The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced its intention to remove the golden paintbrush from the Endangered Species Act.
The announcement to remove the golden paintbrush as a threatened species is the next step in a process that includes the publication of a notice of a new rule in the Federal Register. The rule notes there was public comment on the potential delisting of the golden flower, and the agency’s responses to these comments are available in the published rule, which was published July 19.
“It takes a village to bring a species back from the brink, and the recovery of this plant would not have been possible without the amazing dedication of so many partners out on the prairie,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Regional Director Hugh Morrison said in a July 18 release. “It feels fitting that we can celebrate the recovery golden paintbrush during the golden anniversary of the Endangered Species Act.”
The plant was originally listed as a threatened species in 1997, according to the FWS website. The golden paintbrush is a perennial found in the Pacific Northwest, particularly the prairie in southern British Columbia, Washington and Oregon which blooms into bright yellow flowers in the late spring.
When it was listed in 1997, the plant was challenged by agriculture, fire suppression and development of the prairie ecosystem, FWS reported. There were 10 sites where the plant could be found and there were fewer than 20,000 plants. Now, there are 48 sites where individuals can enjoy the beauty of these plants.
FWS will monitor the plant for the next five years, the release reported.
“Our monitoring of this species is designed to help us detect if additional efforts or management actions are needed,” biologist Erin Gray said in the release.
The release states many federal, state and local organizations, as well as private landowners, played a role in the recovery of the golden paintbrush in the Pacific Northwest. Some of those include Washington Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Parks, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Institute for Applied Ecology, Pacific Rim Institute, Center for Natural Lands Management, San Juan County Land Bank, Thurston County, Benton County, Greenbelt Land Trust, Portland Metro, City of Eugene, Heritage Seedlings, Whidbey/Camano Land Trust, Wolf Haven International, the Nature Conservancy, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service and Parks Canada.
