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cover values. Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) (3.3% cover) dominated the native perennialforbs. Total average vegetation cover, for first hits, was 47.7%. Total average vegetation cover, for all hits, was 56.8°!0. Standing dead, litter, bare soil, and rock each had 3.0°!0, 25:7%, 19.7%, and 3.9% cover, respectively (first hits). Average species density was 24.3 species/100 sq.m. WESTERN WHEAT EXTENDED REFERENCE AREA (Photographs 49-52) Cover (Table 12) Native perennial fortis were most abundant, making up 20.9% vegetation cover (a1I hits). Within this group, mule's ear (Wyethia amplexicaulis) and weedy milkvetch (Astragalus miser var. oblongifolius) were most common, having 8.9% and 5.8% total cover, respectively. Native perennial cool season grasses was the second most common life form (17.1% cover). Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) and Agassiz bluegrass (Poa agassizensis) were the most abundant native perennial cool season grasses (4.5% and 4.3% cover, respectively). Native shrubs were the third most abundant group (5.8% cover) dominated by alkali sagebrush (Seriphidium arbusculum ssp. longilobum) with 3.7% cover. Total average vegetation cover, for first hits, was 43.3%. Total average vegetation cover, for all hits, was 44.9%. Standing dead, litter, bare soil, and rock each had 2.8%, 42.6%, 11.2%, and 0.1 % cover, respectively (first hits). Average species density was 21.9 speciesl100 sq.m. I D{SCUSS{ON The year preceding sampling in July 2006 included a wet fall and winter of 2005. The spring and early summer of 2006 was mostly dry, except for March 2006 which was near average (Figures 6a and 6b). When compared to other years in which monitoring has occurred back to 1987, both the cumulative 12 months and 6 months total precipitation prior to sampling ranked 2006 near the center of the nineteen years of record for April, with total precipitation amounts dropping significantly by July (Figures 7a, 7b). Total precipitation for the previous six months was the second lowest for the period of record back to 1987 for the month of July 2006, with only the exceptional dry 2002 lower (Figure Sa, and 8b). The cumulative four month (Figure 9b) precipitation values back to 1987 show that 2006 was 40% below the 19-year average. With regard to temperature, cumulative January through June 2006 warmth was near average (Figure 10). 13