sagebrush community which was heavily disturbed by a large 

 burrowing animal (badger?) . The very warm microclimate of 

 this site may explain the advanced phenology of the plant. P. 

 lemhiensis may occupy early successional habitat that includes 

 disturbance sites such as roadside cutbanks . An Element 

 Occurrence Record printout for this population and a map 

 showing this and previously reported sites are included in 

 Appendix C and D respectively. 



Penstemon lemhiensis is proposed as sensitive by the BLM 

 (USDI Bureau of Land Management 1993) . Currently, the species 

 is included in Category 2 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service Notice of Review (USDI 1993) , under consideration for 

 listing as a threatened species pending data on vulnerability 

 and threats to support listing. The species is also listed as 

 sensitive by the U. S. Forest Service (Lesica and Shelly 

 1991) . 



The previously documentation and potential persistence of 

 P. lemhiensis in the Lemhi Pass vicinity provide basis for 

 considering potential impacts to this species if significant 

 changes in land use are proposed. In addition, road crews 

 should be familiar with the species so that damage to the 

 plants by spraying and grading operations can be avoided. 



The population of Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nevadense 

 was found on the same hill as the lone Penstemon in section 

 24. This small population was growing in stony clay in a 

 Artemisia tridentata/Festuca idahoensis habitat type. Large 

 populations of this taxon were also seen nearby in the 

 vicinity of Horse Prairie. Surveys throughout Beaverhead 

 County in 1993 have shown that E. ovalifolium var. nevadense 

 is common and does not have a proposed BLM status. It has 

 been recommended for dropping from the state species of 

 special concern (Vanderhorst and Lesica 1994) . 



It is unlikely that the two wetland sensitive species 

 targets, Gentianella simplex and Mimulus primuloides , would 

 have been recognized at the June date of this survey. The 

 habitats in the study area are probably not suitable for 

 either of these, which are known from somewhat higher 

 elevations in wet meadows and seep areas, but their occurrence 

 along the creeks is not impossible. In general, botanical 

 surveys of wetlands are best conducted at a late date in the 

 season, since phenology is delayed by the temperature effects 

 of water; many wetland species must be mature before they can 

 be reliably identified. A late season survey of the BLM 

 wetlands along Bloody Dick Creek in section 2 3 may be 

 warranted. 



