Lichen Conservation

The California Lichen Society's Conservation Committee has two completed species proposals available for public review: Solorina spongiosa and Usnea longissima.  The review period involves a 90 day period for formal comments on the proposal and an overlapping 1 year review period which may involve follow-up review, surveys and even opportunity to discover new locations for the species.  The complete proposals ('sponsorships') are available at http://calscc.crustose.net

Comments and other information may be posted electronically at http://discussions.crustose.net under the headings Lichen Conservation, CALS Conservation Committee Public Discussions, where a separate discussion board exists for each proposed species, OR may be sent in hard copy to the committee chair: Eric Peterson, 2225 Ridgeview Drive, Reno, NV 89509, U.S.A.  Comments from lichenologists worldwide are welcome.

The end-goal is to assign rarity and threat ranks in the style of the California Natural Diversity Database (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/cnddb.html), which are similar to those used by Natural Heritage Programs across much of the Americas (see http://www.natureserve.org) and then to place species onto one of 5 lists comparable to those of the California Native Plant Society (http://www.cnps.org).  Brief descriptions of these ranks and lists are provided in a glossary posted at http://calscc.crustose.net, and more detailed descriptions will probably be posted there in the future.

We are indeed, following a very cautious process with an in-depth review of each species for good reason.  California has some of the strongest conservation laws in the world.  It also has a large and expanding population.  To withstand the resulting legal environment, conservation proposals must be defensible! 

That said, CALS also recognizes that by default, it represents an area larger than California.  Proposals may cover other states as well (as in the case of S. spongiosa).

Also of note with the Usnea longissima proposal is that it actually reduces the conservation status for the species in California.

Thanks,
Eric Peterson
CALS Conservation Committee chairperson