Colorado Native Plant Society N EW SLETTER Volume 5 Number 4 Qctober-Decenber 1981 'Dedicated to the /iPPRECIAtion and Conservation of the Colorado Flora" ADDRESS OFFICERS President: Lloyd Hayes Vice-President: J. Scott Peterson Secretary: Sue Martin Treasurer: Myrna Steinkamp BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Armstrong (81) Boulder 494-0545 Bob Bowman (81) Ft. Collins 491-6524 Miriam Denham (82) Boulder 442-1020 Virginia Dionigi (82) Hygiene 776-2609 Tom Eamon (81) Golden 279-1076 Mary Edwards (82) Arvada 233-8133 Scott Ellis (82) Ft. Collins 493-6069 Lloyd Hayes (82) Ft. Collins 226-5365 Bob Heapes (81 ) Parker 841 -3978 Sue Martin (81) Ft. Collins 226-3371 J. Scott Peterson (81 ) Denver 623-1913 Myrna Steinkamp (81) Ft. Collins 482-7717 Karen Wiley-Eberle (81) Craig 824-3417 COMMITTEES CONSERVATION Barry Johnston EDITORIAL Beth Painter EDUCATION Virginia Dionigi FIELD TRIPS Bob Heapes HORTICULTURE & REHABILITATION Mark Phillips LEGISLATIVE J. Scott Peterson MEMBERSHIP Myrna Steinkamp PUBLICITY vacant COLORADO NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY P.0. BOX 200 Ft. Collins, CO 80522 SCHEDULE OF MEMBERSHIP FEES LIFE $ 250.00 SUPPORTING 50.00 SOCIETY 25.00 FAMILY 12.00 INDIVIDUAL 8.00 STUDENT & RETIRED 4,00 Nonmembership subscriptions to the NEWSLETTER are $ 4.00 per year. NEWSLETTER ARTICLES Please direct all contributions and articles to the EDITOR, Beth Painter, in care Society's mailing address. of the Deadlines for the quarterly NEWSLETTERS are the last day of February, May, August and November. MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS AND INFORMATION Please direct all membership applications, renewals and address changes to the MEMBERSHIP Chair, Myrna Steinkamp, in care of the Society's mailing address. Please direct all other inquiries regarding the Society to the SECRETARY, Sue Martin, in care of the Society's mailing address. Announcements ENDANGERED WILD FLOWER CALENDAR The Rare and Endangered Native Plant Exchange has produced an Endangered Wild Flower Calendar, Pro- ceeds from sale of the calendars are to be used to help native plant conservation projects accross the nation. The calendars include 14 attractive* full -col or photographs of endangered wild flowers in their native habitats. Species are from all sections of the country- The cover photo is a large* eyecatching picture of the deep red flower of the Eagle's Claw Cactus, The calendar also includes several pages of text which cover a great deal of information, including the following; Information about the habitat, unique features, reasons for endangerment , and recovery plans, if any, for each of the species featured. Suggested ways for concerned citizens to help endangered wild flowers in their region of the country, with addresses for further infor- mation. A map of the U.S. showing the number of endan- gered plant species in each state. A list of selected reading material, including two books suitable for children. Full page calendars with spaces for notes each day. The Endangered Wild Flower Calendar was produced by menbers of the New York Botanical Garden, New England Wild Flower Society, North Carolina Botan- ical Garden, Tennessee Native Plant Society, Arizona -Sonora Desert Museum, California Native Plant Society, and Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, with assistance from botanists of the ULXl Fish and Wildlife Service- Federal Endangered Species Program. Calendars can be obtained by individuals by sending $5 to Rare and Endangered Native Plant Exchange, C/0 The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, N.Y. 10458. Wild flower conservation organizations are encouraged to order calendars for sale under a profit-sharing arrangement. For instructions, write the Rare and Endangered Native Plant Exchange or telephone (212) 258- 1074, 6 to 9 pm on Mondays and Thursdays or 9 to 11 am on tuesdays and Fridays. — Lloyd Hayes DUES AND MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION those of you who have not yet paid your 1982 dues will find a DUES NOTICE, an envelope to return it in, and a MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION FORM enclosed with your newsletter this time. Paid members get only the information form. We would appreciate your filling out the forms and returning them. If you received a dues envelope, both forms can be returned in it. If you did not, please send the information form to Virginia Dionigi by folding and stamping the form. — The Membership Committee POSITION ADVERTISEMENT FIELD BOTANISTS; Botanist Botanical Techicians Place: Piceance Basin (Meeker, Colorado) Project outline; a. survey Piceance Basin (1200 sq. mi.) for rare plants. b, collect data on plant coirmun- ities within Basin, ^ c. major collection of the Bas flora. Project Purpose: Major data collection for elements of natural diversity in the Piceance Basin to be utilized In decision making by federal & state agencies and the private sector. Time Period: Three month contract between the lat- ter part of April to the early part of August, 1982. Employer: The Nature Conservancy Colorado Natural Heritage Inventory Project Director; J. Scott Peterson Principal Investigator: William L, Baker Copensation: Contract-$l 500/month Botanist; $125Q/month Technician $10 per diem trailer housing Minimum Requirements: Botanist: Bachelor degree in Botany or Biology with taxonomic emphasis; extensive botanical field experience; willing- ness to work hard under adverse field conditions; leadership ability. Botanical Technician: senior standing in Botany or Biology with botanical emphasis; field experience; willingness to woi hard under adverse field conditions. Position Description.: Botanist: Functions as team leader uner the direction of the principal investi- gator; supervises a botanical tech- nician; responsible for population mapping, specimen collection, photo- graphy, and accurate record keeping; long hours and extensive foot travel (ca. 5 miles per day) required. Botanical Technicial: assist botanist with population mapping, plant pressing; completing forms, and photographing populations; long hours and exten- sive foot travel required. Applications: Please send your resume and a letter of introduction to W. L. Baker Natural Heritage Inventory 1550 Lincoln St., Room 106 Denver, Colorado 80203 by 8 January 1982 Interviews will be conducted in the latter part of January or early February, 1982. Hiring decisions will be made by mid- February, — Scott Peterson Bill Baker HIGH ALTITUDE REVEGETATION The fifth High Altitude Revegetation Workshop will be held in Fort Collins on March 8 and 9, 1982. It is sponsored by the High Altitude Re- vegetation Committee. Started in 1974, the com- mittee includes representatives of industry, business, research and education. Major sponsors include AMAX, Colorado State University, Mil e-Hi Seed Company, Aspen Skiing Corporation, Steamboat Springs, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Moun- tain College, TOSCO, USDA-SCS, USDI-NPS, Winter Park Recreational Association, Gibbs & Hill, Inc. , and Stoecker-Keimerer and Associates. In addition to the workshop the Committee sponsors revegetation research through privately donated funds and funds generated through the Workshop. The goals of the Committee are to address unique problems associated with revegetating and re- claiming high altitude lands disturbed by mining, skiing, road construction, etc. The Workshop is an effective way of bringing together experts in various fields. The biennial workshop, there- fore, includes such topics as legal requirements of reclamation, high altitude ecology, techniques employed in revegetation and reclamation, and de- velopment of plant materials. The first workshop was put together by an infor- mal committee organized ten years ago, and was held in Fort Collins. Due to the success of this r first effort, the Committee persevered and has put on workshops on alternate years ever since. In addition, field tours have been sponsored every summer. The fifth workshop— and the Committee's 10th an- niversary- -will be held again at Colorado State University in Fort Collins on March 8th and 9th, 1982. The Coimittee hopes to have this be the best workshop ever, and plans for the program have been under way since the summer of 1981. The program will include presentations on Mount St. Helens, reclamation equipment, case studies in high altitude reclamation, a session on problems and solutions related to soils, and a keynote address. The workshop will be attended by several hundred professionals and students representing a unique cross-section of industries, agencies, and insti- tutions, and a diversity of disciplines. The workshop has achieved considerable prestige over the years and the published proceedings are widely recognized as an authoritative and useful reference for up-to-date information on high altitude reclamation. REGISTRATION: Contact Julie Etra, Committee Secretary at CSU, Phone number (303) 491-6354 or (303) 491-6832 ---Jeffrey L. Pecka Committee Member High Altitude Revega tation Workshop Recent Events ANNUAL MEETING WAS REWARDING Approximately 55 members who attended the Annual Meeting on October 17 were rewarded with an in- formative panel discussion and an educational and entertaining slide talk. Four panelists discussed the topic ''Programs for the Protection of Colorado's Natural Flora from the Impacts of Intensified Land Uses"* Each pan- elist approached the topic differently, That led to a diversified, well-rounded coverage of the subject . Sidney Hanks of the U.S. Forest Service discuss- ed the federal legislation under which federal lands are managed. Through the legislative process the desires of the people, as perceived by their elected legislators, are converted into laws that direct management policies and to some extent, practices. The Multiplex-Use, Sustained Yield Act, for example, directs the Forest Ser- vice to manage the national forests for a number of specified products and services. The utili- zation of all the products and services, but perhaps most notably the harvesing of timber an. grazing of livestock, unavoidably disturbs nat- ural plant communities. Practices are intended to minimize disturbance and to restore damaged areas in most cases. In some regions attempts have been made to convert pinyon-juniper or some shrub types to grasses, but not in Colorado. (Although the density of sagebrush has been re- duced in a few cases.) Management, however, involves protection. Under protection from fire some non-climax communities such as some aspen stands may in time change to coniferous forest. The Forest Service also complies with the pro- visions of the Endangered Species Act to pro- tect endangered plants. Rhio Jackson emphasized the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's desire to work with others for the protection of natural vegetation resources and told of some of the difficulties encountered in administering some authorized land uses. He gave special attention to the State of Colorado's re- cently issued list of threatened, endangered and sensitive species and the state's policy toward them. The policy is expected to provide guidance to BLM field managers and resource personnel in dealing with that special aspect of Colorado's native flora. The plant list will be considered in the '^and use planning and decision-making pro- cesses. Special inventories and studies will be made as needed to assist decision making. The Bureau will continue to coordinate and cooperate with other federal and with State agencies in the management of the threatened, endangered and sen- sitive species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages but limited areas of public lands. Dr. Grady Towns chose to discuss his agency's Habitat Evaluation Procedure. It was a happy choice. The procedure includes a method of classifying habitats on the basis of ecologically significant characteristics Through field inventory the land is divided into habitat types. Habitat types are indicative of the ecosystems to which each is adapted, includ- ing plant associations of the ecosystem. The types are also expected to be indicative of the sensitivity of each to disturbance, provide guid- ance for mitigating detrimental disturbances, and guidance for the reclamation of damaged areas. The procedure sounded like a useful land manage- ment tool . Dr. Carse Pustmueller reported that the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages little land but it has a substantial influence on the protection of the state's native flora through the Minded Land Reclamation Division and the Natural Areas Program. The Mined Land Rec- lamation Division has formulated requirements to minimize damage to federally listed plants and native plant communities from coal mining and to reclaim mined areas. The Natural Areas Program is charged with iden- tifying, evaluating and protecting (with land- owner approval), significant and sensitive eco- logical areas in Colorado, including relatively undisturbed examples of native plant communities and habitat for rare species of native plants. The Program is the state's conservation agency through a Cooperative Agreement (Section 6, En- dangered Species Act) between DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As the program ap- plies to lands of all ownerships, it leads to cooperation with all public land managing agen- cies in Colorado, with private land owners, and with private conservation organizations. The Natural Area Program's Natural Heritage Inven- tory, a joint venture with The Nature Conser- vancy (TNC) contains site-specific, statewide date on special plants and plant communities, in addition to other elements of natural di- versity. These data are available to the public upon written request. The database is evaluated by the Inventory's TNC staff to identify prior- ity protection sites for registry and designa- tion as state natural areas, for acquistion by The Nature Conservancy, or for incorporation into management plans of the federal land man- aging agencies in Colorado. The panel discussion was followed by a refresh- ment break. The variety of refreshing snacks