1997-06-13_REPORT - M1981302 (11)

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activities include: restricting the use of chemicals and using integrated weed management (biological control , late spring grazing) on exotic species that encroach on or threaten orchid habitat; retaining and monitoring the impact of historic agricultural practices such as grazing, irrigation, and haying; and maintaining a separate layer in the GIS computer system on orchid locations to aid in planning Open Space activities. The Open Space Department supports monitoring and research activities including annual surveys of potential habitat and annual population counts. In addition, the Open Space Department provides support for graduate research on demographics, genetics, and environmental requirements of the orchid and conducts educational programs about the orchid for local organizations, school groups, and public citizens. Mitigation and habitat rehabilitation associated with the Central Utah Project may provide opportunities for protecting, enhancing, or recreating orchid habitat and providing suitable sites for reintroduction. Regulatory. In 1992, the Service developed interim survey procedures for selected areas of Colorado as part of the Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation process. These procedures state that all projects requiring a Federal permit or receiving Federal funding that may disturb potential orchid habitat must be surveyed for the presence of the orchid. As a result of these procedures, three additional occurrences have been discovered, along the St. Vrain River, in the Cache La Poudre River drainage near Fort Collins, and farther upstream along Clear Creek. These new occurrences are all within the known historical range of the species, but significantly extend the current range. The Service also requires surveys for the orchid on a site by site basis in Utah. Surveys in association with the Central Utah Project have led to the discovery of the Provo River population and provided additional information on the population size and distribution along the Diamond Fork and Spanish Fork Rivers. In 1995, the Service developed new section 7 consultation procedures for the species throughout it known range to help ensure that unknown occurrences are not inadvertently destroyed. As a member of the family Orchidaceae, S. diluvialis is included on the CITES Appendix II list. Species on Appendix II require a permit from the country of origin prior to export. International trade in this species is likely minimal . 14