ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Endangered

YEAR LISTED: 1998

CRITICAL HABITAT: 176 acres in western Riverside County, California designated in 2005

RECOVERY PLAN: None

RANGE: Riverside County, California

THREATS: Urban development, clay mining, agricultural activities, off-road vehicle use, trampling and overgrazing by livestock, weed control measures, and competition with nonnative species

POPULATION TREND: When it published its final rule on critical habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed 19 extant populations of Munz’s onion. The largest population clusters remain in Harford County Park, Alberhill, Elsinore Peak, Dawson Canyon, Estelle Mountain, and Bachelor Mountain, all in western Riverside County. The remaining populations’ numbers are perilously low: while six of the extant populations contain over 2,000 individuals, most contain fewer than 1,000. Many of the current populations are located perilously near new developing areas.