It Takes a Village or Two

The national wildlife agency and an Idaho forest service have both signed on the dotted line to protect the only colony of Christ’s Indian Paintbrush.

Christ’s Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja christii). Photo:  South Idaho Press.

Saving a rare wildflower— a species that exists in only one known spot on Earth—may take more than the might of one federal agency. Kudos to the overseers of Idaho’s natural habitat for joining forces.

This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Sawtooth National Forest both signed an agreement to save Christ’s Indian Paintbrush. The “rare, yellow-flowering plant is found only in a 220-acre area at the summit of Mt. Harrison” in central Idaho.

This scenic area near Ketchum has gone from boonies to boomtown, further endagering Castilleja christii. “Road construction and maintenance, off-road vehicle use, livestock grazing, recreational activities such as hang gliding and hiking, and trampling all have adverse effects” on the plant. Its beautiful yellow-orange flowers bloom from July through mid-September—when tourism, too, is in flower.

The two agencies had made a previous conservation agreement to protect the wildflower, but that pact expired in 2000. The latest plan involves some 20 conservation efforts, including “new actions to detect and control invasive species through a long-term weed control program.” One unwelcome visitor is smooth brome (Bromus inermus) – “a non-native plant that is encroaching on the roadsides of Mt. Harrison.”

How could it take 20 years to reach a decision like this? “Teresa Prendusi, regional botanist for the Forest Service’s Intermountain Region, related how Christ’s Indian Paintbrush has been the most contentious plant in the Forest Service plant program because it is the rarest.”  We don’t understand this. Seems like such rarity would spur action not retard it. Perhaps those wiser in the ways of wildlife management can enlighten us.

By the way, there don’t appear to be religious histories or motives involved. Christ’s Indian Paintbrush is pronounced “Krist,” after John Christ, who “first collected this plant in 1950 from the Albion mountain range in Cassia County, Idaho.”