Annual Survey Provides Key Insights into Status of Tahoe Yellow Cress

Annual Survey Provides Key Insights into Status of Tahoe Yellow Cress Along Lake Tahoe’s Shores

Lake Tahoe, CA/NV — The Nevada Division of Natural Heritage (NDNH), in partnership with state, federal, tribal, and local agencies, has completed its 2025 annual survey of Tahoe yellow cress (Rorippa subumbellata), a rare plant found only along the sandy shores of Lake Tahoe.

The survey results underscore the importance of ongoing conservation efforts to support this species, which remains vulnerable to shoreline disturbance and habitat loss.

Tahoe yellow cress is a small mustard-family plant that grows low to the ground, with pinnate leaves and small yellow flowers. It occurs exclusively on the sandy shoreline of Lake Tahoe and in the mouths of streams flowing into the lake. Because of its very limited range and sensitivity to habitat disturbance, Tahoe yellow cress has long been recognized as a conservation priority.

The 2025 survey, conducted by the Tahoe Yellow Cress Adaptive Management Working Group, documented approximately 5,575 individual plants across 19 occupied beaches in Nevada and California. NDNH, as a member of the Tahoe Yellow Cress Adaptive Management Working Group, surveys much of the Nevada shoreline and maintains a shared online data infrastructure that allows all partners to collect, share, review, and use survey data quickly and efficiently each year.

“This plant is unique to Lake Tahoe—it doesn’t grow anywhere else in the world,” said NDNH biologist Patrick Silbey. “Annual surveys give us critical information about where the species is persisting, where it is struggling, and how conservation actions can best be directed to maintain Tahoe yellow cress as part of the lake’s ecosystem.”

Two decades ago, Tahoe yellow cress was on the brink of extinction. By the late 1990s, it had vanished from Nevada’s beaches and remained only in a handful of California sites. The species was listed as endangered by the State of California, critically endangered in Nevada, and was identified as a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1999.

Thanks to the Tahoe Yellow Cress Conservation Strategy, adopted in 2002, agencies, conservation groups, and private landowners joined forces to identify threats and implement protective measures. These efforts included habitat fencing, community outreach, and scientific monitoring. Conservation efforts by private lakefront landowners play a pivotal role in the plant’s survival.

“I’ve spoken with homeowners and associations about protecting Tahoe yellow cress. One HOA with 900 members has fenced off the plants, and the children in their community have even signed up as stewards — it’s a great example of how community partnerships are helping ensure Tahoe yellow cress continues to thrive now and for generations to come,” said Jan Brisco, Executive Director of the Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association.

In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed Tahoe yellow cress as a federal candidate species, citing the success of the collaborative conservation program.

“The story of Tahoe yellow cress is one of collaboration,” said USDA Forest Service Botanist, Emma Williams. “The progress we’ve made reflects the importance of this work—and shows how working together can achieve lasting protection for a fragile species and the ecosystem it depends on.”

Although the 2025 survey is now complete, partners stress that ongoing vigilance remains critical. High water levels, shoreline development, and recreational pressures continue to pose risks to the species’ limited habitat. Beachgoers can help protect Tahoe yellow cress by respecting habitat enclosures, avoiding vegetated areas near streams, keeping pets under control, and launching watercraft away from sensitive sites. NDNH also welcomes observations submitted by the public of Tahoe yellow cress and other rare and threatened species throughout Nevada though their Survey123 form (https://heritage.nv.gov/data_and_resources/submit-data) or their iNaturalist project (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nevada-rare-species-tracking-list-ndnh).

The annual survey remains a cornerstone of the conservation strategy, providing essential data to track the health of Tahoe yellow cress populations and inform adaptive management in the face of changing environmental conditions.

Conservation partners include the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage, Nevada Division of State Parks, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California, and private landowners.

For more information about Tahoe yellow cress and other rare plants in Nevada, visit the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage website at heritage.nv.gov.