Camas monitoring in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s Weippe Prairie: 2014 annual report

Stucki, Devin; Rodhouse, Thomas

As part of the Upper Columbia Basin Network’s long-term vital signs monitoring, we completed monitoring of camas (Camassia quamash (Pursh) Greene) in 2014 in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s (NEPE) Weippe Prairie. This was the tenth year of camas monitoring in Weippe Prairie. Density counts were down in 2014 compared with recent years in all zones and seem to reflect the lower numbers found during the 2012 survey. Conversely, 2014 estimates of mean density of flowering camas plants/m2 were higher than recent years in all zones. The ratios of flowering stem density to camas plant density for nearly all zones were the highest recorded since monitoring began, except zone C which had a higher flowering ratio only in 2008. Orange hawkweed frequency of occurrence continued to be highly variable among zones but in general had declined since 2013. An increase in reed canary grass was reported with over 9% of all plots in 2014 containing reed canary grass and 39% of plots in zone D containing the plant. Oxeye daisy occurrence also increased from 2013 with the plant found in 22% of plots in 2014. Sulfur cinquefoil plot frequency showed a decline from 2013 in most plots, though an increase was seen in zone C. Monthly precipitation and temperature averages were variable near Weippe Prairie during 2014. In general, late-winter and early-spring were wetter and cooler than usual. Summer temperatures were generally warmer than usual and summer precipitation monthly averages were less than usual.

Camas monitoring in Nez Perce National Historical Park’s Weippe Prairie: 2014 annual report

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