Summary: This issue highlights the growing urgency of wetland conservation in the United States and Colorado. The lead article examines proposed federal revisions to wetland delineation criteria that threatened to remove millions of acres from Clean Water Act protections, emphasizing the ecological importance of wet meadows, riparian shrublands, and floodplain forests. Additional features review the Society’s accomplishments in 1991, including support for rare plant conservation and public education initiatives. The newsletter also warns of the invasive threat posed by purple loosestrife, celebrates the federal listing of the Ute ladies’-tresses orchid as a threatened species, and provides reports from botanical workshops on Draba and Apiaceae identification. Throughout the issue, readers are encouraged to deepen their botanical knowledge, participate in conservation efforts, and advocate for the protection of Colorado’s native flora and habitats.

Plant Species: Species mentioned include Hypericum spp. (klamathweed), Asclepias uncialis, Gaillardia aristata, Physaria bellii, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife), Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush), Scirpus longii, Eleocharis parvula, Draba spp., Draba cuneifolia, Draba reptans, Draba crassa, Erysimum spp., Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper), Juglans major (Arizona walnut), Spiranthes diluvialis (Ute ladies’-tresses), Poa spp., Artemisia spp., Yucca glauca, Tetradymia canescens, Xylorhiza glabriuscula, Prosopis glandulosa, Iris missouriensis, Sphaeralcea coccinea, Typha latifolia, Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive), Tamarix spp., and Astragalus spp.

Keywords: wetlands, Clean Water Act, wetland delineation, wetland conservation, purple loosestrife, invasive species, Ute ladies’-tresses, threatened species, Endangered Species Act, rare plants, Colorado Native Plant Society, grassland conservation, botanical workshops, native landscaping, plant identification, Draba, Apiaceae, public advocacy, and habitat protection.

Summary: This issue emphasizes the intersection of conservation ethics, land management, and public participation in protecting Colorado’s native flora. The feature article examines ecological and management challenges on the Pawnee National Grassland, including mountain plover conservation, grazing practices, prairie dog ecology, off-road vehicle use, and the need for better rare plant surveys and long-term ecological monitoring. The newsletter also publishes the Colorado Native Plant Society’s newly adopted Guidelines for Collection of Native Plants, establishing ethical standards for horticulture, restoration, medicinal use, and scientific research. Reports from field trips, updates on the Adopt-A-Rare-Plant Program, and previews of upcoming workshops demonstrate the Society’s commitment to education, citizen science, and stewardship through hands-on involvement. Together, the issue reflects an evolving conservation ethic grounded in both scientific inquiry and responsible public engagement.

Plant Species: Parthenium alpinum, Cryptantha cana, Astragalus bisulcatus, Amorpha fruticosa (leadplant), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Orobanche fasciculata, fringed sage (Artemisia frigida), Oxytropis spp., Castilleja spp., Dodecatheon spp., Coryphantha vivipara, Limosella aquatica, Juncus bufonius, Eleocharis spp., Gratiola neglecta, Lilium, Erythronium, Fritillaria, Leucocrinum, Lloydia serotina, Maianthemum (Smilacina), Calochortus, Anticlea (Zigadenus), Toxicoscordion, Veratrum, Disporum, Streptopus, Hypoxis, Smilax, Silene, Paronychia, Cerastium, Sagina, Stellaria, Arenaria, Minuartia, milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae), dogbanes (Apocynaceae), Astragalus spp., Botrychium campestre, Astragalus linifolius, and Spiranthes diluvialis.

Keywords:  Pawnee National Grassland, mountain plover, grazing management, rare plants, off-road vehicle impacts, native plant collecting ethics, conservation guidelines, Adopt-A-Rare-Plant Program, field trip reports, citizen science, ecological restoration, workshop education, Colorado Native Plant Society, prairie conservation, and stewardship.

Summary: This September/October 1992 issue of Aquilegia focuses on the urgent conservation challenges facing Colorado’s alpine ecosystems, particularly the threatened Hoosier Ridge Research Natural Area. The lead article details the scientific significance of Hoosier Ridge, home to rare arctic-alpine plants, endemic species, and one of the state’s most vulnerable populations of Eutrema penlandii, while documenting how mining appeals jeopardized its protected status. Additional articles address ethical standards in native plant collecting, report efforts to relocate elusive western Colorado species, and recount a field trip to Aiken Canyon Preserve that highlighted both biodiversity and ecosystem management. The issue also introduces new findings regarding the fossil plant genus Florissantia and announces an extensive series of educational workshops covering grasses, conifers, agaves, weeds, and milkvetches. Throughout, the newsletter emphasizes advocacy, education, scientific documentation, and responsible stewardship as essential tools for protecting Colorado’s native flora.

Plant Species: Plant species and genera mentioned in this issue include Deschampsia caespitosa, Acomastylis rossii ssp. turbinata, Kobresia myosuroides, Salix glauca, Salix brachycarpa, Saussurea weberi, Saussurea viscida var. yukonensis, Armeria scabra ssp. sibirica, Ipomopsis globularis, Astragalus molybdenus, Braya humilis ssp. ventosa, Draba borealis, Draba porsildii, Papaver kluanense, Phippsia algida, Townsendia rothrockii, Eutrema penlandii, Eutrema edwardsii, Rhodiola integrifolia, Sibbaldia procumbens, Pedicularis groenlandica, Ptilagrostis porteri, Agave utahensis, Astragalus shortianus, Dicentra uniflora, Phlox hoodii, Hydrophyllum capitatum, Pulsatilla spp., Pedicularis centranthera, Hesperochiron pumilum, Chondrosum gracile, Quercus gambelii, Telesperma filifolium, Erigeron flagellaris, Echinocereus viridiflorus, Aphyllon fasciculatum, Penstemon secundiflorus, Castilleja integra, Artemisia frigida, Oreobatus deliciosus, Physocarpus monogynus, Jamesia americana, Rosa woodsii, Campanula rotundifolia, Holodiscus spp., Abies concolor, Ptelea trifoliata, Florissantia speirii, and Goodyera repens.

Keywords: Hoosier Ridge Research Natural Area, alpine conservation, mining impacts, Eutrema penlandii, Research Natural Areas, endangered species advocacy, alpine tundra, rare plant protection, citizen action, plant collecting ethics, Colorado Natural Areas Program, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Continental Divide Trail, botanical stewardship, winter workshops, montane and subalpine grasses, Colorado conifers, agave identification, weeds of Colorado, Front Range Astragalus, field notes, western Colorado plant rediscoveries, Dicentra uniflora, Aiken Canyon Preserve, The Nature Conservancy, foothills ecology, Florissant fossil plants, Florissantia, chapter activities, botanical education, and Colorado Native Plant Society conservation efforts.