Mountain Wilderness, the burned portion of the northern Elkhorn 

 Mountains, and low elevation prairie around the Big Belt Mts. 

 The low elevation work dovetails with sensitive species 

 priorities and is to be conducted in late May or early June 

 searching for Astragalus convallarius var. convallarius , Carex 

 vallicola . and Potentilla diversifolia var. itiultisecta . 



2) HABITATS needing general sensitive species surveys include 

 riparian and wetland communities and old growth forest. There 

 was no survey in the latter because it was not encountered and 

 background location information was unavailable at the time of 

 planning. Wetland survey needs dovetail with Juncus hallii 

 survey needs. Riparian and wetland habitats are integral to 

 biodiversity at all levels in dry mountain ranges like the Big 

 Belt and Elkhorn Mountains. Riparian and wetland sites presently 

 range from good to poor condition relative to their biodiversity 

 and ecosystem function potential. Many have the potential to 

 improve by lowering stocking rates or reducing grazing time. 



A preliminary list of riparian and wetland areas in the Elkhorn 

 Mountains which merit further survey and protection consideration 

 are Hog Hollow, Spring Creek, and Swamp Creek particularly the 

 Swamp Creek Spring complex. South Fork Lakes including the 

 uppermost lake, lakes and wetlands above the Tizer basin, Black 

 Canyon, Bear Gulch and the meadow above it, the marshes along the 

 South Fork of Crow Creek, and the aspen corridor along Jenkins 

 Gulch. 



A preliminary list of riparian and wetland areas in the Big Belt 

 Mountains which merit further survey and/or protection 

 consideration are Boulder Creek, Boulder Lakes, various Gates of 

 the Mountains watercourses. Dry Creek, and Skidway area wetlands. 

 Juncus hallii occurs in the Big Belt Mountains in a Birch Creek 

 headwaters basin with wetland complexes north of Mount Edith. 

 This area of ponds and surrounding wetlands (including sphagnum 

 bogs) was not thoroughly surveyed during this study. 



Other habitats of botanical interest include the alpine 

 vegetation on the peaks of the Mount Edith and Boulder Baldy in 

 the Big Belt Mountains and Elkhorn Mountain. While they cover a 

 small area, they contribute substantially to Helena National 

 Forest biodiversity and potentially provide biogeography insights 

 that help understand the flora as a whole. 



3) SENSITIVE SPECIES targets which warrant further survey work 

 include: 



- Low elevation prairie surveys for Astragalus convallarius var. 

 convallarius , Carex vallicola, and Potentilla diversifolia var. 

 multisecta in late May or June, as mentioned above. 



