Rare Plants
Emerald Chapter members have been active in listing and monitoring rare and endangered plants in Lane County for many years. NPSO believes that listing and monitoring activities are central to rare plant and rare plant habitat perservation. Currently, Emerald Chapter's main R&E efforts are conducted through the:

   Lane County Rare Plant Monitoring Project

Goal
The primary goal of the monitoring project is to maintain current listing status and a database of rare and endangered plant species known to occur in Lane County.

Policy
During triennial updates, taxa which are found to meet the listing criteria will remain on or be added to lists, and some which are currently listed may be removed if populations become more secure or if new information reveals more frequent occurrence than originally recorded.

Procedures
Every third year, the Emerald Chapter R & E Chair will schedule a meeting to review the lists. Participants may be current members of the Emerald Chapter, NPSO, public agency botanists, university or college faculties, or other botanists and ecologists receiving prior approval from the R & E Chair. All participants should have knowledge of Lane County native flora and be pre-registered. The R & E Chair will send notification at least 60 days prior to the meeting so that participants can submit proposals for listing consideration. The Chair will collate proposals and distribute a composite list to participants at least 14 days before the meeting.

Tentative list updates resulting from meeting discussions and decisions will be sent within 14 days to all participants. Following a 30-day comment period, the R & E Chair will draft a final list that will be presented to the Board of Directors for approval.

List Descriptions and Criteria

List A - Species with Federal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), State (Oregon Department of Agriculture) and/or are on the ORNHIC List 1 or List 2. These species have some protection on state and federal lands:
  1. Federally (USFWS) listed as Endangered, Threatened, Candidate or Species of Concern
  2. State (ODA) listed as Endangered, Threatened or Candidate
  3. On ORNHIC List 1 (endangered or threatened throughout range) or List 2 (endangered or threatened in Oregon, but stable elsewhere)
List B - Taxa, not on List A, that have few known populations in Lane County (generally 10 or fewer) and have some threat to their survival (to habitat, genetic diversity, over harvesting, etc.). These species have no statewide protective status under state or federal programs.

List C - Watch List: These are species Emerald Chapter, NPSO, wants to track. It includes:
  1. Species on ORNHIC List 3 (Review List) unless already on List B because of special concern in Lane County.
  2. Rare species known to exist only from historic records unless already on List A.
  3. Species limited in number and not widespread in Lane County. Abundance has been documented. Populations are currently stable but should be watched.
  4. Species known from one to several sites in Lane County but actual abundance is uncertain. More research is needed to determine status.
  5. Species known to exist close to Lane County and expected to occur in the County, but presently no observation or collection is recorded from the County.
Federal (US Fish and Wildlife Service) status:
    LE = listed endangered
    LT = listed threatened
    CoC = species of concern
State (Oregon Department of Agriculture) status:
    LE = listed endangered
    LT = listed threatened
    C = candidate for listing
ORNHIC (Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center) list:
    1 = endangered or threatened throughout range
    2 = endangered or threatened in Oregon, but stable elsewhere
    3 = more information is needed before status can be determined
    4 = of conservation concern, but not currently threatened or endangered
Ecoregions:
    CZ = Coastal Zone
    CR = Coast Range
    WV = Willamette Valley
    WC = Western Cascades
    HC = High Cascades