ETWP; Proposed Threatened Status for the Plant Rumex Orthoneurus (Chiricahua Dock)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to list Rumex orthoneurus (commonly known as Chiricahua or Blumer's dock) as threatened pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This plant is a rare Southwest endemic occurring within riparian and cienega (marshy wetland) habitats. The plant is known from the Chiricahua, Pinaleno, Huachuca, Sierra Ancha, and White mountains in Arizona. In New Mexico, the plant is known from the Mogollon and San Francisco mountains. The plant is also believed to extend into northern New Mexico in the Pecos Wilderness and to have been extirpated from the Lincoln National Forest. A site in Mexico in the Sierra de los Ajos has also been reported. Habitat loss and degradation due to livestock grazing, recreation, water diversions and development, road construction and maintenance, and wildfire imperil the continued existence of this species. This proposal, if made final, would extend the Act's protection to this plant. The Service seeks data and comments from the public on this proposal.