METHODS 



A monitoring program for Agasiache cusickii was initiated 

 on July 6, 1993. The population being monitored is located on 

 a slope above and across a gravel road from Big Sheep Creek, 

 about 19 air kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Lima, in 

 Beaverhead County, Montana (Figure 1) . The legal description 

 for the site is Township 15 South, Range 10 West, Section 10, 

 North 1/2. The population is best reached by the gravel road 

 which follows Big Sheep Creek from the town of Dell. The 

 plants are located on southeast to west facing slopes and on 

 flats along the road at an elevation of approximately 2,070- 

 2,190 meters (6,800-7,200 feet). Although the steep loose 

 talus at the site makes survey of the population difficult, it 

 is estimated that the population covers over 40 hectares (over 

 100 acres) and consists of thousands of individual plants. 

 Figure 2 is a topographic map showing the location and 

 estimated boundaries of the population and features which are 

 referenced in this report. 



Three monitoring techniques are used: 1) a road log which 

 documents the location of all recognizable past disturbances 

 using a vehicle odometer, 2) photography, and 3) permanent 

 transects which document the number of plants per area in and 

 adjacent to disturbances. The first two techniques are 

 designed to detect future disturbance to the site in its 

 entirety, while the last technique focuses on much smaller 

 areas and is designed to answer questions concerning the 

 permanence of damage to the population. The transects will 

 also detect future disturbance within their small areas. 



1. Road Log 



The location of the population along a road makes this 

 straightforward method possible. The starting point is the 

 bridge which crosses Big Sheep Creek near the eastern edge of 

 the population (see Figure 2) . The road was driven from east 

 to west and odometer readings were used to document the 

 location of past quarrying of the talus slope. 



2 . Photography 



Photographic documentation was used in two ways. First, 

 15 overlapping shots of the entire site were taken from the 

 road from its beginning near the bridge to its end 1 mile down 

 the road to the west. Secondly, photos were taken of the 5 

 disturbances which are documented in the road log. At two 

 disturbances (A and D) one meter lengths of rebar were driven 

 into the ground at the base of the slope to permanently mark 

 (barring vandalism or severe disturbance in the future) the 

 location of the photo shots. A 6 meter metal rod painted 

 white and marked in decimeter and meter increments was used as 

 a scale. At each disturbance the rod was placed with its foot 

 in contact with the rebar in the ground and leaned against the 

 slope. One shot was taken of each disturbance at a square 



