DOCSLIB.ORG

U97JON09.Pdf (680.8Kb)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
U97JON09.Pdf (680.8Kb) ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL SIXMILE BASIN RESEARCH NATURAL AREA WITHIN THE THUNDER BASIN NATIONAL GRASSLAND, WESTON COUNTY, WYOMING Prepared for Nebraska National Forest, USDA Forest Service By George P. Jones Wyoming Natural Diversity Database The Nature Conservancy 1604 Grand Avenue Laramie, Wyoming 82070 July 16, 1997 I I ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL SIXMILE BASIN RESEARCH NATURAL AREA WITHIN THE THUNDER BASIN NATIONAL GRASSLAND, WESTON COUNTY, WYOMING Prepared for Nebraska National Forest, USDA Forest Service By George P. Jones Wyoming Natural Diversity Database The Nature Conservancy 1604 Grand Avenue Laramie, Wyoming 82070 July 16, 1997 - ' ' ' I L _I TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 Land Management Planning 1 OBJECTIVES . 1 PRINCIPAL DISTINGUISHING FEATURES . • • • 2 LOCATION . 2 Boundary . 2 Area . 2 Elevation . 2 Access . 3 Ecoreg ion . 3 Maps . 3 AREA BY COVER TYPES . 3 The Vegetation . 3 Area by Type . 4 PHYSICAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS . 5 Physical Setting . 5 DESCRIPTION OF VALUES . 6 Vegetation Types . 6 Flora . 6 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plant Species . 6 Plant Species List . 6 Fauna . 8 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Vertebrates . 8 Geology . 8 Lands . 9 SUITABILITY FOR RESEARCH NATURAL AREA SELECTION . 9 Quality . 9 Condi tj_on . 9 Viabillty . 11 Defensibility . 12 Degree to Which the Potential RNA Meets Criteria . 12 IMPACTS AND POSSIBLE CONFLICTS 13 Mineral Resources . 13 Grazing . 13 Timber . 13 Watershed Values . 13 Recreation Values . 14 Wildlife and Plant Values . 14 Transportation Values . 14 MANAGEMENT CONCERNS 14 REFERENCES . 14 Appendix 1. Maps of the potential Sixmile Basin Research Natural Area. • . • . • • . • • • . • . • . 17 Appendix 2. Photographs from the potential Sixmile Basin RNA. 21 Appendix 3. Canopy cover of plants in plots in the potential Sixmile Basin Research Natural Area. 22 Appendix 4. Explanations of ranks used by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 26 Appendix 5. Plant community types in the potential Sixmile Basin Research Natural Area. 28 ' I ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL SIXMILE BASIN RESEARCH NATURAL AREA WITHIN THE THUNDER BASIN NATIONAL GRASSLAND WESTON COUNTY, WYOMING INTRODUCTION The potential Sixmile Basin Research Natural Area (RNA) is located in the Cheyenne River Basin of northeastern Wyoming. The area includes rolling hills and broad draws with grassland and sagebrush shrub-steppe vegetation. The potential RNA is in the Thunder Basin National Grassland and is currently used primarily for livestock grazing. In 1996, The Nature Conservancy entered a contract with the USDA Forest Service, Nebraska National Forest, to prepare ecological evaluations of areas in the Thunder Basin National Grassland and other national grasslands for use by the Forest Service in examining the suitability of the areas as research natural areas. The evaluation of the Sixmile Basin area was done by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. This report presents the results of that evaluation. Land Management Planning In 1996, an interdisciplinary team from the Thunder Basin National Grassland selected the Sixmile Basin area as a potential RNA for possible analysis during revision of the Land and Resource Management Plan. This ecological evaluation is intended to aid the Forest Service staff in that analysis. :~1 I I I :__ .) OBJECTIVES One of the primary objectives of research natural areas is to " ... preserve a wide spectrum of pristine representative areas that typify important forest, shrubland, grassland, alpine, aquatic, geologic and similar natural situations ... " (Forest Service Manual 4063.02). The objectives of a Sixmile Basin RNA would be to 1) maintain a reference area for (a) monitoring effects of resource management techniques and practices applied to similar ecosystems, (b) comparing results from manipulative research, and (c) determining range of natural variability; 2) protect elements of biological diversity; 3) provide a site for non-manipulative scientific research; and 4) provide on-site and extension educational opportunities. 1 ' ' PRINCIPAL DISTINGUISHING FEATURES The principal distinguishing features of the potential Sixrnile Basin RNA gently-rolling hills with broad, shallow draws supporting grassland and shrub-steppe vegetation. LOCATION The potential Sixmile Basin RNA is located within the Thunder Basin National Grassland in northeastern Wyoming (Figure ;t). The approximate center of the potential RNA is at latitude 43°52'00"N and longitude 104°22'20"W. The potential RNA includes all or parts of the following sections: Township 45 North, Range 63 West (6th Principal Meridian), Sections 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35. Boundary (See Figure 2). The proposed boundary of the potential RNA follows land ownership boundaries and a drainage divide. Starting at the southeastern corner of the potential RNA, at the southeastern corner of Sec 25 (T45N, R63W), the boundary runs west 1 mile (1.6 km) along the boundary between national grassland and state land, to the southwestern corner of Sec 25; thence south ca. 0.6 mile .( 0. 9 km) along the eastern section 1 ine of Sec 3 5 and the boundary between national grassland and state land, to a point on National Grassland Road 918; thence north ca. 3.75 miles (6 km) along Road 918 and the western divide of the Sixrnile Basin to the point on the NE1/4 SW1/4 Sec 14 (T55N, R63W) where Road 918 crosses the boundary between national grassland and private land; thence east ca. 0.25 mile (0.4 km) along the boundary between national grassland and private land to the center of Sec 14; thence north ca. 0.2 mile (0.3 km) along the boundary between national grassland and private land to Weston County Road 16; thence northeast ca. 1 mile (1.6 km) along Weston County Road 16 to the northern section line of Sec 13 (T55N, R63W) and the boundary between national grassland and private land; thence east ca. 0.75 mile (1 km) along the northern section line of Sec 13 to the northeastern corner of that section; thence south 3 miles (4.8 km) to the starting point. The total area of the potential sixmile Basin RNA is ca. 2780 acres (1125 ha). Elevation The elevation of the po_tential Sixmile Basin RNA ranges from ca. 3950 feet (1204 m) on the southern end to 4183 feet (1275 m) at the northeastern corner. 2 Access The potential Sixmile Basin RNA may be reached on public roads. From the intersection of u.s. Highway 16 with Weston County Road 16 ca. 6 miles (9.6 km) northwes.t of Newcastle, Wyoming, travel west ca. 3 miles on Road 16 to the northern end of the potential RNA. To reach the western side of the area, continue west ca. 1.25 mile'(2 km) on Road 16 to the intersection with National Grassland Road 918; thence south ca. 0.1 mile (0.16 km) to the barbed-wire fence marking the boundary between private land and national grassland, at the potential RNA's northwestern corner. Ecoregion The potential Sixmile Basin RNA lies within the Great Plains-Palouse Dry steppe Province, Northwestern Great Plains Section, Pierre Shale Scablands Subsection (331Fb) of the ecoregion classification of Bailey et al. (1994) (Freeouf 1996}. USDA Forest Service 1/2 inch= 1 mile scale map·of the Thunder Basin National Grassland. USDI Geological Survey 7.5 minute topographic Quadrangle Maps: Osage Southeast, Wyo.; Pedro, Wyo.; Osage, Wyo; and Klodt Reservoir, Wyo. AREA BY COVER TYPES The Vegetation .__ i The potential Sixmile Basin RNA contains the following plant associations from Johnston (1987}. Synonyms are shown in Appendix 5. Data from sample plots are shown in Appendix 3. Upland vegetation ( ' i Most of the upland is covered with vegetation of the western i I wheatgrassjgreen needlegrass association, in which western wheatgrass dominates, green needlegrass is a subdominant species, and several other graminoids (blue grama, Sandberg bluegrass, I threadleaf sedge, and prairie junegrass} are present in smaller ·--' amounts. The exotic meadow brome may contribute substantial cover, and dominates some patches ~ 100 square meters in area. Forbs contribute little cover but are widespread. Wyoming big sagebrush is present on higher slopes, with canopy cover ~ 10%; winterfat is common but contributes little cover; and black I I greasewood and four-wing saltbush are present as scattered plants on some slopes. 3 I. I The western wheatgrassjgreen needlegrass association forms the matrix vegetation in the western half of the potential RNA. Patches of the big sagebrush/western wheatgrass association occur in swales, where Wyoming big sagebrush canopy cover may reach 30%. Patches of the western wheatgrassjblue grama association grow on areas of rocky so1l,• whereI western wheatgrass, blue grama, threadleaf sedge, and prairie junegrass are the major species, green needlegrass is sparse or absent, and scattered Wyoming big sagebrush usually are present. In the eastern half of the area, where the topography is rougher, the vegetation contains approximately equal amounts of the western wheatgrass/ green needlegrass association and the western wheatgrassjblue grama association (with little threadleaf sedge but some prairie muhly), with small patches of big sagebrush/western wheatgrass vegetation. Riparian vegetation The potential RNA contains no perennial streams, but several reservoirs have been impounded behind dams on the ephemeral streams, providing habitat for small stands of the hardstem bulrushjsedge association. The western wheatgrassjgreen needlegrass association is the major vegetation type in the draws, as it is in the uplands. In the draws, this vegetation type includes big bluegrass (which codominates some areas with western wheatgrass), alkali sacaton, and inland saltgrass. Meadow brome contributes substantial cover in smaller draws. Area by Type Complexes of communities were mapped on a 1:24,000-scale topographic map using aerial photos and field reconnaissance, and the area of each complex in the potential RNA was estimated from the map. The vegetation maps show complexes because delineating stands of individual communities was impossible. The plant community types from Johnston (1987) listed in Table 2 are cross­ referenced to plant community types from Thilenius et al.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Research Natural Areas on National Forest System Lands in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Western Wyoming: a Guidebook for Scientists, Managers, and Educators
    USDA United States Department of Agriculture Research Natural Areas on Forest Service National Forest System Lands Rocky Mountain Research Station in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, General Technical Report RMRS-CTR-69 Utah, and Western Wyoming: February 2001 A Guidebook for Scientists, Managers, and E'ducators Angela G. Evenden Melinda Moeur J. Stephen Shelly Shannon F. Kimball Charles A. Wellner Abstract Evenden, Angela G.; Moeur, Melinda; Shelly, J. Stephen; Kimball, Shannon F.; Wellner, Charles A. 2001. Research Natural Areas on National Forest System Lands in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Western Wyoming: A Guidebook for Scientists, Managers, and Educators. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-69. Ogden, UT: U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 84 p. This guidebook is intended to familiarize land resource managers, scientists, educators, and others with Research Natural Areas (RNAs) managed by the USDA Forest Service in the Northern Rocky Mountains and lntermountain West. This guidebook facilitates broader recognitionand use of these valuable natural areas by describing the RNA network, past and current research and monitoring, management, and how to use RNAs. About The Authors Angela G. Evenden is biological inventory and monitoring project leader with the National Park Service -NorthernColorado Plateau Network in Moab, UT. She was formerly the Natural Areas Program Manager for the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Northern Region and lntermountain Region of the USDA Forest Service. Melinda Moeur is Research Forester with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain ResearchStation in Moscow, ID, and one of four Research Natural Areas Coordinators from the Rocky Mountain Research Station. J. Stephen Shelly is Regional Botanist and Research Natural Areas Coordinator with the USDA Forest Service, Northern Region Headquarters Office in Missoula, MT.
    [Show full text]
  • Outstanding Natural Areas (ONA) - an Area with High Scenic Values That Has Been Little Altered by Human Impact
    Special Designations Presidential Designations (outside the scope of an RMP) National Monument - An area designated by the President, under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, to protect objects of scientific and historical interest that are located on federal lands. Criteria for a National Monument can be found in the legislation (June 8, 1906, c. 3060, Section 2, 34 Stat. 225). Congressional Designations (Can be recommended through the RMP process) National Conservation Area - An area designated by Congress to provide for the conservation, use, enjoyment and enhancement of certain natural recreational, paleontological, and other resources, including fish and wildlife habitat. National Wilderness Area - An area designated by Congress and defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964 as a place “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Designation is aimed at ensuring that these lands are preserved and protected in their natural condition. Wilderness areas, which are generally at least 5,000 acres or more in size, offer outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; such areas may also contain ecological, geological, or other features that have scientific, scenic, or historical value. Criteria for lands to be designated by BLM as Wilderness Study Areas and subsequently considered by Congress for designation as a National Wilderness Area can be found in the Wilderness Inventory and Study Procedures Manual (H-6310-1). National Wild and/or Scenic Rivers - A river or river section designated by Congress or the Secretary of the Interior, under the authority of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (WSRA), to protect outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values and to preserve the river or river section in its free- flowing condition.
    [Show full text]
  • Definitions of Special Management Areas for Federal Public Lands
    Definitions of Special Management Areas for federal public lands Many different types of land management are applied to federal lands under as variety of regulations and prescriptions. By Gary Sprung Communications Director, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Nov. 18, 1997 The following areas or categories of areas, sites, and potential systems are regional, national, and international in scope and are managed totally or in conjunction with another agency, locale, or entity by the Bureau of Land Management. Most of these categories also apply to U. S. Forest Service areas. They are not listed in any particular order or sequence. The term "special" is limited to those areas and programs identified therein and may be expanded depending upon subsequent program and organizational capabilities at the Headquarters Office. Definitions are subject to refinement and currently form their basis from a variety of sources, i.e., statutory, policy, and program guidance. Comments to improve the definitions are encouraged. NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM: An area designated by Congress to assure that increasing population, expanding settlement, and growing mechanization does not occupy and modify all areas of the United States. Designation ensures that certain lands are preserved and protected in their natural condition. A wilderness in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is recognized where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not
    [Show full text]
  • Harney Lake Research Natural Area
    3. The Research Natural Area described in this described in supplements to the guidebook; this supplement is administered by the Fish and is the ninth supplement. Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the The guiding principle in management of Interior as part of the Malheur National Wildlife Research Natural Areas is to prevent unnatural Refuge. Fish and Wildlife Service Research encroachments, activities which directly or Natural Areas are administered through Area indirectly modify ecological processes on the Offices; scientists wishing to use the Harney tracts. Neither logging nor uncontrolled grazing Lake Research Natural Area should contact both is allowed, for example, nor is public use which the Area Manager (U.S. Fish and Wildlife threatens significant impairment of scientific or Service, 4620 Overland Road, Boise, Idaho 83705) educational values. Management practices and the Refuge Manager (Malheur National necessary for maintenance of the ecosystem may Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 113, Burns, Oregon be allowed. 97720); the Refuge Manager supervises Federal Research Natural Areas provide a management activities at the Refuge and uniquely valuable system of publicly owned and coordinates scientific work on the Research protected examples of undisturbed ecosystems Natural Area. For brief observational visits, which are available to the scientific community. permission may be obtained from the Refuge Research can be conducted with minimal Manager. interference and reasonable assurance that Harney Lake Research Natural Area is a part investments in long-term studies will not be lost of a Federal system of such tracts established for to logging, land development, or similar research and educational purposes. Each activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Natural Areas in Oregon And
    This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Text errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. United States Department of Research Natural Areas in Agriculture Forest Service Oregon and Washington: Pacific Northwest Research Station Past and Current Research General Technical Report PNW-197 and Related Literature November 1986 Sarah E. Greene, Tawny Blinn, and Jerry F. Franklin I Authors SARAH E. GREENE is a research forester. TAWNY BLINN is an editorial assistant. and JERRY F. FRANKLIN is a chief plant ecologist. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Research Station. Forestry Sciences Laboratory. 3200 Jefferson Way. Corvallis, Oregon 97331. Foreword In 1971, I joined the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Exper- iment Station as Station Director and, among other duties, be- came chainman of the Interagency Committee on Research Natural Areas. It was a chair that I held for 4 years, and it is a - - pleasure to reflect, more than 10 years later, on the progress that has been made. Oregon and Washington already had a vigorous program of preser- vation of Natural Areas for scientific and educational purposes in 1971. In preparation at that time were several publications important to identifying and protecting Natural Areas, including a description of natural vegetation of Oregon and Washington (Franklin and Dyrness 1973), an inventory of Federal Research Natural Areas in Oregon and Washington (Franklin and others 1972),1/ and a comprehensive inventory of Natural Areas rec- ognized by the Society of American Foresters (Buckman and Quintus 1972). The Interagency Committee, with participation from The Nature Conservancy and the States of Oregon and Washington then asked, "What should a well-balanced program of Research Natural Area preservation include?" This led to the publication, "Research Natural Area Needs in the Pacific Northwest: A Contribution to Land-Use Planning" (Dyrness and others 1975).
    [Show full text]
  • Planner Shoshone National Forest 808 Meadow Lane Avenue Cody, WY 82414
    Responsible official Daniel J. Jirón Regional Forester Rocky Mountain Region 740 Simms Street Golden, CO 80401 For more information Joseph G. Alexander Forest supervisor Shoshone National Forest 808 Meadow Lane Avenue Cody, WY 82414 Olga G. Troxel Acting Forest Planner Shoshone National Forest 808 Meadow Lane Avenue Cody, WY 82414 Telephone: 307.527.6241 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Table of Contents Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Terms used in this document ..................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Inventoried Roadless Areas and Wilderness Evaluations
    Introduction and Evaluation Process Summary Inventoried Roadless Areas and Wilderness Evaluations For reader convenience, all wilderness evaluation documents are compiled here, including duplicate sections that are also found in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Appendix D Inventoried Roadless Areas. Introduction and Evaluation Process Summary Inventoried Roadless Areas Proposed Wilderness by and Wilderness Evaluations Alternative Introduction and Evaluation Process Summary Roadless areas refer to substantially natural landscapes without constructed and maintained roads. Some improvements and past activities are acceptable within roadless areas. Inventoried roadless areas are identified in a set of maps contained in the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), Volume 2, November 2000. These areas may contain important environmental values that warrant protection and are, as a general rule, managed to preserve their roadless characteristics. In the past, roadless areas were evaluated as potential additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Roadless areas have maintained their ecological and social values, and are important both locally and nationally. Recognition of the values of roadless areas is increasing as our population continues to grow and demand for outdoor recreation and other uses of the Forests rises. These unroaded and undeveloped areas provide the Forests with opportunities for potential wilderness, as well as non-motorized recreation, commodities and amenities. The original Forest Plans evaluated Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) data from the mid- 1980s and recommended wilderness designation for some areas. Most areas were left in a roadless, non- motorized use status. This revision of Forest Plans analyzes a new and more complete land inventory of inventoried roadless areas as well as other areas identified by the public during scoping.
    [Show full text]
  • 3.7.1 Potential Wilderness Study Areas
    Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences Special Designations 3.7 SPECIAL DESIGNATIONS 3.7.1 Potential Wilderness Study Areas Issue Statement areas that could be recommended to Congress for wilderness study. Public opinions differ on whether or not to add potential wilderness (for ecosystem, social, and other Scope of Analysis wilderness values) on the Chippewa and Superior NFs. Forest Plan revision will determine which, if any, The geographic analysis area included National Forest areas will be recommended for wilderness study area System land within the Chippewa NF and National designation. (The Forest Plan revision process did not Forest System land on the Superior NF outside the address the current management direction for the BWCAW. Each Forest identified areas of the Forest Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that currently meet criteria for potential National (BWCAW).) Wilderness Preservation System candidates. Indicator The purpose of the inventory was to identify areas that were subject to future evaluation and possible The indicator is the number of Forest Roadless recommendations to Congress for wilderness study. Inventory areas and associated acres allocated to the These areas were included in the revision alternative Wilderness Study Area MA. analysis. Per the Wilderness Act (1964): “A wilderness… is According to 36 CFR 219.17 and FSM 1923, when hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its revising Forest Plans, national forests must inventory, community of life are untrammeled by man, where evaluate, and consider for wilderness study man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area recommendation existing RARE II areas and other of wilderness is further defined to mean in this Act an areas that may not have been previously inventoried in area of undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval RARE II.
    [Show full text]
  • Protected Areas Database - Aviation Policies & Procedures
    Protected Areas Database - Aviation Policies & Procedures Conservation Biology Institute July 15, 2010 Kai Henifin & Allison Anderson The purpose of the Protected Areas Database - Aviation (or PAD-Aviation) is to provide military and civil aviators with current, geo-referenced data that identifies areas sensitive or potentially sensitive to aircraft over-flight using a national standard. PAD-Aviation is a customized protected areas database derived from the PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) that streamlines the geometry for rapid response with onboard navigation equipment and contains pertinent attributes unique for aviators, including easy-to- use recommended altitude or avoidance information for individual protected areas. Data Customization Procedures The PAD-Aviation database was constructed in cooperation with the US Air Force, other military branches, defense contractors, and protected areas specialists. Avoidance Criteria & Regulation Standards • The PAD-Aviation terminology crosswalk tables outline the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DOD) Service Branch avoidance criteria and regulations used in the protected areas data attribution (see Avoidance Criteria & Regulations for Noise Sensitive Areas.xls) • The PAD-Aviation schema includes the following attribute fields: Field Name Field Type Notes AREA Floating Decimal (Sq. Meters) PERIMETER Floating Decimal (Meters) PAD_ID Long Integer CBI AREANAME Text DESIGNATE Text AGENCY Text SOURCE Text PAD Source ACRES Long Integer 2000' AGL; 4000' MSL; Special AVOIDVERT Text Flight Rules Area AVOIDHORZ Text 2000'; 4000'; NM REGSOURCE Text Source-Title Agency Data Processing 1. Noise Sensitive Areas with Avoidance Criteria The Protected Areas Database-Aviation (PAD-Aviation) is a subset of the more comprehensive PAD-US v1.1 (CBI Edition) which represents the full range of conservation designations.
    [Show full text]
  • National Natural Landmark Evaluation: Rocky Comfort Flat Proposed Research Natural Area (Idaho)
    NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARK EVALUATION Rocky Comfort Flat Proposed Research Natural Area (Idaho) Columbia Plateau Natural Region Stiff Sagebrush Theme Stiff Sagebrush Parkland Subtheme November 1989 prepared for U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service by The Nature Conservancy Idaho Field Office P.O. Box 64 Sun Valley, ID 83353 ----------------------------- Susan Bernatas Date 1 INTRODUCTION The Stiff Sagebrush Theme is distributed across the northern Columbia Plateau from the basalt scablands of the Columbia Basin into the Douglas-fir zone of the eastern slope of the Cascade Range and throughout the Blue Mountains. Outlying populations occur in west-central Idaho and western Montana. Daubenmire (1975) proposed subthemes for stiff sagebrush communities under three zones: 1) the steppe zone; 2) the Artemisia scrub of Douglas-fir zone; and 3) the Artemisia scrub of ponderosa pine zone. In Phase I of the current study, two subthemes were thought to capture the range of biological diversity (The Nature Conservancy et al 1989): the Columbia Basin Stiff Sagebrush Scabland and Stiff Sagebrush Parkland. The latter includes Daubenmire's Artemisia scrub of the Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine zones. This report evaluates a potential NNL site to represent the Stiff Sagebrush Parkland Subtheme. In the 1989 Phase II study, six Stiff Sagebrush Parkland Subtheme sites were evaluated on the basis of illustrative character, condition, diversity, rarity, and value for science and education (Crawford et al. 1989). The following sites were evaluated: Rocky Comfort Flat proposed Research Natural Area (PRNA) (ID); Sheep Peak PRNA (ID); Beach Creek - Long Creek Grassland (OR); Cleveland Shrub-Steppe Natural Area Preserve (WA); Government Draw PRNA (OR); Thompson Clover RNA (WA).
    [Show full text]
  • Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act
    116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! 2d Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 116–389 NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA WILDERNESS, RECREATION, AND WORKING FORESTS ACT FEBRUARY 4, 2020.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. GRIJALVA, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the following R E P O R T together with DISSENTING VIEWS [To accompany H.R. 2250] [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 2250) to provide for restoration, economic development, recreation, and conservation on Federal lands in Northern Cali- fornia, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendment is as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act’’. (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. TITLE I—RESTORATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Sec. 101. South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area. Sec. 102. Redwood National and State Parks restoration. Sec. 103. California Public Lands Remediation Partnership. Sec. 104. Trinity Lake visitor center. Sec. 105. Del Norte County visitor center. Sec. 106. Management plans. Sec. 107. Study; partnerships related to overnight accommodations. TITLE II—RECREATION Sec. 201. Horse Mountain Special Management Area. 99–006 VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:14 Feb 07, 2020 Jkt 099006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6631 E:\HR\OC\HR389.XXX HR389 2 Sec.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Natural Areas of the Northern Region: Status & Needs Assessment
    NATURAL AREAS ASSESSMENT, OCTOBER 1996 1 Research Natural Areas of the Northern Region: Status & Needs Assessment October 1996 Steve W. Chadde Shannon F. Kimball Angela G. Evenden INTRODUCTION A MAJOR OBJECTIVE of the Forest Service Research Natural Area (RNA) program is to maintain a representative array of all significant natural ecosystems as baseline areas for research and monitoring (Forest Service Manual 4063, USDA Forest Service 1991). The National Forest Management Act of 1976 directs the agency to establish research natural areas typifying important forest, shrubland, grassland, alpine, and aquatic ecosystems. In addition to their value as reference areas for research and monitoring, RNAs help maintain biological diversity and healthy ecosystems on national forests by conserving assemblages of common and rare species, undisturbed plant communities, aquatic systems, and unique landscape features such as wetlands and ancient cedar groves. To achieve these objectives, the 1983 Northern Regional Guide (USDA Forest Service 1983) included a matrix of habitat types, community types, and aquatic features targeted for inclusion in the Northern Region research natural area system. Within each of four analysis areas (northern Idaho, western Montana, central and eastern Montana, North and South Dakota), filled target cells were identified and unfilled target assignments were made to each National Forest. Since 1983, much progress has been made toward a comprehensive research natural area system in the Northern Region. Many RNAs have been formally established (from 13 in 1983 to 67 in 1996) and 50 others are proposed, primarily through the forest planning process (Table 1, Figures 1-2). NEED FOR PROGRAM UPDATE Our knowledge of the Region’s ecological features has changed since 1983.
    [Show full text]