Photo credit: Robert Sivinski

Clover’s cactus (Sclerocactus cloverae) | ESA status:Petitioned

Clover’s cactus

This imperiled cactus is threatened by rampant oil and gas development in northwestern New Mexico.

Clover’s cactus habitat

Clover’s cactus is found only in Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan counties in New Mexico, in a geological formation called the Nacimiento Formation. Unfortunately for the cactus, this formation is also the site of intensive oil and gas exploration and development.

What are the threats to the Clover’s cactus?

The main threat to Clover’s cactus is intensive oil and gas development, which has been poorly managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Freedom of Information Act requests to the BLM revealed internal strife, oil and gas companies failing to comply with their Conditions of Approval and monitoring requirements, and poor record-keeping in regards to transplanted cacti and their survival rates.

What WildEarth Guardians is doing to protect the Clover’s cactus

Guardians submitted a scientific petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describing why the agency must protect the Clover’s cactus under the Endangered Species Act. Guardians has long been fighting oil and gas development on public lands in order to fight climate change.

Historical Significant Actions

Wildlife Press: Clover’s cactus

Press Releases

Positive step in defense of rare New Mexico plants threatened by fracking

May 11, 2021

Guardians seeks Endangered Species Act protection for imperiled Aztec gilia and Clover’s cactus found only in the Greater Chaco Landscape of northwestern New Mexico

All Guardians Press Releases

Petitions Filed to Defend Rare New Mexico Plants Threatened by Fracking

Jun 2, 2020

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Tessa Archibald is a passionate animal lover with a desire to preserve our natural world and increase respect for all species. She obtained a BS in Biopsychology from Tufts University and is currently working towards a Masters in Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes that an understanding of complex human animal interactions and policy will promote more empathetic management of wildlife across all lands!

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Joe Bushyhead joined Guardians in May 2021 as our Endangered Species Policy Advocate. Based in Denver, he works to protect imperiled Western species as well as the integrity of the Endangered Species Act itself.

Prior to Guardians, Joe spent seven years as a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and clerked for the Honorable Tena Campbell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before law school, he worked for the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management on, among other projects, a study of Chinook salmon in Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River watershed.

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

My name is Hailey Zimber and I am a rising senior majoring in Politics at Whitman College. I am thrilled to be joining WildEarth Guardians as a research and community organizing intern for the Greater Gila Campaign. As a born and raised New Mexican, the Greater Gila is one of the silos of wilderness that have shaped who I know myself to be. Protecting the Gila means protecting myself, my state, and my community, and for this reason, this position is especially meaningful to me.

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Dustin grew up hiking, camping, riding, skiing and running the vast outdoor sanctuaries surrounding Gallup, NM. Distance running led him to New York City, where he earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Columbia University. In 2011, Dustin returned to the southwest to serve as program director for Wings of America- a not for profit that empowers Tribal youth and their families by introducing them to the cultural, spiritual and competitive legacy of Native runners. Under his leadership, the organization has continued to provide elite-level opportunities for talented Native runners while making a concerted effort to create new programs for fledgling harriers of all abilities. Moving forward, Dustin hopes to continue promoting the positive achievements of Native runners while helping foster and test new models for acquainting Native youth with their ancestral homelands.

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Tricia, as a child of military parents, spent much of her childhood moving frequently in the U.S. and abroad, but calls El Paso, TX home. Growing up on the banks of the (often dry) Rio Grande and the water scarcity of the Southwest sparked a life-long interest in finding solutions for water conflicts in the arid and semi-arid American West. Tricia received a B.S. in Geography with a focus on human-environment connection from New Mexico State University. Her research while there centered on water management across borders. She spent 5 years working with the Southwest Environmental Center working to protect and restore the wildlife and wild places of the Southwest borderlands, particularly focused on the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf. In 2015, Tricia moved to Washington state to pursue a graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management from Central Washington University. Her thesis, which conducted an adaptive capacity assessment of the Upper Klamath Basin, utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She worked for nearly four years on salmon recovery as the Lead Entity Coordinator for the Yakima Basin in central Washington, bringing together a diverse group of interests and perspectives. Tricia joined WildEarth Guardians as the Rio Grande Campaigner in 2021.

Clover’s cactus (Sclerocactus cloverae) | ESA status:Petitioned

Clover’s cactus

Clover’s cactus habitat

What are the threats to the Clover’s cactus?

What WildEarth Guardians is doing to protect the Clover’s cactus

Historical Significant Actions

Wildlife Press: Clover’s cactus

Positive step in defense of rare New Mexico plants threatened by fracking

WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

Contact

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Contact

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Contact

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Francine D. Spang-Willis

Member, Board of Directors

Contact

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner