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Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document
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Title:
Rare plant study, Study plan Section 11.8 : Initial study report
SuWa 207
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Prepared by ABR, Inc.-Environmental Research & Services
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Draft initial study report
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Series (ARLIS-assigned report number):
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project document number 207
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[Anchorage : Alaska Energy Authority, 2014]
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February 2014
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Alaska Energy Authority
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Study plan Section 11.8
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Draft
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v, 23, 5, 2 p.
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All reports in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document series include an ARLIS-
produced cover page and an ARLIS-assigned number for uniformity and citability. All reports
are posted online at http://www.arlis.org/resources/susitna-watana/
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project
(FERC No. 14241)
Rare Plant Study
Study Plan Section 11.8
Initial Study Report
Prepared for
Alaska Energy Authority
Prepared by
ABR, Inc.—Environmental Research & Services
February 2014 Draft
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... iv
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................ 1
2. Study Objectives .................................................................................................................... 1
3. Study Area .............................................................................................................................. 2
4. Methods and Variances in 2013 ............................................................................................ 2
4.1. Selection of Focal Species and Habitats ........................................................................ 2
4.1.1. Variances................................................................................................................. 3
4.2. Field Surveys .................................................................................................................. 3
4.3. Variances In 2013 .......................................................................................................... 5
5. Results ..................................................................................................................................... 5
6. Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 6
7. Completing the Study ............................................................................................................ 7
8. Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................... 7
9. Tables ...................................................................................................................................... 9
10. Figures .................................................................................................................................. 17
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1-1. State Conservation Rank Definitions. ...................................................................... 10
Table 4.1-2. Rare Vascular Plant Taxa Found in a Search of Collection Records within a Broad
Region Surrounding the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area.1 ....................................... 11
Table 5-1. Habitats Sampled for Rare Plants in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area,
2013. ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Table 5-2.. Vegetation Types Sampled During the Survey for Rare Plants in the Susitna-Watana
Hydroelectric Project Area, 2013. ........................................................................................ 14
Table 5-3. Rare vascular plants found during field surveys in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric
Project area, 2013. ................................................................................................................. 16
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3-1. Rare Plant Study Area, Transects Allocated and Those Surveyed in 2013, and the
Location of Two Rare Plants Found in 2013; VICAMA - Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd.
and ERIVIR - Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald. .......................................... 18
Figure 4.1-1. Regional Subwatershed Area Searched for Rare Vascular Plant Records in the
Alaska Natural Heritage Program BIOTICS Database, 2013. ............................................. 19
Figure 5-1. Location of Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. Population, 2013. .............................. 20
Figure 5-2. Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd.: (A) Close-up of Plant, (B) Forb Meadow
Community Where it was Found, 2013. .............................................................................. 21
Figure 5-3. Location of Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald Population, 2013......... 22
Figure 5-4. Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald: (A) Close-up of Plant, (B) Wet
Sedge Meadow Community Where it was Found, 2013. .................................................... 23
APPENDICES
Appendix A: List of all vascular plant species found and relative rarity (number of days each
taxa was found) during the 2013 rare plant surveys; nomenclature according to NRCS
(2013).
Appendix B: Habitat characteristics for the two rare plant species found in the rare plant study
area in 2013.
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LIST OF ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND DEFINITIONS
Abbreviation Definition
ADNR Alaska Department of Natural Resources
AEA Alaska Energy Authority
AKNHP Alaska Natural Heritage Program
CIRWG Cook Inlet Regional Working Group
FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
GIS Geographic Information System
GPS global positioning system
ILP Integrated Licensing Process
ISR Initial Study Report
PRM Project River Mile
Project Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project
RSP Revised Study Plan
SPD study plan determination
USFWS DOI, Fish and Wildlife Service
USR Updated Study Report
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Rare Plant Study 11.8
Purpose The primary goal of the Rare Plant Study is to locate populations of rare
vascular plant species that may be affected by development activities
associated with the proposed Project. The rare plant occurrence data collected
in this study will be used to assess the potential direct, indirect, and
cumulative impacts to rare plants from Project construction and operations
activities. Additionally, the data will be used to develop protection,
mitigation, and enhancement measures, as appropriate, to minimize Project
impacts to rare plant populations.
Status This study was designed so that the entire study area would be surveyed
sequentially over 2 years. During July and August 2013, field surveys were
conducted in the Watana Reservoir area, portions of the Watana Camp area,
and in each of the three alternative Susitna-Watana access and transmission
line corridors. A second year of fieldwork will be performed to fully survey
the Gold Creek Corridor, some portions of the Chulitna and Denali Corridors,
the southwestern portion of the proposed Watana Reservoir, and in the
Watana Dam and Camp area. In the second study year, rare plant species
found in other Project botanical studies will be collected to confirm
identifications, and lists of species found in both study years (including rare
species) will be reviewed for any range extensions.
Study
Components
The major study components include:
Identify habitats in the Project area that may harbor rare vascular plant species
previously found within a broad region surrounding the Project area;
Locate populations of rare vascular plant species that may occur in those
portions of the Project area that would be disturbed by Project construction
and operations activities; and
Estimate population sizes for any rare species found and map their locations.
2013 Variances There were no variances from the field survey methods (RSP Section
11.8.4.1) during the 2013 study season. While portions of the study area were
not surveyed during 2013 due a lack of access to CIRWG lands, this is not
considered a variance because the study was designed as a multi-year effort in
which the study area would be sequentially surveyed. The study team will
meet study objectives by surveying CIRWG lands in the next study season.
Steps to
Complete the
Study
As explained in the cover letter to this draft ISR, AEA’s plan for completing
this study will be included in the final ISR filed with FERC on June 3, 2014.
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Rare Plant Study 11.8
Highlighted
Results and
Achievements
Two rare plant species were found in the portions of the study area surveyed
in 2013, Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. (American vetch) and Eriophorum
viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald (thinleaf cottonsedge). V. americana is
listed as S2, G5 (imperiled in Alaska, demonstrably secure globally); a
population of several hundred plants was found growing with other
successional forbs in disturbed clearings in the Gold Creek Camp area at the
western end of the Gold Creek Corridor. E. viridicarinatum is listed as S2S3,
G5 (rare or uncommon to imperiled in Alaska, demonstrably secure globally);
several populations were found in wet sedge meadows below treeline, in the
central portion of the proposed Watana Reservoir, on a terrace above the
Susitna River west of Watana Creek.
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1. INTRODUCTION
On December 14, 2012, Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) filed its Revised Study Plan (RSP) for
the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 14241) with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission), which included 58 individual study plans
(AEA 2012). Section 11.8 of the RSP described the Rare Plant Study. On February 1, 2013,
FERC staff issued its study plan determination (February 1 SPD) for 44 of the 58 studies,
approving 31 studies as filed and 13 with modifications. RSP Section 11.8 was one of the 31
studies approved with no modifications.
In this study, the appropriate habitats for a set of rare vascular plant species likely to occur in the
Project area were identified in 2013, and field surveys are being conducted to search for any
populations of rare plants that may occur. The focus of the surveys is limited to those areas in
which rare plant populations could be directly or indirectly affected by Project development
activities in the Upper and Middle Susitna Basin. RSP Section 11.8 provided goals, objectives,
and proposed methods for data collection regarding rare plants.
Following the first study season, FERC’s regulations for the Integrated Licensing Process (ILP)
require AEA to “prepare and file with the Commission an initial study report describing its
overall progress in implementing the study plan and schedule and the data collected, including an
explanation of any variance from the study plan and schedule” (18 CFR 5.15(c)(1)). This Initial
Study Report (ISR) on the Rare Plant Study has been prepared in accordance with FERC’s ILP
regulations and details AEA’s status in implementing the study, as set forth in the FERC-
approved RSP (referred to herein as the “Study Plan”).
2. STUDY OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of the Rare Plant Study is to locate populations of rare vascular plant species
that occur in the Upper and Middle Susitna River Basin (upstream of Gold Creek; see Section 3,
Study Area , below) that may be affected by development activities associated with the proposed
Project.
The specific objectives of the Rare Plant Study, as specified in Section 11.8.1 of the RSP, are to:
• Identify habitats in the Project area that may harbor rare vascular plant species previously
found within a broad region surrounding the Project area.
• Locate populations of rare vascular plant species that may occur in those portions of the
Project area that would be disturbed by Project construction and operations activities.
• Estimate population sizes for any rare species found and map their locations.
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3. STUDY AREA
The study area for the Rare Plant Study is described in RSP Section 11.8.3. The study area
includes the areas in and adjacent to those portions of the Project area in which habitat loss,
alteration, and/or disturbance would occur (the Watana Reservoir, Watana Dam and Camp sites,
and along the three proposed alternatives for the Susitna-Watana transmission lines and access
corridor). Because rare plant species typically occur in specific habitats, the survey sites for rare
plants were defined primarily by the locations of suitable habitats within the study area that
could support rare plant species and could be affected by development activities (Figure 3-1).
4. METHODS AND VARIANCES IN 2013
The rare plant survey involved reviewing the list of rare plants that may occur in the Project area;
identifying the habitats for rare species that may occur in the study area; and conducting field
surveys in the study area to document the presence (and locations) of rare species and the
habitats they may occupy. The rare plant species list used in preparing for the field surveys was
provided on request by the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP). The list was based on a
query of the rare plant database maintained by the AKNHP using a rare plant search area based
on subwatershed boundaries (see Section 4.1, Selection of Focal Species and Habitats below).
Based on the list provided, preliminary mapping of vegetation, wildlife habitats, and wetlands
(see ISR Studies 11.5 and 11.7) and aerial photographs were reviewed to identify habitats that
may support the list of possible rare species. Aerial photointerpretation was performed using
high-resolution (0.3- to 1-ft pixels) aerial photography and satellite imagery for the Project area.
To prioritize the field survey efforts, areas to be searched were categorized as having low,
moderate, or high potential for supporting rare plants. Surveys for rare plants downstream of the
Project dam site along the Susitna River are not planned because habitat loss, which could affect
rare plant populations through the placement of fill and other construction activities, will not
occur in those downstream riparian areas. Intensive vegetation surveys in riparian areas along the
Susitna River, however, are being conducted in the Riparian Vegetation Study Downstream of
the Proposed Susitna-Watana Dam (Study 11.6), and rare vascular plant species were recorded
during that work (see Section 5, Results below).
4.1. Selection of Focal Species and Habitats
The selection of focal species and habitats during the 2013 field season was completed in
accordance with RSP Section 11.8.4.1 with no variances. In early 2013, the study team submitted
a request to the AKNHP for a list of the rarer vascular plant taxa (S1, S1S2, S2, and S2S3; Table
4.1-1) that had been collected within a broad region surrounding the Project area. The search
area used for the collection-records request (Figure 4.1-1) was designed to encompass, as much
as possible, areas with landscape features and habitats similar to those occurring in the Project
area. The search area was defined by watershed boundaries in a step-wise selection approach.
First, the complete Susitna River drainage basin (hydrologic unit code 6 [HUC 6]) was selected,
and added to that (intersected in a geographic information system [ArcGIS]) were the boundaries
of five adjacent or partially included areas with similar terrain to that which occurs in the Project
area: (1) Denali National Park and Preserve, (2) Nelchina Public Use Area (Alaska Department
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of Natural Resources ([ADNR]), (3) Matanuska Valley Wildlife Area and State Range Area
(ADNR), (4) areas surrounding the Denali Highway in the Nenana River drainage basin
(contiguous with the Project’s Denali Corridor), and (5) the study area for the Vegetation and
Wildlife Habitat Mapping Study in the Upper and Middle Susitna Basin (Study 11.5). All of the
subwatersheds (HUC 12) that occurred wholly or partially within this intersected set of areas
then were selected to yield a preliminary subwatershed search-area boundary. Lastly, a series of
deletions of HUC-12 subwatersheds were made to further trim the search-area boundary to those
areas with habitat features similar to those in the Project area, and in which rare plant surveys
were likely to have been conducted in the past (e.g., along road systems). The HUC-12
subwatersheds that were deleted were those that occur (1) south of the Glenn Highway and west
to the confluence of the Susitna and Yentna Rivers, (2) west of the Yentna River and north to the
confluence of the east and west forks of the Yentna River (where they intersect the Denali
National Park and Preserve boundary), (3) north of the Denali National Park and Preserve
boundary up to the Teklanika River, and (4) west of the Teklanika River and north of the hills
that occur north of Fish Creek.
Using the resulting search area based on subwatershed boundaries, AKNHP staff queried the
BIOTICS geospatial database (AKNHP 2013) for rare vascular plant collection records in June
2013. The query results indicated that 14 plant taxa with rarity rankings of S2S3 or rarer had
been recorded in the regional subwatershed search area during previous survey efforts. Those 14
taxa, along with 25 other taxa that were ranked as less rare (S3 or S3S4), or were unranked, are
listed in Table 4.1-2. Using the habitat information from the BIOTICS database recorded for
each collection of these rare taxa in the search area, the suitable habitats for each taxon were
identified. For cases in which the habitat information from the collected specimen(s) was sparse,
additional information on the suitable habitats for rare taxa was researched using Hultén (1968),
Carlson et al. (2006), the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s PLANTS database (NRCS
2013), and by examining specimens directly at the University of Alaska Museum of the North
Herbarium. The generalized plant habitats determined for each taxon in this process and the 14
taxa with the rarer State rankings served as the primary focal points for the field survey efforts.
4.1.1. Variances
There were no variances from the methods described in RSP Section 11.8 for the selection of
focal species and habitats for the Rare Plant Study.
4.2. Field Surveys
In 2013, field surveys were conducted in accordance with RSP Section 11.8.4.1 with no
variances. While these field surveys did not occur on Cook Inlet Regional Working Group
(CIRWG) lands because land-access permits were not available, this was not considered a
variance because this study was designed so that the entire study area would be surveyed and
mapped sequentially over 2 years.
The field survey efforts were focused on surveying suitable habitats for the 14 taxa with the rarer
State rankings (S1, S1S2, S2, and S2S3), which were found in the regional subwatershed search
area for rare plant collection records. During the fieldwork, those taxa ranked as being less rare
in the state (S3 through S3S4 rankings) also were recorded, but the focus of the survey work was
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on the rarer taxa. When encountered, rare plants also were recorded during the 2013 field
surveys for the Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Mapping Study (Study 11.5), Riparian Study
Vegetation Study (Study 11.6), and Wetland Mapping Study (Study 11.7).
Prior to the field surveys in 2013, the preliminary mapping of vegetation, wildlife habitats, and
wetlands for the Project, which was conducted in 2012 and 2013 (see ISR Studies 11.5 and 11.7),
as well as current, high-resolution (0.3- to 1-ft pixels) aerial imagery were reviewed to identify
suitable habitats for the focal rare plant taxa within the study area.
The sampling methodology used by the AKNHP (Carlson et al. 2006; modified from Catling and
Reznicek 2003) was employed in this study. With this methodology, to maximize the potential of
encountering rare species, researchers identified survey areas based on site-specific criteria,
including regional or locally unique geological features, suitable habitats for the species of
concern (as described above in Section 4.1, Selection of Focal Species and Habitats), areas with
high environmental gradients, and logistical feasibility. By combining these landscape
characteristics, regions within the study area were categorized as having low, moderate, or high
potential for supporting rare plants, and the field survey efforts were prioritized accordingly in
those areas with high and moderate potential.
Forty-two survey transects were allocated for surveys of rare plants over the duration of the
study (Figure 3-1). Seven of those transects were not surveyed in the first year of study (2013)
because land access was not authorized, but will be surveyed in the next year of study. A total of
16 survey transects were sampled in the study area during two survey efforts in 2013 (July 1–8
and July 30–August 5). This included 14 of the preselected transects and two additional transects
(one at Gold Creek Camp at the western end of the Gold Creek Corridor, and one outside the
study area in the upper watershed of Devil Creek north of the Chulitna Corridor) that were
selected in the field for sampling. The Devil Creek transect was sampled on a day when low
clouds prohibited access to the scheduled transect for that day (which occurs at a similar
elevation). Overall, in 2013, transects were sampled in the Watana Reservoir area, the Watana
Dam and camp area, and in each of the three alternative corridors for the Susitna-Watana
Transmission Line and the Susitna-Watana Road. The timing of the field surveys was designed
to coincide with the approximate flowering periods of the focal plant species.
Transect length ranged from 1.1 to 6.2 km (0.6 to 4 mi), depending on the number of habitats of
interest occurring on each transect. During the field surveys, each plant community encountered
along the sampled transects was surveyed for rare taxa and described. Any unknown and/or
unusual plants were collected and identified. For the two species found with rarity rankings of
S2S3 or rarer (see Section 5, Results, below), the plants and plant community in which they were
growing were photographed and global positioning system (GPS) locations were recorded.
Detailed site characteristics and plant community data were documented, including a complete
plant species list with cover estimates for all dominant species and plant life-forms present. The
sizes of the rare plant populations found were estimated by either: (1) counting the total number
of individuals and measuring the area of occurrence, or (2) for the locally common species,
visually estimating the total percent cover of the species, and determining the extent of the
habitat occupied. Because the field crew determined that collecting several plants would not
significantly impact the populations, voucher specimens of each of the rare species were
collected to confirm identifications. The identifications of rare plants were made initially using
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the Flora of Alaska (Hultén 1968), the Alaska Rare Plant Field Guide (Lipkin and Murray 1997),
and the Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNAEC, 1993–2012). Final nomenclature for
the rare plant species found follows that used in the AKNHP BIOTICS database. Confirmation
of the rare plant identifications was made by the University of Alaska Museum of the North
Herbarium.
4.3. Variances In 2013
No variances from the field methods described in the Study Plan occurred during the 2013 study
season. Because the study was designed to be conducted over two years, the lack of access to
CIRWG lands is not considered a variance. The study team will meet the study objectives by
completing the field work in the next study season.
5. RESULTS
Fourteen generalized plant habitats occurring on the 16 different survey transects in the study
area were searched for rare plants (Table 5-1). Calcareous substrates occurred only in the
northwest corner of the study area. Scree slopes were uncommon in the study area, and were
generally confined to the lowest elevations in the study area, where the Susitna-Watana
transmission line and/or access road would be located. During the field surveys, researchers
sampled 43 different Level IV vegetation types (Viereck et al. 1992) in the search for rare plant
taxa (Table 5-2). The most common vegetation types searched were Mesic Shrub Birch-
Ericaceous Shrub and Subarctic Lowland Sedge Wet Meadow. The least common types were
Sweetgale-Graminoid Bog, Dryas-Lichen Tundra, Dry Fescue, Subarctic Lowland Sedge-Moss
Bog Meadow, and Ferns. A complete list of the vascular plant taxa recorded during the field
surveys and a Project-specific (relative) rarity index for each taxon is provided in Appendix A.
Researchers found two rare plants: Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. (S2) and Eriophorum
viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald (S2S3) (Table 5-3). Site characteristics and plant community
information for the collection localities for both species are listed in Appendix B. V. americana
was found in the helicopter landing area of the Gold Creek Camp, the adjacent camp clearing,
and the adjacent airstrip (Figure 5-1). The plant was only found in disturbed areas that had been
recently cleared of trees or mowed to remove saplings. Hundreds of plants were found around
the Gold Creek Camp area, comprising over 1 percent cover in the Mixed Herb Meadows
vegetation type (Figure 5-2).
Eriophorum viridicarinatum was found growing in a Subarctic Lowland Sedge Wet Meadow
wetland surrounded by Open White Spruce-Black Spruce Forest (Figure 5-3). The site, on a
terrace above the Susitna River just upstream of the confluence of Watana Creek, supported
approximately 100 individual flowering plants, in a narrow zone between the Open White
Spruce-Black Spruce Forest surrounding the wetland and the wetter Subarctic Lowland Herb
Bog Meadow in the center of the wetland (Figure 5-4). This species was also found in similar
habitats by field crews working on other Project botanical studies outside of the rare plant study
area, and those records will be reported in the Updated Study Report (USR).
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Two additional rare vascular plant species were found outside of the rare plant study area, in
riparian habitats along the Susitna River downstream of Gold Creek. These plants were found by
field crews working on the Riparian Vegetation Study (Study 11.6). Botrychium virginianum (L.)
Swartz, which is listed as S3, G5 (rare or uncommon in Alaska, demonstrably secure globally),
was typically found in low abundance in large umbel meadows on inactive/abandoned floodplain
surfaces. Viola selkerkii, which is listed as S3S4, G5? (rare or uncommon to apparently secure in
Alaska, possibly secure globally), was found with cover estimates sometimes over one percent in
the understory of Open Birch Forest and Mixed Spruce-Birch Forest habitats. The identifications
of these two species were confirmed by the University of Alaska Museum of the North
Herbarium.
Data generated in support of the ISR are available for download at
http://gis.suhydro.org/reports/isr. The data files are as follows:
• Transect locations: ISR_11_8_RAPL_Data_ABR.gdb
• Table 5-1: ISR_11_8_RAPL_Table_5_1_Habitats.xlsx
• Table 5-2: ISR_11_8_RAPL_Table_5_2_Veg.xlsx
• Appendix A: ISR_11_8_RAPL_AppdxA_Vascular_Plant_List.xlsx
• Appendix B: ISR_11_8_RAPL_AppdxB_Rare_Plant_Hab_Char.xlsx
6. DISCUSSION
The 2013 survey effort was sufficient for achieving the goal of documenting the presence and
size of rare vascular plant populations in the study area as described in the Study Plan.
Researchers were able to sample a wide range of habitat types that could have harbored rare
plants, and found two rare species. The use of long transects that covered several habitat types in
a survey day was an effective way of searching for rare plants. Logistical support was excellent,
giving researchers access to remote sites via helicopter, with sufficient time between drop-off
and pick-up times to adequately survey the transects. Researchers were not able to sample large
parts of the Gold Creek Corridor and the southwestern part of the proposed Watana Reservoir in
2013, due to landowner restrictions on access. Field surveys for rare plants will be conducted in
those areas during the next study year if access to do so is granted.
Researchers from several other botanical studies compiled plant species lists for the Project and
were given the list of potential rare plants developed for the Rare Plant Study. The field data
from the Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Mapping Study (Study 11.5), the Riparian Vegetation
Study (Study 11.6), and the Wetland Mapping Study (Study 11.7) are undergoing QA/QC, and
plant identifications are in the process of being verified. Any additional records of rare plant
species will be reported in the USR, once the plant identifications have been verified.
Researchers for the Rare Plant Study are in the process of reviewing the 2013 species list for any
range extensions or unusual plants that were found in the study area. Any information on range
extensions and/or unusual plant collections will be included in the USR when data from the
surveys in the two study seasons are available. Information on range extensions and additional
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collections of rare species within their known ranges will provide useful information to the
AKNHP to use in revising the rarity rankings for plant species in Alaska.
7. COMPLETING THE STUDY
[As explained in the cover letter to this draft ISR, AEA’s plan for completing this study will be
included in the final ISR filed with FERC on June 3, 2014.]
8. LITERATURE CITED
AEA (Alaska Energy Authority). 2012. Revised Study Plan: Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric
Project FERC Project No. 14241. December 2012. Prepared for the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission by the Alaska Energy Authority, Anchorage, AK. Available on-
line at http://www.susitna-watanahydro.org/type/documents/. Accessed October 2013.
AKNHP (Alaska Natural Heritage Program). 2012. Rare vascular plant tracking list, Spring
2012. Alaska Natural Heritage Program, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK. 14 pp.
Available on-line at http://aknhp.uaa.alaska.edu/botany/rare-plants-species-lists/.
Accessed June 2013.
AKNHP. 2013. BIOTICS Rare Species Data Portal. Alaska Natural Heritage Program,
University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK. Available on-line at
http://aknhp.uaa.alaska.edu/maps/biotics/ (but data for vascular plants currently available
only by request). Accessed June 2013.
Carlson M., R. Lipkin, H. Cortes-Burns, I.V. Lapina. 2006. Stewart River training area rare plant
survey 2006. Prepared for the Alaska Army National Guard, Fort Richardson, AK, by
Alaska Natural Heritage Program, Anchorage, AK. 26 pp.
Catling, P.M., and A.A. Reznicek. 2003. Basic requirements for comprehensive botanical
inventories. Botanical Electronic News No. 317.
FNAEC (Flora of North America Editorial Committee). 1993–2012. Flora of North America
North of Mexico. 13+ vols. New York and Oxford. Available on-line at
http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1. Accessed October 2013.
Hultén, E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford,
CA. 1,008 pp.
Lipkin, R., and D.F. Murray 1997. Alaska rare plant field guide. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Natural Heritage Program,
and U.S. Forest Service, Anchorage, AK.
NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). 2013. PLANTS database. Available on-line at
http://plants.usda.gov/java/. Accessed September 2013.
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Viereck, L.A.; Dyrness, C.T.; Batten, A.R.; Wenzlick, K.J. 1992. The Alaska vegetation
classification. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-286. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 278 pp.
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9. TABLES
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Table 4.1-1. State Conservation Rank Definitions.
Rank Definition
S1 Critically imperiled within the state; at very high risk of extirpation because of extremely because of very few occurrences, declining populations, or extremely
limited range and/or habitat.
S2 Imperiled within the state; at high risk of extirpation because of few occurrences, declining populations, limited range, and/or habitat.
S3 Rare within the state; at moderate risk of extirpation because of restricted range, narrow habitat specificity, recent population decline, small population sizes, a
moderate number of occurrences.
S4 Apparently secure but uncommon within the state; may be a long-term conservation concern.
S5 Secure and widespread within the state; not at risk for extirpation because of widespread abundance.
G? Inexact numeric rank reflecting inexact data (Global Conservation Rank).
S#S# Status of species within a region is best described as a range between two ranks.
S#Q Taxon is questionable or uncertain as currently defined but records assigned to that taxon are not questionable.
SP Species is likely to occur in Alaska in a natural context based on its natural occurrence in adjacent territories near the Alaska border in habitat that is also present
within Alaska.
SNA Species cannot be considered rare because all reports were erroneous or based on material from a cultivated or introduced context (these ranks do not appear
on the Rare Plant Tracking List but can be found on the Taxa Removed list).
SU Species occurs in Alaska in a natural context and is likely rare but cannot be assigned an accurate conservation rank because of substantial uncertainty in the
relevant data (i.e. records are incorrectly identified, records are ambiguous and indefinite, or records have not yet been redetermined after recent taxanomic
changes).
SH Possibly extirpated. Species is known only from records more than 50 years old (historical sources) that are either so vague that they cannot be relocated or that
have been searched for unsuccessfully (although not thoroughly enough to presume that the species has been extirpated).
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Table 4.1-2. Rare Vascular Plant Taxa Found in a Search of Collection Records within a Broad Region Surrounding the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area.1
Scientific Name Common Name State Rank2 Global Rank3 Habitat
Blysmopsis rufa (Huds.) Link red clubbrush S1 unranked Saline soils, coastal deltas
Carex athrostachya Olney slender beak sedge S1 G5 Seasonally moist meadows, marshes, pond and lake margins
Artemesia dracunculus L. dragon wormwood S1S2 G5 Exposed bluffs, rocky slopes, low elevation, sunny and dry
Carex parryana Dew. Parry sedge S2 G5 Mires, damp meadows, lowlands
Erysimum asperum var. angustatum (Rydb.) B. Boivin wallflower S2 G5T2 Dry, south-facing scree slopes, outcrops and dry grasslands
Potamogeton robbinsii Oakes flat-leat pondweed S2 G5 Shallow to deep water of ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers
Schizachne purpurascens (Torr.) Swallen false melic S2 G5 Low elevation, moist rocky slopes, alder thickets
Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. American vetch S2 G5 Low elevation thickets and meadows
Arnica mollis Hooker hairy arnica S2Q G5 Moist meadows and conifer forests, stream banks, late snow-
melt areas, montane to subalpine: 1000–4000 m
Botrychium ascendens W.H. Wagner upward-lobed moonwort S2S3 G3 Disturbed areas and fields
Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald green-keeled cottongrass S2S3 G5 Marshes, meadows, bogs, fens, wet woods
Chamaerhodos erecta (L.) Bunge Nuttall's ground-rose S2S3 G5 Low elevation, dry, sandy substrates
Saxifraga adscendens ssp. oregonensis (Raf.) Bacig. wedgeleaf saxifrage S2S3 G5T4T5 Rock crevices, sandy places, alpine; 1200-4200 m
Potentilla drummondii Lehm. Drummond cinquefoil S2S3 G5 Low elevation, moist woods
Botrychium alaskense Wagner and Grant Alaska moonwort S3 G4 Disturbed meadows, roadsides, riverbars
Botrychium virginianum (L.)Swartz Virginia moonwort S3 G5 Low-elevation partially vegetated scree slopes
Carex eburnea Boott bristle-leaf sedge S3 G5 Conifer or mixed forests, occasionally fens, stable dunes and
alvar, on neutral or calcareous substrates
Carex heleonastes Ehrh. ex L. f. Hudson Bay sedge S3 G4 Mires, damp meadows, lowlands
Carex interior L.H. Bailey inland sedge S3 G5 Wet meadows and prairies, fens, coniferous and deciduous
swamps, river and lakeshores, usually on calcareous
substrates
Cicuta bulbifera L. bulb-bearing water
hemlock
S3 G5 Marshes, bogs
Glyceria striata (Lam.) Hitchc. fowl mannagrass S3 G5 Moist ground, low elevation
Juniperus horizontalis Moench. creeping juniper S3 G5 Low elevation sand dunes, sandy and gravelly soils, prairies,
slopes, rock outcrops, and stream banks
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Scientific Name Common Name State Rank2 Global Rank3 Habitat
Maianthemum stellatum (L.) Link starry solomon plume S3 G5 Sand dunes, marginal woodlands, oak openings; 0–3200 m
Polypodium sibiricum Siplivinskij Siberian polypody S3 G5? Rocks, tree trunks
Potamogeton obtusifolius Mert. & W.D.J. Koch blunt-leaf pondweed S3 G5 Medium- to low-alkaline waters of lakes and slow-flowing
streams; 50–2000 m
Puccinellia vahliana (Liebm.) Scribn. & Merr. Vahl's alkaligrass S3 G4 Stony alpine tundra
Carex lapponica O. Lang Lapland sedge S3S4 G4G5Q Sphagnum bogs, wet, nutrient-poor areas, mostly lowlands: 0–
200 m
Ceratophyllum demersum L. common hornwort S3S4 G5 Quiet water
Erigeron porsildii G.L. Nesom & D.F. Murray Porsild fleabane S3S4 G3G4 Cliffs and talus (often calcareous) slopes, shaley gravel, grassy
ravines, dry tundra 600–2100 m
Minuartia dawsonensis (Britt.) House rock stitchwort S3S4 G5 Moist, calcareous ledges and gravelly areas; 0–900 m
Potamogeton subsibiricus Yenisei River pondweed S3S4 G3G4 Shallow water of ponds and lakes; 0–915 m
Viola selkirkii Pursh ex Goldie Selkirk's violet S3S4 G5? Understory of moist, low elevation woods
Arnica ovata Greene sticky arnica S3S4Q G5 Moist meadows and conifer forests, stream banks, late snow-
melt areas, montane to subalpine: 200–3600 m
Mertensia paniculata (Aiton) G. Don var. alaskana (B.) Alaska tall bluebells S3S4Q G5TNR Low elevation woods, riverbanks
Oxytropis tananensis Jurtz. field locoweed S3S4Q GNR Dry, sandy places
Arnica lessingii ssp. norbergii Norberg arnica unranked G5 Alpine & subalpine meadows
Eleocharis kamtschatica (C.A. Mey.) Kom. Kamchatka spike-rush unranked G4 Brackish marshes, meadows, ponds, 0–30 m elevation
Eritrichium splendens Kearney ex W. Wight showy alpine forget-me-
not
unranked G3G4 Alpine to 2000 m, rock crevices
Phlox hoodii Richardson spiny phlox unranked G5 Alpine or well-drained river terraces
Notes:
1. Rare plant taxa with collection records in the BIOTICS database of rare species (AKNHP 2013), which were found in a regional subwatershed search area
surrounding the Project area (see text and Figure 4.1-1); plant nomenclature and rarity rankings from the Rare Vascular Plant List (AKNHP 2012); habitat
data from specimen records in the regional search area, from Hultén (1968), Carlson et al. (2006), NRCS (2013), and from review of specimens at the
University of Alaska Museum of the North Herbarium.
2. State rarity rankings: S1 = critically imperiled, S2 = imperiled, S3 = rare, S4 = apparently secure, Q = uncertainty about taxonomic status may affect State
rank
3. Global rarity rankings: G2 = imperiled, G3 = vulnerable, G4 = apparently secure, G5 = demonstrably secure, T = rank of subspecies or variety, Q = indicates
uncertainty about taxonomic status which may affect global rank.
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Table 5-1. Habitats Sampled for Rare Plants in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area, 2013.
Habitat Focal Species: Rare Plant Taxa Found in Habitat in Other Studies Survey Transect No.
Alpine meadow Arnica lessingii ssp. norbergii, Phlox hoodii, Puccinellia
vahliana
4, 10, 28, 37, 128,
Subalpine meadow Arnica lessingii ssp. norbergii, Arnica mollis, Arnica ovata 4, 10, 17, 28, 30, 35, 37,
39, 40, 43, 128
Alpine rocky crevices Eritrichium splendens, Saxifraga adscendens ssp.
oregonensis
4, 10, 37, 128
Exposed bluff Artemesia dracunculus, Erigeron porsildii, Polypodium
sibiricum
4, 23, 25, 37
Scree slope Botrychium virginianum, Erigeron porsildii, Erysimum
asperum var. angustatum, Polypodium sibiricum
128
Alder thickets Schizachne purpurascens 1, 4, 10, 17, 20, 23, 25,
37, 39, 40, 43
Disturbed meadow Botrychium alaskense, Botrychium ascendens, Vicia
americana
1, 37, 39, 40, 43, Gold
Creek Camp
Moist forest Arnica mollis, Arnica ovata, Carex eburnea, Mertensia
paniculata var. alaskana, Potentilla drummondii, Viola selkirkii
1, 4, 10, 17, 20, 23, 25,
37, 39, 40, 43
Moist meadows Carex athrostachya, Carex heleonastes 17, 20, 28, 30, 35, 37, 40,
43, 128
Wet meadows, fens, bogs Carex interior, Carex lapponica, Carex parryana, Cicuta
bulbifera, Eriophorum viridicarinatum, Glyceria striata
1, 17, 20, 28, 30, 35, 37,
40, 43
Standing water, ponds or lakes Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton obtusifolius,
Potamogeton robbinsii, Potamogeton subsibiricus
1, 17, 20, 23, 25, 28, 30,
35, 37, 40, 43
River bar, terraces Botrychium alaskense, Phlox hoodii 10, 20, 23, 25, 28
Calcareous substrates Carex interior, Erigeron porsildii, Minuartia dawsonensis 43
Sand dunes and sandy
substrates
Chamaerhodos erecta, Juniperus horizontalis, Maianthemum
stellatum, Oxytropis tananensis
30, 35
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Table 5-2.. Vegetation Types Sampled During the Survey for Rare Plants in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area, 2013.1
Level I Level II Level III Level IV Survey Transect No.
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (1) Closed Needleleaf Forest J. White Spruce 1, 39
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (2) Open Needleleaf Forest E. White Spruce 1, 20, 23, 37, 39, 43
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (2) Open Needleleaf Forest F. Black Spruce 20, 23
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (2) Open Needleleaf Forest G. Black Spruce-White Spruce 20, 23, 25, 43
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (3) Needleleaf Woodland C. White Spruce 10, 20, 25, 39, 40
I.Forest A. Needleleaf Forest (3) Needleleaf Woodland D. Black Spruce 1, 17 20, 25
I.Forest B. Broadleaf Forest (1) Closed Broadleaf Forest D. Paper Birch 1, Gold Creek Camp
I.Forest B. Broadleaf Forest (2) Open Broadleaf Forest A. Paper Birch 1, 20, Gold Creek Camp
I.Forest B. Broadleaf Forest (2) Open Broadleaf Forest B. Quaking Aspen 10, 20
I.Forest B. Broadleaf Forest (2) Open Broadleaf Forest C. Balsam Poplar 10, 17, 20, 35, Gold Creek Camp
I.Forest C. Mixed Forest (2) Open Mixed Forest A. Spruce-Paper Birch 1, 23, 25, 35
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (1) Closed Tall Scrub A. Willow 23, 25
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (1) Closed Tall Scrub B. Alder 1, 4, 10, 17, 37, 43
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (2) Open Tall Scrub B. Alder 39
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (2) Open Tall Scrub C. Shrub Birch 4
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (2) Open Tall Scrub D. Alder-Willow 1, 4, 10, 37, 43
II.Scrub B. Tall Scrub (2) Open Tall Scrub E. Shrub-Birch Willow 17, 20, 30, 35
II.Scrub C. Low Scrub (2) Open Low Scrub C. Mesic Shrub Birch-Ericaceous
Shrub
17, 25, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 40, 43, 128
II.Scrub C. Low Scrub (2) Open Low Scrub J. Sweetgale-Graminoid Bog 25
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (1)Dryas Dwarf Scrub A. Dryas Tundra 4, 10, 28, 35, 39, 43
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (1)Dryas Dwarf Scrub C. Dryas-Lichen Tundra 4
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (2) Ericaceous Dwarf Scrub A. Bearberry Tundra 4, 37, 43
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (2) Ericaceous Dwarf Scrub B. Vaccinium Tundra 4, 10, 28, 35, 37, 128
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (2) Ericaceous Dwarf Scrub D. Cassiope Tundra 4, 10, 35, 128
II.Scrub D. Dwarf Scrub (3) Willow Dwarf Scrub A. Willow Tundra 4, 128
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Level I Level II Level III Level IV Survey Transect No.
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (1) Dry Graminoid Herbaceous B. Dry Fescue 30
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (2) Mesic Graminoid Herbaceous A. Bluejoint Meadow 1
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (2) Mesic Graminoid Herbaceous B. Bluejoint-Herb 4, 30, 35, Gold Creek Camp
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (2) Mesic Graminoid Herbaceous H. Sedge-Willow Tundra 30, 43
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (3) Wet Graminoid Herbaceous C. Wet Sedge-Herb Meadow Tundra 17, 23, 30, 40, 43, 128
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (3) Wet Graminoid Herbaceous E. Fresh Grass Marsh 1, 30, 40, 128
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (3) Wet Graminoid Herbaceous F. Subarctic Lowland Sedge Wet
Meadow
17, 20, 25, 28, 30, 35, 40, 43, 128
III. Herbaceous A. Graminoid Herbaceous (3) Wet Graminoid Herbaceous K. Subarctic Lowland Sedge-Moss
Bog Meadow 1
III. Herbaceous B. Forb Herbaceous (1) Dry Forb Herbaceous A. Seral Herbs 4, 20, 23, 25, Gold Creek Camp
III. Herbaceous B. Forb Herbaceous (1) Dry Forb Herbaceous C. Alpine Herbs 4, 25, 37, 128
III. Herbaceous B. Forb Herbaceous (2) Mesic Forb Herbaceous A. Mixed Herbs 10, 20, 23, 25, 35, 39, 128
III. Herbaceous B. Forb Herbaceous (2) Mesic Forb Herbaceous D. Ferns Gold Creek Camp
III. Herbaceous B. Forb Herbaceous (3) Wet Forb Herbaceous C. Subarctic Lowland Herb Bog
Meadow 1, 40
III. Herbaceous D. Aquatic Herbaceous (1) Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous A. Pondlily 17, 20
III. Herbaceous D. Aquatic Herbaceous (1) Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous B. Common Marestail 28, 30, 35, 37, 43
III. Herbaceous D. Aquatic Herbaceous (1) Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous C. Aquatic Buttercup 30, 35, 40, 43, 128
III. Herbaceous D. Aquatic Herbaceous (1) Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous D. Burreed 30, 40, 128
III. Herbaceous D. Aquatic Herbaceous (1) Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous F. Fresh Pondweed 23, 28, 40, 43
Note:
1. Hierarchical vegetation types, Levels 1 through IV as defined in the Alaska Vegetation Classification (Viereck et al. 1992).
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Table 5-3. Rare Vascular Plants Found During Field Surveys in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Area, 2013.
Vascular Plant Geographic Coordinates (Decimal Degrees, WGS 84) Population Estimate
Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.)
Fernald
62.8327 N 148.1971 W Approximately 100 individual flowering
plants
Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. 62.7648 N 149.6907 W Hundreds of individual plants, with 1–5%
cover in camp and airstrip clearings
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10. FIGURES
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Figure 3-1. Rare Plant Study Area, Transects Allocated and Those Surveyed in 2013, and the Location of Two Rare Plants Found in 2013; VICAMA - Vicia americana
Muhl. ex Willd. and ERIVIR - Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald.
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Figure 4.1-1. Regional Subwatershed Area Searched for Rare Vascular Plant Records in the Alaska Natural Heritage Program BIOTICS Database,
2013.
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Figure 5-1. Location of Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd. Population, 2013.
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(A)
(B)
Figure 5-2. Vicia americana Muhl. ex Willd.: (A) Close-up of Plant, (B) Forb Meadow Community Where it
was Found, 2013.
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Figure 5-3. Location of Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald Population, 2013.
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(A)
(B)
Figure 5-4. Eriophorum viridicarinatum (Engelm.) Fernald: (A) Close-up of Plant, (B) Wet Sedge Meadow
Community Where it was Found, 2013.
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APPENDIX A: LIST OF ALL VASCULAR PLANT SPECIES FOUND AND
FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE (NUMBER OF DAYS DETECTED)
DURING THE 2013 RARE PLANT SURVEYS; NOMENCLATURE
ACCORDING TO NRCS (2013).
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Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Achillea millefolium 9 Cardamine pratensis 8
Aconitum delphiniifolium 11 Cardamine purpurea 1
Actaea rubra 1 Carex aquatilis 13
Agrostis scabra 7 Carex atrofusca 1
Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa 12 Carex aurea 4
Andromeda polifolia 15 Carex bigelowii 14
Androsace chamaejasme 1 Carex canescens 10
Anemone narcissiflora 7 Carex capillaris 2
Anemone parviflora 5 Carex chordorrhiza 3
Anemone richardsonii 13 Carex garberi 1
Angelica lucida 9 Carex glacialis 3
Antennaria alpina 1 Carex lachenalii 3
Antennaria friesiana 6 Carex leptalea 1
Antennaria monocephala 4 Carex limosa 3
Anthoxanthum hirtum 2 Carex livida 2
Anthoxanthum monticola ssp. alpinum 10 Carex maritima 1
Arabis holboellii 2 Carex membranacea 9
Arabis lyrata 1 Carex mertensii 2
Arctagrostis latifolia 7 Carex microchaeta 7
Arctophila fulva 3 Carex microchaeta spp. nesophila 1
Arctostaphylos alpina 12 Carex microglochin 1
Arctostaphylos rubra 8 Carex norvegica 3
Arnica alpina 3 Carex pauciflora 1
Arnica latifolia 2 Carex podocarpa 8
Arnica lessingii 5 Carex rariflora 5
Artemisia arctica 9 Carex rostrata 5
Artemisia frigida 6 Carex rotundata 4
Artemisia tilesii 12 Carex saxatilis 2
Aster alpinus var. vierhapperi 1 Carex scirpoidea 5
Astragalus alpinus 7 Carex spectabilis 1
Astragalus bodinii 3 Carex stipata 3
Astragalus umbellatus 4 Carex stylosa 1
Betula glandulosa 10 Carex tenuiflora 4
Betula nana 12 Carex utriculata 1
Betula neoalaskana 8 Cassiope tetragona 7
Boschniakia rossica 6 Castilleja caudata 3
Boykinia richardsonii 8 Chamaedaphne calyculata 2
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Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Calamagrostis canadensis 15 Chamerion angustifolium 14
Calamagrostis stricta ssp. inexpansa 5 Chamerion latifolium 11
Caltha palustris 3 Chrysosplenium tetrandrum 6
Campanula lasiocarpa 7 Cicuta mackenzieana 1
Cardamine bellidifolia 2 Claytonia sarmentosa 5
Comarum palustre 12 Eurybia sibirica 7
Cornus canadensis 1 Festuca altaica 12
Cornus suecica 14 Festuca brachyphylla 2
Corydalis pauciflora 1 Festuca rubra 5
Crepis nana 1 Fritillaria camschatcensis 1
Crepis tectorum 1 Galeopsis bifida 3
Cryptogramma sitchensis 1 Galium boreale 6
Dasiphora fruticosa 15 Galium trifidum 6
Delphinium glaucum 5 Galium triflorum 1
Deschampsia cespitosa 3 Gentiana douglasiana 1
Descurainia incana 1 Gentiana glauca 5
Diapensia lapponica 8 Gentiana propinqua 3
Diphasiastrum alpinum 5 Geocaulon lividum 3
Dodecatheon frigidum 13 Geranium erianthum 10
Draba alpina 1 Geum macrophyllum 2
Draba glabella 1 Geum rossii 1
Drosera anglica 2 Glyceria maxima 1
Drosera rotundifolia 2 Glyceria pulchella 4
Dryas octopetala 8 Gymnocarpium dryopteris 6
Dryopteris expansa 9 Harrimanella stelleriana 3
Eleocharis quinqueflora 1 Hedysarum alpinum 7
Elymus alaskanus 4 Heracleum maximum 7
Empetrum nigrum 15 Heuchera glabra 1
Epilobium anagallidifolium 1 Hieracium triste 1
Epilobium palustre 7 Hippuris vulgaris 7
Equisetum arvense 15 Honckenya peploides 1
Equisetum fluviatile 9 Hordeum jubatum 1
Equisetum palustre 4 Huperzia selago var. selago 5
Equisetum pratense 1 Juncus alpinoarcticulatus ssp.
2
Equisetum scirpoides 3 Juncus arcticus 2
Equisetum sylvaticum 12 Juncus arcticus ssp. alaskanus 2
Equisetum variegatum 3 Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis 2
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Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Erigeron acris 4 Juncus biglumis 8
Erigeron humilus 3 Juncus castaneus 8
Erigeron peregrinus 2 Juncus castaneus ssp. castaneus 2
Eriophorum angustifolium 14 Juncus castaneus ssp. leucochlamys 2
Eriophorum brachyantherum 1 Juncus filiformis 1
Eriophorum russeolum 10 Juncus stygius 1
Eriophorum scheuchzeri 1 Juncus triglumis 4
Eriophorum vaginatum 4 Juniperus communis 7
Eriophorum viridicarinatum 1 Ledum groenlandicum 7
Euphrasia disjuncta 1 Ledum palustre spp. decumbens 12
Linnaea borealis 13 Pinguicula villosa 4
Lloydia serotina 1 Plantago major 4
Loiseleuria procumbens 11 Platanthera dilata 1
Luetkea pectinata 4 Platanthera hyperborea 4
Lupinus arcticus 2 Poa alpina 5
Lupinus nootkatensis 6 Poa arctica 10
Luzula arcuata 4 Poa glauca 3
Luzula confusa 6 Poa paucispicula 1
Luzula multiflora 7 Poa vivipara 1
Luzula wahlenbergii 4 Polemonium acutiflorum 15
Lycopodium annotinum 7 Polygonum alpinum 4
Lycopodium clavatum 6 Polygonum aviculare 2
Matricaria matricarioides 1 Polygonum bistorta 12
Matteuccia struthiopteris 1 Polygonum viviparum 10
Menyanthes trifoliata 5 Populus balsamifera 11
Mertensia paniculata 14 Populus tremuloides 4
Moehringia lateriflora 2 Potamogeton alpinus 1
Moneses uniflora 6 Potamogeton filiformis 1
Myrica gale 2 Potamogeton foliolosus 1
Myriophyllum sibiricum 1 Potamogeton richardsonii 2
Nuphar lutea ssp. polysepala 1 Potamogeton zosterifolius 2
Oplopanax horridus 2 Potentilla anserina ssp. egedii 4
Orthilia secunda 2 Potentilla biflora 2
Oxyria digyna 4 Potentilla bimundorum 1
Oxytropis maydelliana 1 Potentilla diversifolia 1
Oxytropis nigrescens var. nigrescens 2 Potentilla norvegica 2
Packera cymbalaria 1 Potentilla uniflora 1
INITIAL STUDY REPORT RARE PLANT STUDY (11.8)
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Appendix A – Page 4 February 2014 Draft
Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Packera pauciflora 1 Primula borealis 1
Parnassia kotzebuei 5 Primula egaliksensis 2
Parnassia palustris 9 Pyrola asarifolia 7
Parrya nudicaulis 1 Pyrola minor 9
Pedicularis capitata 6 Ranunculus eschscholtzii 2
Pedicularis labradorica 13 Ranunculus gmellinii 5
Pedicularis lanata 3 Ranunculus hyperboreus 5
Pedicularis langsdorffii 3 Ranunculus lapponicus 2
Pedicularis lapponica 2 Ranunculus nivalis 2
Pedicularis verticillata 1 Ranunculus sceleratus 1
Petasites frigidus 12 Ranunculus trichophyllus var.
3
Phleum alpinus 1 Ranunculus uncinatus 2
Phleum pratense 2 Rhodioloa rosea 9
Picea glauca 13 Rhododendron lapponicum 2
Picea mariana 6 Ribes glandulosum 1
Ribes hudsonianum 1 Sibbaldia procumbens 4
Ribes laxiflorum 1 Smelowskia borealis 1
Ribes sp. 4 Solidago multiradiata 11
Ribes triste 7 Sorbus scopulina 2
Rorippa islandica 2 Sparganium angustifolium 1
Rosa acicularis 13 Sparganium hyperboreum 2
Rubus arcticus 13 Sparganium natans 2
Rubus chamaemorus 14 Spiraea stevenii 15
Rubus idaeus 5 Spiranthes romanzoffiana 3
Rumex acetosa 2 Stellaria crassifolia 7
Rumex arcticus 12 Stellaria longipes 8
Salix alaxensis 10 Stellaria media 1
Salix arbusculoides 4 Streptopus amplexifolius 4
Salix arctica 7 Swertia perennis 11
Salix barclayi 5 Taraxacum officinale 4
Salix barrattiana 1 Taraxacum officinale ssp.
2
Salix bebbiana 3 Taraxacum phymatocarpum 2
Salix fuscescens 9 Tephroseris atropurpurea 4
Salix glauca 7 Thalictrum alpinum 4
Salix hastata 9 Thalictrum sparsiflorum 7
Salix ovalifolia 1 Tofieldia coccinea 2
Salix pulchra 13 Tofieldia pusilla 9
INITIAL STUDY REPORT RARE PLANT STUDY (11.8)
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Appendix A – Page 5 February 2014 Draft
Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Salix reticulata 9 Trichophorum alpinum 1
Salix richardsonii 7 Trichophorum cespitosum 6
Salix rotundifolia 1 Trientalis europaea 9
Salix stolonifera 1 Trifolium repens 1
Sambucus racemosa 2 Triglochin palustris 4
Sanguisorba canadensis 12 Trisetum spicatum 8
Sanguisorba officinalis 1 Urtica dioica spp. gracilis 2
Saussurea angustifolia 9 Utricularia intermedia 2
Saxifraga bronchialis 2 Utricularia macrorhiza 1
Saxifraga hieraciifolia 2 Vaccinium ovalifolium 2
Saxifraga hirculus 1 Vaccinium oxycoccos 5
Saxifraga nelsoniana ssp. pacifica 7 Vaccinium uliginosum 15
Saxifraga reflexa 1 Vaccinium vitis-idaea 13
Saxifraga serpyllifolia 1 Valeriana capitata 13
Saxifraga tricuspidata 6 Veratrum viride 4
Scheuchzeria palustris 1 Veronica wormskjoldii 4
Senecio congestus 1 Viburnum edule 4
Senecio lugens 6 Vicia americana 1
Senecio triangularis 1 Viola biflora 1
Shepherdia canadensis 9 Viola epipsila 7
Vascular Plant Species Number of Occurrences
Viola sp. 9
Woodsia glabella 2
Woodsia ilvensis 3
Zigadenus elegans 3
INITIAL STUDY REPORT RARE PLANT STUDY (11.8)
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 February 2014 Draft
APPENDIX B: HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE TWO RARE
PLANT SPECIES FOUND IN THE RARE PLANT STUDY AREA IN 2013.
INITIAL STUDY REPORT RARE PLANT STUDY (11.8)
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Appendix B – Page 1 February 2014 Draft
Percent Areal Cover
Plant Life-form/Ground Cover Eriophorum viridicarinatum Habitat Vicia Americana Habitat
Low shrubs 1 0
Erect dwarf shrubs + 0
Prostrate dwarf shrubs 1 0
Evergreen shrubs + 0
Deciduous shrubs 1 0
Erect forbs 0 95
Non-tussock graminoids 50 1
Fruticose lichen + 0
Pleurocarpous bryophytes 25 5
Acrocarpous bryophytes/Liverworts 0 0
Horsetails 0 +
Rocks 0 0
Bare soil/Salt crust 0 0
Water 15 0
Total dead vegetation 30 5
Canopy/Relief Height (cm)
Vegetation canopy 25 60
Microrelief 10 0
Site Characteristic Eriophorum viridicarinatum Habitat Vicia Americana Habitat
Landform residual plain abandoned alluvial plain
Surficial geology/parent material lacustrine organic deposits stabilized alluvium
Surficial geomorphology small wetland hummocks featureless
Site moisture subhygric mesic
Soil moisture very saturated moist to wet
Glacial geology bedrock with subsequent deposition reworked alluvial till
Topographic position flat flat
Estimated snow duration snow free immediately after melt-out snow free immediately after melt-out
Disturbance degree none disturbed more than once/year
Disturbance type none human activities including clearing,
vehicle traffic and walking
Stability stable stable
Exposure moderate exposure to wind protected from winds
INITIAL STUDY REPORT RARE PLANT STUDY (11.8)
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Appendix B – Page 2 February 2014 Draft
Areal Cover Category (r = rare, + = common, 1 = 1–5%, 2 = 6–25%, 3 = 26–50%)
Plant Species Eriophorum viridicarinatum Habitat Vicia Americana Habitat
Picea glauca 1
Vaccinium uliginosum 1
Andromeda polifolia 1
Salix fusescens 1
Ledum groenlandicum +
Carex lividum 3
Eriophorum viridicarinatum 1
Carex aquatilis 1
Carex limosa +
Eriophorum angustifolium +
Eriophorum russeolum +
Triglochin palustre +
Unknown green and black wetland moss 2
Drepanocladus spp. +
Cladonia poccilum +
Heracleum maximum 3
Chamerion angustifolium 3
Vicia americana 1
Ranunculus bongardi 1
Angelica lucida +
Taraxacum officinale +
Dryopteris expansa +
Urtica lyallii +
Mertensia paniculata +
Equisetum arvense +
Geranium erianthum +
Galeopsis bifida +
Viola epipsela +
Delphinium glauca +
Carex stipata +
Unknown Pleurocarpous moss 1