Kenai Fjords National Park Vascular Plant Inventory Final Technical Report
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KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT Matthew L. Carlson, Robert Lipkin, Michelle Sturdy, & 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 Southwest Alaska Network Inventory & Monitoring Program NPS Report: NPS/AKR/SWAN/NRTR-2004/02 December 2004 Cooperative Agreement No. 1443CA991000013 Funding Source: National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Program i KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY ii KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY ABSTRACT In 2003 the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP) conducted vascular plant field inventories in Kenai Fjords National Park 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 the primary ecogeographic regions and sampled intensively within these regions from early July to early August, 2003. A total of 561 specimens were collected, recorded, and pressed. Duplicate or triplicate sheets are present for many of the specimens. Three hundred twelve (312) unique taxa are represented, and 201 are new records for the Park. Prior to 2003, 217 taxa were known from an estimated expected total of 543. Thus, ca. 40% of the expected taxa were previously known. After the 2003 field season, the number of known taxa nearly doubled to 418. This represents 77% of vascular plant taxa expected in the Park. A number of finds were significant range extensions or taxa of conservation concern. Collections were made of four globally or regionally rare species: a rare scurvy grass, Cochlearia cf. sessilifolia (G1Q-S1); a rare bog orchid, Platanthera chorisiana (G3-S3); a rare poppy, Papaver alboroseum (G3G4-S3); and two rare sedges, Carex phaeocephala (G4-S1S2), and Carex lenticularis var. dolia (G5T3Q-S3). Twelve minor range extesions were found, representing new records for the Kenai Peninsula. Cerastium fontanum (mouse-ear chickweed) and Poa annua (annual blue grass) were the only introduced plants collected in the Park. iii KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY iv KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. ................................................................................................................................................. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 1 Ecological and Geological Background. ................................................................................................. 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS. .................................................................................................................. 2 Expected and Known Taxa...................................................................................................................... 2 Floristic History of KEFJ. ....................................................................................................................... 3 Sampling Design. .................................................................................................................................... 4 Site Descriptions. .................................................................................................................................... 5 Coastal Fjord Region........................................................................................................................ 6 Nuka River Pass Region................................................................................................................... 9 Resurrection River Region............................................................................................................. 11 Field Methods........................................................................................................................................ 12 Vouchers and Curation.......................................................................................................................... 13 RESULTS..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Collections............................................................................................................................................. 14 Coastal Fjord Region...................................................................................................................... 14 Nuka River Pass Region................................................................................................................. 14 Resurrection River Region............................................................................................................. 15 DISCUSSION. ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Range Extensions to the Kenai Peninsula. ............................................................................................ 16 Antennaria friesiana ssp. alaskana. ............................................................................................... 16 Arnica angustifolia......................................................................................................................... 16 Carex bicolor. ................................................................................................................................ 17 Crassula aquatica. ......................................................................................................................... 17 Draba fladnizensis. ........................................................................................................................ 17 Draba glabella. .............................................................................................................................. 17 Euphrasia disjuncta. ...................................................................................................................... 18 Gentianella propinqua ssp. aleutica. ............................................................................................. 18 Gentianella tenella......................................................................................................................... 18 Minuartia biflora ........................................................................................................................... 19 Pedicularis sudetica ssp. interior................................................................................................... 19 Ruppia maritima............................................................................................................................. 20 Invasive Species. ................................................................................................................................... 20 Cerastium fontanum....................................................................................................................... 20 Poa annua. ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Other Invasive Species Known in KEFJ. ....................................................................................... 21 Species of Conservation Concern.......................................................................................................... 21 Cochlearia sessilifolia.................................................................................................................... 22 Platanthera chorisiana................................................................................................................... 22 Papaver alboroseum. ..................................................................................................................... 23 Carex phaeocephala....................................................................................................................... 24 Carex lenticularis var. dolia........................................................................................................... 25 Recommendations. ................................................................................................................................ 25 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ........................................................................................................................... 28 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................................................. 28 APPENDICES Appendix I - List of 2002 Confirmed and Expected Taxa in Kenai Fjords National Park ...................... A - 1 Appendix II - List of 2003 Plant Collections in Kenai Fjords National Park......................................... A - 11 v KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY Appendix III - Rare Plant Species Collected in Kenai Fjords National Park . ......................................