20 



MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESPONSE: There are currently 

 no management practices that threaten the habitat of A. 

 molybdenus , nor any known means of enhancing 

 populations . 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING VIABLE POPULATIONS: In 

 Montana, populations appear to be self-sustaining, and 

 most are in areas that receive little human impact. 

 Several areas, including Our Lake (002), are popular 

 destinations for hikers and campers. It may be 

 appropriate at some point to provide protection for the 

 populations, through special site designations and 

 public education. 



1, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: As discussed in the section 

 regarding the taxonomic studies, there has been 

 some morphological and genetic divergence among 

 the populations in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. 

 Thus, even if A. molybdenus and A. shultziorum are 

 ultimately combined into one varietally segregated 

 species, it will be very important to ensure the 

 long-term maintenance of populations in all three 

 states. In this way, the entire range of genetic 

 variation in the complex will be retained. This 

 will allow for a greater chance of successful 

 adaptation in the face of possible climatic 

 changes or other ecological shifts. In addition, 

 maintenance of as many populations as possible in 

 each state will retain the intrastate genetic 

 variation that is starting to appear as evidenced 

 by the cpDNA data. Lastly, the current 

 distribution of the A. molybdenus - shultziorum 

 complex is biogeographically unique, and 

 maintenance of population^ throughout its range 

 will allow for future scientific interpretation of 

 its fragmented occurrence pattern. 



STATUS RECOMMENDATION AND FURTHER ASSESSMENT NEEDS: It 

 is recommended that this species be maintained on the 

 U.S. Forest Service, Region 1, sensitive plant species 

 list. Although most of the populations do occur in 

 remote areas that receive limited human impact, the 

 known sites are all within a 10 mile area. It is also 

 recommended that further surveys be conducted, to the 

 north and south of the known populations in Montana. 

 This would help to define the full range of this 

 species in the Sawtooth Range. Establishment of a 

 demographic monitoring study would reveal important 

 life history characteristics, such as fecundity and 

 life-span of individuals or clones. 



