ETWP; Proposed Threatened Status for the Plant Gaura Neomexicana ssp. Coloradensis

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to list the plant Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis (Colorado butterfly plant) as a threatened species pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis is a short-lived, perennial herb endemic to moist soils in mesic or wet meadows of floodplain areas in southeastern Wyoming, northcentral Colorado, and extreme western Nebraska. This early to mid-seral stage species occurs primarily in habitats created and maintained by streams active within their floodplains with vegetation that is relatively open and not overly dense or overgrown. The conversion of areas with native grasses in riparian areas to agriculture, water diversions, channelization, and urban development threaten Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis by changing habitat significantly enough to preclude survival of viable populations.