DISCUSSION 



The 15 RNAs and two additional study sites 

 encompass a highly significant array of natural 

 landscapes for Montana and the upper Missouri 

 River watershed. Over 50 different plant 

 associations are present, representing about 10% of 

 all the recognized terrestrial plant association types 

 in Montana. About a third of these examples are 

 truly noteworthy in their quality and condition to 

 be considered good or outstanding representatives 

 of the biodiversity embodied in Montana's natural 

 vegetation (represented by shaded cells in Table 3, 

 Pgll) 



These noteworthy plant associations arc 

 interpreted as representing significant biome 

 features, the first of the RNA criteria in the Refuge 



Manual. RNAs may also represent stability in 

 ecological communities, succession in ecological 

 communities, habitat for threatened, endangered 

 or sensitive species, and geological processes. 

 Twelve RNA sites met one or more of these RNA 

 establishment criteria in our partial assessment, as 

 highlighted in Table 4 (below). We refer to this 

 as a partial assessment because it did not address 

 wildlife features. 



Most of the five RNAs that do not contain 

 exemplary ecological or botanical features were 

 originally nominated based on wildlife values, and 

 this study simply provides background habitat 

 description. 



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