priority system used for tasks?
Recovery tasks are assigned a priority number associated with one of the three priority levels. Tasks necessary to prevent extinction are priority 1, tasks necessary to avoid further decline are priority 2, and other tasks necessary to achieve recovery are priority 3.
Q. What is the objective of the Draft Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills?
A. The overall objective of the recovery plan is to delist the five federally listed species and ensure the long-term conservation of the species of concern.
Q. What recovery actions are recommended in the Draft Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills?
A. Considering that habitat loss and fragmentation is the primary cause of the species'
endangerment, a central component of this plan is the establishment of a network of
conservation areas and preserves that represent most of the important gabbro habitat in
western El Dorado County. Another high priority recovery action is the development and
implementation of sound management plans for these preserves. The plans should include
provisions for fire management and standardized monitoring. Certain types of research are
also high priority actions. Studies to determine the appropriate timing of fires is
critical. Public outreach and education are also important tasks.
Q. How will adjacent landowners be affected by the proposed burns?
A. The preserves will be large enough to make controlled fire feasible. All practical measures possible will be taken to minimize or eliminate any adverse effects on adjacent land owners.
Q. Will homeowners be allowed to continue to clear vegetation around their homes to qualify for fire insurance?
A. Yes. Activities on private land such as ranching operations, off-road vehicle travel, firebreak construction and maintenance, recreational activities, and any other activities that do not damage or destroy a listed plant species in knowing violation of any State law or regulation are allowed.
Q. Are any conservation measures currently underway?
A. Conservation efforts for these plants have been ongoing for more than 20 years. In 1979 the Pine Hill Ecological Reserve (240 acres) was established to protect the gabbro plants located on the summit of Pine Hill.
In 1992, the County established a Rare Plant Advisory Committee and initiated development of a strategy to conserve these species. The Committee, consisting of 10 members from the development community, various agencies (California Department of Fish and Game, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), El Dorado County planning staff, California Native Plant Society, American River Conservancy and others, identified feasible preserve sites, funding mechanisms, and management strategies for these preserves. The Committee recommended three main preserve sites: Salmon Falls, Pine Hill, and Cameron Park, and two smaller satellite preserve areas: Martel Creek and Penny Lane. The total acreage of the recommended preserve sites is 3,500 acres.
As of November 1998, 1,581 acres have been protected.
Q. Why are the recovery plan tasks different from the recommended actions of the Rare
Plant Advisory Committee?
A. The preserve system recommended by the Rare Plant Advisory Committee is not adequate to achieve recovery of some target species. Even if all five preserve areas identified by the committee are protected, more than 50 percent of the plant occurrences would be lost, including ones that are essential to the recovery of three of the five listed species. Additional preserves will be necessary to recover El Dorado bedstraw, Stebbins' morning glory, and Pine Hill ceanothus.
Q. Who is responsible for implementing the plan?
A. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the statutory responsibility for
implementing this recovery plan, and only Federal agencies are mandated to take part in
the effort, the participation of a variety of groups is essential to successful recovery.
Therefore, the plan recommends the establishment of a regional, cooperative public/private
recovery plan implementation team to enlist the participation of all stakeholder groups
and interested parties. This group would develop a participation plan, coordinate
education and outreach efforts, assist in developing economic incentives for conservation
and recovery, ensure that adaptive management is practiced and define other recovery and
management tasks as necessary.
Q. Do recovery programs work?
A. Yes, but recovery is a challenge that takes time. It seeks to halt or reverse declines that in some instances have been many years in the making. On average, even in the face of a substantial increase in the number of species listed over the past decade, the recovery efforts of the Service, other Federal agencies, States, tribal governments and private landowners have managed to hold those species with declining populations trends to an overall average of 35 percent. Of all the species listed between 1968 and 1998, only 7 - or less than 1 percent - have been recognized as extinct, and subsequently delisted. The fact that almost 99 percent of listed species have not been lost speaks to the Endangered Species Act success as a mechanism for conservation of species are at risk of extinction.
Q. How is the public involved in this planning process?
A. Public comments on this draft plan are encouraged and should be sent to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 3310 El Camino Avenue, Suite 130, Sacramento, California 95821-6340. Comments must be received by June 4, 1999. All comments will be reviewed and addressed by the Fish and Wildlife Service in the final recovery plan.
More Questions? Contact the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Coordinator
at 916/979-2710.
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 Pine Hill ceanothus (Ceanothus roderickii) Photo Credit: USFWS |
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