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Rare Nevada wildflower added to endangered species list

A rare wildflower only found in a portion of Esmeralda County was designated as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday.

Tiehm’s buckwheat was added to the list after calls from activists who say a proposed lithium mine set to be built on much of the plant’s limited habitat could nearly wipe out the species.

The ruling was met with approval from the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit focused on protecting endangered species.

“Lithium is an important part of our renewable energy transition, but it can’t come at the cost of extinction. The Service did the right thing by protecting this precious wildflower,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center, in a statement.

The Center first petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the flower and its habitat in 2019 and later filed a lawsuit in 2021 to force the agency to rule on the Center’s request for protection through the Endangered Species Act.

The order also designated 910 acres of land as critical habitat for the flower, which includes all of the existing plants and a more than 1,600-foot buffer around them.

Australian mining company Ioneer has proposed a 1,000-foot deep open pit lithium mine in the Rhyolite Ridge, where much of the buckwheat’s habitat lies. The company has offered an operations plan that would avoid 75 percent of the plant’s population, a proposal that will “spell doom” for the species, Donnelly said.

In a statement, the company said it “welcomed” the announcement and echoed its commitment to protecting the wildflower.

“Ioneer fully supports the listing of Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species and critical habitat designation,” reads the statement from Ioneer Managing Direcetor Bernard Rowe. “We are committed to the protection and conservation of the species and have incorporated numerous measures into our current and future plans to ensure this occurs.”

Lithium is used to build electric car batteries and has been heralded as the key to cleaner energy. But efforts to mine lithium in the state have been met with resistance.

In Humboldt County, far north from the buckwheat population and the Rhyolite Ridge project, sits what is thought to be the largest lithium deposit in North America in an area known as Thacker Pass. Efforts to mine have been opposed by Native American tribes and environmentalists.

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s ruling will be effective on Jan. 15, 2023, or 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on Twitter.

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