1	Plant Conservation in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities
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4	Why Protect Native Plants? They are beautiful! Wild landscapes nourish our spirit & link us to nature and history Fish, birds, and wildlife & PEOPLE need native plants to survive Native plants provide oxygen, foods, medicines, products, services that humans cannot live without WE ARE LOSING OUR NATIVE PLANTS!!
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7	What are We Protecting? United States Native plant species: 16,000 Endemics (found nowhere else on earth): 4,000 (~25%) CA, TX, AZ = highest in plant diversity HI (64%), CA (30%), UT (17%) = most plant species at risk
8	Native Plants are Beautiful!
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10	Native plants & landscapes nourish our minds and souls
11	Plant Communities: Diverse & Magnificent!
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13	Wetlands
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15	Plants are Wildlife Habitat Pollination (Econ. Valuable) Reproduction Shelter for Young (from predators, temperature)
16	Food Sources
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19	Plants & Natural Landscapes Essential to Our Survival Produce oxygen we breath Clean water we drink Control floods & Store water (New Orleans!) Control erosion Support business (e.g. fishing) & jobs
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21	"We are losing our native..." We are losing our native plants! Plants 2nd Class conservation citizens Attacks on Endangered Species Act Laws not enforced Rollbacks of environmental laws - ESA
22	Our Flora (and natural heritage) is Vanishing United States Native plant species: 16,000 At risk: 5,000 (1/3!!) 11 known & 130 may be extinct At risk species (all types) = 6,400 (32%)
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24	What’s happening to plants? –
25	Endangered Species Act: Frayed Safety Net for Our Web of Life >250 U.S. species in urgent need of listing = $150-200 million to clear listing backlog President’s budget for listing only $18 million for fiscal 2006! >60 species have waited 30 years for listing & protection! Several have gone extinct while waiting
26	Plants are Second Class Conservation Citizens
27	Recovery of Endangered Species 61% endangered species are plants BUT ONLY < 4% Recovery $ for plants!
28	Not Enough Botanists! Bureau of Land Management: 1 botanist per 3.9 million acres Forest Service: 1 botanist per 1.5 million acres
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30	Qualified Agency Botanists Reduce the need for listing Reduce litigation under Endangered Species Act, NEPA, NFMA, etc. Keep public lands healthy and delivering ecosystem services - including public enjoyment Perform research on native species and communities
31	We can do it! Restoration & Recovery Robbin’s Cinquefoil – White Mountains, New Hampshire: listed as endangered in 1980. Recovered and delisted in 2002 through agency – public collaboration
32	Successful conservation costs money! Listed species need research and recovery Damaged landscapes need replanting and management e.g. 70% of restoration at Saguaro Nat. Park done by volunteers! (Park Service budget cut 3% for 2006)
33	The plants need you
34	What YOU Can Do! PARTICIPATE in Aveda Earth Month to save endangered plants and ESA –www.aveda.com THANK YOU! EDUCATE customers, friends, family about beauty, value, and imperilment of plants JOIN your local Native Plant Society (& Native Plant Conservation Campaign) EXPLORE wild landscapes and wildflowers – hikes, classes, field trips SPEAK OUT! Tell media & elected officials how you feel about plants and the environment
35	Garden with Natives! Grow beautiful plants Create habitat! Attract native wildlife: butterflies, hummingbirds, etc. Use less water time!! chemicals Native Plant Societies offer plant sales and gardening training
36	ADVOCATE! Educate elected representatives Work for stronger laws Work for better funding and staffing Get word out to media and public Help make land use and management more native plant-friendly
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41	Aveda “What you put on your body should be as healthy & natural as what you put in it”