INTRODUCTION 



Allotropa virgata was added to the U.S. Forest Service Region 1 

 list of Sensitive species in early 1991. At that time the 

 relatively few known localities consisted primarily of small 

 populations. Surveys were conducted in Montana and Idaho in the 

 late 1980s and early 1990s (Roe 1992; Carver 1991; Kratz 1989; 

 Lichthardt and Mancuso 1991) revealing the existence of many more 

 populations (Figure 1. Distribution of Allotropa virgata in 

 Montana (. Monitoring plots were established in 1990 in Idaho on 

 the site of a proposed timber sale to investigate the effects of 

 harvest on the species, and although the sale had not taken 

 place, preliminary monitoring results were reported in 1991 

 (Lichthardt and Mancuso 1991) . On the Beaverhead National Forest 

 in Montana in 1991, numbers of stems per site were compared to 

 1990 data, and monitoring plots were set up to more accurately 

 track population demography (Carver 1991) . Data from the 1992 

 season was not available at the time of this report. Monitoring 

 plots have also been established on the Bitterroot National 

 Forest in Montana. A Conservation Strategy for the species for 

 all of Region 1 was proposed as a 1992 Challenge Cost-Share 

 project to be funded by several of the national forests involved; 

 however funding was not available from all forests and the 

 project was postponed. 



The purpose of this study was to search for additional localities 

 of the Forest Service Sensitive species, Allotropa virgata , on 

 the Beaverhead and Deerlodge National Forests. Areas were 

 selected which appeared to be suitable habitat either according 

 to Forest Service staff, or from topographic maps and/or aerial 

 photographs. 



SPECIES REVIEW 



Allotropa virgata is the only species within the genus. The 

 species is primarily found in the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas, 

 from southeastern British Columbia to California (Lichthardt and 

 Mancuso 1991) . The species was discovered in Montana in 1965, 

 and in 1972 in Idaho (Steele and Stickney 1974) , These 

 populations are disjunct from the main portion of the range by 

 some 300 miles (Lichthardt and Mancuso 1992) . Little interest 

 was paid to the species until the late 1980s. Shortly after this 

 the species was listed by the U.S. Forest Service as Sensitive. 

 There are now by over 70 populations in southwestern Montana 

 (over 30; Figure 1) and adjacent Idaho (around 40; Lichthardt and 

 Mancuso 1991) . The species is found in Beaverhead, Granite and 

 Ravalli Counties in Montana on the Beaverhead, Bitterroot, 

 Deerlodge, and Lolo National Forest, and in Idaho in Idaho County 

 on the Nez Perce and Payette National Forests. 



