MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 



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SURVEY FOR SENSITIVE PLANT SPECIES 

 ON DUTCHMAN MOUNTAIN, BEAVERHEAD COUNTY 



Prepared by: Jim Vanderhorst 



Montana Natural Heritage Program 



State Library 



P.O. Box 201800 



1515 E. 6th Ave. 



Helena, Montana 59620-1800 



Prepared for: USDI Bureau of Land ManagemenSTATE DOCUMENTS COLLECTION 

 Butte District 

 P.O. Box 3388 

 Butte, Montana 59702-3388 



19S7 



Montana statc library 



1515 E. 6th AVE. 

 HELENA, MONTANA 59S20 



INTRODUCTION 



This report describes a botanical survey of Bureau of 

 Land Management (BLM) holdings on Dutchman Mountain in 

 Beaverhead County, Montana. The purpose of this study was to 

 locate and survey populations of potential sensitive or watch 

 species as proposed by the Bureau of Land Management in 

 Montana (USDI Bureau of Land Management 1993). These are taxa 

 identified by State Office of the Bureau of Land Management as 

 warranting sensitive or watch designation based on global 

 rarity, state rarity, and threats. 



Surveys to determine the location and size of populations 

 of rare species are being conducted on public lands throughout 

 the west as a result of the Federal Endangered Species Act of 

 1973 and subseguent Bureau of Land Management species 

 conservation initiatives. Surveys provide baselines needed 

 for the process of developing. a list of "sensitive" plant 

 species which occur on BLM lands in Montana and for addressing 

 their conservation in the management planning process. 



THE STUDY AREA 



The study area consists of approximately 1,100 acres on 

 the east slope of Dutchman Mountain about 8 air miles 

 northwest of Dillon. The mountain lies at the southeastern 

 end of the Pioneer Mountains and is geologically similar to 

 the eastern flank of the range. The study area includes three 

 mapping units of Cretaceous to Mississippian sedimentary rocks 

 (Ruppel et al. 1993) . The top of the mountain is covered by 

 boulder fields with almost no soil development, which are 

 sparsely forested by Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and 

 Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) . Plant 







