Species Status Assessment Report for the Mountain Doll’s Daisy (Boltonia montana) (© DCR-DNH, Gary P. Fleming) February 2020 Version 1.0 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Atlantic-Appalachian Region Hadley, MA Primary Contributors • Keith Hastie – North Atlantic-Appalachian Region, Hadley, Massachusetts; Lead Biologist • Ron Popowski – North Atlantic-Appalachian Region, New Jersey Field Office; Assist Biologist • Heidi Crowell – California-Great Basin Region, Sacramento Regional Office; Species Assessment Team Project Manager Contributors & Agency Reviewers (underlined) We greatly appreciate the assistance of our conservation partners, who provided helpful information and review of the draft report: • Tom Brumbelow – U.S. Forest Service, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests • Mike Donahue – U.S. Forest Service, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests • Gary Fleming – Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage • Rachel Goad – Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program • Troy Morris – U.S. Forest Service, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests • John Townsend – Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage • Kathleen Walz – New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Heritage Program Peer Reviewers We also thank the following experts for reviewing the draft report and providing helpful comments: • Walter Bien, Ph.D. – Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences • Gerry Moore, Ph.D. – U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service • Nancy Van Alstine – Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage (Retired) SUGGESTED CITATION: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). February 2020. Species Status Assessment Report for the Mountain Doll’s Daisy (Boltonia montana), Version 1.0. Department of the Interior Region: North Atlantic-Appalachian. Hadley, Massachusetts. iii Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................9 1.1 Purpose of the SSA ..........................................................................................................9 1.2 Petition History ................................................................................................................9 1.3. State Listing Status .........................................................................................................9 1.4 Methodology and Data .................................................................................................. 10 1.4.1 Species (Resource) Needs ........................................................................................ 10 1.4.2 Current Species Condition ..................................................................................... 11 1.4.3. Future Species Condition ...................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 2 - SPECIES INFORMATION ........................................................................... 12 2.1 Taxonomy ...................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Physical Description ...................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Habitat ........................................................................................................................... 17 2.4 Life History .................................................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Reproduction .......................................................................................................... 20 2.4.2 Seasonality............................................................................................................... 23 2.5 Population Structure ..................................................................................................... 23 2.6 Species (Resource) Needs .............................................................................................. 24 2.6.1 Appropriate Soil Conditions................................................................................... 24 2.6.2 Adequate Water ...................................................................................................... 25 2.6.3 Adequate Sunlight .................................................................................................. 26 2.6.4 Pollination Services ................................................................................................. 26 2.6.5 Seasonal Temperature Regime ............................................................................... 26 2.6.6 Habitat Connectivity ............................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 3 – HISTORICAL AND CURRENT DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE .. 27 3.1 Historical Context .......................................................................................................... 27 3.2 Historical Distribution and Abundance ........................................................................ 28 3.2.1 New Jersey .............................................................................................................. 29 3.2.2 Pennsylvania ........................................................................................................... 30 3.2.3 Virginia ................................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Current Distribution and Abundance .......................................................................... 32 3.3.1 New Jersey .............................................................................................................. 33 3.3.2 Virginia ................................................................................................................... 36 iv CHAPTER 4 – FACTORS AFFECTING THE SPECIES .................................................... 39 4.1 Stressors Affecting Viability ......................................................................................... 39 4.2 Habitat Modification ..................................................................................................... 39 4.2.1 Development............................................................................................................ 40 4.2.2 Agriculture .............................................................................................................. 42 4.2.3 Off-road Vehicle Use............................................................................................... 43 4.2.4 Altered Surface Hydrology ..................................................................................... 45 4.2.5 Groundwater Withdrawals .................................................................................... 45 4.3. Effects of Climate Change ............................................................................................ 45 4.3.1 Altered Precipitation Patterns................................................................................ 46 4.3.2 Altered Temperature Patterns ............................................................................... 48 4.4 Potential Catastrophic Events ....................................................................................... 50 4.5 Conservation Measures ................................................................................................. 50 4.5.1 New Jersey .............................................................................................................. 50 4.5.2 Virginia ................................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 5 – CURRENT CONDITION ............................................................................. 51 5.1 Assessment Methodology............................................................................................... 51 5.2 Site Assessment Metrics ................................................................................................ 52 5.2.1 Pond Size ................................................................................................................. 52 5.2.2 Hydrology ................................................................................................................ 52 5.2.3 Proximity ................................................................................................................. 53 5.2.4 Disturbance ............................................................................................................. 54 5.2.5 Landscape Setting ................................................................................................... 54 5.2.6 Conservation Measures .......................................................................................... 54 5.3 Metric Criteria and Current Site Scores ...................................................................... 54 5.4 Determination of Current Population Status ............................................................... 57 5.4.1 Unknowns and Assumptions .................................................................................. 59 5.5 Current Condition Summary .......................................................................................