Threat: Energy exploration and development
Impacts:
 Direct mortality from surface disturbance
 Community and habitat disturbance from surface disturbance including soil and
vegetation removal
 Invasion and spread of non-native species, competition with natives
 Increased dust emissions
 Restricted pollinator movement and disturbance from roads and energy emissions
 Habitat loss/fragmentation
Conservation Actions:
 Establishment and protection of conservation areas
 Formation of a conservation team dedicated to conservation of Graham’s and White
River beardtongues and oversee and ensure implementation of conservation activities
listed in this document . The team will meet annually to review conservation actions and
produce a report.
 On non-federal lands: XX percent of critical habitat (as designated on map XX) will be
conserved as a core conservation area with no new surface disturbance from the date this
CA is signed.
 On public/BLM managed lands: 90% of proposed critical habitat will be conserved on
public lands with no new surface disturbance from the date this CA is signed.
 On both federal and non-federal lands, Buffers of XX feet/meters around the core
conservation areas will be limited to 10 percent total surface disturbance
 populations and sites selected to be conserved will include a continuous area and
connected populations with no incursions or fragmentation to ensure maximum
connectivity between sites (We should really map and designate this with input from the
landowners/BLM).
 Public and private landowners will maintain natural corridors of previously undisturbed
land of at least 1300 feet wide between critical habitat units with no surface disturbance
 Prior to any surface disturbance on public lands in suitable habitat a survey will be
conducted to determine species presence
 The BLM and other signatories will develop and implement a monitoring and adaptive
management plan, to be approved by the USFWS. This monitoring plan will include:
 A weed management plan within core conservation areas that will monitor and treat
invasive species
 A species monitoring plan to determine trends in plant populations across their ranges
and identify significant threats to the speciesSolicit funding for a peer-reviewed (?)
pollinator study to determine movement patterns, characteristics ofnesting habitat, and
characteristics of the native plant community needed to maintain suitable habitat for
pollinators, especially the masarid wasp (Pseudomasaris vespoides)
Threat: Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms
Impacts:
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Lack of rangewide protection
Loss of plants/ habitat under Federal ownership
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Conservation Actions:
 The BLM will ensure that ongoing and future Federal actions support or do not preclude
the species conservation. To that end, the BLM shall involve USFWS and the
appropriate State agencies in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis as
cooperators or partners for all projects likely to affect the species and its habitat
 The BLM will retain Graham’s and White River Beardtongues on the BLM Special
Status Species list to ensure that the effects of proposed projects are analyzed for the
species.
 The BLM will adopt a “no net loss of habitat” policy for Graham’s and White River
beardtongue in Core Conservation Areas. Due to its restricted distribution, any loss of
occupied habitat in Core Conservation Areas shall be considered detrimental to the longterm conservation of the species.
 The BLM will incorporate the provisions of the CCA or the latest amendments to this
CCA into agency planning documents and budgets.
 All parties signatory to this agreement will volunteer (?) a member to be on a
conservation team to review this agreement, and review and assess the effectiveness and
implementation of the conservation actions in this agreement. The conservation team
will also assist in the development of monitoring plans outlined in this agreement. The
conservation team may include but is not limited to: Heritage Program personnel,
permittees, botanists, and other interested parties. The conservation team will be
organized within 1 year following the signature of this agreement.
 The Conservation Team will provide an annual report on the implementation of this
agreement to USFWS and the conservation team. The report will also include monitoring
results and adaptive management recommendations.
 All Core Conservation Areas on state and private lands will be placed into a conservation
easement or similar protection as approved by USFWS within 1 year of signing this
CCA.
 All Core Conservation Areas on BLM lands will be placed in an ACEC with appropriate
management plans as approved by the USFWS
 Develop a management plan for the Raven Ridge ACEC and all future ACECs
 BLM will retain all land where Graham’s and White River beardtongues are present
including sites that may become extirpated.
 BLM will ensure that all leases contain provision to survey for and protect Graham’s and
White River beardtongues by a buffer of 300 feet.
 Private and state landowners will report plant losses due to surface disturbance outside of
Core Conservation Areas to the state.
 The State will track the loss of plants and habitat on state and private lands as a result of
surface disturbance and report this amount the USFWS annually.
Threat: Livestock grazing
Impacts:
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Herbivory of all or part of above ground portion of vegetative portion of plant
Herbivory of all or part of the inflorescence
Trampling of plant and habitat
Change in community composition
Invasive species invasion, spread and competition
Alteration of soil characteristics
Conservation Actions:
 Grazing will only occur during the winter and early spring from Oct 15-Mar 30 in BLM
allotments where the species occur
 A rest period of at least one full year every third year will occur on BLM grazing
allotments or pastures where the species occur.
 Alternatively, the sites where the species occur may be fenced and maintained to exclude
grazing by livestock.
 Solicit a peer-reviewed study on how livestock grazing affects species reproduction,
recruitment, plant community, and soil characteristics (for example, an exclosure study)
to better characterize the threat and adjust grazing management
 Incorporate the following terms and conditions into grazing and crossing permits to avoid
trailing, mineral licks, and water sources in critical habitat on BLM land :
a. Locate water sources and mineral supplements at least 0.5 miles (805 m/ 2,641 ft)
away from habitat to protect the habitat and plant pollinators. These structures or
materials will be placed so that livestock are drawn away from occurrences and
trailing is avoided through occurrences en-route.
b. Locate fences so that livestock use is concentrated outside of habitat.
c. Prohibit trailing of livestock within the habitat. Utilize effective measures to direct
trailing outside of habitat.
d. Adjust livestock use for occupied habitat after major disturbances to provide adequate
rest from grazing. (major disturbances include fire, post-fire activities or other soil
disturbing activities).
e. The length of rest will be determined by species monitoring in accordance with the
monitoring plan.
 Within 1 year the Conservation Team will develop, fund and implement a weed
management plan to be approved by USFWS in Core Conservation Areas which includes
repeated annual surveys to detect invasions and treatment of invasive species as soon as
detected (also under energy exploration and development).
Threat: Road construction and maintenance
Impacts:
 Direct mortality from surface disturbance
 Invasive species invasion, spread and competition
 Increased dust emissions
 Restricted pollinator movement from roads
 Habitat loss/fragmentation
Conservation Actions:
 Outside of core conservation areas (?) new road construction and maintenance will be
planned to avoid site and populations by 300 feet.
 New road construction in critical habitat will not fragment more than 10% of sites in each
unit.
 Where road construction or maintenance cannot avoid sites or populations the road will
be planned to reduce fragmentation, collect seed from plants to be destroyed and deposit
them with the appropriate CPC sponsored institution (Red Butte Garden)
 If road construction or maintenance will exceed ??? plants or more than one site then the
organization responsible for construction will consult with the USFWS on the project.
 Within one year develop and implement a dust management and suppression plan in all
areas with exposed soils (roads, trails, well pads, surface mined areas, etc) that include
the timing and type of suppression activity to be used.
 Within 1 year the Conservation Team will develop, fund and implement a weed
management plan to be approved by USFWS in Core Conservation Areas which includes
repeated annual surveys to detect invasions and treatment of invasive species as soon as
detected (also under energy exploration and development and livestock grazing).
 Develop, fund and conduct a study to determine the effects of different levels of dust on
the species as well as the amount of dust that accumulates on the species as related to
distance from surface disturbance. This study design must be approved by USFWS.
Threat: Invasive weeds
Impacts:
 Invasion and establishment
 Competition
 Community alteration
Conservation Actions:
 Within 1 year the Conservation team will develop, fund and implement a weed
management plan approved by the USFWS in Core Conservation Areas which includes
repeated annual targeted surveys to detect invasions and treatment of invasive species as
soon as detected
 The weed management plan will identify treatment options for each known invasive
species in the habitat of the species , with the goal of selecting the most appropriate
option that controls weeds and minimized adverse effects to Graham’s or White River
beardtongues and their native plant community.
 The Conservation Team will develop and implement a monitoring protocol in the weed
management plan to determine the effectiveness of their actions.
 The Conservation Team will review and update the weed management plan annually
based on surveys and monitoring and other information and create an annual schedule of
work targeting priority areas.
 The Conservation Team will provide an annual report as part of the range-wide
monitoring report to the USFWS on the activities and accomplishments in controlling
invasive weeds.
Threat: Small population size
Impacts:
 Stochastic events
 Inbreeding depression
 Lower sexual reproduction
 Loss of genetic diversity
Conservation Actions:
 Develop and implement a monitoring plan approved by USFWS to determine trends in
plant populations in all critical habitat units
 Collect seed from sites over multiple years in all critical habitat units in accordance with
USFWS and CPC guidelines for placement in storage at Red Butte Garden and the
National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation. A seed collection plan will be
developed and implemented with approval from USFWS.
 Public and private landowners will maintain natural corridors of previously undisturbed
land of at least 400m wide between critical habitat units with no further surface
disturbance
 Also see land conservation and establishment of buffers in Energy Exploration and
Devleopment section.
Threat: Climate change
Impacts:
 Mortality caused by drought
 Stress, lack of reproduction and recruitment and mortality caused by shifting rainfall
patterns
 Habitat degradation
Conservation Actions:
 Conduct a study of the relationship between precipitation patterns and species’ growth,
reproduction and recruitment and mortality. This will be accomplished by establishing
weather monitoring equipment at existing long-term demographic sites monitored by Red
Butte Gardens.
 Conduct a study to model future suitable habitat for the species.
 Establish Core Conservation Areas in each critical habitat unit where the species are
likely to migrate such as along the same edaphic features on slope aspects that are both
wetter and cooler. These areas will be established through a study to model such
migration.