Conservation in a Cultural Park: Evaluating the Importance of Big Hole National Battlefield to the Endemic Lemhi Penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis)

Stucki, D; Rodhouse, T; Lyon, J; Garrett, L; National Park Service

Ecological and Management Study of the Role Park Cultural Landscapes Play in Conservation, Big Hole National Battlefield and the Lemhi Penstemon. Managing cultural landscapes to preserve both natural and cultural resources presents unique challenges. Historic areas are often legislated to preserve a site to a particular point or condition in time. Given the dynamic nature of ecosystem development, these landscapes require an active approach to land management. Techniques that may be advantageous for the natural environment, such as prescribed fire, may not be acceptable due to concerns for preserving cultural resources. Conversely, perpetuating historic activities like grazing or cultivation of non-native species for the sake of the site’s cultural character may be detrimental to the ecological system. This report seeks to examine the potential value of cultural parks to biological conservation within a framework of historic preservation, generating management strategies that provide for both cultural and natural resources. This involves a multi-disciplinary approach and a process for determining integrated goals and activities. From the Report Abstact: The ecological significance of cultural parks and protected areas such as battlefields has frequently been overlooked. Yet small cultural parks with rare populations can provide refugia and colonists for re-establishment elsewhere, increasingly important as climate change leads to range shifts and accelerated population declines. We estimated the abundance of the endemic Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) in Big Hole National Battlefield in western Montana. The Battlefield was reported to hold a large population but no formal study had been undertaken. We estimated during 2009 and 2010 that approximately 1500 adult plants occurred in 2 subpopulations clustered on steep south-facing slopes where down-slope soil movement is highest. Results from 2011 provided evidence for an increase to approximately 3000 adult plants. The battlefield contains the largest reported population of this range-restricted species and is therefore a globally-significant reserve for Lemhi penstemon. However, inflorescence rates were lower and mean number of basal rosettes per plant, a proxy for plant age, were greater than reported elsewhere. Lemhi penstemon requires soil disturbance for regeneration and appears vulnerable to land use change, particularly when it involves disruption of fire regimes. Spotted knapweed abundance is also increasing in the study area, presenting another threat. Managing Big Hole Battlefield to simultaneously reflect a fixed historic period and support Lemhi penstemon will be a persistent challenge that will require a more active, adaptive management strategy. Our study has helped to integrate cultural and natural resource management in the Battlefield and provides a model for conservation in other cultural parks. This report was submitted and published with minor changes in the January, 2013 edition of Natural Areas Journal.

Conservation in a Cultural Park: Evaluating the Importance of Big Hole National Battlefield to the Endemic Lemhi Penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis)

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