Action timeline

May 20, 1985 – The U.S. Fish and WIldlife Service listed the Ash Meadows gumplant as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and designated 1,968 acres as critical habitat for the plant.

September 28, 1990 – The Service released a recovery plan for the Ash Meadows gumplant to help stabilize the species.

2000 – The Center filed suit after the Bureau of Land Management failed to prevent overgrazing in California's deserts.

2001 – The Bureau settled the Center's suit, agreeing to protect millions of acres of desert and close thousands of miles of roads. The settlement also required the Bureau to fence off the gumplant's sensitive riparian habitat to shield it from cattle and nearby road use.

Photo © Gary A. Monroe