ENDANGERED SPECIES MITIGATION FUND
ANNUAL PROJECT REPORT
Project Title: Graham’s Beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) surveys
Project Number: 1207
Principal Investigator/Contact Person:
Carmen Bailey
Impact Analysis/GIS Coordinator
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Suite 2110
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301
801-538-4716 (telephone)
801-538-4745 (fax)
carmenbailey@utah.gov
PROJECT SUMMARY
Penstemon grahamii is a plant endemic to the Uinta Basin. Its tendency to grow in
areas of oil and natural gas exploration, and especially on oil shale, has led to concerns
for its survival, leading to a petition (FWS 2006a) that proposed threatened status for it
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS 2006b) did not find sufficient justification to include P. grahamii on its list
of endangered and threatened species, but there is continued interest in its protection
by conservation groups (Robertson 2007). The BLM officially added P. grahamii to its
sensitive species list in September 2007.
There are currently Penstemon grahamii sites based only on collections in herbaria.
These give general plant locations, but lack information on numbers, condition, and
geographic coordinates of the plants. In the early 1980’s, Neese and Smith (1982)
mapped P. grahamii in the eastern Uinta Basin along with other plants of concern to
land management agencies, but a survey focusing on a specifically on P. grahamii is
lacking. With increased activity in oil and gas development and the rising interest in the
development of oil shale, more current information on this plants populations and
habitat of is needed.
Due to the above concerns, the Utah Natural Heritage Program, funded by the
Endangered Species Mitigation Fund, surveyed populations of Penstemon grahamii
near the Utah-Colorado border. Concurrently, funded by the Bureau of Land
Management, the Conservation Research staff of Red Butte Garden conducted a
survey to the west of this study.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Penstemon grahamii was in bloom at the beginning of the survey when at Park Canyon
on 15 May 2007. Plants bloomed later in Center Fork Asphalt Wash, where some of
the plants were still flowering on 1 June 2007, at the end of the survey. In the area
north of the confluence of Evacuation Creek and Park Canyon, plant locations were
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mapped in sections 15 and 21. The two small polygons from 1982 in section 15 were
not revisited, but P. grahamii was seen on a hill to the southwest. The area mapped in
1982 just northeast of the confluence, in section 21, was not completely resurveyed in
2007, but the known population area was extended.
The area north of Park Canyon Wash was surveyed in 2007 with good results. More
plants were found in the vicinity than reported in 1982 (see Table). The 2007 GPS
locations are generally closer to the ridge top than the hand-drawn maps of 1982.
Figure 3 also shows locations found in the hills between Park Canyon and Evacuation
Creek. The 2007 points do not match well with the 1982 outlines of Penstemon
grahamii populations. Most of the plants were actually found in between the 1982
mapped locations.
Center Fork Asphalt Wash and Long Draw were surveyed in 2007. Penstemon
grahamii locations were widely scattered in this area. There were no P. grahamii plants
were seen at two of the sites reported by Neese and Smith (1982). These are: the area
about 0.4 km northeast of Wolf Den in section 35, and the west-most of 3 areas
mapped in section 23.
In this survey, a total of 1336 Penstemon grahamii plants were counted. Of these, 637
were adults. The others, just over half of the plants, were juveniles or seedlings.
Surveys in the spring of 2008 were conducted in the vicinity of Hell’s Hole, Weaver and
Cripple Horse Canyons, along the Colorado Border. Our surveys began with 9 areas
marked in the Neese and Smith (1982) report. In this area of deep canyons and
rimrock, the Penstemon grahamii population extended far beyond the previous
sightings, in some cases for a kilometer or more. Most plants were encountered in a
narrow area near rimrock and steep eroding areas below cliffs. Of the 2765 plants
counted, 1333 were adults and 1432 juveniles. About 48% of the plants seen were
adults (flowering stage) in both 2007 and 2008.
Several areas in the vicinity of Seep Ridge were also surveyed in 2008. These colonies
had been visited before, but more accurate information was added by using GPS, and
exact counts were made of the population.
Recommendations:
This survey shows the population of Penstemon grahamii to be quite diffuse. One of
the field forms in Neese and Smith (1982) comments that the P. grahamii plants were
spread over several sections, indicating they were found beyond the polygon on the
associated map. Many of the mapped dots were found by walking between the places
shown on the 1982 map. The diffuse population distribution implies that it would not be
possible to maintain P. grahamii populations by setting aside areas as preserves.
Instead, careful planning across the area where P. grahamii is found will be required to
maintain the species. (Maps available upon request)
Budget Status:
Funds Provided: $10,000.00
Funds Expended: $10,000.00 (as of June 30, 2007)
Remaining Balance: $0.00 (as of June 30, 2007)
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