Slickspot Peppergrass proposed taxonomic changes and recommended continuation of conservation management actions identified in the 2014 Conservation Agreement and Land Use Plans.

Program Area: Special Status Species Management – Plant Conservation and Restoration and Threatened and Endangered Species Management

Purpose: In accordance with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Manual 6840, BLM Special Status Species (SSS) are required to be managed to reduce the need for further listing and the BLM depends on the most current and best science to address conservation and monitoring priorities.

Policy/Action: This Information Bulletin reiterates the Bureau’s national SSS policy (6840.04 sections D.4 and D.6,), and reinforces that State Directors are responsible for, “…ensuring that all actions comply with the Endangered Species Act…including compliance with Section 7 consultations and conferences with the USFWS and National Marine Fisheries Service”. On BLM-administered lands, all offices are to “…manage Bureau sensitive species and their habitats to minimize or eliminate threats affecting the status of the species or to improve the condition of the species habitat” (6840.2.C). The BLM Manual 6840 further defines Bureau sensitive species as species that require special management consideration to avoid potential future listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Background: A peer-reviewed article was recently published in Phytoneuron (Mansfield and Barbour, 2022) that proposes a taxonomic change to the federally threatened plant December 13, 2022 2 species Slickspot peppergrass. This paper proposes that the Snake River Plain and Boise Foothills populations remain as L. papilliferum but the Jarbidge populations should be assigned to a new variety of Lepidium montanum (Lepidium montanum var. owyheense). This taxonomic change is based on morphological data and the authors also cite the need for finer genetic analyses to further corroborate these morphological differences. Based on this publication the following are recommendations by Idaho BLM to ensure that the best science is used to corroborate this taxonomic change, to provide consistent information about this topic to the public and determine if and what BLM management actions may be required in the future:

• Investigate the kind and scope of genetic tools and analyses that are required to corroborate this taxonomic change.
• Re-assess management prioritization and recognize that future listing decisions will likely be impacted if and when genetic analyses are complete to corroborate this taxonomic change.

In addition, until the taxonomy is resolved, BLM should continue to manage the populations and habitat in the Jarbidge Field Office consistent with current efforts for slickspot peppergrass until there is a more definitive resolution of the species taxonomy which could take anywhere between two to three years. The BLM is also committed to working with our Fish and Wildlife Service partners to maintain the collaborative path we are on related to finalizing Critical Habitat for slickspot peppergrass and developing a Recovery Plan and Recovery implementation Strategy.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: 6840 Special Status Species Management

Coordination: This action was coordinated between the Idaho State Office Branch of Resources and Science, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Boise ID.

Contact: Anne Halford, Botany and Plant Conservation and Restoration Program Lead, ahalford@blm.gov, (208) 901-2286 and Ethan Ellsworth, Aquatic Resources Program Lead, eellsworth@blm.gov, (208) 373-4045.

Boise District with Union: Management is reminded to notify and satisfy any bargaining requirements prior to implementation.