Prototype quillwort (Isoetes prototypus) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10
Existing Protection or Other Status Designations
Isoetes prototypus is not listed under either the Canadian Species at Risk Act or the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the United States. It is not listed in the IUCN Red Book or by the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In New Brunswick, I. prototypus and its habitat are protected under the provincial Endangered Species Act. It is not listed as an endangered species under legislation in Nova Scotia. The state of Maine has no equivalent endangered species legislation that protects plant species (Linda Gregory 2003, pers. com.). None of the Canadian lakes where I. prototypus has been found is within a protected area. One site in New Brunswick is on Department of National Defence land. Two lakes (site 13 in Maine and site 1 in Nova Scotia) are sources of public drinking water and are subject to restrictions to safeguard water quality, e.g., the banning of swimming and the prohibition of boats and/or motorized boats. The site in Maine is located within Acadia National Park and hence is within a protected area.
Isoetes prototypus is ranked as an S1 species in New Brunswick (3 sites) and Maine (1 site), and as an S2 species in Nova Scotia (9 sites). It is listed as N1? in Canada (26 Oct. 2001) and N1 in USA (19 Apr. 1997), and has been assigned a Global Heritage Status Rank of G1? (26 Feb. 2001).
The IUCN Pteridophyte Group has ranked I. prototypus as one of the rarest pteridophyte species in North America (Brunton pers. com. 2004).
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