Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana), was believed to be extinct until one plant was found in 2009. The one specimen was found on a traffic Island and was moved to a secret location at Presidio in San Francisco. On Wednesday September 7 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Franciscan Manzanita would be considered for an endangered status listing. There will be a 60-day comment period ending on Nov. 7., to decide whether it’s possible to identify and protect sufficient habitat to save the plant from extinction.
The U. S. Wildlife agency has said that
“critical habitat is not determinable at this time due to lack of knowledge of what physical and biological features are essential to the conservation of the species, or what other areas outside the site currently occupied may be essential for the conservation of the species.”
The executive director of Wild Equity Institute, who had filed a petition to give the plant species protection stated that:
“by outlining critical habitat areas on a map, it will essentially give plant collectors a road map to come and harm the plant…. But the benefits of critical habitat protection outweigh the possible impact from poachers.”
THE PLIGHT OF THE FRANCISCAN MANZANITA TO BE CONTINUED
Read more:
U.S. may declare an extremely rare manzanita endangered (latimes.com)
Rare Franciscan Manzanita Could Be Listed as Endangered Species After All (blogs.sfweekly.com)
Natural History Wanderings 
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