Vol. 29 No. 3 
Aquilegia 
Page 5 
Announcements 
HELIANTHUS PUMILIS POPULATIONS SOUGHT 
Dr. Tom Gulya, Research Pathologist, USD A Sunflower Unit in 
Fargo, ND has an objective to find and collect seeds of all 50 plus 
Helianthus species native to the U.S. 
This August a team of three will spend about 12 days in the Front 
Range of Colorado and Wyoming looking for Helianthus 
pumilus. He has herbarium records from several CO and WY 
herbaria, but needs to verify with local botanists that the popula- 
tions are still extant. He would like to hear from anyone who has 
information about these or other populations of Helianthus 
pumilis in Colorado and Wyoming. Contact Dr. Tom Gulya, 
Research Pathologist, USDA Sunflower Unit, Northern Crop 
Science Lab, 1307 N. 18th. St.Fargo, ND 58105-5677; 701-239- 
1316 or email: GULYAT@fargo.ars.usda.gov 
sage in 1973 has been a model for the international conservation 
community. There are currently moves afoot in the halls of 
Congress to eviscerate the act under the guise of reform. While 
we have learned a great deal from conservation biology over the 
past 30 years, and approaches to native plant protection have 
become more refined, the effectiveness of the ESA remains. 
A recent article in the peer reviewed journal BioScience, "The 
Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act: A Quantitative 
Assessment," makes a strong argument for maintaining the act 
and increasing its funding. According to the authors, species with 
critical habitat and dedicated recovery plans for two or more 
years were less likely to be declining than species without. And 
the proportion of species improving increased, and the proportion 
declining decreased, with increasing time listed under the ESA 
throughout the 1990s. 
GUIDEBOOK AVAILABLE 
Genetically Appropriate Choices for Plant Materials to Maintain 
Biological Diversity by Dr. Deborah Rogers and Dr. Arlee 
Montalvo is now available for public download as a PDF file 
from http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/publications/. The document is just 
over 3 MB. This substantive guidebook synthesizes genetic prin- 
ciples and provides examples to inform land managers of genetic 
issues relevant in the selection of native plant materials for use in 
wildlands. It focuses on fire and timber harvest as large scale dis- 
turbances which are frequently seeded to prevent erosion, but has 
information that is widely applicable to many different types of 
revegetation projects. Genetics is a complicated science and the 
document does not provide quick and easy answers. It is a tool, 
presenting best available science, not a how-to guide on revege- 
tation methods. The Guide was developed under a Joint Venture 
Agreement between the USDA Forest Service and the Regents of 
the University of California. We would like your feedback on the 
Guide, so any future edition can be improved. 
Please cite the document as: 
Rogers, D.L. and A.M. Montalvo. 2004. Genetically appropriate 
choices for plant materials to maintain biological diversity. 
University of California. Report to the USDA Forest Service, 
Rocky Mountain Region, Lakewood, CO. Online: 
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/publications/botany/plantgenetics.pdf 
Endangered Species Act Alert 
Tim Hogan 
University of Colorado Herbarium 
These are difficult days for those who care about native species 
and wild nature. With so many environmental laws and regula- 
tions being undermined, it is sometimes difficult to know what 
one might do in defense of our natural heritage. But members of 
the Colorado Native Plant Society are in a particularly favorable 
position to speak out for the protection of our native flora. The 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the landmark pieces of 
environmental legislation in the United States, and since its pas- 
Members of the Society are encouraged to write Senator Ken 
Salazar to ask for his support of our preeminent law protecting 
biodiversity. As native plant enthusiasts we carry personal stories 
and knowledge of the flora that policy makers respect. A short 
note to the Senator with a message about why the ESA is impor- 
tant to you can be a persuasive influence. If they could do so, the 
orchids and penstemons might thank you. 
Send your comments to: Senator Ken Salazar, 2300 15th St, Suite 
450, Denver, CO 80202, or email him from his website at 
http ://salazar. senate . gov/. 
Weber's Monkey-flower 
Mimulus gemmiparus 
© Loraine Yeatts 
from Natureserve Explorer 
http ://www.natureserve. org 
THANK YOU! 
I want to recognize several members who regularly volunteer to 
stamp and label the newsletter to get it in the mail. Thanks to 
Beckie Carrico, John Giordanengo, Anne and Tim Henson, Tom 
McCormick, Caryl Shields, April Wasson and Richard Wren. 
—Alice Guthrie, Aquilegia Editor 
AQUILEGIA DEADLINE - AUGUST 15 
Submit contributions for Vol. 29, No. 4 by August 15, 2005. 
Articles less than 1000 words are especially welcome. Previously 
published articles submitted for reprinting require permission. 
Submit via e-mail or on disks as an MS Word or rtf document. 
See page 7 for additional information. 
