Natural History Wanderings

Headline has been corrected. The Feds did not grant protection

The Desert Sun reports

The Joshua tree does not require protection under the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Servicesaid in a decision announced Wednesday.

Conservationists had petitioned the service in 2015, seeking to have the iconic desert plant and namesake of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California listed as a threatened species. On Tuesday, the petitioners, a group called Wild Earth Guardians, filed a lawsuit complaining that the service was long overdue to respond to their petition.

Read more at Federal officials reject petition to list Joshua tree as threatened under Endangered Species Act