Camas monitoring in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s Weippe Prairie: 2015 annual report
Stucki DS and Rodhouse TJ. 2017. Camas monitoring in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s Weippe Prairie: 2015 annual report. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/UCBN/NRDS—2017/1078. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
As part of the Upper Columbia Basin Network’s long-term vital signs monitoring, we completed monitoring of camas (Camassia quamash (Pursh) Greene) in 2015 in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s (NEPE) Weippe Prairie. This was the eleventh year of camas monitoring in Weippe Prairie. Based on results of the 2015 survey, camas density estimates were down from recent years in nearly all zones, though zone A showed a slight increase over 2014 estimates. Estimates of mean density of flowering camas plants/m2 were lower than recent years in all zones. The ratios of flowering stem density to camas plant density in 2015 were lower than 2014 for all zones. Orange hawkweed and sulfur cinquefoil frequency of occurrence increased slightly from 2014. Oxeye daisy frequency of occurrence decreased from 2014. Reed canary grass frequency of occurrence dropped considerably from 2014 counts. Precipitation near Weippe Prairie during the 2015 water year was about average during the winter months and considerably below average during the months of April through June. Temperatures were above average throughout the 2015 water year, with the exception of November and April. A further trend analysis accounting for the effects of average monthly temperature and precipitation on camas populations and flowering rates will be available in 2017.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Stucki, Devin; Rodhouse, Thomas
- Date of Issue
- 2017-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NEPE , NRSS , UCBN
- Keywords
- Big Hole, Camas Monitoring, Camassia quamash