An Evaluation of Biological Inventory Data Collected at Effigy Mounds National Monument: Vertebrate and Vascular Plant Inventories

Williams, Michael

The Inventory and Monitoring program of the NPS provides twelve basic inventories for park managers, including lists of species that occur in NPS units. Eight hundred twelve species are certified on the list of vascular plants and vertebrates for Effigy Mounds National Monument (EFMO). Based on a review of the evidence, 733 (90%) species were categorized as Present in Park, and 79 (10%) as Probably Present. Four hundred ninety nine species were Unconfirmed, Encroaching, or Historic. In addition to documenting the presence of species, reviewers categorized the general abundance of 634 (86%) species and determined residency for all documented vertebrates with the exception of 16 fish. Fifty nine non-native species are documented to occur in the park. Of these are four birds and 55 vascular plants. Non-native vascular plant species were assigned a NatureServe Invasive Species Impact Rank (I-Rank) based on impact to native species and natural biodiversity. Eleven of the 55 (20%) non-native plants found on EFMO received an overall I-Rank score that included the high category (i.e. most threatening). A total of 56 species are listed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as a species of conservation status. The federally listed endangered least tern is listed as unconfirmed at EFMO. The federally listed endangered least tern was noted as unconfirmed on EFMO. Twenty nine state listed species include five threatened species documented on EFMO (burbot, western sand darter, least shrew, Southern bog lemming, golden corydalis), one noted as probably present (long eared owl), and eight noted as unconfirmed (Blanding’s turtle, central newt, creeping juniper, glandular wood fern, Henslow’s sparrow, jeweled shooting star, leathery grapefern, wild lupine). Five state listed endangered species were documented on EFMO (bald eagle, northern harrier, peregrine falcon, red shouldered hawk, weed shiner), two noted as probably present (lake sturgeon, spotted skunk), and eight noted as unconfirmed (arrow arum, king rail, massasauga rattlesnake, short eared owl, swamp-loosestrife, waxy meadowrue, winterberry, wood turtle). Future inventory efforts are discussed.

An Evaluation of Biological Inventory Data Collected at Effigy Mounds National Monument: Vertebrate and Vascular Plant Inventories

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