This publication provides the most complete information available on the status of rare vertebrate species and vascular plant species in Wyoming. It updates and replaces previous lists (Fertig and Beauvais 1999, Fertig and Heidel 2002), and documents 473 plants and 125 vertebrates of conservation and management concern in Wyoming. For each species, a summary of factors used in weighing species’ status including distribution, abundance, trends, and intrinsic vulnerability, is also provided.
Interest in rare species has increased substantially over the past 40 years, and currently there is broad support for the conservation of rare plants and animals in North America. Natural resource managers, policy makers, and the public require an understanding of the identity, distribution, and abundance of rare species in order to develop effective conservation strategies. Such information is especially vital to management plans that strive to integrate the conservation of rare species with development of natural resources.
