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GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT Matthew L. Carlson, Keith Boggs, Robert Lipkin, & Julie A. Michaelson Alaska Natural Heritage Program Environment and Natural Resources Institute University of Alaska Anchorage 707 A Street Anchorage, Alaska 99501 National Park Service Alaska Region Inventory & Monitoring Program NPS Report : April 2004 Cooperative Agreement No. 1443CA991000013 Funding Source: National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Program 1 GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY ABSTRACT In 2001 and 2003 the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP) conducted vascular plant field inventories in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in accordance with a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. The primary goal was to document greater than 90% of the vascular plant species expected to occur within the park and significantly improve our understanding of current species distributions. The inventory targeted diverse habitat types and poorly-sampled areas. The AKNHP staff visited eight diverse ecogeographic regions and sampled intensively within these regions from late June to mid-August, 2001 and late June to early July in 2003. A total of 555 specimens were collected, recorded, pressed, and curated. Of the 333 individual taxa, 172 are new records for the park and an additional 44 represent verifications of previously unverified reports. A number of finds were significant range extensions or taxa of conservation concern. Collections were made of four globally restricted species: Botrychium ascendens (G2G3-S2 AKNHP rank), Platanthera chorisiana (G3-S3), Eleocharis kamtschatica (G4-S2S3), and Salix setchelliana (G4-S3). A number of collections were made of species which are very rare in Alaska, but more widespread in western North America, such as Agoseris aurantiaca, A. glauca, Carex interior, Cypripedium montanum, Piperia unalascensis, and Rorippa curvisiliqua. Two species were significant range extensions; Festuca saximontana is a grass of northern Canada and eastern interior Alaska, which was located along the Alsek River, ca. 200 km to the south of its known distribution; Artemisia furcata is a wormwood of mountains in southern Yukon and central and northern Alaska that was collected in an alpine habitat along the Alsek River, ca. 200 km to the south of its known distribution. Two introduced exotic plants, Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale and Lupinus polyphyllus were collected in Dry Bay. 2 GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. .................................................................................................................................................. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ 6 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 7 Ecological and Geological Background. ................................................................................................. 7 Management Efforts and Issues............................................................................................................... 8 MATERIALS AND METHODS. .................................................................................................................. 9 Expected and Known Taxa...................................................................................................................... 9 Floristic History of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve................................................................ 10 Sampling Design. .................................................................................................................................. 11 Site Descriptions. .................................................................................................................................. 13 Fairweather Range Region............................................................................................................. 16 Cape Spencer Fjords Region.......................................................................................................... 19 Dundas River Region ..................................................................................................................... 21 Salmon River Hills Region ............................................................................................................ 23 Adams Inlet Region........................................................................................................................ 25 Tarr Inlet Region............................................................................................................................ 27 Alsek River Valley Region ............................................................................................................ 30 Dry Bay Forelands Region............................................................................................................. 37 Field Methods........................................................................................................................................ 42 Vouchers and Curation.......................................................................................................................... 43 RESULTS..................................................................................................................................................... 43 Regional Collections. ............................................................................................................................ 44 Fairweather Range Region............................................................................................................. 44 Cape Spencer Fjords Region.......................................................................................................... 44 Dundas River Region ..................................................................................................................... 44 Salmon River Hills Region. ........................................................................................................... 45 Adams Inlet Region........................................................................................................................ 45 Tarr Inlet Region............................................................................................................................ 46 Alsek River Valley Region. ........................................................................................................... 46 Dry Bay Forelands Region............................................................................................................. 48 DISCUSSION. ............................................................................................................................................. 50 Range Extensions. ................................................................................................................................. 50 Festuca saximontana...................................................................................................................... 50 Artemsia furcata............................................................................................................................. 51 Exotic Species. ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale. ............................................................................................. 52 Lupinus polyphyllus. ...................................................................................................................... 53 Species of Conservation Concern.......................................................................................................... 53 Botrychium ascendens.................................................................................................................... 53 Platanthera chorisiana................................................................................................................... 54 Eleocharis kamtchatica.................................................................................................................. 54 Salix setchelliana. .......................................................................................................................... 55 Agoseris aurantica. ........................................................................................................................ 56 Agoseris glauca.............................................................................................................................. 56 Carex interior................................................................................................................................. 57 Cypripedium montanum. ................................................................................................................ 57 Piperia unalascensis. ..................................................................................................................... 57 Rorippa curvisiliqua....................................................................................................................... 57 Recommendations. ...............................................................................................................................