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Last year the primrose, Primula egaliksensis, was identified from <br />fens in South Park near the town of Jefferson (Cooper 1989). In <br />conjunction with this study a bladderwort (an aquatic carnivorous <br />plant), and two previously unidentified species of sedge were <br />identified. The bladderwort is the species Scorpidium <br />scorpoides. Its next nearest local is believed to be the upper- <br />Midwestern states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The <br />sedges are Carex livida and Carex tenuifloria. They too are of <br />regional significance. <br />Two species previously thought to have been extirpated from <br />the Southern Rocky Mountains were also discovered. They are <br />Packera placerflora (formerly Senecio placerflora) and the <br />cottongrass species Aereooherum. <br />Because these systems have not previously been studied <br />extensively, there is a lack of information on the presence of <br />rare or threatened species in them. It is probable that <br />additional rare or threatened plant species, or additional <br />populations of those already identified may be found in other <br />rich fens around the state (Cooper 1989). <br />Peat extraction, for several reasons, is incompatible with <br />the continued existence of these rare species. By design the <br />peat removal process destroys all of the vegetation overlying the <br />peat. One operator in the South Park area plans to attempt <br />revegetation of an excavated area by respreading the surface <br />layer containing root stocks which was removed and stockpiled at <br />the time of excavation. It is not yet known if this method will <br />48 <br />