Claim: Pedicularis furbishiae was responsible for the cancellation of a hydroelectric project meant for the Saint John River; one prominent United States magazine did not like the idea of the cancellation.
Evidence: Pedicularis furbishiae, or Furbish's lousewort, is a perennial herb found only on the shores of the upper Saint John River in Maine and New Brunswick. Because it is endangered and endemic to the area, development projects have been restricted to preserve its habitat. For example, the Dickey-Lincoln dam, a $227 million hydroelectric project proposed on the upper Saint John River in 1974, was deauthorized by Congress in 1986 after years of study, because the dam would have flooded 88,000 acres (360 km) of Maine forest and severely reduced the lousewort's habitat. Some criticized ending the dam project to protect the lousewort; Time magazine called the idea "downright silly" in 1977.