The extremely rare desert yellowhead (Yermo xanthocephalus) remained hidden away on a few acres of Bureau of Land Management land in central Wyoming until a botanist noticed this striking plant in 1990. A member of the sunflower or aster family, the desert yellowhead was not only an undescribed species, it was so unusual that a new genus was created in naming it. Its highly restricted distribution places it at great risk of extinction, and mining, off-road vehicle use, and livestock trampling make its status even more precarious. In response to a petition from Biodiversity Legal Foundation and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list this wildflower as a Threatened species in 1999, but refused to formalize this protection until 2002, after CNE and others filed suit. Even with the protections of the ESA, management changes benefiting the yellowhead have been slow to evolve, and CNE continues to press the BLM to implement necessary conservation measures.