Dixie nature area gets $910,500

The White Dome Nature Preserve in Washington County is slated to receive a grant of $910,500 to bolster conservation efforts at the 800-acre ecosystem complex.

The grant is part of $57.8 million awarded to 27 states to support planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the grant recipients on Tuesday, with awards being made possible through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund.

The Washington County reserve contains approximately 20 percent of the known populations of the critically endangered dwarf bear poppy. The project also helps protect habitats for the Siler pincushion cactus, a rare plant endemic to the Utah/Arizona border area. Both the dwarf bear poppy and the Siler pincushion cactus in Utah are threatened because of the rapid urbanization of the Dixie area. The complex also assists with the preservation of the desert tortoise.