Colorado JVatiyePlant {Society "Dedicath) to the Appreciation and Conservation of the Couorado Flora" OFFICERS 1979-lM) aibress President: Vice-President: Secretary: Treasurer: Lloyd Hayes Scott Peterson Sue Martin Walt Ruzzo BOARD OF DIRECTORS * Ann Armstrong (81) Boulder 494-0545 Miriam Denham (80) Boulder 442-1020 Virginia Dionigi (80) Hygiene 776-2609 Tom Eamon (81) Golden 279-1076 Hugo Ferchau (80) Gunnison Lloyd Hayes (80) Ft. Collins 226-5365 Bob Heapes (81) Parker 841-3978 Sue Martin (81) Ft. Collins 226-3371 Scott Peterson (80) Ft. Collins 484-2884 Mark Phillips (80) Lafayette 823-3021 Walt Ruzzo (81) Ft. Collins 493-0305 *Year when term expires is given in (). Numbers following names are phones where Directors can be reached* All of Colorado is covered by the area code 303 COf^ITTEES EDUCATION HORTICULTURE & REHABILITATION LEGISLATIVE Karen Hollweg is rn<:r MEMBERSHIP PUBLICATIONS THREATENED & ENDANGERED Virginia Dionigi Mark Phillips vacant representative on Myrna Steinkamp Scott Peterson Bill Harmon Please direct all correspondence and inquiries to: The Colorado Native Plant Society P. 0, Box 200 Ft. Collins, Colorado 80522 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS 8 INFORfWION Please direct all membership applications, renewals and address changes to Myrna Steinkamp, Membership Chairperson, CONPS in care of the above address. SCHEDULE CF MEMBERSHIP FEES LIFE $ 250.00 supporting 50.00 society 25.00 FAMILY 12.00 INDIVIKJAL 8-00 STUDENT S RETIRED 4.00 Nonmembership subscriptions to the News- letter are $ 4.00. NEWSLETTER .OTICIES Please direct all articles of interest to the CONPS to Dieter Wilken, Editor, CONPS, in care of the above address. Deadlines for the 6 bimonthly Newsletters are the end of January, March. May, July, September and November. PICEANCE BASIN;: INTICIDUCTION TO IHE VEGEfATION" - l> The Ptceance Basin is geographically located within and floristically related to the Uinta Basin, The first concentrated study of the flora within the region was undertaken by Edward Graham of the Carnegie Museum and'pub^ llshed in 1937 as " Botanical Studies in the Uinta Basin of Utah" a¥d" Col orado " , Graham began his worHc in l93l because areas of the Basin had not been visited by botanists, be- cause it provided a natural physiographic entity, and the Museum was involved in paleon- tological investigations there for many years. Though he spent 3 field seasons collecting, Graham admitted that his work was only a sketch of the region. It was not until the early 1970' s that speci- fic investigations of the Basin were initiated. The energy resources mentioned in the last article of this series (NEWSLETTER 4 # 1) were the catalyst for this interest. Kim Vories, a founder of the CONPS, completed his Master's Thesis (A Vegetation inventory and Analysis of the Piceance Basin and Adjacent Drainages ) ~ at Western Col orado State GoTTege in Except for this work, most recent studies have not been concerned with the flori sties of the Basin. Kim Vories compiled a list of 413 species of flowering plants within his study area, which also included the Roan Cliffs. Some of the species found in over half of the plant associations in the area were SAGEBRUSH ( Artemisia tridentata ), INDIAN RICEGRASS ( Qryzopsis hymenoTdes ), CHEATGRASS ( Bromu s tec to rum ) 7 MAbB ! TIruSH khrysothamnus vis~c1diflorus ) , SERVICE BERRY ( $.ymphQricarpus~oreophilus ) , UTAH JUNIPER (Juniperus o s t eo s perma iTT I N YON (Pinus edulis), LONGLEAF PHLOX (Phlox longTfolia), NEEbLC & THREAD ( Stipa comata l inTsiT^ CRYPTANTHA ( Cryptantha seri c¥a ) . Recently, Goodrich et al . (1980) have compiled a preliminary checklist of the Uinta Basin that contains over 1500 species. Future activities will undoubtedly bring further understanding of the Basin's floristics. The vegetation of the Basin has and is being studied by numerous Investigators (Ferchau, 1973; Ward et al . , 1974; Emrich I Painter, 1978; Terwilliger, 1973; and Wiley-Eberle, pers, comm.) but much of this work is oriented toward the plant community level. Generally, the vegeta- tion of the Basin can be separated into 8 zones along an elevational gradient from low to high: (1) RIPARIAN, (2) BOTTOMLAND SAGEBRUSH. (3) DESERT SHRUB, (4) UPLAND SAGEBRUSH, (5) OAK- MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY, (6) PINYON-JUNIPER WOODLAND, (7) GRASSLAND and (8) DOUGLAS FIR^ASPEN FOREST. These zones have been further divided into 18 plant soil units by Tiedeman and Terwilliger (1978) and 35 associations by Vories (1974). Some of the unique plants that are members of the Piceance Basin flora Include the following: BARNEBY'S COLUMBINE ( Aquileqia barnebyi), UTAH FESCUE (Festuca dasyclada) and DRAGON MILKVETCH, ( Astragal usTutosu^^^^^^^ ^^^ Their uniqueness is r e 1 a t ed c h 1 e f 1 y to an occurrenceon certain specialized soil types, which limit distribution and population size. BARNEBY'S, COLUMBINE, a very handsome species v.ith yellow sepals and petals and red spurs, is a mem- ber of the Ranunculaceae (BUTTERCUP FAMILY). It appears to be arare endemic of the Green River formation, having been found only in the Piceance Basin, Glenwood Canyon, and In southern Uintah County, Utah. I have seen populations of several 100 individuals but they were distributed along an outcrop of shale that functioned as a barrier for a perched aquifer. Groups of under 50 are more common. Specific geological substrates and the presence of adequate moisture allow plants to flourish in an area of ca. 9 inches of precipitation. I have also seen this species grown in a greenhouse from seed. Along Piceance Creek, this Columbine grows with the UTAH FESCUE. The UTAH FESCUE, a member of the Gramineae (GRASS FAMILY), was listed as endangered on the USFWS list of 1976 and on the CONPS list. This species is different from other members of its genus in having a 2-f lowered spikelet, an open, divaricately branched inflorescence, and hairy (dasy) branches (clada). If one does not look closely, one might mistake it for Qryzopsis hymenoides . This unusual FESCUE was first found and described from central Utah in 1896, then was thought extirpated ,unti 1 only about 4 years ago. At that time, James Irvine made several collections on the Roan Cliffs in Garfield County, Colorado (Emrich & Painter, 1978). No individuals have been relocated in Utah. Warren Keamerer also found a population In Rio Blanco County. Known populations grow on sites ranging from"^ dry, south-facing slopes of loose shale to north-facing, mesic slopes along i^iceance Creek. A thorough search in many habitats will be ' necessary to establish its full range in the Basin. Present throughout the Piceance Basin is the DRAGON MILKVETCH, though its distribution is limited. This member of the LEGUME FAMILY (Leguminosae) received its name from the now nonexistent town of Dragon, Utah just west of the Basin. The species was relo- cated in Utah in 1978 near Rainbow, Utah by Elizabeth Neese and I, but more work is needed to establish its distribution in Utah. A broad distribution -^n the Piceance Basin of Colorado was established by Emrich and Painter (1973). The DRAGON MILKVETCH is usually found on barren shale knolls or loose scree of the Green River Formation and occasionally on the Uinta Formation. Though a small plant, it can be recognized easily by its unique leaf and fruit. This species has no threatened or endangered legal status but does appear on the CONPS list. Since Its occurrence is geographi- cally and edaphically limited, it would be vulneriblt to redye t ion In pepulation number should widespread development become a reality in the Basin. References cited in this article can be obtaii from the writer. J. Scott Peterson REVEGTATION PROVISIONS OF THE "PROPOSED RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE COLORADO MINED LAND RECLATiATION BOARD". REVEGETATION PROVISIONS OF THE PROPOSED RULES AND ReGUUTIONS OF T>£ COLiDRADO MINED LAND RECLAMATION BOARD It took considerable searching in this 335 page document to learn completely what the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board proposes for the revegetation of mined lands. However* it was worthwhile. As the complete proposed rules and regulations unfolded, I gained the impression that they could have been written by the CONPS. It was comforting to find that the revegetation principles to which we are committed are so fully understood, and expressed as proposed regula- tions, by such a potentially influential regula- tory agency as the CMLRB. The apparent objective of the rules and regulations is, with some exceptions, to restore reclaimed lands to the pre-mining plant associations. If the pre-mining vegetation was in poor condi- tion, the objective shifts to similar lands where the existing vegetation has been "properly" managed. It is one thing to have desirable objectives, it is quite another to achieve them. On this score the proposed rules and regulations impressed me being quite promising. Any application for a .flit for extensive exploration or for mining {surface or underground) must be accompanied by a number of documents which Include a site descrip- tion, land-use information, and descriptions of all environmental resources that may be impac- ted. Among the latter Is vegetation (section 2.04.10). Some excerpts are: The vegetation information must Include "... vegetation map..., acceptable to the Division, which dilineates plant communities. . .The dili- neation. .. shall be on the basis of visually domi- nant species." "Plant communities shall be described in terms of species composition, cover and productivity." "The potential for impacts to rare and endangered plant species shall be evaluated..." "The application shall include a conceptual plan for the evaluation of the success of revegetation... "In no case may a vegetation type be disturbed until adequate data are obtained," The application also must be accompanied by a reclamation plan (2.05.4). Included must be a detailed timetable, a plan for removal, storage and redistribution of topsoil, subsoil and other material, and a plan for revegetation. The latter rniist include a schedule, species, amounts of seed methods, mulching, irrigation if nttided, and measures to evaluate success. For certain post-mining land uses, as cropland or development, non-native species are acceptable. For most post-mining uses, however, native species are sped filed. A performance bond is reouired. The period of liability under the performance bond can extend as long as 10 years in some areas. The section on performance standards for revegetation pins the requirements down quite well. A few key statements include: "...a diverse, effective, and permanent vegetation cover of the same seasonal variety. .. [shal 1 be es- tablished promptly]. "This vegetation cover shall be of predominantly native species [with exceptions, depending on proposed land use]. . . " "The operator shall utilize seed and seedlings genotypically adapted to the area, when available..." --- Lloyd Hayes OTITIONAL FIELD TRIP to the puins conservation CENTER m NATURAL AREA. TRIP leaders: Bob Heapes 779-0888 (Denver) David Buckner 494-3231 (Boulder) Sandy Emrich 399-5228 (Denver) A 7th field trip for the 1980 season has been sche- duled by Bob Heapes, Field Trip Coordinator, 9:00 AM Saturday, May 31st (NO, this is not Memorial Day weekend) will find us at the Plains Conser- vation Center and Natural Area in Arapahoe County. Located at 21 901 East Hampden i n Aurora , Col orado the Center can be reached from the north and west via 1-25 and US 36 (Boulder Turnpike) to 1-270 bypass to 1-70 at the airport, then east to 1-225, exiting at Parker Road (Colorado Highway 83). Take Parker Road south about 1 mile to Hampden and then east on Hampden about 5.5 miles to the Center. This area, owned and managed by the West Arapahoe Soil Conservation District, is a well-preserved shortgrass prairie and includes among its fauna pronghorn antelope, burrowing owls, prairie dogs and other animals typical of the native Colorado prairie. This 1600 acre area has been used as an outdoor recreation facility for Denver school chil- dren for the last 30 years and also contains repli- cas of early sod houses and other buildings. The prairie flora will be at its peak this last weekend in May and 40-50 blooming species can be expected. Bring a sack lunch. CONPS will provide the soft drinks. A canteen for the hike will be useful. This field trip will be widely publicized to attract new members. Consequently, good attendance by members to share the hosting activities will be appreciated. IT IS ESSENTIAL that you contact Miriam Denham 303-442-1020 (Boulder) to register the number of partci pants. Miriam also will have information on a meeting place for car pools originating in Boulder (cars will leave Boulder at 7:45 AM). Call Sue Martin (303-226-3371) Fort Collins for car-pooling from that city (cars will leave at 7:20 AM), INAUGURATION OF THE FLORISSANT FOSSIL APBORETIW fWGNOUAS POlWD l€AR GRAWYI 43 minion years ago a volcanic ashflow from the now extinct Guffey volcano danmed the southward flow of Grape Creek and created Lake Florissant. Intermittent clouds of volcanic dust followed and,’ as they fell upon the lake, encased both insect and plant remains within the strata of the lake bottom. Today what remains is a wealth of finely preserved fos* sils which represent the life and environment which existed in central Colorado so long ago. It takes tremendous imagination to visualize what Florissant was like during the Oligocene. There were no polar ice caps and the adjacent seas were much warmer. Perhaps the towering cumulus clouds of our suim^r skies continued year round. The elevation above sea level ms around 2000-3000 feet and hard frosts were absent. Through the hard work and diligence of paleontologists we may now identify many of the fossil legacy. Some of the plants, like YELLOW PINE, MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY. WILLOW and SERVICEBERRY are still represented in the area. Others, like SEQUOIA. SUMAC, ELM. SOAPBERRY, HICKORY, HORNBEAM, OREGON GRAPE, HAWTHORN AND REDBUD have followed climatic shifts to other regions of North America. The Important aspect revealed by the Floris- sant, however, is the presence of semi -humid species like MESQUITE, MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY, LIVE OAK AND OREGON GRAPE for here is an early record of the beginnings of our upper Sonoran f 1 ora . Beside imgai nation, it takes a great deal of humility and time- perspective to study and respect these ancient environments. The Florissant Fossil Beds represent a thin slice of time a mere 43 million years ago, and our minds should consider the 100* s or even 1000*s of millions of years that life has existed on earth. To begin to grasp the meaning of and to develop a deep, abiding love for the earth and its history is a major goal of the Colorado Outdoor Education Center located near Florissant. The fnauguration of the Florissant Fossil Arboretum is a project aimed at achieving tU goal. We have made a modest beginning and would hope that members of the CONPS would help us by sending seeds, saplings or infonrration concerning plants in the Floris- sant area. Over 95% of the identified fossil plants are still extant with regard to their generic relationships and many are still found in Colorado. For more infor- mation and lists of the Florissant Oligocene flora, contact the writer. — Rick Sanborn Colorado Outdoor Education Center, Florissant, Colorado 80816 Last Fall, Dr. Bob Bowman of CSU led 8 students into the Colorado irwuntains as pari of an experimental course on the evolution of flowering plants. The group spent an October weekend searching for fossil plant remains that had grown In Colorado during the Pal eocene. By gathering evidence in the field and comparing It to the work of paleobotanists, the students hoped to gain some concept of what the landscape was like some 60 million years ago. The fossils were collected in Willow Creek Canyon north of Granby, The idea of digging in that locality came from an examination of literature on Colorado’s fossil floras and particularly from a M.S. thesis by Charles Barnhardt at CU, Boulder. The manuscript had never been published and had remained unre- cognized for nearly 30 years. Barnhardt described his excavations and extensive fossil collections made in Middle Park. All of the fossil material was found in a thick sedimentary stratum termed the Middle Park formation, which underlies Middle Park and extends into the adjacent mountains. The formation was formed during the Pal eocene and Eocene epochs, periods of time characterized by vast regional uplifts of the earth's crust. The sediments derived from the mountains set- tled in tervening basins such as Middle Park "" As the Rocky Mountains began to rise, they also began to erode. The volume of these deposits from erosion is enormous and approach a mile in thickness. Contained within the Middle Park formation is a variety of sedi- mentary rocks, ranging from very fine-grain siltstones to pebbly breccias and conglo- merates. Even oil shale is found in the re- gion. The collection site for Dr. Bowman's class was one of the sedimentary exposures pre- viously discovered by Barnhart. That the latter indeed had been there was apparent from the shallow pit marking his dig. He had des- cribed the outcrop, which formed a ledge topping a steep open slope, as yielding the finest specimens and greatest variety of forms. It had weathered and cracked, and the resulting downward movement of rock fragments had formed a fossil -laden talus. By sifting through the debris and searching in Barnhardt 's exca- vation, the students were able to obtain over a 100 pounds of stone with leaf, branch and seed Impressions, The assemblage collected from this site con- tained more than 40 kinds of plants, only a few of which have relatives now native to Colorado. Several of the ancient species have modern relatives in the deciduous foresv of eastern North America (e.g. MAGNOLIA, HICKORY, WALNUT, SYCAMORE, BUCKTHORN and several FERNS,). Also found were giant red- woods, indistinguishable from those presently growing in California. There even were 2 types of trees, Zel koya , a member of the ELM family, and Cercidiphyllum , the KATSURA TREE, now res- tricted to the Far East. Not all of the fossil genera have disappeared from Colorado. MAPLES, COTTONWOOD, WILLOW and HORSETAILS still grow on our landscape today. After identifying -the fossils, the class tried to determine what conditions had allowed such a diverse mixture of plants to flourish. They concluded that 1 of the major factors was preci- pitation. Today the Sierra Nevada and other mountains west of the Rockies wring out much of the water from eastward moving air masses. Only a fraction of the moisture ever reaches Colorado. However, in the Pal eocene, those mountains were lowlands or low hills, which minimally interfered with circulation patterns. Most of the moisture then fell as air masses were uplifted in the vicinity of the present Rockies, The 2nd major environmental factor was tem- perature. The region was much warmer 60 million years ago than it is today and probably was more like the present-day Gulf Coast than the Colorado mountains. Tem- peratures were not only higher but also less variable. This made for moderate and pro- longed summers and relatively short, warm winters. In fact, the growing season was estimated to have been 6 months long, twice that of Granby, Colorado today. The warmer temperatures combined with abundant moisture probably created a scene similar to that of the luxurient forests now found in the south- eastern states. This moisture- loving, almost tropical forest was lost as the Rocky Mountains continued to rise over the next 50 million years. When the fossils were deposited. Willow Creek stood at only about 1500 ft, above sea level, com- pared to its present elevation at around 9000 ft. With each increase of a 1000 ft., a drop in temperature of about 3*^ F occurred. Obviously, the climate has cooled considerably. With the recent uplift of the Sierra Nevada and other western mountain ranges. Pacific moisture was gradually cut off. So the Pal eo- cene vegetation gradually died out, unable to withstand the climatic change. It was re- placed by plant life more tolerant of cold and dryness, e.g. the conifers, shrubs and grasses now typical of the region and the montane zone. By comparing the ancient forms to modern vege- tation, the students were able to see both the way in which physical conditions have changed and the manner in which plant Hfe has re- sponded to the changes. As more and more fossil sites in the region are examined, Bownan expects that our ideas concerning the evolution of the North American flora, topography and climate will become much clearer. — Paul Moran PICEANCE BASIN FIELD TRIP UPDATE This field trip of June 14-15 has accrued a lot of interest. It will please you to know that Mr. Ed Baker has graciously agreed to host us on a stop at the C-b oil shale tract. This will give us the opportunity to learn more about the development of the Piceance Basin energy industry. If you de- sire to stay in a motel in Meeker for this trip, it would be appropriate to obtain your reservations well in advance. Reserva- tions are not needed for camping in the Meeker City Park. The portion of the trip that will take us to Cathedral Bluffs lies at 8000 feet in eleva- tion , and because of the late Spring, it is very difficult to know if the flowers will be near the peak blooming period on June 14. Karen Wiley-Eberle will be able to tell us more during the last week of May. Since we want to know approximately how many people plan on going and there may be a necessity to contact you prior to the next newsletter, please drop a card to me care of the CONPS P.O. Box with your address and the proposed number of parti- cipants. Karen and I are looking forward to seeing you in June. --- J. Scott Peterson Phacelia formosula^ an endangered species Phacel ia formosula Osterhout. located in Jackson County, is threatened by aggressive mcrtor- cyclists, public use of an adjacent, campground and picnic area, and disturbance* associated with road maintenance. The known dfstribu- tion of this rare, annual or biennial member of the WATERLEAF Family (Hydrophyllaceae) Is an area north of Walden, Colorado. This spe- cies was proposed as an endangered species in the 1976 Federal Register and presently is being processed for official listing as an endangered species. Much of the groundwork toward getting this species to its current standing in the listing process has been the result of much hard work and perse\‘erance by an avid CONPS member, Karen Wiley-Eberle. I would like to thank her for her determination and concern shown toward this unique member of the native Colorado flora. --- J. Scott Peterson msocimm of vestern plant mcmm Representatives from the native plant socie- ties of the western states met in Salt Lake City on April 19 to develop the purposes and format of this new association. Input toward the realization of the umbrella association came from the native plant societies in Arizona, California, Colorado’, Hawaii. Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington, Further information regarding the Association will be reported in a forthcoming Newsletter, Following is a list of addresses for western native plant societies similar to that of our own: Arizona Native Plant Society P.O, Box 18519 Tucson, Arizona 85731 Southern California Botanists Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1500 North College Avenue Claremont, CA 91711 Hawaiian Botanical Society Dept, of Botany University of Hawaii 3190 Malle Way Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Idaho Native Plant Society Herbari urn University of Idaho Caldwell, Idaho 93605 California Native Plant Society 2380 Ellsworth Street Suite D Berkeley, CA 94704 Northern Nevada Native Plant Society P.O. Box 8965 Reno, Nevada 89507 Native Plant Society of New Mexico Route 4 Puesta del Sol Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 Oregon Native Plant Society 1920 Engel Avenue N.W. Salem, Oregon 97304 Utah Native Plant Society 1448 North 500 East Centerville, Utah 84014 Washington Native Plant Society Dept, of Botany University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195 A Celebration of Spring - The CQNPS Poster A poster was recently executed by internationally acclaimed poster artist, John Sorbie, a profes- sor of graphic design at CSU. Professor Sorbie has won numerous awards for his works, includir"^ the Poster of the Year Award, Print Magazine, New York. His work has been exhibited world- wide in the most prestigious graphic arts publications and also in such exhinitions as the International Poster Exhibition, Ireland and the International Poster Biennale, Warsaw, Poland. His prints are found in the art collections of the U.S. Embassy, Rome, Italy; The Library of Congress, and the International Poster Museum, Warsaw, Poland. Professor Sorbie also recently won the CSU Durrell Research and Creative Award. This poster was comnissioned by the CONPS for the purpose of public relations and advertisement. It will be displayed in public areas to make the CONPS more visible. The poster is 23“ by 35" and is a multicolored representation of a field of wildflowers, printed on heavy stock. So that we can distribute the posters to public areas, increasing the effectiveness of the Society and not deplete our financial resources, the poster is available to you and friends of the CONPS for a donation of $3.00 (a real bargain for a small donatloni}. To encourage you to obtain copies for friends, home and office, the - poster is also available In lots of 5 at $10.00. Since there were only a limited number printed and a large number already have been dispensed, - it would be wise to order yours now' Orders may be placed by sending a check or money order to CONPS Poster, P.O. Box 200, Ft. Collins, CO 80522, Please add 50