The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove a rare species of western orchid from the Endangered Species List.
The Ute ladies’-tresses is an orchid found in wetland environments across the western United States and Canada. The species was listed as endangered in 1992, when its known range covered only Utah and Colorado.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the orchid has rebounded in the decades since, and is now found in eight western states. In Montana, they are found along the Upper Missouri River Basin.
The Service says the orchid no longer faces a risk of extinction for the foreseeable future. Nearly 40 percent of the species’ habitat occurs on federally owned and protected land.
The delisting proposal is open for a 60 day public comment period beginning January 7. If delisted, officials will continue to monitor the orchid for ten years.
