Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Endangered Status for Nine Plants from the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the Central Coast of California

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to list Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma alopecurus), Astragalus clarianus (Clara Hunt's milkvetch), Carex albida (white sedge), Clarkia imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense (Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus (Calistoga allocarya), Poa napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida (Kenwood marsh checkermallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy Indian clover) as endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). These nine species grow in a variety of habitats including valley grasslands, meadows, freshwater marshes, seeps, and broad-leaf upland forests in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties on the central coast of California. Habitat loss and degradation, competition from aggressive plant species, elimination through plant community succession, grazing, inadequate regulatory mechanisms, collection for horticultural use, and hydrological modifications to wetland areas threaten the continued existence of these plants. This proposal, if made final, would implement the Federal protection and recovery provisions afforded by the Act for these plants.