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2 , for a total count south of the Turnpike of 1647 . <br /> The lessee wishes to hay the areas , so north of the Turnpike , most <br /> of the plants were circumscribed by a line of flags , and that area will <br /> not be hayed. In the protected area , 3362 orchids were counted. In the <br /> area to be cut , there are 426 plants. Since the orchid has survived hay <br /> cutting for many years , these areas can serve as controls , to determine <br /> if populations increase or decrease as a result of haying. South of the <br /> Turnpike, the protected area is not well marked as yet , but I have <br /> enclosed a map with a proposed cut line drawn in. If my proposal is <br /> accepted , there would be 1475 plants in the protected area and 172 in <br /> the area to be cut . <br /> Obviously, the populations need to be closely monitored from now on <br /> to determine if they are thriving or declining. In general , the biggest <br /> colonies are in moist swale areas where the grass is abundant , but not <br /> too lush . The lowest areas are full of sedges , rushes , and cattails , <br /> and the orchid can't compete, but adjacent to these areas , often where <br /> the slope breaks , there are large populations . A few scattered plants <br /> were found in waist-high grass, particularly in the swales of area 3 . <br /> It appears that in such high grass areas , the orchid would benefit by <br /> haying, cutting, grazing, or burning to eliminate some of the <br /> competition for light . <br /> It may be worthwhile to watch the populations well into the Autumn , <br /> as the Clear Creek populations have been seen in bloom as late as <br /> October 3 . It seems that colonies of Spiranthes diluvialis usually <br /> contain some late-blooming plants. In addition, we may want to watch <br /> for Spiranthes magnicamporum, a Great Plains orchid that typically <br /> blooms in September or October . <br /> This report and the two maps provided (area north of Turnpike; area <br /> south of Turnpike) are the deliverables promised in my July 25 proposal . <br /> If you wish me to continue to inventory populations of the orchid <br /> further south along the South Boulder Creek floodplain or in other <br /> areas , please let me know. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> i� <br /> Wi li F . Jennings <br />