Western Lily (Lilium occidentale) Genetics Study

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized Teresa Bird to conduct a genetic study on the western lily, Lilium occidentale, under a scientific permit issued pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act and the Native Plant Protection Act. The project involves collecting up to 20 leaf tissue samples from flowering individuals with normal morphotypes at each site, with an additional 20 samples potentially taken from plants exhibiting phenotypic variation, depending on population size. All samples will be collected during the summer of 2026 and accompanied by photographs and site labels to correlate field observations with genetic data. The tissue will be silica-dried in the field and transported to the Landscape Stewardship Collective for DNA extraction and analysis to evaluate hybridization levels, genetic relatedness, gene flow between populations, and overall genetic diversity. The resulting data will directly inform plant propagation efforts and contribute to the recovery strategy for the western lily, an endangered species. The permit is issued specifically for research purposes, with strict limits on sample size to minimize impact on wild populations. Joanne Heraty of the Habitat Conservation Planning Branch serves as the primary point of contact for the Department, while Teresa Bird, a botanist affiliated with the Northwest Wildland Area Information Center, is the permittee responsible for fieldwork and implementation. The project is forecasted for 2026 and is managed under the California environmental permitting system with no solicitation or procurement process associated with it.