History
 
 
S. parksii was listed as an endangered species on May 6, 1982, under the federal Endangered Species Act (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998 ). On April 29, 1983, the State of Texas also listed this species as endangered (Poole & Riskind, 1987). A year later, the first recovery plan was filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a subsequent plan was developed in 1993. 

The most significant threat to this species has been human elimination or modification of the habitat (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1993). One example of this human impact has occurred in Grimes County where years of mining has consumed thousands of acres of land that supports S. parksii. The plants have also been threatened to extinction in Brazos County where the City of College Station has expanded considerably in areas populated by the rare orchid. Activities such as commercial and residential development, landfilling, expansion of State Highway 6, and clearing of land by private owners have been implicated in the habitat destruction in this county.

 
To conserve S. parksii, the recent recovery plan has proposed the establishment of two preserves in the areas with high population density. One of these "safe sites" is Lick Creek Park in College Station. But merely setting up such sites is not enough. The plan has also recommended that the overseers of these areas agree to providing long-term protection and management. If these objectives are met, the endangered status of the Navasota Ladies'-tresses may be remedied.


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