Prince William Sound Shoreline Rare Plant Surveys

2009-2010USDA Forest Service

Prince William Sound Framework

Evaluate and improve current management framework in the Sound in response to increased human use and EVOS

Objectives: Delineate human use “hot spots”

Map sensitive cultural and biological resources

Further justification

Bioenvironmental analysis for rare plant habitat concluded PWS has highest potential on Chugach N. Forest.

Unique geologies and beaches

No systematic plant surveys to date (2009).

Prince William SoundShorelines

Sitka Spruce/Western/Mountain Hemlock Dominated Forests with a few pockets of Alaska Yellow Cedar

Luxurious Fens

Intriguing UpperBeach Meadows

Target rare/sensitive plant species:

Botrychium spathulatumB. TunuxB. yaaxudakeit

Cochlearia sessifoliaRomanzoffia unalaschcensis

Cypripedium guttatumC. Parviflorum var. pubescens Piperia unalascensis

Tanacetum bipinnatum ssp. huronese

Papaver alboroseum

Methods

120 systematic plots selected using ArcGIS Create Random Points tool and the shoreline_line coverage as the constraining feature class.

Methods cont.

30 subjective plots were selected by using known locations of rare plants, unique geologies, or unique beach habitats

Sites were surveyed following the USFS Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plant Survey Protocol>

• 1 hour per site• random or intuitive meander within 1 km of shoreline• document every species encountered.

Collections were also made for many species and are housed at the UAF Herbarium

Methods, cont.

Surveys conducted by:

Marilyn Barker, UAA

Rob Lipkin, Natural Heritage Program

Helen Cortes-Burns, Natural Heritage Program

Jonnie Lazarus, Girdwood Parks and Rec.

Al Batton, UAF

Mary Stensvold, USFS

Betty Charnon, USFS

Erin Cooper, USFS

Kate Mohatt, USFS

Pete Johnson, USFS

Rob DeVelice, USFS

Results

90 systematically selected and 10 subjectively selected sites surveyed in 2009

10 subjectively selected sites surveyed in 2010

Results cont. • 384 total plant taxa recorded (181 taxa known previously)

• Two Region 10 designated sensitive plant species at 5 locations

• Range extensions for 2 species

• 5 AKNHP Tracked Species

• 181 specimens contributed to UAF Herbarium (more coming from AKNHP)

Malaxis paludosa G4, S3

Occurrence: 2

Platanthera chorisanaG3, S3

Occurrence: 16 Carex lenticularis var. doliaOccurrence: 2

AKNHP Tracked/ Ranked Species:

Ranunculus pacificusG3, S3Occurrences: 3

Tiarella trifoliata var. unifloliata

Range Extensions

Romanzoffia unalaschcensis

One new population (?) on Hitchinbrook Island

USFS Alaska Region Sensitive Species:

4 new populations:

Hawkins IslandPort Fidalgo

Subjectively selected plots revealed no additional taxa or indicated higher than previous average number of taxa per site suggesting randomly selected points may be adequate sample of PWS shorelines

Sampling Adequacy

1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81 85 89 93 971010

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Sobs (Mao Tau)ICE MeanChao 1 MeanJack 1 Mean

No. sites

No.

spec

ies

Three estimates of species richness indicate at least 83% of PWS shoreline plants were documented

Management ImplicationsPlots in western PWS on average had higher number of taxa per site but had no Alaska Region sensitive species occurrences

Sites where Alaska Region sensitive plant populations were located receive little human use relative to others.

Future Surveys