30 



Seeds of A. barrii were collected by the 

 Nebraska Statewide Arboretum in 1986. 

 These seeds were then germinated to 

 establish and maintain living specimens of 

 this species for research and educational 

 purposes (Locklear 1987) . 



b. Self-sustaining breeding populations: 



None known. 



c. Stored seed: The Nebraska Statewide 

 Arboretum is maintaining seeds of A. 

 barrii under the auspices of the Center 

 for Plant Conservation (Locklear 1987) . 



11. Evidence of threats to survival. 



A. Present or threatened destruction, modification, or 

 curtailment of habitat or range: As stated above 

 (10. A. 4., p. 29), several of the sites may be 

 threatened by the strip mining of coal on private 

 lands, including Miller Coulee (005) , Colstrip SE 

 (027) , and Pearl School (028) . Some populations 

 have probably been extirpated as a result of this 

 activity. 



B. Overutilization for commercial, sporting, 

 scientific, or educational purposes: No known 

 threats. 



C. Disease, predation, or grazing: No known threats. 



D. Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms: 



Currently, there are no statutes in Montana which 

 provide state legal protettion for A. barrii . 



E. Other natural or man-made factors: Drought-induced 

 loss of individuals indicates that a long-term 

 change towards a warmer and dryer climate might 

 threaten the existence of the lower-elevation 

 populations of A. barrii . especially those in more 

 exposed locations. 



II. ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



12. General assessment of vigor, trends, and status: In 



Montana, Astragalus barrii is currently known from 27 

 locations in Bighorn, Powder River and Rosebud counties, 

 and from one historic location in Carter County. Many of 

 the populations are large. 



Some of the populations on the Custer National Forest 

 occur on sites where plant succession is more advanced 



