U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designates Eggert's sunflower as threatened.ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 1997--The Eggert's sunflower, (Helianthus Helianthus (hē'lēăn`thəs): see sunflower. eggertii) has been designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. , according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast Regional Director, Noreen K. Clough. The designation was announced today in the Federal Register. The Act defines a threatened species as likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future, while an endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. This perennial member of the aster family is found only in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama and typically grows on rolling to flat uplands in full sun or partial shade. It is often found in open fields or thickets along woodland borders with other tall herbs and small trees. The species exists only in relatively small, isolated populations in Blount County, Alabama Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2000, the population was 51,024. The 2004 US Census estimated Blount County's population to be approximately 54,988. Its county seat is Oneonta and it is a prohibition or dry county. ; Grayson, Hardin, Edmonson, Barren, and Hart counties, Kentucky; and Dickson, Marion, Williamson, Franklin, Coffee, Maury, Lewis and Lawrence counties; Tennessee. Residential, commercial, or industrial development, the conversion of its limited habitat to pasture or crop lands, plant succession, and herbicide herbicide (hr`bəsīd'), chemical compound that kills plants or inhibits their normal growth. A herbicide in a particular formulation and application can be described as selective or nonselective. use, particularly along roadsides, are all threats to this plant. A number of activities, however, are currently underway to protect and restore Eggert's sunflower, Clough said, noting that the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), located on Arnold Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Tennessee, is the most advanced and largest complex of flight simulation test facilities in the world. , the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. and The Nature Conservancy are among organizations that are working with the Service to protect the species. The Federal listing of plant species protects plants occurring on Federal lands and requires consultation when federally authorized, funded or permitted projects may affect the species. The Endangered Species Act does not provide any greater protection to listed plants on private lands than they already receive under state law. In the absence of a Federal activity, the Endangered Species Act does not provide any greater protection to listed plants on private lands than they already receive under state law. CONTACT: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Vicki M. Boatwright or Diana M. Hawkins, 404/679-7289 |
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