The Mussentuchit gilia (Gilia tenuis), found only in Utah, is a strikingly beautiful plant with pale blue trumpet-shaped flowers. The flower is named after the Mussentuchit (pronounced Musn't-touch-it) Desert north of Capitol Reef National Park. The Mussentuchit gilia is known to exist in only 17 locations along the western slope of the San Rafael Swell. Fewer than 2,500 plants remain in these locations.

The primary, immediate threat to the future survival of this species is the dramatic increase in oil and gas exploration and drilling which destroys the plants and degrades their habitat. In addition to oil and gas development, Mussentuchit gilia is also threatened by off-road vehicle damage and overgrazing. CNE has joined the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Utah Native Plant Society in filing a petition asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately list Mussentuchit gilia as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.