The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to add a member of the forget-me-not family to the endangered species list.

A 60-day comment period opened for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get more information from the public on the plan to list sand dune phacelia as endangered. 

"Nearly 70 percent of the remaining sand dune phacelia populations are in poor condition, and most known locations are on non-federal lands," Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director for the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region Robyn Thorson said in a March 21 news release. "Although this coastal plant is in dire need of help, we are optimistic that we will see its recovery by working closely with our partners in conservation."

The sand dune phacelia is part of the forget-me-not family of plants. Found on 100 miles of southern Oregon and northern California coastlines from Bandon, Ore., to Crescent City, Calif., this plant is sensitive to climate change, off road vehicles using the beaches for recreation and rising sea levels.

“This is an encouraging progress for this beautiful plant that exists only in Oregon and California’s fragile coastal sandy dunes,” said Quinn Read, Oregon policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The sand dune phacelia simply can’t survive without Endangered Species Act protections. This proposal is a hopeful and long-overdue step toward making sure this species doesn’t disappear.”

The agency is seeking information about the plant's "biology, distribution, status and population trends of the species, as well as any additional information regarding the proposed critical habitat designation and 4(d) rule." The 4(d) rule would prohibit the removal, cutting, damaging, digging up or destroying the plant species on non-federal lands.

A frequently asked questions document on the listing of the sand dune phacelia as endangered notes there are 25 sites where there are populations of the phacelia and 13 of those are in poor condition. Listing the plant would mean that it could be targeted with recovery plans and federal protection.

The deadline to submit relevant material is May 23. 

Information on how to submit comments is available at regulations.gov by searching under docket number FWS–R1–ES–2021–0070.