Golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

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Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

NatureServe (2006) has ranked golden paintbrush as “G1” (globally critically imperilled). The Washington Natural Heritage Program has rated it “S1” (critically imperilled) and it is ranked “SH” (historic) in Oregon, where it is now presumed to be extirpated. It is listed as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (NatureServe 2006).

The British Columbia Ministry of Environment considers golden paintbrush to be a "Red-listed" (threatened/endangered taxon) in British Columbia (Douglas et al. 2002). The British Columbia Conservation Data Centre ranks it as "S1" (imperilled) in British Columbia (BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer 2006). COSEWIC ranked golden paintbrush as Endangered in Canada (2000) based on a report prepared by Ryan and Douglas (1995). It was subsequently listed under schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Golden paintbrush is the subject of a multi-species recovery strategy along with other maritime meadow species associated with Garry oak ecosystems species (Parks Canada Agency 2006).

Actions to protect golden paintbrush

The Alpha Islet population lies entirely within an Ecological Reserve managed by BC Parks. The Trial Island population is split between another Ecological Reserve, a Canada Coast Guard site and a communications lease on BC crown land. Recently, BC Parks and the Canada Coast Guard have completed a project removing several invasive shrub species (Cytisus scoparius, Ulex europaeus, Daphne laureola, Ilex aquifolium, Rubus armeniacus and Cotoneaster sp.) throughout the Trial Island population of Golden Paintbrush. This project, funded by the Habitat Stewardship Program (Environment Canada), provides an initial step to protection of the population from invasive shrubs. If there is subsequent work to remove these invasive shrubs as they are recruited from the soil seed bank, then the threat posed by woody shrubs will be largely eliminated from Trial Island. The project did not involve removal of Hedera helix from the vicinity of Golden Paintbrush plants at Trial Island but funding is being sought to accomplish this in future years.

Plants on the Trial Island and Alpha Islet ecological reserves are protected under the BC Parks Act and plants on the Canada Coast Guard site at Trial Island are protected under the Species at Risk Act. In contrast, maritime meadow habitat on the Trial Island communications lease that is occupied by golden paintbrush has no formal protection. Operational activities on the communications lease (e.g. trail maintenance and storage of supplies and waste) have directly impacted habitat quality (pers. obs.).

Most of the unoccupied maritime meadow habitat that remains within the extent of occurrence is in municipal parks, which lack formal policies to protect species at risk. Nevertheless, most of these municipalities have taken measures to map species at risk and some have established programs to try to protect maritime meadow habitat by controlling invasive shrubs (pers. obs.).