USFWS RNA RECORDS - MONTANA PLANT SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN 



Scientific Name: PHACELIA THERMALIS 

 Common Name: HOT SPRING PHACELIA 



Global rank: G3G4 Forest Service status: 

 State rank: SI Federal Status: 



Element occurrence code: PDHYD0C4L0 . 002 

 Element occurrence type: 



Survey site name: YORK ISLAND 



EO rank: BC 

 EO rank comments: PROTECTED EO OF LIMITED SIZE AND UNNATURAL 



HABITAT. 

 County: GARFIELD 

 USGS quadrangle: YORK ISLAND 

 Township: Range: Section: TRS comments: 

 025N 04 IE 08 SW4 ; SW4NW4 

 Precision: S 

 Survey date: 1998-07-17 Elevation: 2250 - 

 First observation: 1978 Slope/aspect: 



Last observation: 1998-07-17 Size (acres) : 1 

 Location: YORK ISLAND, CHARLES M. RUSSELL NWR. 



Element occurrence data: 



CA. 50 PLANTS IN 3 SUBPOPULATIONS; THEY ARE OUTLIERS OF 1-2 

 INDIVIDUALS EXCEPT FOR THE SUBPOPULATION IN THE EASTERNMOST BACKWATER. 

 IN FRUIT AND LATE FLOWER 17 JULY 1998. 



General site description: 



BEACHES OF REWORKED SHALE, AND EPHEMERALLY PONDED BACKWATERS SET OFF 

 FROM FORT PECK RESERVOIR BY WRACK LINE OF SHALE FORMED BY WAVE ACTION. 

 HIGHEST SPECIES NUMBERS ARE AT THE EDGE OF AN OPEN, EVAPORATED 

 BACKWATER POOL SURROUNDED BY A ROBUST WEEDY COMMUNITY OF CHENOPODIUM, 

 HELIANTHUS ANNUUS, AND LEPIDIUM SATIVUM. 



Land owner/manager: CHARLES M. RUSSELL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 

 YORK ISLAND RESEARCH NATURAL AREA 



Comments : 



ALMOST ALL SUITABLE HABITAT WAS SURVEYED IN 1998. THE RESERVOIR 

 REACHED MAXIMUM POOL CAPACITY IN 1997. IN THE SPRING OF 1998 WATER 

 LEVELS WERE LOW BUT HAVE RISEN 5 FEET WITH JUNE RAINS. THESE CHANGES 

 AFFECT SPECIES BIOLOGY (DISPERSAL, ESTABLISHMENT) AS WELL AS HABITAT 

 AVAILABILITY. OBSERVED BY B. HEIDEL, S. COOPER, AND G. GUENTHER IN 

 1998. 



Information source: COOPER, S. V. AND B. L. HEIDEL. 1999. BIODIVERSITY 

 INVENTORY AND REPRESENTATIVENESS ASSESSMENT OF 

 RESEARCH NATURAL AREAS ON NATIONAL WILDLIFE 

 REFUGES IN MONTANA. UNPUBLISHED REPORT TO U.S. 

 FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE. MONTANA NATURAL 

 HERITAGE PROGRAM 



Specimens: LACKSCHEWITZ, K. H. (8248). 1978. SPECIMEN #81943. MONTU. 



