weevil has not been well enough studied to know if this 

 is a problem. Likewise the effect of grazing is also 

 not known. Whether C. lonqistylum is a "good" species 

 or a hybrid poses a fundamental question. If C. 

 lonqistylum is a true species, it might suffer from 

 introgression either from C. hookerianum or C. 

 scariosum . The affect of unnatural disturbance on 

 introgression warrants investigation if introgression 

 is documented. 



B. MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESPONSE: Cirsium lonqistylum 



has been found along roadsides, in grazed pastures, and 

 in clearcuts. Although it appears to maintaining its 

 population numbers with respect to the road maintenance 

 and grazing, populations seem to diminish gradually 

 from clearcut areas as the site regenerates. 



C. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING VIABLE POPULATIONS: 



Cirsium lonqistylum is frequently found in disturbed 

 situations. Even in the natural settings, C. 

 lonqistylum occurs in areas where burrowing animals 

 have churned the soil. Thus for its long-term 

 persistence at a site, it may require be more or less 

 constant disturbance. The appearance of C. lonqistylum 

 along roadsides and in clearcuts is therefore not 

 unusual, but may not contribute to long-term viability. 

 This is particularly the case with clearcuts where 

 disturbance happens once and the forest eventually 

 regenerates. A plant which prefers open, unshaded, 

 meadow situations, C. lonqistylum probably cannot 

 tolerate the shading effect produced by tree growth. 



D. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT: Cirsium 



lonqistylum is currently designated by the U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service as a Category 2 species. However 

 it has no Forest Service status. Although the 

 possibility of the species being listed as Endangered 

 or Threatened is remote until genetic studies and 

 threat assessments are done, populations should at 

 least be recorded and if possible protected until a 

 decision is made to list or drop from Category status. 



E. SUMMARY: Ten population of Cirsium lonqistylum were 



found during the course of this survey, three of which 

 represented new county records. Nine were discovered 

 or relocated in the Big Belt Mountains, and a new site, 

 the most western for the species, was found in the 

 Elkhorn Mountains. These ten populations represent 

 approximately one-third of the total known of this 

 Montana endemic. The majority of the ten represent 

 populations in disturbances caused by man, but 

 populations in intact habitat were also documented. 



34 



