New Mine Plan Would Condemn Rare Nevada Wildflower to Extinction

Under the plan, the 7,000 acre open-pit Rhyolite Ridge Lithium Mine would directly destroy 22% of the buckwheat’s 910 acres of protected critical habitat, while severely degrading the rest because it’s so close to mining operations, with the open pit coming within 44 feet of the rare plants.

A previous version of the mine plan would have destroyed 38% of the plant’s critical habitat. The agency and mining company have said the reduction in the amount of direct destruction would save the plant.

“This latest plan for Rhyolite Ridge Mine is just greenwashing extinction,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Reducing the destruction of this rare plant's habitat from 38% to 22% is like cutting off one leg instead of both. They’re still dealing a fatal blow to this precious, rare wildflower. This mine plan makes a mockery of the Endangered Species Act, and we’ll fight it with everything we've got."

Tiehm’s buckwheat is a rare Nevada wildflower with delicate cream-colored blossoms that grows on the boron- and lithium-rich soils of the Silver Peak Range in Esmeralda County. It is a linchpin of the local ecosystem, harboring a highly diverse pollinator community.

Australian mining company Ioneer has already caused significant damage to Tiehm’s buckwheat’s critical habitat during mining exploration activities. Its mining operations were the chief reason cited by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in declaring the species endangered in 2022.

This draft environmental impact statement was released after a rushed environmental review, which one agency official said “deviate[d] from other project schedules on similar projects.”

“I'm deeply concerned with the proposed mine plan, which will cause permanent, irreparable damage to Tiehm’s buckwheat’s habitat, disrupt pollinators and cause significant dust and pollution,” said Naomi Fraga, Ph.D., director of conservation at the California Botanic Garden. "For an extremely rare species confined to such a small area, no amount of destruction of its critical habitat is acceptable. The botanical community will stand together to fight back against this plan.”