Transcript Prince William Sound Shoreline Rare Plant Surveys

Prince William Sound Shoreline
Rare Plant Surveys
2009-2010
USDA Forest Service
Prince William Sound Framework
Evaluate and improve current management
framework in the Sound in response to
increased human use and EVOS
Objectives: Delineate human use “hot spots”
Map sensitive cultural and biological resources
Further justification
Bioenvironmental analysis for rare
plant habitat concluded PWS has
highest potential on Chugach N.
Forest.
Unique geologies and beaches
No systematic plant surveys to date
(2009).
Prince William Sound
Shorelines
Sitka Spruce/Western/Mountain Hemlock
Dominated Forests with a few pockets of Alaska
Yellow Cedar
Intriguing
Upper
Beach
Meadows
Luxurious Fens
Target rare/sensitive plant species:
Cochlearia sessifolia
Papaver
alboroseum
Romanzoffia
unalaschcensis
Botrychium spathulatum
B. Tunux
B. yaaxudakeit
Cypripedium guttatum
C. Parviflorum var. pubescens
Piperia unalascensis
Tanacetum bipinnatum ssp.
huronese
Methods
120 systematic
plots selected using
ArcGIS Create
Random Points tool
and the
shoreline_line
coverage as the
constraining feature
class.
Methods cont.
30 subjective plots were selected by using known locations of rare
plants, unique geologies, or unique beach habitats
Methods, cont.
Sites were surveyed following the
USFS Threatened, Endangered, and
Sensitive Plant Survey Protocol>
• 1 hour per site
• random or intuitive meander
within 1 km of shoreline
• document every species
encountered.
Collections were also made for
many species and are housed at the
UAF Herbarium
Surveys conducted by:
Marilyn Barker, UAA
Rob Lipkin, Natural Heritage Program
Helen Cortes-Burns, Natural Heritage Program
Jonnie Lazarus, Girdwood Parks and Rec.
Al Batton, UAF
Mary Stensvold, USFS
Betty Charnon, USFS
Erin Cooper, USFS
Kate Mohatt, USFS
Pete Johnson, USFS
Rob DeVelice, USFS
Results
90 systematically selected and 10 subjectively selected sites surveyed in 2009
10 subjectively selected sites surveyed in 2010
Results cont.
• 384 total plant taxa
recorded (181 taxa
known previously)
• Two Region 10
designated sensitive
plant species at 5
locations
• Range extensions for
2 species
• 5 AKNHP Tracked
Species
• 181 specimens
contributed to UAF
Herbarium (more
coming from AKNHP)
AKNHP Tracked/ Ranked Species:
Malaxis paludosa
G4, S3
Occurrence: 2
Carex lenticularis var. dolia
Occurrence: 2
Platanthera chorisana
G3, S3
Occurrence: 16
Ranunculus pacificus
G3, S3
Range Extensions
Occurrences: 3
Tiarella trifoliata var. unifloliata
USFS Alaska Region Sensitive Species:
Romanzoffia unalaschcensis
One new population (?) on Hitchinbrook
Island
4 new populations:
Hawkins Island
Port Fidalgo
Subjectively selected plots revealed no additional taxa or indicated higher
than previous average number of taxa per site suggesting randomly selected
points may be adequate sample of PWS shorelines
Sampling Adequacy
500
450
400
350
No. species
300
Sobs (Mao Tau)
250
ICE Mean
Chao 1 Mean
200
Jack 1 Mean
150
100
50
1
5
9
13
17
21
25
29
33
37
41
45
49
53
57
61
65
69
73
77
81
85
89
93
97
101
0
No. sites
Three estimates of species richness indicate at least 83% of PWS
shoreline plants were documented
Management Implications
Plots in western PWS on average had higher number of taxa per site but had no
Alaska Region sensitive species occurrences
Sites where Alaska Region sensitive plant populations were located receive little
human use relative to others.
Future Surveys