SPECIES EVALUATION simpliciuscula, Priority B-1. Kobresia simpliciuscula (Wahlenberg) Mackenzie (KOSI2). simple bog sedge. CNHP G5 / SR, Track N G5 N?. CO SR, WY S1. WY Disjunct, 1 SNF. Confi- Criteria Rank dence Rationale Sources of Information Patchy and somewhat disjunct distribution in R2. Fertig 2000, Weber and Wittmann 2001ab, 1 Ranked S1 in Wyoming and S2 in Montana, not ranked by Colorado, apparently not Handley and others 2002, Albee and others Distribution B M ranked by Utah. 1988. within R2 2 Much more widely distributed across Arctic Canada and in central Siberia. Hultén 1968. Distribution C H outside R2 3 Dispersal mechanisms unknown. Dispersal D H Capability Perhaps rating A. Two or three occurrences in Wyoming, about fifteen in Colorado. A CNHP records, Fertig 2000, Weber and 4 few of the populations apparently have large numbers, but most occurrences have not Wittmann 2001ab, Albee and others 2002. Abundance in B M been assessed demographically. R2 5 Populations not counted, so trend unavailable. Population D H Trend in R2 “In Wyoming, occurs in flooded marl wetlands dominated by quaking mats of Carex Fertig 2000, Weber and Wittmann 2001ab. simulata or Triglochin maritima” (Fertig 2000). “Moist or wet gravelly tundra and 6 calcareous fens… strongly rhizomatous… but also forming hummocks” (Weber and Habitat Trend B L Wittmann 2001ab). in R2 The marl wetlands and calcareous fens seem to be stable on National Forest lands; one of the Wyoming sites is protected, but not the Colorado sites. Many of these populations occur on fens and other wetlands, which are vulnerable to Fertig 2000, my observations. a number of activities, including recreation trail use, off-road vehicles, road and trail 7 building and maintenance, and livestock grazing. However, several sites are protected; Habitat A L the largest site in Wyoming is in a special botanical area, and several other sites are in Vulnerability or wilderness areas. Modification Nonetheless, we don’t know any details about this species’ response to disturbance or other factors. Details of life history and demographics unknown. 8 Life History and D H Demographics

1 SPECIES EVALUATION National Forests in the Rocky Mountain Region where species is KNOWN (K) or LIKELY (L)* to occur: *. Likely is defined as more likely to occur than not occur on the National Forest or Grassland. This generally can be thought of as having a 50% chance or greater of appearing on NFS lands. Formatted COLORADO NF/NG K L K L K L Arapaho-Roosevelt NF K NEBRASKA NF/NG WYOMING NF/NG Formatted White River NF Samuel R. McKelvie NF Shoshone NF K Routt NF Halsey NF Bighorn NF Grand Mesa Uncompahgre Gunnison NF L Nebraska NF Black Hills NF San Juan NF Ogalala NG Medicine Bow NF Rio Grande NF SOUTH DAKOTA NF/NG Thunder Basin NG Pike-San Isabel NF K Black Hills NF KANSAS NF/NG Comanche NG Buffalo Gap NG Cimarron NG Pawnee NG Ft. Pierre NG

Taxonomy. This is accepted by most Rocky Mountain botanists as a species, Kobresia simpliuscula. Discussion. Much is unknown about Kobresia simpliuscula in the Rocky Mountains. Several sites have been discovered recently, which suggests that 5-10 more sites might be discovered in future. The species is apparently more abundant in Colorado than in Wyoming, but it still is not a common , and grows in vulnerable habitats, so it probably deserves a higher S rank in Colorado. We don’t know enough about this species to be able to assess its viability status; especially needed are population demographics and searches for new sites. A better wetlands inventory, including complete species lists, is especially recommended. Unfortunately, listing this species as sensitive will not resolve any of these problems.

References Albee, Beverly J.; Leila M. Shultz; and Sherel Goodrich. 1988. Atlas of the Vascular of Utah. Utah Museum of Natural History. http://www.nr.usu.edu/Geography-Department/utgeog/utvatlas/ut-vascatlas.html. Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 2001. Data base reports and GIS data for USFS sensitive species. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 1 CD-ROM, dated November, 2001. Dorn, Robert D. 2001. Vascular plants of Wyoming, Third Edition. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain West Publishing, 412 pp. Fertig, Walter. 2000. State species abstract: Kobresia simpliuscula. Laramie, WY: Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, 2 pp. http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/WYNDD. Handley, Joy; Bonnie Heidel; and Scott Laursen. 2002. Sensitive species evaluation: Kobresia simpliuscula. Attached below. Harrington, Harold D. 1954. Manual of the plants of Colorado: For the identification of the ferns and flowering plants of the state. Denver, CO: Sage Books. 666 pp. Hultén, Eric. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1008 pp. Montana Natural Heritage Program. 2002. Field Guide: Kobresia simpliuscula. http://nhp.nris.state.mt.us/plants/index.html. Rocky Mountain Herbarium. 1998. Atlas of the vascular plants of Wyoming. http://www.esb.utexas.edu/tchumley/wyomap/atlas.htm, accessed September, 2002. Weber, William A.; and Ronald C. Wittmann. 2000. Catalog of the Colorado flora: A biodiversity baseline. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado Museum. Revised March 11, 2000. http://www.colorado.edu/CUMUSEUM/research/botany/Catalog/Catalog.htm, downloaded September, 2002. Weber, William A.; and Ronald C. Wittmann. 2001a. Colorado flora: Western slope, Third Edition. Niwot, CO: Colorado Associated University Press. 488 pp. Weber, William A.; and Ronald C. Wittmann. 2001b. Colorado flora: Eastern Slope, Third Edition. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado. 521 pp.

Author and date: Barry C. Johnston, Botanist, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forests, 216 N. Colorado St., Gunnison, CO 81230-2197. (970) 642-4467. [email protected]. Last modified September 26, 2002.

2 SPECIES EVALUATION REGION 2 SENSITIVE SPECIES EVALUATION FORM

Species: Kobresia simpliciuscula / Simple Kobresia Criteria Rank Rationale Literature Citations Simple Kobresia occurs in the Clarks Fork Valley in the northern Absaroka Range in Park • Dorn 2001 1 AD County, Wyoming, on the Shoshone National Forest. It also occurs in Colorado, therefore, Distribution • Evert 1986 within R2 additional information is necessary in order to determine its status in Region 2. • Fertig 1998, 2000 In Wyoming, occurs in flooded marl wetlands dominated by quaking mats of Carex simulata or • Fertig and Jones 1992 Triglochin maritimum at 6000 feet. Its range is very limited in the state and it is considered • University of Wyoming 1998 disjunct. • Welp et al. 2000 Confidence in Rank High Simple Kobresia is circumpolar. In North America it is known from Alaska to Greenland south to • Hitchcock et al. 1969 2 B New Brunswick, northern Ontario, Alberta and in the Rocky Mountains south to Montana, Utah, Distribution • Lesica and Shelly 1991 outside R2 and central Colorado. It is disjunct in Colorado compared to its nearest Wyoming population. • Sanderson and March 1996 Confidence in Rank High Dispersal vectors are unknown. • - 3 D Confidence in Rank High Dispersal Capability Simple Kobresia is known from a single occurrence in Wyoming, discovered in 1984 and last • Evert 1986 4 AD observed in 1999. The entire state population is restricted to a wetland covering about 1.5 Abundance in • Fertig 1998, 2000 R2 square miles and is on the Shoshone National Forest. The actual area of occupied or suitable • Fertig and Jones 1992 habitat may be limited to 20 acres. This species is ranked “S1” in Wyoming and “SR” in • University of Wyoming 1998 Colorado. • USDA Forest Service 2001 Confidence in Rank High • Welp et al. 2000 • WYNDD 2002 Not known. • - 5 D Confidence in Rank High Population Trend in R2 Not known. • - 6 D Confidence in Rank High Habitat Trend in R2 Simple Kobresia may be potentially impacted by changes in hydrology of the Swamp Lake • Evert 1986 7 BD wetland. It occurs in the Swamp Lake Special Botanical Area on the Shoshone National Forest. Habitat • Fertig 1998, 2000 Vulnerability or Confidence in Rank High • Fertig and Jones 1992 Modification • Welp et al. 2000 • WYNDD 2002 Simple kobresia is a densely tufted perennial. Flowering and fruiting occur from June to August. • Hitchcock et al. 1969 8 D Additional information on the species, including life history stages, population structure, Life History and • WYNDD 2002 Demographics longevity, mortality, and seed biology, are not available. Confidence in Rank High Initial Evaluator(s): Date: April 1, 2002 Joy Handley, Bonnie Heidel and Scott Laursen

3 SPECIES EVALUATION National Forests in the Rocky Mountain Region where species is KNOWN (K) or LIKELY(L)1 to occur:

Colorado NF/NG Kansas NF/NG Nebraska NF/NG South Dakota Wyoming NF/NG NF/NG

Likely Likely Known Known Known Likely Known Likely Known Likely Arapaho-Roosevelt NF Cimmaron NG Samuel R.McKelvie NF Black Hills NF Shoshone NF X White River NF Halsey NF Buffalo Gap NG Bighorn NF Routt NF Nebraska NF Ft. Pierre NG Black Hills NF Grand Mesa, Ogalala NG Medicine Bow NF Uncompahgre, Gunnison NF San Juan NF Thunder Basin NG Rio Grande NF Pike-San Isabel NF Comanche NG

Literature cited Dorn, R.D. 2001. Vascular Plants of Wyoming, third edition. Mountain West Publishing, Cheyenne, WY. Evert, E.F. 1986. The Yellowstone region: endemics and other interesting plants. IN: Williams, J., ed. Rocky Mountain Alpines. American Rock Garden Society and Denver Botanic Gardens. Fertig, W. 1998. The status of rare plants on Shoshone National Forest: 1995-97 survey results. Report prepared by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. Fertig, W. 2000. Rare species in the Wyoming portion of the Utah-Wyoming Rocky Mountains Ecoregion. Prepared for the Wyoming Nature Conservancy by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. Fertig, W. and G. Jones. 1992. Plant communities and rare plants of the Swamp Lake Botanical Area, Clarks Fork Ranger District, Shoshone National Forest. Unpublished report prepared for the Shoshone National Forest by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist, and M. Owenbey. 1969. Pt. 1. Vascular Cryptograms, Gymnosperms, and , IN: Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist, M. Owenbey, and J.W. Thompson (eds). Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Publications in Biology 17(1): 1-914. Lesica, P. & J. S. Shelly. 1991. Sensitive, Threatened and Endangered Vascular Plants of Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Occ. Publ. No. 1. Helena, MT. Porter, C.L. 1965. A Flora of Wyoming: Part IV. Bulletin 434:1-88. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Wyoming. Sanderson, J. and M. March. 1996. Extreme rich fens of South Park, Colorado: their distribution, identification, and natural heritage significance. Unpublished report prepared for Park County, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the US Environmental Protection Agency by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Ft. Collins, CO. University of Wyoming – Rocky Mountain Herbarium. 1998. Atlas of the Flora of Wyoming. Posted electronically through 1998 at: http://www.esb.utexas.edu/tchumley/wyomap/ and unposted accession information at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium through 2001. USDA Forest Service – Region 2. 2001. “Wyoming plant species” evaluation list and criteria provided to Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. Denver, CO. Welp, L., W.F. Fertig, G.P. Jones, G.P. Beauvais, and S.M. Ogle. 2000. Fine filter analysis of the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Shoshone National Forests in Wyoming. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 2002. Ongoing documentation of sensitive species distribution, biology, status, and references for the state of Wyoming. University of Wyoming, Laramie.

1 Likely is defined as more likely to occur than not occur on the National Forest or Grassland. This generally can be thought of as having a 50% chance or greater of appearing on NFS lands. 4