The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a recovery plan for the endangered Huachuca water umbel – an aquatic plant protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1997. The Service is soliciting comments on the draft plan and new information on the status of the umbel through May 9, 2016.
The Huachuca water umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva) has vertical, hollow, slender leaves that are 1-13 inches long. They typically grow in clusters connected along a horizontal root and produce tiny white and maroon-tinted, five-petal flowers.
Huachuca water umbel occur in shallow and slow-flowing cienegas, rivers, streams, and springs of five watersheds in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties in southeastern Arizona and adjacent portions of Sonora, Mexico. In the United States, there are 17 known locations supporting umbel occurrences, 6 locations where no occurrences have been relocated in recent years, and 8 locations where the umbel is believed to be extirpated. There are 21 known locations supporting the umbel in Sonora, Mexico – though most have not been revisited in recent years.
The draft recovery plan will undergo peer review and public comments will be considered before being finalized. A recovery plan is not a legally binding document, but a blueprint for actions needed to improve the status of a listed species to the point where it no longer needs the protection of the Act.
Persons wishing to review the draft revised recovery plan can obtain a paper or electronic copy from the Arizona Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2321 W. Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021-4951; by phone at (602) 242-0210; or from the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/HuachucaUmbel.htm. Written comments and materials pertaining to the draft recovery plan may be mailed to “Field Supervisor” at the address above or emailed to Julie_Crawford@fws.gov. To ensure that comments are considered, they should be received no later than May 9, 2016.