Disgusting news from Nevada: Recently more than 17,000 Tiehm's buckwheat plants were destroyed — at a time when this rare wildflower is on its way to being protected under the Endangered Species Act.
As much as 40% of the species' entire population, which exists on just 10 acres in western Nevada, may have been lost.
This tragedy makes it clear that these plants need to be protected – and fast.
That’s why we’re now calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take emergency action to protect Tiehm’s buckwheat under the Endangered Species Act.
This plant was already in trouble before someone ripped nearly half of its remaining population out of the ground. An Australian mining company, Ioneer Corp., has proposed an open-pit lithium mine that would destroy the vast majority of Tiehm’s buckwheat’s habitat.
We can’t let that happen. And the situation is only made worse by the heartless destruction of thousands of plants in the Nevada desert.
We feel the loss of each one of the 17,000 plants destroyed, but we can’t let that stop us from doing all we can to fight for what’s left.
We’re moving as fast as we can to make sure these plants get the protection they deserve.