ENDANGERED SPECIES MITIGATION FUND
ANNUAL PROJECT REPORT
Project Title: Graham’s Beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) surveys
Project Number: 1207
Principal Investigator/Contact Person:
Gary L. Ogborn
Natural Heritage Program/GIS Coordinator
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Suite 2110
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6301
801-538-4855 (telephone)
801-538-4745 (fax)
garyogborn@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 Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
has added P. grahamii to its Sensitive Plant List (Sierra 2007).
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 specifically on P. grahamii had been lacking. Available data has remained
minimal. However, the efforts of this P. grahamii specific project and of the BLM funded
Red Butte Garden have added great detail (numbers, condition, and geographic
coordinates) to the central and eastern portions of this plant’s range. With ongoing
activity in oil and gas development and the interest in the development of oil shale,
more current and complete population and habitat information is needed.
Due to the above concerns, the Utah Natural Heritage Program staff, funded by the
Endangered Species Mitigation Fund, surveyed populations of P. 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
1
the plants were still flowering on 1 June 2007, at the end of the 2007 survey. In the
area north of the confluence of Evacuation Creek and Park Canyon, plant locations
were 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. This area, characterized by deep
canyons and rimrock, the known P. 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 talus 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.
The survey efforts of Neese and Smith (1982) and the results of a distribution model
created by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (Decker 2006) supported the high
potential for P. grahamii habitat in the White River area. Surveys began in this area in
2008 and were continued in the spring of 2009 (i.e., sites along the Utah - Colorado
border in the vicinity of Cripple Horse, Weaver, and Hell’s Hole canyons). Similarly as
in previous efforts, locations of colonies were generally on south and west facing shale
barrens, and occasionally on north and east facing slopes. Points on canyon rims and
saddles were also likely places to find P. grahamii colonies. Of the 3,195 P. grahamii
counted, 1433 were in adult or reproductive stage. The remaining 1732 plants were
juveniles, or plants which were not in flowering stage in 2009.
Surveys in the spring of 2010 continued in the drainages south of the White River, i.e.,
Cripple Horse, Weaver, and Hell’s Hole canyons. A total of 654 P. grahamii plants were
2
counted. Of these, 394 were in adult or reproductive stage. The remaining 260 plants
were juveniles, or plants which were not in flowering stage in 2010.
Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis, a federal candidate, was also encountered and
documented.
RECCOMMENDATIONS:
Surveys continue to indicate that the populations of Penstemon grahamii are quite
diffuse. This 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.
With past efforts focused on the eastern and central distribution of the species, surveys
need to document the western extent of P. grahamii.
FY10 Budget Status:
Funds Provided: $7,000.00
Funds Expended: $7,000.00 (as of June 30, 2010)
Remaining Balance: $0.00 (as of June 30, 2010)
3