The Reuters article states : "In Nevada, the death of the...

The Reuters article states : "In Nevada, the death of the Tiehm’s buckwheat flowers at ioneer’s proposed mine site remains a point of contention. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that thirsty squirrels may have gnawed the roots of more than 17,000 flowers for water amid a drought in the state.The Center for Biological Diversity, which opposes the mine, said there was evidence that humans destroyed the flowers. “The targeted nature of the damage, combined with the lack of feces, pawprints, hoofprints, or other evidence of wildlife suggest human involvement,” the group said in a court filing."

The Reno Gazette wrote about it back in September 2020 : https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2020/09/23/40-percent-worlds-population-rare-nevada-wildflowers-tiehms-buckwheat-destroyed/5820913002/ . A long article that is worth a read if you haven't scanned it before.

The irony is the flowers only grow in this region of the world because the soil is so rich in lithium.

It seems there is a small, non-zero risk that if the flower is put on the Endangered Species list, the whole project gets mothballed (until the next Republican President comes along).