Sacramento Mountains Thistle Will Keep Federal Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced in the Federal Register today the results of a 12-month finding on a petition to remove Sacramento Mountains thistle, (Cirsium vinaceum), from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species. After a thorough review the Service has determined that delisting Sacramento Mountains thistle is not warranted. However, the Service is asking the public to submit any new information that becomes available concerning the status of, or threats to, the species or its habitats at any time.
Sacramento Mountains thistle was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1987. On the basis of the best scientific and commercial information available, the Service has determined that the impact of increasing threats indicates that the Sacramento Mountains thistle is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future and should remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. Potential threats to this species include but are not limited to increased water diversion, grazing and trampling by livestock, increased predation by insects, lack of ensured water availability, and the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms other than the Endangered Species Act.
Sacramento Mountains thistle is a wetland species that occurs in Otero County, New Mexico, mostly on the eastern slope of the Sacramento Mountains, with a few sites on the western slope. The range extends from about 6 miles northeast to about 17 miles south of Cloudcroft in an area of about 150 square miles. Plants occur in meadows and partly shaded forested areas in the mixed conifer zone at 7,500–9,200 ft.
The Service requests that the public submit any new information concerning the status of or threats to Sacramento Mountains thistleto the New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113; telephone (505) 346-2525; facsimile (505) 346-2542, whenever it becomes available. For further information contact Wally “J” Murphy, Field Supervisor, at the above address. This finding is available on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov">" at Docket # FWS-R2-ES-2008-0114 and http://www.fws.gov/New Mexico.
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