Conserving Globally Rare Plants on Lands Administered by the Dillon Office of the Bureau of Land Management
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Conserving Globally Rare Plants on Lands Administered by the Dillon Office of the Bureau of Land Management Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management Dillon Office By Peter Lesica Consulting Botanist Montana Natural Heritage Program Natural Resource Information System Montana State Library December 2003 Conserving Globally Rare Plants on Lands Administered by the Dillon Office of the Bureau of Land Management Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management Dillon Office Agreement Number: ESA010009 - #8 By Peter Lesica Consulting Botanist Montana Natural Heritage Program © 2003 Montana Natural Heritage Program P.O. Box 201800 • 1515 East Sixth Avenue • Helena, MT 59620-1800 • 406-444-5354 ii This document should be cited as follows: Lesica, P. 2003. Conserving Globally Rare Plants on Lands Administered by the Dillon Office of the Bureau of Land Management. Report to the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Dillon Office. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 22 pp. plus appendices. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Southwest Montana has a large number of endemic occur on BLM lands administered by the globally rare plant species, many of which occur on Dillon Office. public lands administered by the Bureau of Land These surveys also yielded significant new Management (BLM). Previously unsurveyed information on Montana Species of Concern that BLM lands in selected areas of Beaverhead and are not globally rare. Altogether, 23 occurrences Madison counties were inventoried for globally rare were documented for 17 state rare species. Five plants on the BLM Sensitive list as well as those of these plants were documented on BLM lands in considered Species of Concern by the Montana Montana for the first time: Allium parvum, Braya Natural Heritage Program. humilis, Erigeron asperugineus, Kobresia These surveys identified 25 new simpliciuscula and Pedicularis crenulata (the occurrences for ten globally significant plant first record for Montana). species, including seven species currently on the This new data, along with information BLM Sensitive or Watch List. Four globally rare summarized from previous studies, was used to species -- Cymopterus hendersonii, Draba develop or expand ecological and management ventosa, Eriogonum soliceps and Primula profiles for globally rare plants on BLM lands alcalina -- were discovered on BLM lands in administered by the Dillon Office. The results also Montana for the first time. Primula alcalina was highlighted seven landscapes of particular thought to be extirpated in Montana and the significance for conservation of globally rare plant metapopulation discovered in the Cabin Creek resources, based on the presence of healthy drainage is now the only known occurrence in the populations of multiple species and high-quality state. Eriogonum soliceps is being described as plant communities. Descriptions of these areas are new to science, and has been confirmed at only provided, summarizing landscape-level ecological one other site -- the type locality in Idaho. processes and their effects on plant species of Herbarium research conducted during this concern, as well as management recommendations study confirmed that another globally rare plant for each area. Survey and research priorities for Erigeron parryi, first described over 100 years both globally rare species and significant ago, is a distinct species found only in southwest landscapes are also identified. Montana. Five populations of this Montana iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people contributed guidance, Little, Paul Hansen and Bear Creek Ranch information and support during the course of this graciously provided access to private property. project. Brian Hockett of the BLM Dillon Office Several current and former staff of the helped plan the study and gave advice on logistics. Montana Natural Heritage Program also made Roxanne Falise, of the BLM State Office, secured important contributions to this project. Bonnie a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Heidel developed the initial project proposal, and Foundation that provided major support for the Catherine Jean assisted with selection of survey work. Tulli Kerstetter and Matt Lavin provided sites and provided early coordination. Sue Crispin consultation on Erigeron parryi, as did Ron coordinated project completion, including editing Hartman on Cymopterus hendersonii and James and production of the final report, and Greg Kudray Reveal on Eriogonum soliceps. Curtis Bjork assisted with final editing and proofreading. assisted with field survey work in 2003 and with Coburn Currier attended to the many details taxonomic determinations of Cymopterus involved in final layout and production of the report. hendersonii and Eriogonum soliceps. Gilbert v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction & Background .......................................................................................................................... 1 Region of Study ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Results .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Discussion & Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 7 Management of Globally Rare Plants .................................................................................................. 7 Management of State Rare Species .................................................................................................. 12 Landscapes of Conservation Significance .........................................................................................13 Recommendations for Future Work................................................................................................... 17 Literature Cited (includes references cited in Appendix A, B and C) ....................................................... 18 Appendix A. Global / State Rank Definitions Appendix B. Globally Rare Species Accounts Appendix C. Landscapes of Conservation Significance - Detailed Descriptions Appendix D. Locations of areas surveyed Appendix E. Draft manuscript on the taxonomic status of Erigeron parryi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Areas surveyed for globally rare Species of Concern .................................................................. 4 Table 2. Globally rare Species of Concern targeted for survey ..................................................................4 Table 3. New occurrences of globally rare Species of Concern identified during this study ..................... 5 Table 4. New occurrences of state rare Species of Concern identified during this study.......................... 6 Table 5. State Species of Concern in wetland and riparian habitats ......................................................... 12 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Rare Plant Surveys, Beaverhead and Madison Counties ............................................................ 2 vi INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND Southwest Montana has a greater number Office with information to assist in managing these of endemic and globally rare vascular plant species special status species and the landscapes that than any other part of the state (Lesica et al. 1984, sustain them. Montana Natural Heritage Program 2003). A large In the past, sensitive plant surveys have proportion of these species occur at mid-elevations been conducted in many areas of southwest and are found on public lands administered by the Montana on or adjacent to lands administered by Bureau of Land Management (BLM). the BLM Dillon Office. Locations of these For the purposes of this study, globally rare surveys are shown in Figure 1 with symbols or significant plant species are defined as those indicating relative size of the areas surveyed. ranked G1 - G3 or T1 - T3 (for subspecies and These surveys include Bannack (Vanderhorst varieties) by the network of Natural Heritage 1995c, Heidel and Vanderhorst 1996), Big Hole Programs and their international affiliate (Lesica 1994, Heidel and Vanderhorst 1996), Sage organization, NatureServe. Definitions of global Creek (Lesica and Vanderhorst 1995, Heidel and and state ranks are provided in Appendix A. Vanderhorst 1996), Upper Madison (Heidel and Conservation of globally significant plant Vanderhorst 1996), Horse Prairie Creek Species of Concern is mandated under BLM (Vanderhorst 1995b), Tendoy Mountains regulations protecting special status species (BLM (Vanderhorst and Lesica 1994, Vanderhorst 1995a) 1996). Effective management of rare plants Centennial Valley (Culver 1993), and the Whitehall requires a thorough understanding of the Valley (Lesica 1994). In addition, surveys for geographic distribution and habitat requirements of Carex idahoa (Lesica 1998), Penstemon each species as well as the landscape-level lemhiensis (Shelly 1987) and Astragalus processes that affect them (Falk 1992). scaphoides (Lesica 1984) were conducted The purpose of this study was to locate throughout portions of the area. and describe populations of globally significant plant The current study spanned the field species on lands administered by the Dillon Office seasons of 2002 and 2003. All fieldwork was of BLM and document their habitats and conducted by staff and contractors of the Montana surrounding