Lawsuit seeks emergency listing of rare Nevada wildflower

Environmentalists are suing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to try to force emergency listing of a rare wildflower as an endangered species after much of its population was destroyed at site of a proposed lithium mine in Nevada.

federal lawsuit Center for Biological Diversity filed Tuesday also demands Bureau of Land Manment take immediate action to protect Tiehm’s buckwheat. It says species is on brink of extinction at only place it’s kwn to exist on earth about 200 miles (322 kilometers) souast of Re.

Government scientists are continuing to investigate mysterious, unprecedented loss of thousands of plants discovered earlier this month at site Ioneer Ltd. says sits above some of largest untapped lithium deposits in world.

y have indicated so far y agree with Australian mining company’s contention that rodents or or small mammals ate m.

conservation group says somebody dug up flowers — as many as 17,000, or 40% of remaining population. But it said in lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas that what, or who, is to blame is irrelevant.

“Regardless of cause, all parties agree that impact on plants is `alarming,’ ” lawsuit said. “Emergency action is essential to address dire situation of plant and on-going risk of furr harm.”

Ioneer declined to comment on lawsuit. two federal ncies didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Associated Press.

Center for Biological Diversity and ors petitioned on Oct. 8, 2019, for a listing of buckwheat under Endangered Species Act.

species is found on just 10 acres (4 hectares) of land spread across 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) in remote Silver Peak Range of Esmerelda County.

Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in July re was eugh evidence of potential threats to plant to warrant a full 12-month review of its status. It didn't respond at that time to center's request that species be listed as threatened or endangered on an emergency basis.

center had filed a lawsuit late last year against Bureau of Land Manment in an effort to halt mining project. But it withdrew that lawsuit after Ioneer indicated it had completed exploration at site and ncy officials assured group it would enforce all federal laws in permitting process.

new lawsuit cites “extraordinary circumstances at hand — in which fate of a highly imperiled plant on BLM lands hangs in balance and emergency action is clearly called for.”

Patrick Donnelly, center’s Nevada state director, said Tuesday both federal ncies “have failed to protect this vulnerable little wildflower.”

“w it’s on brink of extinction,” he said. “This new destruction underscores urgent need to save Tiehm’s buckwheat before it’s too late.”

Construction of mine is scheduled to begin next year.

lawsuit said that Tiehm's buckwheat was estimated to have a global population of 43,921 individuals before recent destruction of plants sometime between July 5 and Sept. 11.

“ loss of 40% of population would leave about 26,400 individual surviving plants,” lawsuit said. It said loss of plants “remains a clear and, until stopped, ongoing threat to species’ very survival."

lawsuit referenced a half-dozen scientists who wrote letters to Fish and Wildlife Service last week to express ir opinion that humans, t animals, caused dam.

“Botanists specializing in buckwheat and desert plants, along with mammologists, have stated that dam appears unprecedented in severity and inconsistent with previously reported rodent depredations," lawsuit said.

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