To the unnamed road grader operator, resident of Rangeley CO, who on May 13, 1992, idled his machine atop Calamity Ridge and jumped down to admonish us, as we collected insects from P. obcordata flowers, to use care in dealing with those plants with the small yellow flowers because “they grow nowhere else in the world but Rio Blanco Co.”: We dub thee Sir Dudley, Knight of the Twinpod, and thank you belatedly for your challenge, for your concern.

Physaria obcordata is a rare endemic of western Colorado. Plants are self-incompatible; they cannot reproduce sexually unless pollinators move pollen between flowers of different genets. We found no evidence that: seed production was limited by inadequate pollination or that pollinations between near neighbor plants (inbreeding depression) or between distant plants (outbreeding depression) resulted in reduced fruit or seed set. Examples are given of the potentially devastating effect of grazing on fruit and seed production. Preliminary evidence suggests that P. obcordata can hybridize with its common congener, P. acutifolia. Only crosses with P. obcordata as pollen recipient and P. acutifolia as pollen donor seemed fertile. Primary flower-visitors of P. obcordata are ground-nesting native bees in the families Andrenidae and Halictidae. Most species visiting the flowers of P. obcordata are generalists. Only two bee species were likely mustard specialists. The only non-bee visitor of any import was a dipteran, Gonia (Tachinidae). Predictions of the distances flown by common bee visitors were made using the equations of Greenleaf et al. (2007). No bee is likely to travel more than 1 km from its nesting site to visit P. obcordata flowers and most are likely to fly distances that are significantly less. The implications of flight range estimates for gene flow between Physaria populations and for pollinator protection are discussed. Several recommendations are made for conservation of P. obcordata and its attendant bees.

Sites where edaphic endemic plants have evolved exist in isolated, often small patches throughout the Great Basin. Gypsophytes, plants that live on gypsum soil outcrops, are one group of edaphic endemic plants about which information on localities and habitat requirements is needed. An opportunity to provide some protection to gypsophyte species in White River Valley, Nevada, arose with the revision of Ely BLM's Resource Management Plan. Field surveys to gather locality data were performed in 2005 and 2007, and 1840 new localities were identified. Species distribution modeling can be a useful tool for delineating areas for special management to benefit species of concern. Species distribution model inputs included gypsophyte localities, elevation, slope, aspect, and remotely sensed data on probability of gypsum springmound occurrence. Model outputs were refined using field surveys, and four sites with gypsum springmounds with BLM sensitive-status gypsophytes for Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) status were proposed. These four sites have since been designated, and provide some degree of protection to gypsophytes, though the scattered, isolated nature of gypsum springmounds and other edaphic endemic plant habitats highlights the importance of the use of rare plant locality point data, as well as remotely sensed data and field surveys by land management agency staff in carrying out National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning for projects that have the potential to harm rare plant populations.

Exotic forbs are spreading throughout the western United States. Although cattle (Bos taurus) and sheep (Ovis aries) have received much attention as potential exotic vectors and rangeland disturbers, native white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a relatively unexplored cause. Particularly in exurban areas, white-tailed deer are rapidly increasing in density. We attempted to determine if there was an association between white-tailed deer and the spread of exotic forbs. We found that patches immediately adjacent to white-tailed deer trails were more diverse, contained more bare patches, and contained more species of exotic forbs than plots located three meters away. Deer may be facilitating an expansion of exotics, deer may prefer to produce trails near exotics, or deer may simply be following the spread of humans.

The Zumwalt Prairie in northeastern Oregon is the last large remnant of the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass Prairie. Compared to other prairies in North America, relatively little is known about these arid temperate grasslands as the majority disappeared quickly after Euro-American settlement. In this paper we describe the landscape history of the Zumwalt Prairie through interpretation of historical aerial photos. Beginning with photos taken in 1938, we examined photos for area of cultivation and woody vegetation and number of buildings and stock ponds. Using data collected in 1976 and 2001, area of woody vegetation was further classified as aspen (Populus tremuloides, Michx.), conifers, and shrubs for analysis of trends. Area in cultivation and number of buildings decreased over the 67 years we examined. In contrast, the number of stock ponds increased. Overall, the area of woody species increased over the period of study; area of aspen declined while acreage of conifers and shrubs increased. The land cover and land-use changes observed on the Zumwalt Prairie reflect the complex social and economic changes that have occurred since Euro-American settlement began in the late nineteenth century.

Common invasive species and rare endemic species can grow and interact at the ecotone between forested and non-forested dune habitats. To investigate these interactions, a comparison of the proximity and community associates of a sympatric invasive (Celastrus orbiculatus; oriental bittersweet) and native (C. scandens; American bittersweet) liana species to federally threatened Cirsium pitcheri (Pitcher's thistle) in the dunes habitats of Lake Michigan was conducted. Overall, the density of the invasive liana species was significantly greater in proximity to C. pitcheri than the native species. On the basis of composition, the three focal species occurred in both foredune and blowout habitats. The plant communities associated with the three focal species overlapped in ordination space, but there were significant differences in composition. The ability of C. orbiculatus to rapidly grow and change the ecological dynamics of invasion sites adds an additional threat to the successional habitats of C. pitcheri.

Invasive grasses severely impact prairies in the northwestern United States, leading to the decline of several butterfly species. Controlling these invasive species is a high priority for land managers. The use of herbicides is a promising management technique, yet effects on non-target butterflies are virtually unknown. We conducted a field investigation on the effects of a widely used grass-specific herbicide, sethoxydim, on butterfly habitat and demography using Puget blue (Icaricia (Plebejus) icarioides blackmorei Barnes and McDunnough) butterfly as a model species. Habitat use of adult silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus Doubleday), ochre ringlet (Coenonympha tullia Müller), and wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala Fabricius) butterflies was also quantified. The results suggest that the herbicide had very little to no impact on larval performance, flower species, or Puget blue oviposition, while adult butterflies spent significantly less time in sprayed plots than in controls. Given the necessity of invasive grass control in natural areas, we recommend several strategies to minimize herbicide effects on butterflies.

This paper highlights the importance of private lands for habitat and species protection and the challenges of engaging private owners of critical natural habitat in conservation programs. The literature points to similar attitudes among owners of agricultural and recreational properties. In the case study, a landowner's conservation attitude and behavior was assessed prior and subsequent to conducting a botanical survey on a critical habitat where a Michigan State threatened species and rare plant were identified. Learning of the at-risk species strengthened interest in conservation but not for protecting the rare habitat in a conservation program, despite positive experience with an agricultural property.

Agricultural property owners view conservation as normative social behavior and face quantifiable financial challenges and opportunities when weighing conservation options. In contrast, owners who purchase property for wildlife enjoyment may be more confident of their ability to independently engage in conservation and fearful of government interference and loss of privacy should critical species or habitat be discovered.

Behavioral theory informs strategies to promote private land conservation and should consider type of land use, expected conservation costs, and level of intergenerational nature engagement, among other factors. For example, in families where only the older generation is engaged, the emphasis would be on purchasing land or conservation easements. For conservation-minded families, the strategy might be to encourage biological surveys and offer conservation assistance while safeguarding privacy.

Responding to public health crises over a century ago, the cities of Vienna and Seattle established the infrastructure to convey clean drinking water from mountainous forested watersheds to urban populations. At that time, the land was subject to diverse land uses primarily centered on resource extraction. Today both protected watersheds have the primary ecosystem service goal of supplying clean water, but the specific objectives of forest conservation and management are quite different. In the Vienna Water Protection Zone (VWPZ), the objective is to slow percolation and filter water by developing naturally functioning soil layers under continuous cover natural forest. In Seattle's Cedar River Municipal Watershed (CRMW), the objective is to restore late-seral forest habitat to benefit fish and wildlife species of concern. Each watershed has unique hydrogeology, natural forest biodiversity, and forest management history, but the application of diverse forest management objectives takes surprisingly similar management methods and techniques. Each watershed prohibits clearcut timber harvest while promoting improved biodiversity and resilience through structural thinning, variable density thinning, and facilitating development of multi-aged forests.

Invasive species challenge managers of natural areas. In many ecosystems, restoring and maintaining pre-historic disturbance regimes promotes native biodiversity and controls invasive plant species. We report challenges in applying patch-burn grazing to restore the ecological interaction between fire and herbivores in eastern North American tallgrass prairie. We use United States Forest Service fire behavior software and fuel models to simulate the effect of a cool-season grass invasion into tallgrass prairie. By introducing a high-moisture fuel type into the native fuelbed, tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum Schreb. S.J. Darbyshire) creates a heterogeneous fuelbed that limits fire spread rate. Our results indicate that a high-moisture fuel type invading a high proportion of a fuelbed requires up to four times the wind speed to achieve a rate of spread similar to that in an uninvaded fuelbed. Reduced fire spread undermines restoring the natural fire regime, putting invaded grassland systems at a higher risk of succession to a woodland state. To mitigate against negative effects of high-moisture invaders on prescribed burning and ensure that fires maintain the intensity required for management goals, managers should consider the following when planning burns: Accumulate higher fuel loads by reducing herbivory or reducing fire frequency; burn earlier in the spring or later in the fall, during the dormant season of the invader; and consider alternative fire weather such as lower relative humidity, perhaps with lower wind speeds to maintain an acceptable level of complexity.

Visitors to many local, state, and national parks that include important natural and cultural resources are increasingly being visited by visitors with their companion animals, particularly domestic dogs (Canus familiaris Linnaeus). Visitors and their companion dogs are legitimate and welcome visitors to parks. Like all visitors and all uses of such sites, park managers are charged with minimizing impacts to park resources while also providing opportunities for visitors to enjoy and gain an appreciation for those resources. This paper describes a positive management technique for promoting leashing of companion animal dogs by visitors to a unit of the National Park Service located in the large urban setting of Jacksonville, Florida. Providing a positive and welcoming atmosphere for visitors with companion dogs can facilitate enjoyment and promote diligent care for park resources by this growing group of park visitors while minimizing potential impacts to resources as well as ensuring safety to all visitors, including their animal companions. This positive approach can additionally assist park efforts to create a sense of community among all its visitors.