Federal Officials Say an Endangered Wetland Plant Is Recovering. Not Everyone Agrees.
Key takeaways
- More than 30 years later, that number has ballooned elevenfold: 148 plant populations have been found in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
- Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced this month that the northeastern bulrush has recovered and will be delisted as a federally endangered species on July 10.
- Yet researchers who study the plant questioned the delisting decision, noting that the northeastern bulrush faces ongoing threats from climate change, habitat loss and a lack of genetic diversity.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
Republish. A flowering northeastern bulrush. Credit: Mary Ann Furedi/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy/Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program Related Tribe and Environmentalists to Sue Feds Over Arizona Mine’s Impacts to Threatened Owls A Bill to Gut Endangered Species Protections Faced a Major Setback This Week Environmental Groups Take Trump Administration’s ‘God Squad’ to Court Share This Article Republish Most Popular A Pipeline Company Says It Will Protect the Environment in North Carolina. Its Record in Tennessee Says Otherwise. Can Clusters of Human-Constructed Ponds in the Arizona Desert Save a Threatened Frog? As Colorado River States Struggle to Reach Agreement, New Mexico Brings on a Fresh Voice When the northeastern bulrush joined the ranks of federally endangered plants and animals in 1991, the perennial, grass-like sedge teetered on the edge of extinction with just 13 known populations scattered across six states.
More than 30 years later, that number has ballooned elevenfold: 148 plant populations have been found in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
Given this increase, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced this month that the northeastern bulrush has recovered and will be delisted as a federally endangered species on July 10.