The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
The Service is also designating 910 acres of critical habitat on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the Rhyolite Ridge area of the Silver Peak Range in Esmeralda County to help conserve the plant.
The desert wildflower is known to only grow in patches over about two square miles in Rhyolite Ridge in Esmeralda County.
ioneer Ltd. previously insisted that the flower could co-exist with the proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project and has factored the buckwheat flower into its construction and operation plans.
ioneer Managing Director Bernard Rowe released this statement after the endangered species announcement:
“ioneer fully supports the listing of Tiehm’s buckwheat as an endangered species and critical habitat designation. We are committed to the protection and conservation of the species and have incorporated numerous measures into our current and future plans to ensure this occurs. Our operations have and will continue to avoid all Tiehm’s buckwheat populations.
“We continue to work in partnership with the FWS and the BLM to ensure the long-term conservation and viability of the plant population at Rhyolite Ridge. Through these various efforts, coupled with the existing scientific understanding of the plant, ioneer remains highly confident that Tiehm’s buckwheat and the Project – a critical asset to ensure a sustainable planet for all species – will successfully co-exist.”
