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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_MailEndCompose"><o:p> </o:p></a></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_MailEndCompose'></span><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Native Plant Conservation Campaign News:</span></strong> <span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;background:white'>Adds<span style='color:black'> Guadalupe fescue to the federal list of endangered species and designates critical habitat. <strong><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>But plants remain 2<sup>nd</sup> class conservation citizens.</span></strong></span></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>September 15, 2017</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>On September 6, <span style='background:white'>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Guadalupe fescue to the federal list of endangered species and protected 7,815 acres of the fescue’s last U.S. location, in Big Bend National Park, Texas, as “critical habitat.”</span></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>The fescue is the first species officially protected under the Endangered Species Act by the Trump administration. Today’s decision is a result of legal action by the </span><a href="http://t.ymlpsend8.com/ymhagaebjbmavamubaiabe/click.php"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;background:white'>Center for Biological Diversity</span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>. The fescue was first identified as needing protection in 1975, more than 40 years ago.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>The Guadalupe fescue is a 3-foot-tall bunchgrass now only known to exist in a single location in the Chisos Mountains within Big Bend National Park, and one site in Mexico. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>Guadalupe fescue is native to oak woodlands above 6,000 feet across a few high mountains — known as “Sky Islands” because these unique ecosystems are isolated and far different from the lowland environments surrounding them. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Despite this listing, plants still lag far behind animals in <a href="http://t.ymlpsend8.com/ymwalaebjbmacamubagabe/click.php">funding staffing and legal protection</a> under the Endangered Species Act and other laws – a spectacular example of the problem known as </span><a href="http://t.ymlpsend8.com/ymqaraebjbmagamubagabe/click.php"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Plant Blindness</span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>. The NPCC's </span><a href="http://t.ymlpsend8..com/ymyanaebjbmaxamubacabe/click.php"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Equal Protection for Plants Program</span></a><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> advocates for equal protection for plants and animals under all conservation laws and programs. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Your organization can support this effort with a </span></strong><strong><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:emilyr@plantsocieties.org?subject=Sign%20Equal%20Protection%20for%20Plants%20Statement"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>SIGN ON</span></a></span></strong><strong><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> to the </span></strong><strong><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><a href="http://t.ymlpsend8.com/yjsanaebjbmaiamubadabe/click.php"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Equal Protection for Plants</span></a></span></strong><strong><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> statement. (ORGANIZATIONS ONLY PLEASE. This is not an individual sign on letter)</span></strong><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>________________________________________<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Emil<a href="http://plantsocieties.cnps.org/"></a>y B. Roberson, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://plantsocieties.cnps.org/">Native Plant Conservation Campaign</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>415 531 4439<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:emilyr@plantsocieties.org">emilyr@</a><a href="mailto:emilyr@plantsocieties.org">plantsocieties.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>The mission of the Native Plant Conservation Campaign is to promote the conservation of native plants and their habitats through collaboration, research, education, and advocacy.</span></em><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><a href="http://signup.ymlpsend8.com/xghwwhjjgmgb">Sign up for NPCC News</a>! </b> <a href="https://www.facebook..com/plantsocieties"><b>Like us on Facebook!</b></a> <b><a href="http://plantsocieties.cnps.org/index.php/action-main/donate-to-campaign">Donate</a>!</b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Please forward this message to any interested individuals or organizations. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black'><hr size=1 width="50%" noshade style='color:black' align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black'><a href="http://ymlpsend8.com/ughwwhjjgsgbegjbbeggwebbq"><span style='color:black'>Unsubscribe / Change Profile</span></a> <br><a href="http://ymlpsend8.com/m/"><span style='color:black'>Powered by YMLP</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in'><img border=0 width=1 height=1 style='width:.0104in;height:.0104in' id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D32E0F.A3D72750" alt="Image removed by sender. 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