KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT Matthew L. Carlson, Michelle Sturdy, Rob Lipkin, & 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 Alaska Region Inventory & Monitoring Program NPS Report : 2nd Edition, December 2004 Cooperative Agreement No. 1443CA991000013 Funding Source: National Park Service, Inventory & Monitoring Program KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY ABSTRACT In 2002 and 2003 the University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP), conducted vascular plant field inventories in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park as part of the Inventory and Monitoring Program of 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 vascular plant species distributions. The inventory targeted diverse habitat types and poorly sampled areas. The AKNHP visited ten diverse eco-geographic regions and sampled intensively within these regions from mid-June to mid-August, 2002 and early July in 2003. A total of 283 specimens were collected, recorded, pressed, and curated. One hundred seventy four individual taxa are represented, 55 are new records for the park, and an additional ten represent verifications of previously unvouchered reports. The percentage of documented taxa increased from 78% to 86% after the 2002 and 2003 field seasons. A number of finds were range extensions or taxa of conservation concern. Collections were made of the state and globally restricted species: Phyllodoce empetriformis (G4- S1S2 rank) and Eleocharis kamtschatica (G4-S2). Two collections were moderate range extensions. Six non-native species that are new to the park were collected, one is a new record for Alaska. 2 KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. .................................................................................................................................................2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................8 Ecological and Geological Background..................................................................................................8 Management Efforts and Issues. ...........................................................................................................10 Overview of Inventory..........................................................................................................................10 MATERIALS AND METHODS. ...............................................................................................................11 Expected and Known Taxa. ..................................................................................................................11 Floristic History of Glacier Bay NPP. ..................................................................................................13 Sampling Design...................................................................................................................................14 Site Descriptions. ..................................................................................................................................14 Chilkoot Unit..................................................................................................................................24 Dyea/West Creek. ....................................................................................................................24 Finnegan's Point.......................................................................................................................24 West Canyon City....................................................................................................................25 North Canyon City/Pleasant Camp..........................................................................................26 Sheep Camp. ............................................................................................................................26 Long Hill..................................................................................................................................27 The Scales/Chilkoot Pass.........................................................................................................28 White Pass Unit..............................................................................................................................30 South White Pass. ....................................................................................................................30 West White Pass/Dead Horse Gulch........................................................................................31 East White Pass........................................................................................................................32 Field Methods. ......................................................................................................................................34 Vouchers and Curation. ........................................................................................................................34 Products. ...............................................................................................................................................35 RESULTS....................................................................................................................................................36 Chilkoot Unit. .......................................................................................................................................36 Dyea/West Creek............................................................................................................................36 Finnegan's Point. ............................................................................................................................37 West Canyon City. .........................................................................................................................38 North Canyon City. ........................................................................................................................38 Sheep Camp....................................................................................................................................39 Long Hill. .......................................................................................................................................40 The Scales/Chilkoot Pass. ..............................................................................................................41 White Pass Unit. ...................................................................................................................................42 South White Pass............................................................................................................................42 West White Pass/Dead Horse Gulch. .............................................................................................43 East White Pass. .............................................................................................................................44 DISCUSSION. ............................................................................................................................................46 Range Extensions..................................................................................................................................46 Carex loliacea. ...............................................................................................................................46 Minuartia macrocarpa. ..................................................................................................................47 Exotic Species.......................................................................................................................................48 Capsella bursa-pastoris. ................................................................................................................48 Chenopodium album.......................................................................................................................48 Euphrasia nemorosa.......................................................................................................................48 Galeopsis bifida..............................................................................................................................48 3 KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VASCULAR PLANT INVENTORY Leucanthemum vulgare. .................................................................................................................49 Lupinus polyphyllus........................................................................................................................49 Rheum rhabarbrum. .......................................................................................................................49 Stellaria media. ..............................................................................................................................49