American Hart's-tongue fern added to state list of endangered species 

Santa Fe – A rule governing the removal of rare and endangered plants in the state has been amended to help curb the decline of rare plant populations.  

The previous rule, listed in Section 75-6-1 NMSA 1978, only prohibited “removal of endangered plants with the intent to possess, transport, export, sell, or offer for sale.” Now, the word “take” has been more clearly defined to be “destroy/remove/harm.”  

This amended rule further authorizes the Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Forestry Division to prohibit the taking, possession, transportation, exportation from the state, processing, sale or offer for sale, or shipment of listed plants or plant materials, except for permitted scientific purposes or propagation and transplantation activities that enhance the survival of endangered species. In cases where removal of these species is unavoidable, the amendment has created an “incidental take” permitting system. 

The new rule went into effect on April 25, 2023, and applies to plants on state, federal and private lands in New Mexico. An exemption for tribal members who use rare plants for religious purposes or activities on tribal trust or restricted fee land or individual trust allotments remains in place.  

“We always welcome the chance to provide increased protections to at-risk species,” said State Botanist Erika Rowe. “All plants and animals fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. If you start losing one or two pieces, the puzzle won't function like it used to.” 

Monitoring of New Mexico’s rare plants over the last thirty years has revealed that most populations are in steady decline. To this end, a new plant -- the American Hart's-tongue fern, or Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum – has been added to the list of state endangered plant species. 

The American Hart’s-tongue fern was discovered at the El Malpais National Monument in 2020 and its identity was recently verified by various species specialists. The fern is federally listed as a threatened species but had not previously been found to occur in New Mexico. It is now known to occur at one site in the state, which contains 66 individual plants.  

New Mexico is one of the most biologically diverse states in the U.S. and supports the fourth highest plant diversity in the country. A total of 4,204 plant taxa have been documented, including 46 species of native plants designated as state endangered. Fifteen of these are also listed as either federally endangered or threatened by the US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 200 additional plant species are also considered to be of conservation concern, of which 109 are endemic – that is, they only occur in New Mexico and nowhere else in the world.   

Protection of the American Hart’s tongue fern, along with other state endangered species, becomes particularly important considering the effects of climate change. The persistence of drought in the state is one of the primary reasons for the decline of several rare plants. Other disturbances to native habitats from oil and gas construction activities are further reasons to afford increased protections to these unique and rare pieces of our ecological puzzle. 

More information about the new rule and the permitting process can be found at the New Mexico Forestry Division website. Or contact Erika Rowe, State Botanist at erika.rowe@emnrd.nm.gov.   

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.