The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice on Jan. 9 of its intent to sue the Bureau of Land Management to protect the Nevada wildflower Tiehm’s buckwheat “from destruction due to cattle grazing.”
The notice seeks to remove cattle from the buckwheat’s critical habitat.
“Tiehm’s buckwheat is one of North America’s most endangered plants, but federal officials are letting the livestock industry run roughshod over its fragile habitat,” said Patrick Donnelly, the Center’s Great Basin director.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized cattle grazing as a threat to the buckwheat’s existence, but the Bureau of Land Management has done nothing to protect these wildflowers.”
The group said seven head of cattle were found grazing within the plant’s habitat in early January, “destroying individual plants and degrading the critical habitat.”
