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Attachment Number 2 



THE WASHINGTON POST 



by Boyce Rensberger 



One of the world's most endangered plants, the Peter's Mountain mallow, was 

 down to just four known individuals in 1991 before it was rescued by setting fire to its 

 habitat in southwestern Virginia's Giles County. Now, according to a report by the 

 Nature Conservancy, which owns the land, there are hundreds. 



The mallow, Iliamna corel, is a perennial that grows four or five feet tall and 

 produces a dozen or more pink flowers. When the species was discovered in 1927 there 

 were only about 50 plants. Over the years the number dwindled, even though the 

 conservancy acquired the site and maintained it as a secluded preserve. 



By 1986, scientists funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service feared for the 

 mallow's survival and tried to figure out why it was declining. Growth rings on nearby 

 trees showed that long ago the area had been subject to frequent wildfires. In recent 

 decades, however, fire prevention efforts had worked well. Perhaps too well: Like a 

 few other species, the researchers suspected, the mallow's tough-coated seeds might not 

 sprout until cracked open by the heat of fire. 



Two years later they found some dormant seeds buried in the soil and heated 

 them in the lab. The seeds opened, letting water in. 



In May of 1992 the conservancy, along with state and federal foresters, lighted test 

 grass fires over areas where newly shed mallow seeds lay on the ground. A few seeds 

 sprouted and grew. A second burn this past spring resulted in about 500 seed 

 sprouting. 



"This shows us that simply setting aside land to protect rare or endangered 

 species does not necessarily guarantee their protection," said Nature Conservancy 

 President John Sawhill. "The remarkable comeback of Peter's Mountain mallow through 

 the use of prescribed burning demonstrates the important role that this type of land 

 management tool plays." 



Copyright 1993 The Washington Post 



