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be adequately protected unless the surrounding forests are 

 considered for logging. 



C. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING VIABLE POPULATIONS: 



1. Protection of natural habitats that currently support 

 large populations . The following populations on U.S. 

 Forest Service lands should be considered in any 

 habitat alteration projects that may occur in or near 

 these sites (especially logging and road-building or 

 expansion) : 



Swan River (002) 



Swan Lake (005) 



Bond Creek (008) 



Lower Fatty Creek Road (Oil) 



Any proposed management actions within or near any of 

 these sites should be preceded by detailed surveys of 

 the populations in these areas; mitigation measures 

 should be developed to reduce or eliminate the 

 impacts of these activities. 



2. Regulation of livestock grazing in native habitats 

 supporting large populations . Grazing does not 

 currently threaten any of the sites on Forest Service 

 land; however, the state-owned Krause Basin Road 

 (009) population is part of a grazing allotment, and 

 near a heavily used cattle trail. This site should 

 be monitored if management recommendations change in 

 the future. 



D. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT: 



!• Establishment of monitoring studies on U.S. Forest 

 Service lands . The Swan River (002) site would be 

 appropriate for establishing monitoring transects to 

 study the life-history traits of this species. Other 

 potential studies might include an analysis of plant 

 tissue and spring water to determine if specific 

 minerals might be involved in the restriction of the 

 plants to these sites. An analysis of thermal 

 regimes at various sites, and tests to determine the 

 ability of rhizomes to endure freezing conditions, 

 might also provide some insight into the ecology of 

 this orchid. 



Warm water seeps, or springs are potential sites for 

 E. gigantea . and these should be checked for the 

 orchids prescence. Glacier National Park may 

 possibly harbor populations of this orchid. 



