A rare plant in the way...

Press, 17 November 1976, Page 25

A rare plant in the way...

The discovery of a rare wild snapdragon in a remote area of northern Maine might thwart construction of a BUS6OOM hydroelectric plant: Some 30 to 35 specimens of the furbish lousewort, a flower that was believed to be extinct, were found this summer by botanists surveying the upper St John River. They were doing the work for a report on the environmental impact of the proposed bic k e y-Lincoln hydroelectric project, one of the largest Federally-funded projects planned for New England.

A botanist with the Army Corps of Engineers, Richard Dyer, has revealed the discovery of the fern-like flower. He said it could sidetrack the controversial project, which has been in the planning stage for more than a decade. . Dyer noted that Federal projects are barred by statute from destroying rare and endangered species of plants and animals. The furbish lousewort is included on an endangered species list scheduled for adoption early next year.

“There will be a definite confrontation with the Endangered Species Act if plans for the dams continue,” Dyer said. “It has no commercial value. It's not pretty or beautiful, i But it’s a rare plant that ( might become extinct.” If New Zealand had a law similar to that of Maine, parts of the Clutha River power scheme would be endangered. A chafer beetle. Prodontena 1 lewisi, is believed to be 1 found only in the sandy j area of the river flats north «f GrumweH. 1

A power scheme which included flooding this portion of the valley would almost certainly make the beetle extinct. It has not been found elsewhere in Central Otago in spite of a careful search of similar locations. The report four years ago by the Ministryof Works on the effect of the Clutha power proposals noted that it might be possible to establish the beetle elsewhere, but considerable research would be needed.