There are currently no mining access developments and 

 accompanying weed infestations that pose indirect impact to the 

 species, but the potential exists. 



TIMBER HARVESTING: No potential impacts were identified. 



WEED CONTROL ACTIVITIES: Noxious weed are not present at the 

 Sweetgrass Hills site for this species. However, Centaurea 

 maculosa , Cirsium arvense , and Euphorbia esula are all in the 

 Sweetgrass Hills and have the potential to taJce over meadow 

 habitat as occupied by Ranunculus pedatif idus . 



MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESPONSE: Any activity which would 

 destabilize the slopes above the population on BLM land would 

 directly impact it. There are no known management activities 

 affecting it at this time. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING VIABLE POPULATIONS: Population 

 numbers appear low at the two relocatable sites for the species 

 in Montana, and viability may be at stake for at least the 

 Sweetgrass Hills population. Wetland restoration work at the 

 Sweetgrass Hills site may be appropriate to consider if there are 

 no other populations found after survey elsewhere in its range. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT: It is not practical to 

 piirsue further survey in the Sweetgrass Hills without high- 

 resolution aerial photographs, which are not currently available. 

 Any other suitable wetland habitat is highly localized if it 

 exists at all, and may fall partially or entirely outside of 

 public land boundaries. 



Floristic surveys are being conducted in Glacier National Park, 

 and Ranunculus pedatif idus will be recommended as a deliberate 

 survey target by way of this report. 



The Sweetgrass Hills population of 43 plants may be the largest 

 in Montana. It is also the only one overlapping in distribution 

 with R. cardiophvllus . a closely-related taxa. These species 

 occur within a mile of one another. If their flowering times 

 overlap, then closer investigation looking for intermediary 

 features may be warranted, followed by genetic research as 

 appropriate. 



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