Report on the Proposed ~ ~~:·:-. ' Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area I I I Prepared for the i I USDA Forest Service Shoshone National Forest

by

George P. Jones, Ecologist Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (The Nature Conservancy) Box 3165, University Station Laramie, Wyoming 82071

Under Cost Share Agreement No. 2~91-14-0002

January 29, 1991 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

Introduction ...... 1 Lac a tion ...... 1

Justification ...... 3

Principle Features ...... 11

Management Direction ...... 13

Bibliography ...... 16

Name and address of author of this report ...... •.... 18

Appendices (following page 18)

Appendix 1. Location of the Proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area in the Shoshone National Forest.

Appendix 2. Maps of vegetation types and species.

Appendix 3. Suggested boundary, land ownership, and access for the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area.

Appendix 4. Stand data

Appendix 5. Plant species list

Appendix 6. Acreages of habitat types, SAF cover types, .and Kuchler vegetation types

Appendix 7. Slides

Appendix 8. Pertinent documents I. Introduction

The Land and Resource Management Plan for the Shoshone National Forest (USDA Forest Service, 1986) identified Bald Ridge, along the eastern edge of the Clark's Fork Canyon, as a potential Research Natural Area (RNA). The RNA would include about 200 acres of limber pine forest and bluebunch wheatgrass grassland.

Bald Ridge also supports a significant assemblage of calceophilic plant species ( which grow only on calcium­ rich substrate). A 1988 survey of sensitive plant species on the Shoshone National Forest by The Nature Conservancy's Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WNDDB) showed that the limestone bedrock and shallow, rocky soils of Bald Ridge support populations of Androsace chamaejasme, Antennaria aromatica, Aguilegia jonesii, howardii, Kelseya uniflora, and Shoshonea pulvinata (Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, 1988). Based on the survey, WNDDB recommended that the Forest Service designate Bald Ridge as a Special Botanical Area (SBA).

In 1990, the Shoshone National Forest and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database reached a cost-share agreement for further work at Bald Ridge to determine whether the area is suitable as a SBA .. (See Appendix 8.) Under this agreement, WNDDB collected information on the vegetation types.present, condition of the vegetation, and a potential boundary. This report- presents that information, and makes recommendations regarding establishment of a SBA and a RNA.

The unpublished USFS document entitled "Information Needs for Natural Areas", DRAFT R-2 4060-1 2/85, lists the topics which should be addressed in establishment reports for SBAs and RNAs. (See Appendix 8 of this report.) This report follows the organization of that document, so that the information herein can easily be included in an establishment report. This report, however, addresses only some of the topics in that document.

II. LOCATION

1. Legal Description

The proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area includes a-ll or parts of the following sections:

T055N, R104W, 6th PM: Sec 1, 2 T056N, R104W, 6th PM: Sec 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36

1 r. 2. Boundary I \ \ ~/ The boundary proposed here for the Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area is shown on the map in Appendix 3 of this report.

Starting at the base of the cliffs of Bald Ridge on the north end of the ridge, the boundary runs south for approximately 3.6 miles along the boundary of the Shoshone National Forest, to a northeast-southwest trending ridge. The boundary follows that ridge southwest about one-half mile, then turns west and northwest to follow a broad ridge to the edge of the Bald Ridge escarpment. The boundary runs northwest off the ridgeline of Bald Ridge to the base of the escarpment (losing about 3000 feet in elevation), and runs north-northeast about 3 miles along the base of the cliffs to a point opposite Cyclone Bar. From that point, the boundary runs northeast about 1.1 miles along the base of the cliffs, to the starting point.

This proposed boundary has been drawn to follow topographic features on the southern, western, and northern sides of the SBA. It includes habitat for the group of calceophilic plants on Bald Ridge, on the dipslope east of the ridge, and on the escarpment west of the ridge. It also includes a buffer zone around the habitat to protect the plants from possible disturbance due to limestone quarrying_or similar disruptions. The boundary encloses some habitat for a goldenweed (discussed below) in the southeastern corner of the proposed SBA.

3. Total area

The proposed boundary for the Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area encloses approximately 3,264 acres, or 1,306 hectares.

4. Administrative units

The proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area lies within the Clark's Fork Ranger District of the Shoshone National Forest, in Park County, Wyoming.

5. Maps which show area

No published maps 'show the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area.

6. ownership of area

A 40-acre tract, lot 47 in Section 36 (the center of the SE1/4), T56N, R104W, is private land. The rest of the proposed Special Botanical Area is National Forest Land (Park County Assessor's Office, personal communication to George Jones, November 29, 1990).

;;-- ~ i "·-- 2 III. JUSTIFICATION

1. General description of values and features Interest in special management of Bald Ridge has centered on plant species and on plant communities, especially limber pine woodlands. These features will be discussed separately in this section. a. Plant species A 1988 survey of sensitive plant species on the Shoshone National Forest by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WNDDB) revealed the presence of populations of at least six plant species which grow only on calcium-rich substrates (calceophiles) on the limestone bedrock and shallow soils of Bald Ridge (Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, 1988). Distributions of these species in the proposed SBA are described below. Three of these species -- Androsace chamaejasme (a rockjasmine), Kelseya uniflora (kelseya), and Shoshonea pulvinata (shoshonea) -- are abundant, with thousands of individuals of each species growing on the limestone bedrock and shallow, rocky soils along the edge of Bald Ridge. Antennaria aromatica (aromatic pussytoes) is common in the same area, although its distribution is intermittent. Eritrichium howardii (Howard's forget-me-not) also grows along the edge of Bald Ridge. . (The 1988 survey of Bald Ridge did not concentrate on this species, and it was not blooming during the 1990 field work, so less is known about its numbers. It seems to be common, however.) The limestone and dolomite rock of the escarpment west of Bald Ridge, and areas of bedrock and very shallow soil on the dipslope east of the ridge, are suitable habitat for all five of these species. Aguilegia jonesii (Jones's columbine) also grows on limestone bedrock and the shallow, rocky soils of limestone colluvium. Its population is smaller than those of the other calceophiles, however, and its population more restricted, with about 20 individuals known from a short distance south of Bald Peak. The following paragraph, taken from the WNDDB report on the sensitive plant species survey, describes the botanical significance of Bald Ridge. "··· outstanding natural features include populations of at least six plant ,species that occur only on calcareous substrates (calceophiles): Androsace chamaejasme (a rockjasmine), Antennaria aromatica (aromatic pussytoes), Aguilegia jonesii (Jones's columbine), Eritrichium howardii (Howard's forget-me-not), Kelseya uniflora (kelseya) and Shoshone pulvinata (shoshonea). The androsace is widespread

3 ( ~. ', in northern Asia and northwest boreal North America, and occurs further south in North America as widely-separated populations. The other species are regional to narrow endemics. The antennaria extends from eastern Oregon east through western Montana, and south into western Wyoming, with one site reported from Colorado. Jones's columbine is found from southern Alberta through western Montana south to northwest Wyoming. The kelseya is somewhat more restricted, occurring in western Montana east of the Continental Divide, and in south-central Idaho and northwest Wyoming. The range of Howard's forget-me-not is similar. Shoshonea is the most restricted of the species of concern, with a known range of less than 5000 sq. mi. in northwest Wyoming and adjacent Montana •.. " (Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, 1988, page 200) Bald Ridge is the only location known on the Shoshone National Forest where all six of these species co-occur. The 1990 field work at Bald Ridge revealed the presence of Haplopappus carthamoides var. subsguarrosus (a goldenweed). This species was collected during vegetation sampling of grassland communities, and its population size is unknown. It appeared to be uncommon, though, and restricted to the grasslands in the southeastern part of the proposed SBA. The plant was also observed in grasslands south of the proposed SBA during the summer of 1990 (H. Marriott, WNDDB, personal cqmmunication). Other collections of the plant from the Clark's Fork - Sunlight Basin area came from the same type of habitat. According to distribution maps in the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at the University of Wyoming, the goldenweed has been collected in Wyoming only from Bald Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and nearby limestone peaks. Hitchcock et al. (1955) describe the geographic range of this variety of goldenweed as extending from the eastern edge of.the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington, north and east to northern Washington and northwestern Montana, and south to northwestern Wyoming. Dorn (1984) and Lesica et al. (1984) both describe the variety as occurring in Montana only in Flathead County. Table 1 lists the plant species of concern in the proposed SBA. Maps in Appendix 2 show the known distributions and potential habitat for each of the seven plant species of concern. The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database considers Antennaria aromatica and Shoshonea pulvinata rare enough in Wyoming that it stores information on these species in it's computer databases, and Appendix 8 contains element occurrence records from the WNDDB databases for these two species at Bald Ridge.

4 Table 1. Plant species of concern in the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area. <1.>

Calceophiles, growing on limestone bedrock and shallow, rocky soils, usually on sparsely-vegetated sites.

Androsace chamaejasme Wulf var. carinata (Torrey) Knuth (a rockjasmine)

Antennaria aromatica Evert (aromatic pussytoes)

Aquilegia jonesii Parry (Jones's columbine)

Eritrichium howardii (Gray) Rydberg (Howard's forget-me-not)

Kelseya uniflora (Wats.) Rydberg (kelseya)

Shoshone pulvinata Evert & Const. (shoshonea)

Non-calceophile, growing in grassland in the southeastern part of the proposed SBA.

Haplopappus carthamoides (Hook.) Gray var. subsquarrosus (Greene) Dorn (a goldenweed)

1. Scientific names are from: Dorn, Robert D. 1988. Vascular plants of Wyoming. Mountain West Publishing, Cheyenne, WY.

5 ( I b. Plant communities During 1990, vegetation data and other information were collected from stands of vegetation at Bald Ridge for identifying the plant communities present and assessing the condition of the stands. Data were collected in 20 m x 20 m macroplots, placed in representative parts of different stands. The center and corner of each macroplot were marked with temporary flagging, and the height and canopy cover of trees and shrubs were estimated in the macroplot. The species name and diameter at breast height of · each tree in the macroplot were also recorded. Canopy cover and height of herbaceous species and bryophytes, and cover of bare soil (rock particles< 1/16 in. diameter), gravel (rock particles 1/16 in. to 3 in. diameter), rocks (rock fragments> 3 in. diameter), litter (freshly-fallen and decomposed leaves, needles, twigs, bark, and fruits), wood (material> 1/4 in. diameter), and plant bases were estimated in the macroplot in stands with sparse understory. In thick understory vegetation, cover of herbaceous species and the ground cover categories were estimated in sixteen 20 em x 50 em microplots distributed within the macroplot. Canopy cover of each tree and shrub species was scored into one of 12 cover ranges. Tree canopy height was recorded by five height classes, and shrub canopy height was recorded by three height classes. Where microplots were not used, canopy cover of herbaceous species, and the amount of each ground cover category, were recorded in the same manner. Where microplots were used, canopy cover for each herbaceous species and the amount of each ground cover category in each microplot were scored into one of the 12 cover ranges, and the 16 midpoints of the cover ranges from the microplots were averaged to give a value for that species or ground cover category in the macroplot. Information was also recorded for each macroplot on slope, aspect, elevation, topographic position, and soil characters. Signs of disturbance, and other obvious features, were noted. Information from the macroplot survey forms is presented in Appendix 4. Plant communities in the proposed SBA are described generally below. Table 2 lists the names and estimated acreages for the plant communities. Most of the eastern part of the Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area, on the eastward-dipping limestone beds, is covered with open conifer woodland. (limber pine) dominates or codominates the canopy in much of this woodland, with Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) and Picea sp. (spruce) contributing substantial cover in places. The tree layer contains numerous dead pines, which died long enough ago that they have lost their needles and bark. Data were collected in macroplots USWYSSBARI01.01, .02, and .03 in Pinus flexilis/Juniperus

6 Table 2. Names and estimated acreage of plant communities and associated habitat types in the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area.

WNDDB USFS R2 USFS Community Plant Habitat 1 2 4 Name' .r Association ' • > ~(3.) Acreage' ·>

. Agropyron spicatum - Roegneria spicata - Agropyron spicatum­ 410 ac Poa secunda var. Poa secunda Pea sandbergii (164 ha) secunda

Pinus flexilis/ Pinus.flexilis/ Pinus flexilis/ 640 ac Juniperus communis Juniperus communis Juniperus communis (256 ha)

Picea engelmannii/ Picea engelmannii/ Picea engelmannii/ 265 ac Hypnum revolutum Moss Hypnum revolutum (106 ha)

Pseudotsuga menziesii/ Pseudotsuga menziesii/ Pseudotsuga menziesii/ 550 ac Juniperus communis Juniperus communis Juniperus communis (220 ha)

1. WNDDB community names are from Jones (1990). 2. USFS R2 plant association names are from Johnston (1987). 3. Agropyron spicatum/Pea sandbergii habitat type is from Tweit and Houston (1980). Other habitat types are from Steele et al. (1983). 4. The area of the A· spicatum - £. secunda var. secunda community was assumed to be equal to the non-forested area of the dip slope shown on the 7.5' topographic map. The area·of the£. flexilis/J. communis community was assumed to be equal to the. forested area on the dip slope shown on the 7.5 1 topographic map. The£. engelmannii/H. revolutum and £. menziesii/~. communis communities appear to occur mixed in a complex on the cliffs below the ridgeline. The 7.5 1 topographic map appeared to overestimate the area of this complex by about 100%. Therefore, the area of the sprucejmoss community was estimated to be 17%, and the area of the Douglas fir/juniper community to be 33%, of the forested area of the cliffs shown on the map. communis woodlands. These limber pine-dominated stands are considered by the WNDDB to be an occurrence of the Pinus flexilis/Juniperus communis plant community (Jones, 1990). The tree canopy is low and rather open, and the shrub layer (dominated by Shepherdia canadensis and containing Juniperus communis and other shrubs) and the herbaceous layer (dominated by Agropyron spicatum in places, and by various forbs in other places) are both sparse. Johnston (1987) refers to this vegetation type as the Pinus flexilis/Juniperus communis plant association. According to Johnston (1987), and to data given in Alexander et al. (1986) and Steele et al. (1983), the Pinus flexilis/Juniperus communis community is a minor community in the eastern Absaroka and Wind River Ranges at 7000-9500 feet elevation, and in the mountains of southeastern Wyoming at about 9000-9800 feet elevation. Similar woodlands occur in north­ central Colorado, central Idaho, and in Montana east of the Continental Divide. The data suggest that the limber pine woodlands are growing on the Pinus flexilis/Juniperus communis habitat type (Steele et al., 1983). The tree stratum in the limber pine woodlands contains mainly limber pines of various sizes, with a few Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce. Although the tree stratum contains many dead limber pines, this mortality seems to have had little effect on species composition: limber pine still dominates the overstory. The composition of these stands appears stable. -- Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine) codominates the canopy with Pinus flexilis along the edge of Bald Ridge near the south end of the proposed Special Botanical Area, and lodgepole pine is the only tree in small parts of the woodland. Since the 1990 survey suggested that this lodgepole pine woodland covers only a small area, no data were collected in this type. Conifers also dominate the canopy of vegetation growing on the escarpment forming the west side of Bald Ridge. The woodland on the escarpment is a mix of Picea engelmannii stands, primarily on mesic (north-facing) sites, and Pseudotsuga menziesii stands on drier sites. Twig, needle, and cone characteristics of most spruce trees suggest that they are Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. (Engelmann spruce), but Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (white spruce) has been collected from the ridgeline of Bald Ridge in the proposed Special Botanical Area (collections GPJ 156, GPJ 157, and GPJ 158 in the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at the University of Wyoming, Laramie). Forest at the southern end of the proposed SBA was sampled with two macroplots, one (USWYSSBARI01.06) in a spruce stand and the other (USWYSSBARI01.07) in a Douglas fir stand. Dominance of the overstory in the spruce stands by Picea engelmannii, and extensive codominance of the understory by the mosses Hypnum revolutum and Tortula ruralis, suggests that the spruce stands I ~. 8 --~ are occurrences of the Picea engelmannii/Hypnum revolutum / \ I ' community. Scattered shrubs (Acer glabrum, Juniperus communis, '"-__ j Shepherdia canadensis, Physocarpus monogynous, Rosa nutkana var. hispidula) grow beneath the trees, and the sparse understory contains several forbs and graminoids. (See the data from macroplot USWYSSBARI01.06 for details.) Vascular plants are more common beneath openings in the tree canopy, but most of the spruce stands have few vascular plants in the understory. Johnston (1987) refers to this vegetation type as the Picea engelmannii/Moss plant association. The mesic sites supporting this vegetation apparently are examples of the Picea engelmannii/Hypnum revolutum habitat type (Steele et al., 1983). The Douglas fir:vegetation is an occurrence of the Pseudotsuga menziesii/Juniperus communis community (Jones, 1990), or, in the terminology of Johnston (1987), the Pseudotsuga menziesii/Juniperus communis plant association. The presence of Picea engelmannii seedlings and saplings in many stands indicates that the Douglas fir stands are growing on the Picea engelmannii/Juniperus communis habitat type (Steele et al., 1983). The canopy contains Picea engelmannii and Pinus flexilis, but the pines are mostly old trees. Juniperus communis is scattered beneath the tree overstory. The herbaceous layer is sparse, except in openings. Patches of downed trees are common, and Douglas fir saplings, shrubs, and forbs (primarily Arnica cordifolia) are dense in and around these openings in the tree layer. The Pseudotsuga menziesii/Juniperus communis vegetation grades into the Picea engelmannii/Hypnum revolutum vegetation on the cliffs. Most of the stands on the cliffs were only observed from a distance, but the Douglas fir community appeared to be the most common type. The Douglas firjcommon juniper stands on the escarpment contain small Engelmann spruce and a few large limber pine, which composition might suggest that these stands have succeeded limber pine woodland and will become Engelmann spruce ~tands. It seems equally plausible, however, that the canopies of these forests have always been mainly Douglas fir with small amounts of the other species. These stands contain gaps in the overstory, with dense Douglas fir saplings and small trees in and around the gaps. Regeneration of Douglas fir in such gaps increases the likelihood that this species will continue to dominate on all but the coolest and dampest sites. On these latter sites, the canopy may continue to be a mix of Engelmann spruce with some Douglas fir, or the spruce may replace the Douglas fir. A few stumps and logs with charcoal were observed in the Douglas fir stands and the Engelmann spruce stands, but the fire history of these stands is unknown.

The fourth extensive plant community ~n the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area is the Agropyron spicatum-Pea secunda var. secunda,community (Jones, 1990). Stands of this

9 community occur on the dipslope in the southeastern part of the area, primarily on east- and south-facing slopes. Agropyron spicatum is an important species throughout, but the vegetation is patchy, with forbs (primarily Artemisia frigida and Phlox hoodii) dominating strongly in places, and graminoids (primarily Agropyron spicatum and Carex rupestris) codominating with the forbs in other places. Data from macroplots USWYSSBARI01.04 and USWYSSBARI01.05 come from stands of this community. The Roegneria spicata/Poa secunda plant association of Johnston (1987) seems to apply to this vegetation, which grows on the Agropyron spicatum/Pea sandbergii habitat type (Tweit and Houston, 1980). Small patches of grassland in the southeastern part of the proposed SBA, growing on north-facing slopes, appear to be examples of the Festuca idahoensis-Agropyron spicatum community (Jones, 1990), or Johnston's (1987) Festuca idahoensis-Roegneria spicata plant association. These patches cover so little area in the proposed SBA, however, that they were not sampled. This community appears to cover extensive areas south of the proposed SBA.

The successional status of the grasslands ~s unknown, but few young trees were observed in most grassland stands, suggesting that these stands will continue to be dominated by herbaceous vegetation. The limber pine woodland in the southern part of the area surveyed contains stumps from limited logging, and while this logging occurred some tim~ ago and seems to have been restricted to the accessible woodlands in the southern part of the proposed SBA, it may have affected the physical structure and age structure of the tree layer. This evidence of limited logging should not automatically disqualify Bald Ridge as a site for a limber pine RNA, but the extent of logging on the National Forest land and the adjacent BLM-managed land should be carefully assessed.

2. How the proposed area meets program needs The Forest Service Manual (2373.03) states that it is Forest Service policy to "Designate or recommend administrative designation of special areas with outstanding natural characteristics or unique recreation or cultural values" (FSM 2373.03). Designation of Special Botanical Areas (SBAs) can effectively protect populations of Sensitive plant species. An SBA is"··· a unit of land that contains plant specimens, plant groups, or plant communities that are significant because of their form, color, occurrence, habitat, location, life history, arrangement, ecology, rarity, or other features" (FSM 2373.05).

10 Designation of the Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area will meet the need to proteqt habitat for, and populations of, a group of calceophilic plants significant for their ecology and occurrence. Designation will also protect habitat for the goldenweed, which is significant for its restricted distribution in the Shoshone National Forest and Region 2 of the Forest Service. · ·

III. PRINCIPAL FEATURES 1. Landforms Bald Ridge, a northeast-southwest trending ridge forming the east side of the Clark's Fork valley, divides the proposed Special Botanical Area more or less lengthwise. Bald Peak, the high point on Bald Ridge at 8633 feet elevation, is along the eastern boundary of the area. The escarpment to the west of Bald Ridge includes about two-thirds of the area. The landscape on the escarpment includes vertical cliff bands, small ledges, and steep, unstable talus cones and slopes. Maximum relief on the escarpment, from Bald Peak to the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River at 4700 feet, is 3933 feet. The southeastern third of the area lies on the dip slope of the sedimentary beds. The landscape in this region slopes generally to the southeast, at angles of 11° near Bald Peak to 18° in the southeastern corner of the area. Elevation in this part of the proposed SBA ranges from about 7000 feet to_ 7800 feet. 2. Geology and Parent Material The dip slope east of the line of Bald Ridge lies on the upper Mississipian Amsden formation (red shale with some dolomitic limestone beds) and the slightly-older Mississipian Madison formation (massive limestone and dolomite). The escarpment west of Bald Ridge is formed in, from top to bottom, the Madison formation; Mississipian-Devonian Three Forks formation (siltstone, shale, and dolomite); Devonian Jefferson formation (dolomite, limestone, and siltstone); Ordovician-age Bighorn dolomite; Cambrian Grove Creek and Snowy Range formations (the former limestone, dolomite, and shale; the latter shale); Cambrian Pilgrim limestone; Cambrian Gros Ventre formation (shale, limestone, and conglomerate); Cambrian Flathead sandstone; and Pre-cambrian granite gneiss and granite (Pierce, 1965) . The calceophilic plants in the proposed SBA grow primarily on the Madison limestone along the top of the escarpment, and in shallow soils developed on the dipslope of the Madison limestone. 11 ' ' I

These species ca~ also 'be expected on limestone and dolomite ledges and cliffs of the escarpment. Haplopappus carthamoides var. subsguarrosus grows in the grasslands on the Amsden formation in the southeastern part of the area. The Agropyron spicatum-Poa secunda var. secunda community occurs primarily on the shale beds of the Amsden formation in the southeastern part of the proposed SBA. Stands of the Pinus flexilis/Juniperus communis community are found on the dipslope of the Madison formation, and on parts of the Amsden formation. The Pseudotsuqa menziesii/Juniperus communis stands and Picea enqelmannii/Hypnum revolutum stands occur on slopes of limestone talus of the escarpment. 3. Vegetation types See part b. of the section on values and features, above. 4. Drainage patterns, water bodies, and watersheds The proposed Special Botanical Area contains no water bodies. The entire area lies within the drainage of the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River. The river flows north just west of the proposed western boundary, and the escarpment below Bald Ridge is dissected by tributaries to the river. The 1:24,000 scale topographic map of the area shows five first-order streams in the southeastern part of the area, all of them permanent. None of them, however, contained water in late August 1990. These streams run east into Newmeyer Creek, a tributary of the Clark's Fork.

6. Wildlife No information was gathered on wilqlife during fieldwork for this report. Upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda), however, were observed in grasslands south of the proposed SBA in June of 1990 by WNDDB staff, and these birds may occur in the grasslands of the proposed SBA. The upland sandpiper is considered very rare in Wyoming by the WNDDB, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department classifies it as a priority II species (needing additional study to determine whether special management is warranted) (Garber; 19QO). 7. Unusual plant'species See part a. in the section on values and features, above. !

' l 12 8. Climate -~ The following 30-year (1951-1980) climatic means are from maps in Martner (1986).

' Mean annual temperature in the region around Bald Ridge is 30°-40°F. Winters are cold, with January mean daily low temperature of 6°-8°F and mean daily high temperature of 32°-34°F. Summer temperatures also are relatively low: July mean daily low is 48°-50°F, and mean daily high is 82°-84°F. The region has 200- 225 days annually with a minimum temperature less than 32°F, and less than 5 days with a high temperature over 90°F. The frost­ free season is 75-100 days. Mean annual precipitation is 12-14 inches, and mean annual snowfall is 40-60 inches. u 9. Access A two-track road runs across public land from Wyoming State Highway 296 north about 6 miles, to the grasslands and limber pine woodlands in the southeastern part of the proposed Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area. Access to the populations of calceophilic plants along the edge of Bald Ridge, and to potential habitat for these plants on the higher dipslopes, is by foot from the end of the two-track road. Hikers can also walk over the ridge onto the escarpment at the southern end of the '\ area. The bottom of the escarpment can be reached from a pack trail on the south. Much of the escarpment, however, is inaccessible. The map in Appendix 3 shows the access routes.

VI. MANAGEMENT DIRECTION 4. Prescription The Nature Conservancy recommends immediate designation of the area described in this report as the Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area, to protect the populations of plant species and potential habitat for those species. We also recommend that the Forest Service consider eventually changing the designation from Special Botanical Area to Research Natural Area. Each of these steps is discussed below. Special Botanical Area For Sensitive species of animals and plants, the Forest Service is directed to provide"··· special management emphasis to ensure their viability •.• " (FSM 2672.1). In addition, it is Forest Service policy to "Designate or recommend administrative 13 designation of special areas with outstanding natural characteristics or unique recreation or cultural values" (FSM 2373.03). Designation of Special Botanical Areas (SBAs) can effectively protect populations of Sensitive plant species. Designation of areas of less than 100,000 acres is the responsibility of the Regional Forester. Management of the SBA is specified in the Forest Plan, or in an amendment to the Plan. The Shoshone National Forest plan contains no prescription for managing special botanical areas (USDA Forest Service, 1986). WNDDB recommends, therefore, that the forest plan be amended to include management prescription 10C. Appendix 8 of this report suggests language for the prescription. Prescription 10C would prohibit logging and construction of roads and other physical structures, and would mandate grazing only to maintain the vegetation type for which the area is established. Given the sparse overstory of low trees in the limber pine woodlands, and the steep slopes where the Engelmann spruce and Douglas fir stands grow, a prohibition on logging in the Bald Ridge SBA will probably have little impact on commercial interests. The USFS should prohibit logging in the proposed SBA, both to protect populations and potential habitat for the plant species, and to maintain the quality of the limber pine woodlands until a decision is made on suitability of the area as a limber pine RNA. Grazing probably is compatible with protection of the plant species of concern in the proposed SBA, since most of these species (the six calceophilic plants) grow in areas along Bald Ridge with little to attract livestock. The potential habitat for these calceophiles, on the escarpment and the dipslope, are inaccessible or have little forage. The effect of grazing on the goldenweed is unknown, but the plant is coarse and the leaves rather spiny, so livestock probably would show little interest in it. The status of all seven plant species of concern in the SBA should be monitored for evidence of damage by livestock before any change in grazing is considered. Management of a Bald Ridge Special Botanical Area should include monitoring of the populations of calceophilic plants and the goldenweed. Since threats to these plants seem remote, monitoring initially can consist of periodic suryey of the SBA to see if the ranges or numbers of plants are decreasing. Surveys of the calceophiles should be conducted in spring, when the species are flowering. Surveys of the goldenweed can be done in spring and early summer. Once the SBA is established, regular survey routes should be chosen in the area and these routes walked about every five years, with the surveyor noting numbers and locations of plants. If the SBA is divided into parts, and a simple, quantitative scale is used for scoring plant numbers in each part, results from successive surveys can be compared to reveal large changes in distribution and abundance. The

14 information in this report is sufficient for a baseline for the monitoring effort. Research Natural Area A small part of the proposed Bald Ridge SBA was identified in the Shoshone National Forest plan as a potential site for a limber pine research natural area (management prescription lOA; USDA Forest Service, 1986, page II-85 and Management Area Map). That small tract, however, including only about 200 acres, misses the extensive limber pine woodlands in the northern part of the proposed SBA, which apparently qualify for designation as an RNA. We urge the Forest Service to consider extending the potential RNA to take in all of the area included in the proposed Bald Ridge SBA. . Formal designation of a Research Natural Area at Bald Ridge should, however, await evaluation of the limber pine woodlands on lands to the east, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The limber pine woodlands on Bald Ridge extend onto these BLM-managed lands, and management of an ecologically-based area for limber pine at Bald Ridge must involve coordination between the Forest Service and the BLM. The Nature Conservancy has apprised the BLM of the potential value of the limber pine woodlands at Bald Ridge, and we will urge the BLM to evaluate their lands for designation as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. If that evaluation shows that the limber pine woodlands on the BLM­ managed lands qualify for protection in a BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern {ACEC), then the Forest Service should change the designation of the Bald Ridge area from SBA to RNA, and coordinate management of the area with the BLM. If the limber pines woodlands on the BLM-managed lands do not qualify for ACEC designation, then the Forest Service should decide whether Bald Ridge is still the best place for a limber pine RNA. An establishment report for a Bald Ridge RNA could include the information contained in this report and in the SBA establishment report. Changing the designation from SBA to RNA, therefore, should require little additional work.

15 BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, R. R., G. R. Hoffman, and J. M. Wirsing. 1986. Forest vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southern Wyoming: A habitat type classification. USDA Forest Service Research Paper RM-271. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, co. Collins, Ellen I. (editor). 1984. Wyoming natural area needs workshop proceedings. Published by The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, and available from the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. Dorn, Robert D. 1984. Vascular plants of Montana. Mountain West Publishing, Cheyenne, WY. Garber, Christopher s. 1990. Draft list of animal species of concern in Wyoming. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, The Nature Conservancy, Laramie, WY. Hitchcock, c. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1955. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 5: Compositae. University of Washington publications in biology, volume 17. Seattle, WA. Johnston, Barry c. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. R2-ECOL-87-2. Lakewood, co. Jones, George P. 1990. Wyoming plant community classification. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, The Nature Conservancy. Laramie, WY. Unpublished. Lesica, Peter, Gerald Moore, Kathleen M. Peterson, and John H. Rumley. 1984. Vascular plants of limited distribution in Montana. Monograph No. 2, Montana Academy of Sciences. Supplement to the Proceedings, Volume 43. Martner, Brooks E. 1986. Wyoming climate atlas. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. Pierce, William G. 1965. Geologic map of the Deep Lake quadrangle, Park County, Wyoming. USDI Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle GQ-478. Steele, R., s. Cooper, D. Ondov, D. Roberts, and R. Pfister. 1983. Fore~t habitat types of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-144. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

16 Tweit, susan J. and Kent E. Houston. 1980. Grassland and shrubland habitat types of the Shoshone National Forest. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Shoshone National Forest.

USDA Forest Service. 1986. Shoshone National Forest land and resource management plan. Shoshone National Forest, Cody, Wyoming.

Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. 1988. Sensitive plant species surveys, Shoshone National Forest. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, The Nature Conservancy, Laramie, Wyoming.

17 NAME AND ADDRESS OF AUTHOR OF THIS REPORT

Author: George P. Jones Ecologist, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (The Nature Conservancy)

Address: Wyoming Natural Diversity Database Box 3165, University Station Laramie, Wyoming 82071

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