||;_;_^edicated to the appreciation and conservation of the Colorado native flora” Volume 14, Number 3 May/June 1990 Pawnee Land Transfer Derailed - Temporarily? Rick Brune The US Forest Service’s desire to in- crease public land on the Pawnee Na- tional Grassland as described in the last issue {Aquilegia Vol. 14, No. 2, on page 9) is stalled. Written comments received by the Forest Service concerning the transfer were about equally divided pro and con. Most of the ‘pro-transfer’ com- ments were from the environmental community; most of the ‘con’ were from the ranching community. After documenting many reasons why these lands should be transferred to the Forest Service (marginal agricultural value, adjacent to Naitonal Grassland, native rangeland, riparian areas with free water), Regional Forester Gary Cargill asked the FmHA to re- offer the land for sale (letter of 4/2/90). The main reason is a fear that adamant opposition from local citizens, mostly ranchers, will result in the undermining of support for existing programs on the National Grassland. A good working relationship with local ranchers is viewed by the Forest Service as a necessity for effec- tively managing the grasslands. If the land is not purchased when re-of- fered for sale, the Forest Service is will- ing to accept ownership. Most of a private tract of about 7000 acres recent- ly offered south of Pawnee Buttes went unsold, if offered at fair market value, the Forest Service may still end up with the FmHA land. FmHA asked the Forest Service to con- sider imposing conservation easements on the land to protect the attributes in which the Forest Service is interested. The Forest Service responded that violation of the easements is difficult to anticipate and prevent, and that viola- tions such as plowing would frustrate the purpose of the easement. In other words, don’t pass laws if someone might break them! If you would hke to contact the Forest Service to express your support for the use of easements to protect the FmHA Weld County rangeland which was proposed for transfer to the Pawnee Na- tional Grassland, please write to: Gary Cargill, Regional Forester US Forest Service 11177 W. 8th Ave. Box 25127 Lakewood, CO 80225-0127 4 In this Issue . . . Books 2 1990 Field Trips 4,5 Pawnee Forum 3 Prairie Garden 6,7 100% recycled Page 2 Aquilegia Volume 14 Society Book Bargains The CONPS Board has decided to provide a limited book service from time to time. The Society will purchase a quantity of books and make them avail- able to members at a price somewhat less than the regular retail price. The percentage of discount will be deter- mined by the arrangement made with each mass purchase. Our first purchase was the latest of the series Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, USA. This book, Volume 3 Part B, includes the three families of the Fabales, more often known as the legumes (Leguminosae). It was published in late 1989 by the New York Botanical Gar- den. The cost is $50 if ordered from CONPS ($61.63 ordered directly from NYBG). Checks payable to the Colorado Native Plant Society may be sent to Velma Richards, 3125 W. Monmouth Ave., Englewood, CO 80110. You may wish to call Velma (at 794-5432) to reserve a copy, as only a few are left. Look for our offering of Dr. Weber’s Colorado Flora: Eastern Slope as soon as it is available (tentatively July?). 100% Recycled Paper Aquilegia is published six times per year by the Colorado Native Plant Society. This newsletter is available to members of the Soeiety, and others with an inter- est in native plants. Contact the Society for subscription information. Articles from Aquilegia may be used by other native plant societies if fully cited to author and attributed to Aquilegia. The Colorado Native Plant Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of the Colorado native flora. Membership is open to all with an interest in our na- tive plants, and is comprised of plant en- thusiasts, both professional and non- professional. Please join us in helping to encourage interest in enjoying and protecting the variety of native plants in Colorado. The Society sponsors field trips, workshops and other activities through local chap- ters and statewide. Contact the Society or a chapter representative or commit- tee chair for more information. Schedule of Membership Fees Life Family or Dual Supporting Individual Organization Student or Senior $250.00 $ 12.00 $50.00 $8.00 $25.00 $4.00 Membership Renewals/Information Please direct all membership applica- tions, renewals and address changes to the Membership chairperson, in care of the Society’s mailing address. Please direct all other inquiries regard- ing the Society to the Secretary in care of the Society’s mailing address. Newsletter Contributions Please direct all contributions to the newsletter to: Peter Root 4915 West 31st Avenue Denver, CO 80212 Deadlines for newsletter materials are February 15, April 15, June 15, August 15, October 15 and December 15. Officers President Jim Borland 329-9198 Vice-President WillMoir 482-4872 Secretary Rob Udall 482-9826 Treasurer Myma P. Steinkamp 226-3371 Board of Directors Betsy Neely (90) Boulder 443-8094 Jim Borland (90) Denver 329-9198 Beth Painter (91) Ft Collins 482-2283 Brian W. Geils(90) Ft Collins 482-8607 Tina Jones (91) Denver 759-9701 Tamara Naumann (91) Boulder 440-8933 Elizabeth Otto (90) Idaho Spg 567-2384 Velma Richards (90) Englewood 794-5432 Robert Udall (91) Ft Collins 482-9826 Gayle Weinstein (91) Denver 333-3024 Chapter Presidents Boulder Margie Wortzman Denver Metro Carol Dawson Ft. Collins Jennifer Crane Yamparika Reed Kelley San Juan Peggy Lyon Conservation Committees Sue Martin Editorial Peter Root Education Miriam Denham Field Trips Jeff Dawson Florissant Maiy Edwards Horticulture/ Rehabilitation Dorothy Udall Membership Myma Steinkamp Publicity Tina Jones Workshops Bill Jennings 494-1640 722-6758 493-2142 8784666 626-5526 226-3371 433-9340 442-1020 722-6758 233-8133 482-9826 226-3371 759-9701 666-8348 Number 3 Aquilegia Pages Pawnee National Grassland Forum Rick Brune Thirteen members of various interest groups met with the Forest Service in Greeley on April 26th to discuss management concerns about the Pawnee National Grassland. I attended the meeting on behalf of the Society. Comments from this meeting will be used in the Forest Plan revision process and for problem solving by Forest Ser- vice staff. Interest groups represented included the Audubon Society, Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado State University, Crow Valley Livestock, dirt bikers, New Raymer Fire Dept., Pawnee Grazing Assoc., and oil and gas interests. Topics of discussion were wildlife and plant concerns, range programs, recrea- tion, oil and gas, and land ownership. A complete copy of the comments by all persons at the meeting has been sent to \he Conservation Chairperson and the President (Jim, not George). The fol- lowing is a brief summary of some of the suggestions made that are of interest to CONPS. Wildlife and Plants CONPS recommended that the Forest Service take early action to protect sen- sitive species before they reach threatened or endangered status. We recommended that they study impacts of all proposed activities on all vegeta- tion communities including "non- productive" types such as clay barrens. Clay barrens have been recommended for off-road vehicle (ORV) use because they appear ‘bare’, although they sup- port a relatively unstudied plant com- munity. John Wagner, Division of Wildlife, recommended a complete wildlife in- ventory for the Grassland, and noted management difficulties which arise when Forest Service management stops at boundaries wildlife don’t recognize. Dave Leahy, dirt biker, indicated ORV users would be willing to move to protect plant and animal species or communities. Range Programs CONPS recommended the Grassland be managed for a late serai (nearer climax) stage instead of the mid-seral toward which the Forest Service is now managing. This would increase the amount of mid-grasses and forbs and produce a more vigorous grassland. We also recommended resting plants from grazing during part of the growing season by using rotation systems. Most participants supported this idea but op- position could arise later as this would mean significant management changes. Recreation CONPS position is that because the Forest Service is charged with protect- ing resources, ORV use is not com- patible with the Grassland. Potential trail erosion problems and plant damage from increased mountain bike use also need to be addressed before problems arise. Forest Service road development on the Grassland needs thorough review with the idea of eliminating some roads and not overbuilding others. John Wagner noted that sensitive areas such as some of the escarpments may need to be closed to public access for protection. Nesting golden eagles and prairie falcons have been driven from their traditional nesting sites in the Pawnee Buttes areas by human in- trusion. Oil and Gas Concern was expressed that ap- propriate methods and standards be set for rehabilitation of both federal and private surface lands. Land Ownership All participants acknowledged the dif- ficulties associated with checkerboard land ownership patterns on the Grassland. Although there is disagree- ment about the appropriateness of large land acquisitions by the Forest Service, everyone agrees that small scale acquisi- tions for habitat enhancement or to con- solidate fragmented holdings is desirable. ^ Page 4 Aquilegia Volume 14 Field Trips for1 990 Rio Blanco County Rare Plants and Natural Areas Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28 Leaders: Rusty Roberts, BLM; Reed This field trip will begin at 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 26th in Rangely, CO (292 miles from Denver), at the Rangely Museum located on the west end of town. The first site visited will be the Raven Ridge Natural Area/BLM Area of Critical Concern. In the late after- noon we will visit the Greasewood Creek Natural Areas to look at Uinta gilia (G. stenothyrsa and pinyon-juniper, Great Basin grassland, and lowland sage communities. The group will return to the Rangely Museum for an evening barbeque. Motel accomoda- tions and camping facilities are avail- able in Rangely for Saturday night. Kelley, Yamparika Chapter Sunday, May 27, will begin with a drive over Calamity Ridge (through wild horse country with stud piles!) to the South Cathedral Bluffs Natural Area. After lunch on Sunday, the group will drop down onto Piceance Creek to visit the Dudley Bluffs Natural Area, and see the federally threatened Dudley Bluffs bladderpod (Lesquerella congestd) and Piceance twinpod {Physaria obcordata). From Dudley Bluffs, we will drive up Piceance Creek to the Deer Gulch Natural Area. Monday, Memorial Day, is open for now. Depending on the interests of the participants we could visit such Meeker phenomena as the White River Museum, Sleepy Cat Resort, or even Trappers Lake in the Flattops Wilder- ness Area. Bring lunches and water each day. Regular cars will be appropriate. For more information and to register, call Reed Kelley at (303) 878-4666, Rusty Roberts at (303) 878-3601, or Jeff Daw- son (field trip chairman in Denver) at (303) 722-6758. This trip will be limited to about 20 participants. ^ Southeastern Colorado Canyonlands Saturday, June 9, 1990 Leader: Rich Rhoades, District Conservationist, SCS Southeastern Colorado sandstone canyonlands will be the subject of a one- day tour to be held Saturday, June 9. The canyonlands, particularly where the Huerfano and Cucharas Rivers meet, are very scenic and should have some in- teresting plant species to identify. Along the way we will stop to view and discuss Conservation Reserve Program grass seedings that were established two years ago. To get there, travel on 1-25 thirty minutes south of Pueblo to the Graneros Exist (No. 71). We will meet on the east side of the exit at 9:00 AM and return to the starting point. Bring a lunch and water with you. Two wheel drive pick- ups (especially if full size) will be suffi- cient. We plan to return to Pueblo by 6:00 PM. There will be moderate hiking involved. You can register by contacting Rich Rhoades at home (719-545-4352) or at work (719-543-8384). 4 , Poudre and Laramie River Meadows and Fens Saturday, June 30, 1990 Leaders: Dieter Wilkin and Jan McKee This trip will visit several wet meadows and fens along the upper Poudre and Laramie River drainages. We an- ticipate visiting populations of Lilium philadelphicum (wood lily), Lomatogonium rotatum (marsh fel- wort), Utricularia (bladderwort), and Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar). This trip will also include a visit to Bos- ton Peak fen, a 10,000 year old glacial kettle remnant, which supports Salix Candida, Carex livida, C. limosa, and C diandra, taxa that are relatively rare in Colorado. Participants will meet at 9:00 AM at the Narrows Picnic Site along Highway 14, about 20-21 miles west of the junction with US Highway 287 northwest of Fort Collins, approximately one mile past the north end of the Big Narrows Gorge. Reservations are required: Call Dieter Wilken to sign up, at 303-491-6036 (days) or 303-482-2283 (nights). We strongly recommend a change of foot- ware or waders for several of the site ex- cursions. In accordance with CONPS policy at most sites to be visited, no plant^^ collecting will be permitted. jf. Number 3 Aquilegia Page 5 Rollins Pass Saturday, July 21, 1990 Leader: Paul F. Gilbert TWa^pi Rollins Pass, or Corona as it is some- times called, is the route of the first rail- road (Moffat Railroad) over the Continental Divide into Middle Park. The old railroad grade winds through typical mountain and subalpine zones to wide open tundra. This is an excellent area to get reacquainted and review Colorado alpine species. We will also review the history and hard times of pioneers using the route, as well as evidence of prehistoric people here 5,000 years ago. The meeting time and place will be 9:00 AM sharp at the flagpole in the Safeway parking lot in Fraser. This is a good place to pool cars since there is plenty of free parking. From here to the top of mo»vfanu,iv» Illustration by Ann Cooper Saturday, September 1, 1990 South Park Leader: David Cooper This field trip will explore the flora of peatlands in South Park. We will visit a variety of sites ranging from Jefferson on the north side of South Park, to High Creek Fen in the middle of the Park. We will focus on late-blooming plants, in- cluding sedges, grasses, rushes, mosses and flowering plants. We will talk about the biogeography of the flora, the characteristics of the region and its plant communities, and the effects of peat mining on flora and communities. A number of rare plants will be ob- served, including Ptilagrostis porteri, Scirpus pumilus (Baeothryon pumilum), ^^Eriophonim gradle, Primula egaliksen- sis, Sisyrinchium pallidum, Carex microglochin, and many others. Meet in Fairplay in the parking lot of the Fairplay Hotel at 9:00 AM Saturday, Sept. 1. Those arriving Friday night can stay at the historic Fairplay Hotel (reasonable rates). Alternatively, David Cooper will be camping near Fairplay, and participants who wish can arrange to join him for primitive camping (no facilities). Bring rubber boots (knee-high) or be prepared to get wet. Bring a variety of clothes for varied conditions. Regular passenger cars will be suitable for access to all sites. The total walking will be a mile or less, at elevations of 9000 to 11000 ft. Trip limit 25. For reservations, contact Jeff Dawson, (303)722- 6758 (Denver). the pass is 18.5 miles. Many people take modern cars to the top; however, high clearance vehicles such as vans and trucks are best. Weather permitting, you can expect a 1/4 to 1 mile hike (11,600 feet elevation). It is also possible for the brave at heart who have a high clearance vehicle to go over the top and down to RoUinsville and Boulder. Ruth Ashton Nelson’s "Plants of Rocky Mountain National Park" fits this area and has easy keys. Bring your hand lens, awarmjacketandraingear. Do not for- get water and a sack lunch. Contact Paul Gilbert (303-725-3906) or Jeff Dawson (303-722-6758) for reserva- tions. Page 6 Aquilegia Volume 14 The Prairie Garden, Part II: Getting Started Rick Brune Introduction Nearly all seed companies now offer some sort of enticing "wildflower" mix in a can, bag, etc. The implication is that you simply sow the mixture and your weed problem magically becomes a beautiful wildflower meadow. If you are lucky and sow your seeds in weed-free sod, you will get a flower display con- taining everything from petunias and sweetclover to blue flax and California ' poppies. You won’t get a prairie. In a natural world, prairies revegetate disturbed sites such as abandoned roads, fields, and prairie dog towns in a fairly well prescribed succession. The earliest successional stage is charac- terized by the dominance of annual species such as six- weeks fescue (Vul- pia octoflora), white-stemmed evening primrose {Oenothera albicaulis), com- mon pigweed {Chenopodium album), and now exotic weeds such as Russian thistle {Salsola kali). This stage is followed by stages with longer-lived species such as sand drop- seed (Sporobolus cryptandnis), Indian ricegrass {Oryzopsis hymenoides), bahia {Bahia oppositifolia), and evening star {Mentzelia nuda). Later stages have long-lived plants including blue grama {Bouteloua gracilis), big bluestem {Andropogon gerardii), leadplant {Amorpha canescens), prairie cone- flower {Ratibida columnifera), white penstemon {Penstemon albidus) and copper mallow {Sphaeralcea coccinea). The longer-lived plants can appear at any successional stage but become prominent in later stages. The rate at which succession proceeds depends on many factors. The length of time a site is disturbed by activities such as plowing influences the rate of succes- sion. Prairie species can survive as seeds and plants in plowed fields for several years. A field plowed for only a year will revert to prairie more quickly than one plowed for ten years. Sites where all vegetation is effectively destroyed will move toward a late succession stage at a rate highly influenced by the proximity of a native seed source upwind and by the amount of rainfall. A potential prairie site downwind from an area hke Denver where essentially all native prairie vegetation has been destroyed may require decades if not centuries to advance beyond all but the earhest suc- cessional stages. With average rainfall, succession may proceed quite slowly be- cause periods of drought will kill many seedling perennial plants. Above average rainfall will greatly speed suc- cession and enhance plant estab- lishment. Although members of the Colorado Na- tive Plant Society may find growing plants of the different successional stages interesting, most of our neighbors will not. The goal with our prairie gar- den is to end up with a planting resem- bling a climax prairie, not a weed field. Note, however, that planting large amounts of early successional species with a light seeding of the climax species is used successfully in the midwest. This is a viable, and probably necessary, ap- proach to successful large scale restora- tions. Weed Control The thrill of growing thousands of wildflowers in your own prairie is in- creased many-fold by one thing — CONTROLLING THE WEEDS FIRST! Nothing else you do will in- crease your chance of success as much. If you have weeds in your yard and you rototill them under and plant a prairie, you will grow a superior weed crop and, very likely, no prairie. Remember, you will never again be able to use any broadcast herbicides on your yard without disastrous consequences for your wildflowers. Controlling the weeds first is the most important advice I can give to ensure success. (Sometimes I regret not following my own best ad- vice.) If you really do have a weed-free turf ex- cept for a few dandelions, consider rent- ing a sod cutter and removing the sod. Be sure you remove all bluegrass rhizomes and be especially sure you are not leaving any quackgrass {Agropyron repens) rhizomes. The latter will cause havoc in your prairie. The resulting sur- face can be immediately rototilled and planted with generally weed-free results. If you are less than positive about remaining rhizomes, water and wait two weeks to see if any grasses sprout, then dig them out. Starting with bare soil of unknown weed seed content, a few sessions of watering to germinate seeds, followed by hoeing or tilling, will provide some control. It will also give an indication of the severity of your weed problem. Pay particular at- tention to the presence of bindweed {Convolvulus arvensis), thistle {Cirsium arvense and C. vulgare), and perennial grasses. Control them before planting. If, hke me, you are working with less than a golf-green quality setting, with the usual contingent of weeds and a ht- tle bindweed and thistle here and there, the following procedure works well but requires the use of a glyphosate her- bicide, such as the commercially avail- able Roundup™. Spray the area to be planted with herbicide following the label directions. This will kill bluegrass, quackgrass, and other common turf grasses and damage, but probably not kill, bindweed and thistle. Weekly during the rest of the growing season, religiously chase down and spray every sprout of anything green that appears. It is especially important that every grow- ing weed be sprayed about two weeks before the first frost. At this time the weeds are most actively transporting nutrients (and herbicides) to all under- ground parts. The result is effective con- trol. At the end of the summer, if it hardly seems worth the effort to mix an ounce of Roundup to spray a few weeds, you are on your way to success. However, if you are still lugging around a two-gallon sprayer, plan on another year of weed control before you plant. Do not be tempted to use soil sterilants to kill your crop of weed seeds. It is dif- ficult to predict the persistence ol.^^ sterilants in the soil, and they can cause trouble for years afterward. They also kill or damage distant plants whose continued next page Numbers Aquilegia Page? roots extend into the treated area — far beyond the drip-line of the tree. Don’t ise pre-emergent weed killers either. It is not necessary to use herbicides to kill pernicious weeds such as bindweed. They can be controlled by constant till- ing. However, the time needed to ex- haust the root system may be as long as three years. Prairie Placement While pondering your weed problem, think about the size and placement of your prairie. Shade is not part of the na- tive prairie. A prairie garden will not succeed if sun is not available nearly all day. In my experience, two or three hours of shade at mid-day will prevent the development of stolons by buffalo- grass. Native prairies are spacious ecosystems which flow away from the observer to the distant horizons. For visual effect and the enjoyment of wandering around your home-grown prairie, plan it as big as your yard, enthusiasm, energy, and spouse allow. Any size you plant will be rewarding and educational. Watering required to establish a prairie is initially no different than that re- quired for any lawn grass. Therefore, carefully consider how large an area you can water before starting your prairie project. An installlment-type planting is probably best if planting a large area. You will also have time to learn what works best for your situation, and you can apply your hard-earned knowledge to future plantings. Annually planting a plot which can be watered by two oscil- lating sprinklers (about 1000 to 1200 sq ft) provides ample challenge if your site is at all weedy. With your prairie in the planning stage and while you are CONTROLLING THE WEEDS, look carefully at a natural shortgrass prairie to see how it is put together botanically. A good prairie to study is one that lacks exotic species such as cheatgrasses {Bromus spp.), Russian thistle, Russian knap- weed (Centaurea repens)^ or crested wheatgrass {Agropyron cristatum). Most species should be long-lived perennials such as milkvetch (Astragalus spp.), shrubby buckwheat (Eriogonum effusum), prairie coneflower and copper mallow. There should be few early suc- cessional natives such as six-weeks fescue, In- dian ricegrass, or snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae). In a healthy prairie, plants will not be growing on small soil pedestals above ground level, a situation which indicates active soil erosion. For designing your own prairie, observe charac- teristics such as which plants form colonies and which grow seem- ingly at random; which plants associate with certain other plants; preferred slopes (upper, middle, lower); preferred aspect, or ex- .r1 S r ^ 'if ^ ft I fA posure (N,S,E,W); and soil types (sandy, clay, rocky). Wildflower Sources Visiting a wildflower-laden prairie will result in a long ‘wish- list’ of species you want to plant. Because many of these will not be available commercially, you will need to grow many of your own. It is not the purpose of a prairie garden to create one prairie by digging up and destroying another. Besides, except for a few rhizomatous species, few prairie plants can be successfully transplanted. Anyone wanting to attempt transplant- ing will find plenty of ‘FOR SALE’ signs indicating areas of future development where all remaining prairie species will soon be bulldozed. Conducting salvage in such areas, with permission, can provide appropriate opportunities for spending your energies on transplanting experiments. Many prairie wildflowers have a notorious tendency to become all but in- visible when not in bloom. You will be hard-pressed, for example, to find one plant of Nuttall’s violet {Viola nuttalllii) in seed on a site where you saw hundreds of them in bloom a few weeks earlier. Other species, such as gayfeather (Liatris punctata), are rather con- spicuous in seed. Labeling potential seed plants with stakes tall enough that you can relocate them (but vandals can’t) is another pos- sibility. I once used 12-inch tall labels on dozens of potential seed plants, but I couldn’t relocate any of them after the grasses grew up. The stakes showed up later after the grasses were flattened by rain or snow, but the seeds were long since dispersed. Visiting your potential seed plants at least weekly is the best way to keep track of them, 2 md ensures your presence when the seeds are ready. An added bonus is that you can observe the plant throughout its season and learn to identify it when it is not in flower, which is very rewarding. Few of us need even that much incentive to take a hike! Next Issue: Planting your Prairie Calendar Overview Additional information about calendar items wili be found throughout this issue. 1990 Field Trips May 26-28 Rio Blanco Rarities Leaders: Rusty Roberts, Reed Kelley June 9 Southeastern Canyons Leader: Rich Rhoades June 30 Poudre/Laramie Fens Leaders: Dieter Wilkin, Jan McKee July 21 Rollins Pass Leader: Paul F. Gilbert September 1 South Park Leader: David Cooper Coming in September — Society Annual Meeting RETURN AND MAILING ADDRESS Colorado Native Plant Society P.O.Box 200 Fort Collins, Colorado 80522 Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit #1475 Denver, Colorado Time Value Material - Mailed on or about May 21