Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value Inventory Surveys Inland Region—Idaho Division

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In August 2011, we conducted rare plant and animal surveys on selected Forest Capital Partners LLC (FCP) properties in northern Idaho. The surveys were part of a continuing effort by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) to document biological resources in the state, and to assist FCP in fulfilling its stewardship goals of identifying and protecting sites that support imperiled and critically imperiled species and their habitats, also known as Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. <br> FCP provided an initial list of target species. IDFG refined and expanded the list to include several Idaho Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and one Ecological Association of concern, the Western White Pine / Bride’s Bonnet Forest (Pinus monticola / Clintonia uniflora). Many of the survey target species occur in aquatic and riparian habitats: habitats that support a high proportion of rare or special status species and Idaho SGCN (Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2005). <br> The August 2011 surveys on FCP property presented a valuable opportunity to survey for rare plants and animals on private lands, areas that we seldom survey due to limited access and funding opportunities. Consequently, we lack basic distributional information for many species on private lands. We aimed to contribute additional information on the distribution and status of some of Idaho’s least known species, but we encountered only two of our target species during surveys at seven sites: one western toad and one population of Robinson’s starwort. Since our survey efforts were limited in scope, it is reasonable to expect that more intensive surveys in suitable habitat would yield additional observations of target species. <br>

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Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - BOTANY: MULTIPLE SPECIES