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P/SUNNY Temp: 68 °F Wind: E at 5 mph Friday, May 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 30, 2002 Jacksonville adopts plan to save rare lily The endangered Gentner fritillary blooms on stalks that can grow up to 50 inches tall with one to 11 blossoms per plant By SANNE SPECHT for the Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — City officials and community members are determined to do their share to save a rare Oregon native lily — the Gentner fritillary — from extinction. A federally proposed recovery plan recently adopted by the city of Jacksonville includes public education, habitat restoration and protection — including the transplanting of bulbs from areas where they might suffer predation or damage. Declared a federally endangered species in 1999, the Gentner fritillary is known to occur only in the rural foothills of the Rogue and Illinois river valleys. Biologists have found 1,697 flowering individual plants at 109 sites in Jackson and Josephine counties, making it one of Oregon’s rarest native plants. The endangered lily’s large red bulbs have a big hold on some local residents’ hearts. Jacksonville Woodlands Association President Larry Smith has approximately 50 Gentner lilies growing on his one-half-acre property. And, he said, his front door features a stained glass replica of the lily. Usually found growing in semi-shade in the middle of manzanita and madrone forests, the flowers bloom on stalks that can grow up to 50 inches tall with one to 11 blossoms per plant. "It’s a very striking flower," Smith said. "The big reddish purple trumpet with the yellow streaks makes quite an impact on people. "We have received several thousand dollars in grants. We promote the grants by letting them know we have 42 acres set aside to protect the fritillary. We are working on more habitat." Smith said the Woodlands Association protects, maintains and operates public lands for the city, county and Bureau of Land Management. He said a $2,700 BLM grant allowed his organization to research and locate the local Gentner fritillaries and plot their habitat on a map. Smith said the rare flower is driving some of the scheduling in recent fuels reduction projects. "The tree cutters are told to step lightly and shut down by Feb. 15 (the beginning of the blooming season)," Smith said. "We hope, that by thinning some of the overgrowth, they’ll regenerate in some of these areas." Smith said legend has it a member of the Gentner family went for a walk in the woods and came back with a fistful of the flowers and started the Gentner mania. Local interest and identity with the Gentner fritillary is very strong. "The JWA wants to feature the Gentner on its next T-shirt. The Jacksonville Garden Club already uses the Gentner as its logo," said Smith. Smith takes up to 100 people on day hikes during the April blooming season to see the bold bulbs. "We get people from all over the world. The No. 1 question is, ‘Are we going to see some fritillary?’ " Smith said. Jacksonville Cemetery and the parking lot above the Britt Amphitheater are two areas with the highest concentration of lilies. City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said the newly adopted Department of Agriculture protection plan affects Jacksonville’s municipally owned property, but not private property. He said the onus is on city staff to protect the plants whenever possible and transplant them to areas designated as suitable habitat if necessary. "If we have to move one off a cemetery plot (prior to sale), we will make sure we relocate them to one of the designated areas," Wyntergreen said. Sanne Specht is a free-lance writer living in Rogue River. Reach her at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S