ETWP; Proposed Threatened Status for the Plant Silene spaldingii (Spalding's catchfly)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list Silene spaldingii (Spalding's catchfly) as threatened pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Silene spaldingii is currently known from a total of 52 populations. Seven populations occur in west-central Idaho, 7 in northeastern Oregon, 9 in western Montana, 28 in eastern Washington, and 1 in adjacent British Columbia, Canada. This taxon is threatened by a variety of factors including habitat destruction and fragmentation from agricultural and urban development, grazing and trampling by domestic livestock and native herbivores, herbicide treatment, and competition from non-native plant species. This proposal, if made final, would implement the Federal protection and recovery provisions afforded by the Act for the plant.