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With its oversized seeds and small leaves, Peirson’s milk-vetch is adapted for survival in the harsh conditions of blowing sand dunes. Large seeds ensure that germinated seedlings have enough nutrients to establish and survive, while small leaves conserve moisture in the dry desert heat. The greatest threat facing the plant is off-road vehicle use, which tears up delicate terrain.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE
PROTECTION STATUS: Threatened
YEAR PLACED ON LIST: 1998
CRITICAL HABITAT: 12,105 acres in Imperial County, California designated in 2008
RECOVERY PLAN: None
RANGE: In the United States, only known in the Algodones or “Imperial” Dunes of Imperial County; also found on the sand dunes of the Gran Desierto of Sonora, Mexico
THREATS: Habitat destruction due to off-road vehicle use
POPULATION TREND: Population size is highly variable from year to year and fluctuates according to precipitation.
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SAVING THE PEIRSON'S MILK-VETCH
Peirson’s milk-vetch grows only within a narrow corridor of California’s Algodones Dunes, one of the largest, hottest, and driest dune systems in the United States. Algodones is also the high-profile location of off-road vehicle rallies so massive — gathering as many as 150,000 people in a single weekend — that they back up freeway traffic halfway to L.A.
Though temperatures on the dunes often exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and annual precipitation rarely exceeds a scant 2.5 inches, Peirson’s milk-vetch historically has been able to thrive in these harsh conditions due to its distinctive physical adaptations. But as off-road vehicle use has steadily increased at Algodones, the Center for Biological Diversity has sought stronger legal protection for this unique desert plant.
In 2000, the Center won a landmark legal settlement in which 48,000 acres of the Algodones Dunes were closed to off-road vehicle use; in 2001, an additional 1,000 acres were closed to off-roaders. And in 2006, the court sided with the Center and its allies in ruling to maintain current protections for the Peirson’s milk-vetch on the Dunes. This important decision ensured that large tracts of sensitive habitat areas would remain protected from off-road vehicle damage.
Unfortunately, in January 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service drastically cut the species' federally protected habitat to an area declared by scientists to be woefully inadequate for the species' recovery. The Center submitted a notice of intent to sue over the issue in March, and we'll continue to defend the plant and the sand dunes where it sets its roots.
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Contact: Ileene Anderson
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