A final recovery plan for Otay tarplant (Deinandra conjugens), was released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The plan outlines actions needed to recover Otay tarplant, a threatened species that is only found in portions of San Diego County, California and Baja California, Mexico.
The final recovery plan was developed by the Service and incorporated comments and information provided by researchers and the public.
For Otay tarplant to be considered for delisting several measurable criteria must be met. These criteria include: stabilizing or increasing populations of the plant and its pollinators within established reserves; maintaining the plants genetic variation across its range; and ensuring that no population of Otay tarplant experiences genetic loss or becomes threatened by inbreeding depression. If all necessary actions are undertaken and are successful, the species could be eligible for delisting by 2025.
Specific actions that should be taken to help recover Otay tarplant include collecting seeds from wild plants that can be used to develop and implement a successful propagation program; permanently managing populations of Otay tarplant in areas targeted for conservation through the San Diego County Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and other habitat conservation planning efforts; and monitoring reserve areas to ensure adequate populations of Otay tarplant pollinators are sustained.
The goal of the Endangered Species Act is to recover listed species to the point where they are secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems and no longer need federal protection. A recovery plan is a blueprint providing guidance for actions by federal, state and other public agencies and private interests that will lead to the recovery and delisting of a species.
Recovery plans are advisory only and do not obligate the expenditure of funds or require that the recommended actions be implemented. Any further actions that may be necessary to recover Otay tarplant populations will be carried out by the Service or other cooperating entities.
A member of the sunflower family, Otay tarplant ranges from 2 to 10 inches high and produces yellow flowers. The plant is self-incompatible, which means an Otay tarplant can only be fertilized by pollen from another Otay tarplant if the two plants are genetically distinct from one another. Pollinating insects are very important to the species because they transport pollen among individual Otay tarplants and among Otay tarplant populations. Dispersal of fruits and seeds by birds, mammals, and other sources (such as wind) is also important.
Otay tarplant was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1998. At the time the plant was listed under the ESA about 25 populations of the Otay tarplant were documented, 24 of them in San Diego County and one in Baja California, Mexico. In December 2002 critical habitat was designated for Otay tarplant on approximately 6,330 acres of land in San Diego County.
For more information about Otay tarplant, including a photo of the plant, visit the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Offices website at http://carlsbad.fws.gov. A copy of the Recovery Plan is available on the Internet at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans
