Rare Plants in progress

Valley Fire Rare Plant Discovery Surveys

A project between the SDMMP and US Forest Service to establish and prioritize survey areas on Conserved Lands within the perimeter of the 2020 Valley Fire to document whether historic occurrences are extant and to discover new occurrences for 18 rare plant species. In 2022, AECOM and Conservation Biology Institute botanists surveyed areas for 18 target rare plant species and mapped the spatial extent of each new occurrence, counted or estimated the occurrence population size, and collected voucher specimens. They also photographed each new occurrence from a georeferenced location that captured a representative view of the occurrence. Botanists created a species list for the areas surveyed within the Valley Fire footprint. These areas included locations where rare plants were detected and mapped and negative data point areas where rare plants were not detected. In 2023, botanists shall again conduct surveys on suitable habitat on USFS lands burned in the 2020 Valley Fire. Results from these surveys should lead to a greater understanding of post-fire rare plant composition. In 2023, botanists may see species that did not emerge in the first year of surveys, and species found in the first year of surveys may have expanded their range. The 18 rare plant species included in the surveys are: San Diego thornmint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia), Marvin's allium (Allium marvinii), Western spleenwort (Asplenium vespertinum), Deane's milkvetch (Astragalus deanei), Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae), San Diego goldenstar (Bloomeria clevelandii), Orcutt's brodiaea (Brodiaea orcuttii), Lakeside ceanothus (Ceanothus cyaneus), San Miguel savory (Clinopodium chandleri), Variegated dudleya (Dudleya variegata), Mission Canyon bluecup (Githopsis diffusa filicaulis), Ramona horkelia (Horkelia truncata), Heart-leaved pitcher sage (Lepechinia cardiophylla), Felt-leaved pitcher sage (Monardella hypoleuca lanata), Chaparral nolina (Nolina cismontana), Gander's ragwort (Packera ganderi), Moreno currant (Ribes canthariforme), and Parry's tetracoccus (Tetracoccus dioicus).
Project Focus

Chaparral nolina, Deane's milkvetch, Encinitas baccharis, Felt-leaved monardella, Gander's ragwort, Heart-leaved pitcher sage, Lakeside ceanothus, Moreno currant, Orcutt's brodiaea, Parry's tetracoccus, Ramona horkelia, San Diego goldenstar, San Diego thorn-mint, San Gabriel bluecup, San Miguel savory, Variegated dudleya, western spleenwort

Annabelle Bernabe

San Diego Association of Governments

San Diego Management and Monitoring Program; U.S. Forest Service

AECOM; Conservation Biology Institute; San Diego Natural History Museum

Lauren Quon

Sarah McCutcheon

Kris Preston

Lauren Quon

Project Protocol
Rare Plant IMG Field Method Instructions 2023

Detailed field instructions for the 2023 survey season.

wandering surveys; transects
463.03KB MSP 2023 Rare Plant IMG Field Form Instructions 11072022 Final 11-7-2022.pdf
File name Lead Author Year Type
2022 SDMMP Rare Plant Discovery Surveys, Inspect and Manage Monitoring, and Valley Fire Surveys Vinje, Jessie 2022 powerpoint presentation
Post-fire Valley Fire Botanical Surveys 2022-2023 Brand Ramirez, Diana 2024 powerpoint presentation
Recording - November 2022 MSP Land Managers Meeting Vinje, Jessie; Rodes, Rusty; Lombardo, Dario; Copenhaver, Paige 2022 recording