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Seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is a federally threatened plant species that was once prevalent on beaches of the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast. For much of the 20th century, seabeach amaranth was absent and thought to be extinct along this coast presumably due to development and recreational pressure. Few plants were observed over much of the 20th century and the species was federally listed as endangered in 1993. To re-establish a population, the Natural Resources staff at Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) planted seabeach amaranth cultivars for three growing seasons from 2000 to 2002. To monitor the impact of this effort, the Natural Resources staff conducted yearly surveys on Assateague Island to locate seabeach amaranth from 2001 to the present. These surveys were undertaken, typically during early August, to monitor the presence and dispersal of the plant following the effort to re-establish a population. The surveys were conducted in coordination with Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Surveys measured the location of each plant found using GPS and noted several parameters including: 1) plant size, 2) evidence of grazing by insects or ungulates (2005 and later) and noted if the plant was protected by cages put in place by ASIS Natural Resources staff. [More]
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