16 



2. MINING: The site that could be most impacted by 

 this activity is Vipond Park (003) . Nearby areas 

 in Quartz Hill Gulch (Daisy Vein, Great Western, 

 Knoby, and Lone Pine mines) have been extensively 

 mined in the past. In addition, test pits and 

 claim stakes are located in the sparsely forested 

 areas just north of the site along the Quartz Hill 

 Gulch road (east side of Gray Jockey Peak) . The 

 increase in mining activity throughout western 

 Montana, especially for gold, may result in 

 expanded exploration in the Vipond Park area, and 

 future mining operations should take this 

 population of C. lanceolata var. f lava into 

 consideration. The four other populations do not 

 appear to be threatened by existing or potential 

 mining at this time. 



3. RECREATIONAL USE: Recreational use of areas in 

 Vipond Park (003) poses potential threats to the 

 C. lanceolata var. f lava population in the 

 meadows. Off-road vehicle disturbance was 

 noticeable; a number of jeep trails have been 

 formed in the turf of the meadows, and these 

 trails are deeply rutted in many places. The main 

 time period for this use appears to be during the 

 spring, when off-road travel to avoid snow drifts 

 and puddles is frequent, and also possibly during 

 the fall hunting season. Long-term use of the 

 trails may eventually result in local soil 

 compaction or erosion, which could have an impact 

 on the corms of the plants. Portions of the 

 Lockhart Meadows (001) population are traversed by 

 Deerlodge N.F. Rd. #82, and some plants were 

 probably destroyed during construction. Much of 

 the meadow habitat at this site is privately 

 owned, however, and it did not appear to be 

 seriously impacted by off-road vehicle use at the 

 present time. The French Creek (002) site is 

 traversed by State Highway 274, and in part by 

 Beaverhead N.F. Rd. #1000 and other little-used 

 jeep trails. The Hebgen Lake (004) site is 

 traversed in part by Gallatin N.F. Rd. #167, which 

 serves as a major access route to the lake. 

 However, most of the habitat area near Hebgen Lake 

 is privately owned ranch land. Serious off -road 

 impacts were not observed at either of the latter 

 two sites. 



B. MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESPONSE: No detailed 



information is available regarding the response of C. 

 lanceolata var. f lava to management practices (grazing, 

 habitat alteration through road construction or 

 mining) . Because the taxon blooms and fruits early in 

 the growing season, and persists as deep-seated corms 



