Packard's milkvetch

Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae

Packard's milkvetch is a narrow endemic plant only known from a sparsely populated portion of northeastern Payette County, Idaho, approximately 15 miles east of the town of Payette.  Its entire known range, which lies between Big Willow Creek to the south and Little Willow Creek to the north, is only approximately 10 square miles.  The general landscape where A. cusickii var. packardiae occurs is characterized by rolling uplands and steep slopes that descend to terraced bottomlands of the main creeks or numerous minor tributaries in this area.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classifies the plant as a Candidate species under the Endangered Species Act and identifies off-highway vehicle (OHV) use as one of the imminent and primary threats to the species and its habitat.

In May 2011, the BLM closed 37 miles of roads and trails north of Big Willow Creek in Payette County to prevent unauthorized OHV use on 7,134 acres of public lands where Packard's milkvetch grows and help prevent further impacts to, and ensure suitable conditions for, the plants and their associated habitat.