Water in the desert is undeniably special. On top of sustaining human lives and cultures, wetlands are biodiverse areas, hosting unique cohorts of charismatic plants that are seldom found elsewhere. Rightfully so, these wetlands and riparian zones are popular places to gather, recreate, and commune with nature. Many wetlands in the western United States have undergone rapid changes driven by disturbances like wildfire, development, and disrupted food webs. One “canary in the coal mine” plant whose fate seems tied to the land conditions around it is Blumer’s dock (Rumex orthoneurus).

Blumer's dock has a long albeit sparse conservation history covering the past five decades. Since shortly after the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, it has been recognized as a potentially vulnerable species, but the amount of focus directed toward Blumer’s dock has ebbed and flowed. It is currently designated a Species of Conservation Concern by all National Forests in Arizona on which it occurs: the Coronado, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Tonto National Forests. Very few known populations exist outside of these federal lands. Therefore, the management of National Forests in Arizona directly affects the status of this species and its habitat conditions.

Non-native plants are one of the main threats to biodiversity on the Tonto, with many species having increased in abundance over the past few years. These plants often grow prolifically and reproduce efficiently through riparian corridors, outcompeting native wetland species. Blackberry and periwinkle are two vines that have escaped cultivation in Arizona and have started to densely cover mountain streams. These and other invasive species directly threaten Blumer’s dock by competing for space, light, and water, and their removal gives us an opportunity to restore Blumer's dock across the landscape with strategic reintroductions.

To inform restoration efforts and help Tonto National Forest staff prioritize locations for invasive plant removal, the NFF is conducting a habitat suitability and feasibility analysis for Blumer’s dock reintroductions. Based on known habitats and the outcomes of previous conservation efforts, we were able to identify environmental factors associated with the presence of Blumer’s dock, such as annual rain and snowfall, forest canopy cover, and wetland characteristics. We also considered factors that affect the survival of newly established plants, including the probability of severe wildfire and presence of various land uses. Our spatial analysis of habitat suitability will also assist Forest managers and botanists in identifying at-risk populations, targeting new areas for surveys and monitoring, and optimizing restoration efforts through collocating invasives removal with Blumer’s dock revegetation.

Looking towards an unpredictable future, rare plant conservation can feel precarious. It is still well worth the effort to understand the relationships between plants and their environment, doing what we can to help build resiliency and set ecosystems up for success. Especially when human activities are identified as contributing to a species’ decline, intervention by conservationists can be a gamechanger. Conserving biodiversity through supporting Blumer's dock populations is just one way that we can work to buffer Arizona’s ecosystems against uncertainty.

Fern Bromley is a 2024-2025 Conservation Connect Fellow with the Southwest team. They are a master's student in Natural Resources at the University of Arizona and completing their thesis on remote sensing of vegetation responses to hydrology and climate.