Management Requirements: In order to adequately protect a given population of Mimulus clivicola, protection must center on the habitat of the species. Methods to protect the habitat include restriction of grazing or fencing populations in June and July to insure that plants won't be trampled prior to seed set, restriction of ORVs, no herbicide spraying, prohibition of road construction and maintenance, prohibition of fire and the establishment of an intact forest buffer of a minimum width of 100 ft from the population margins (Lorain 1992).
Specific management objectives are recommended for maintaining Mimulus clivicola populations at or above the minimum viable population level on Forest Service lands (Lorain 1992). In order to maintain this level, the populations must be self-sustaining, genetically stable, and adequately distributed throughout the species range. These objectives can be applied to management on other federal land, and state and private land as well. Following is a list of these objectives, revised to cover application to all areas where Mimulus clivicola occurs: 1) inform agency or private individual(s) of the locations of Mimulus clivicola on their land, 2) conduct further surveys in suitable habitat that has not yet been surveyed, 3) classify known populations into three protection categories, based on population size and distribution, 4) permanently protect and monitor key populations, and 5) maintain cooperation between federal/state agencies, private owner(s), and The Idaho Conservation Data Center and the Oregon Natural Heritage Data Base. Discussion and implementation of these objectives is described in the following paragraphs.
Private/public organizations or individuals conducting surveys for Mimulus clivicola (i.e., the Idaho Conservation Center, the Oregon Natural Heritage Data Base, The Nature Conservancy, private contractors, state/federal employees, etc.) should inform the landowner(s) of populations located on their land and advise them, if necessary, of the need to survey potential suitable habitat not yet surveyed.
State and federal agencies (i.e., Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, State Department of Lands, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, etc.) may have computer geographic information systems already in place that they can query for potential habitat for Mimulus clivicola on their land.
New locations of Mimulus clivicola should be documented by specimens (if the population exceeds 50 individuals) that include both flowers and roots. The specimens should be sent to the Herbarium either at the University of Idaho or Washington State University for verification of their identity. Notification of confirmed sightings of Mimulus clivicola should be submitted to the state Natural Heritage Program for entry into their permanent data base on sensitive species. If sizable new populations and numbers of new sites are located, a reevaluation of the species status and conservation strategy would be warranted (Lorain 1992).
Monitoring Programs: Four permanent Ecodata plots (USDA Forest Service 1987) (see diagram of ecodata plot) were established within healthy Mimulus clivicola populations in four different river drainages (Elk Creek, North Fork of the Clearwater, Lochsa, and Selway) during the 1989 field season. In addition to the complete ecodata information collected at each plot, counts were made of all plants, including seedlings, that fell within a 2-meter wide belt transect running in a north-south direction through the center of the circle. These sites were recounted in 1990 and 1991 (see Table 1 for data on the number of flowering individuals counted for each year) (Lorain 1992).
Management Research Programs: Research on seed germination and early growth characteristics was conducted by researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Montana (Pavek and Mitchell-Olds 1990). Seed germination required three weeks of stratification (moist, cool conditions of 100% humidity at approximately 40 degrees C). There was a high percentage of germination (no actual values given) occurring 12-19 days after the stratification period was complete. First flower buds developed at approximately 5 weeks, just after the second pair of leaves when the plants were only 0.5 inches tall.
Management Research Needs: For a successful management strategy, new populations should be classified into the following protection categories (Lorain 1992): 1) Protection Category 1 - Key populations that will be permanently protected. Populations in this category should be the largest (> 500 individuals), most vigorous populations that occur in relatively undisturbed habitats where existing and/or future monitoring is considered important. Consideration should also be given to populations that fall within existing special designation areas (i.e., Recreation Areas, Research Natural Areas, etc.) and disjunct or peripheral populations that define the geographic range of the species and may represent important genetic variability.
2) Protection Category 2 - Populations managed within a multiple-use framework with some considerations given to their maintenance. Populations in this category are usually of moderate size (200-500 individuals), have been naturally and/or artificially disturbed in the past and may provide important information concerning the effects of disturbance.
3) Protection Category 3 - Populations that could be sacrificed if necessary, if there is some assurance that the best populations are being protected. These populations are usually the smallest (< 200 individuals) and are considered marginal because of size, low density, and/or occur on non-pristine sites.
(Known populations of Mimulus clivicola have been classified into these 3 categories. Refer to Lorain (1992) for the specific locations and their protection category designations.)
To insure proper category designation of newly discovered sites, a detailed assessment of existing and surrounding habitat and annual site visits are recommended. Since there are wide fluctuations in numbers of observed individuals from year to year, annual population counts can provide a more accurate picture of the true population size. However, knowledge of the seedbank as well, would provide the best information on population size.
Biological Research Needs: Research is needed in the following areas: 1) relationship between population levels and climate/available moisture, 2) relationship between population levels and big game wintering and migration pattern and the creation of exposed mineral soils, 3) the role of the seedbank and seed viability as it relates to the population biology and long-term population viability, 4) the cumulative effect of human activities on habitat loss, and 5) pollination studies.
New information regarding Mimulus clivicola has been gathered in the last decade through inventory surveys and the habitat and population data collected in conjunction with those surveys, Ecoplot data collected over a three-year period on four populations, and the seed germination studies conducted at the University of Montana. This information in conjunction with the research needs mentioned in the previous section provide the guidelines for a research program.
Comments: Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family), Synonymy: Eunanus clivicola, Heller (Muhlenbergia 1(4): 47-62, 1904), Citation: Greenman, J.M. 1899. Northwestern plants, chiefly from Oregon. Erythea, 7(11): 115-120, Type specimen: Sandberg, MacDougal, and Heller. No. 586. Idaho, slopes near the foot of Weissner's Peak, Kootenai County, 8 July, 1892.