populations are in Appendix B, Resurveyed Populations: 

 Element Occurrence Records and Maps, pp. 27-66, 

 Records for the other 28 occurrences are found in the 

 original report by Shelly (1986). 



I.5.B.2. Populations known or assumed extirpated: One 



population is suspected of being extirpated: Blackfoot 

 Roadside (035) . Recent road grading apparently 

 eliminated the plants of this population. However, the 

 site should be checked in subsequent years. Depending 

 on the longevity of the seeds in the soil seed bank, 

 plants may emerge in future years if seeds are exposed 

 or moved to the soil surface at or near the site. 



I. 7. A. GENERAL SUMMARY: Twenty-seven populations of G. 



howellii were surveyed during 6-10 August 1990 for the 

 number of flowering/fruiting plants and basal rosettes. 

 During this census, one population was found to be 

 extirpated, and a new population was located. Table 1, 

 pp. 7-8, contains tabulations of plants present during 

 the original survey, and during the 1990 survey. The 

 addition of five new populations since 1986 does not 

 extend the geographic range of the species in Montana 

 beyond that previously known in the Swan, Blackfoot, 

 and Clearwater River valleys, but adds about 500 more 

 plants to the total number of observed plants. Current 

 total number of individual plants is difficult to 

 estimate since only 27 populations were censused in 

 1990, and population sizes in this species appear to 

 fluctuate widely (Table 1) . Of the 27 populations that 

 were observed in 1986 or 1988, and again in 1990, 10 

 increased in numbers, 15 decreased, and 2 populations 

 were essentially unchanged. The net change was an 

 increase of about 500 plants. The 45 populations 

 observed in 1986 totalled about 15,500 plants. The 

 total of latest observations for 50 populations is 

 about 16,500 plants. Ten locations have no population 

 data since before 1986. Thus, a current total estimate 

 of about 16,000 individual plants in 50 populations is 

 perhaps most reasonable. 



I.7.B.I. Known populations: Sixty populations of G. howellii 

 have been documented in Montana (Table 1) . One 

 population (Blackfoot Roadside (035)) has likely been 

 extirpated by road maintenance activities. The latest 

 population estimates (1986-1990) for the 50 populations 

 shows that 16 populations had less than 20 individuals, 

 and 12 populations had 20-100 individuals. Of the 

 remaining 22 populations, 12 had between 101 and 500 



