A Natural Areas Inventory of the - Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory ...

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The Marshall-Sharpsburg association comprises soils on gentle to steep slopes on uplands in loess. These soils are deep, well drained to moderately well drained, and have a silty clay-loam subsoil. This association covers the remainder of the installation and covers the largest area of the three associations. The climate of FLMR is classified as humid continental and is characterized by warm to hot summers, cold winters, moderate surface winds, maximum precipitation in the warm season, and frequent day-to-day changes in the weather (Zavesky and Boatright 1977). Average precipitation is roughly 89 cm (35 in) per year, 70% of which falls from April through September during evening or early morning showers or thunderstorms (Zavesky and Boatright 1977). Extended periods of below-average precipitation occur at irregular intervals. Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the year for the period 1910–1960 were 19.3 C (66.5 F) and 7 C (44.5 F), respectively. The growing season generally lasts 180–185 days, from mid-April through late October (Zavesky and Boatright 1977). 1.4. LAND USE HISTORY AND VEGETATION Before Euro-Americans settled in eastern Kansas, the landscape of this region was dominated by a mosaic of tallgrass prairie and deciduous forest vegetation. Küchler (1974) used historical and recent evidence to map the potential natural vegetation of the state. Upland sites in northeast Kansas were dominated by tall and medium-tall grasses and a rich variety of graminoids and herbaceous plants, broadleaf deciduous forests dominated by oaks and hickories, or a mosaic of these vegetation types. Floodplains comprised a mix of floodplain forests, low prairies, and freshwater marshes. Herbaceous vegetation dominated poorly drained floodplain sites. In Leavenworth County, Küchler (1974) mapped floodplain vegetation along the Missouri River and large streams, oak-hickory forest on uplands in a 10-km wide band paralleling the Missouri River, and a mosaic of tallgrass prairie and oak-hickory forest in the western and southern parts of the county. On FLMR, only the former two types were mapped. He described the floodplain vegetation as comprising a mixture of forests, savannas, and freshwater marshes. Floodplain forests were dominated by medium-tall to tall broadleaf tree species and often with a dense understory and many vines. Dominant species included hackberry, cottonwood, American elm, and willow. Characteristic species included mulberry, honey-locust, common sycamore, ash, and maple. Oak-hickory forest on the uplands and steep slopes of valleys consisted of medium-tall deciduous trees dominated by bitter-nut and shag-bark hickory and red, white, and black oak. Secondary species included ash, walnut, ironwood, and common pawpaw. A detailed review of Public Land Survey records from the mid-1850s has not been conducted to determine the general vegetation patterns in Leavenworth County as they existed 150 years ago. However, anecdotal reports hint at the extent and rate of change in the coverage of natural communities once Euro-Americans began to settle in the area. In the mid-1870s, the Kansas State Board of Agriculture estimated that 90% of the area of the county was prairie and 10% was forest (Kansas State Board of Agriculture 1877). According to the Kansas State Board of NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAVENWORTH II 6
Agriculture figures (1874), there were 3,890 ha (9,612 ac) of prairie meadow and 4,189 ha (10,352 ac) of prairie pasture in the county in 1873, but none of these acres was in Kickapoo Township, which includes the FLMR. By 1946, the amount of wild (prairie) hay harvested in the county dropped to 1,064 ha (2,630 ac) (Kansas State Board of Agriculture 1948). Fire and large grazing animals played important roles in the ecology of the North American tallgrass prairie before the arrival of Euro-Americans (Axelrod 1985, Shelford 1963). The suppression of fires formerly caused by lightning or set by Native Americans permitted woody species to spread onto grasslands, gradually shifting the boundary between prairie and forest (Axelrod 1985, Bragg and Hulbert 1976). The elimination of most large, native, grazing animals on the plains before 1900 also affected the vegetation (Shelford 1963). Forested river valleys were settled quickly because of their accessibility from rivers, reliable water supplies, and the widely held but erroneous belief among Euro-American settlers that only forested land could be farmed successfully (Ware and Smith 1939). Forests provided construction materials, fuel, fertile soil, and abundant wildlife. Associated waterways were foci for transportation and the development of commerce. Forests along the Missouri and Kansas Rivers were cleared for agricultural and urban development, and their banks were stabilized and channels straightened (Bragg and Tatschl 1977). As human populations grew, upland areas gradually were settled and the prairie quickly was plowed to support annual row crops. Most areas that historically supported tallgrass prairie were plowed before the turn of the century. 1.5. PROTECTED AND RARE SPECIES The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior. The Act provides federal protection for plants and animals listed as endangered or threatened. Previous studies (Freeman et al. 1997) confirmed that one federally-protected species, the bald eagle, is a regular migrant and winter resident on FLMR. Five species of federally protected birds were determined to migrate through the area, but nesting and/or foraging habitat for these species was determined to be limited or absent. They include the Eskimo curlew, least tern, peregrine falcon, piping plover, and whooping crane. No threatened or endangered plant species were found on the installation. The Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act (K.S.A. 32-501 through 32- 510) places responsibility for identifying and undertaking conservation measures for threatened and endangered wildlife species with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP). Specifically, the Act requires KDWP to determine which species in Kansas are threatened or endangered because of habitat destruction or alteration, overutilization, disease or predation, inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, or other natural or anthropogenic factors. It further directs KDWP to undertake conservation efforts for these species, including the establishment of mechanisms to protect the habitats of threatened and endangered species. The Act provides protection for rare and declining animal species but not native Kansas plants. All federal-listed animal species also are state-listed. The Department also maintains a list of Species in Need of Conservation (SINC). Species on the NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAVENWORTH II 7
Page 1 and 2: A NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF THE FT
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS List Of Figures .
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1.1. Locatio
Page 7 and 8: LIST OF TABLES TABLE 2.1. Summary o
Page 9 and 10: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was carri
Page 11 and 12: 1.1. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1. BACKGR
Page 13 and 14: intentionally or accidentally from
Page 15: east toward the Missouri River. Two
Page 19 and 20: examined the status and ecological
Page 21 and 22: NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAV
Page 23 and 24: CHAPTER 2. NATURAL COMMUNITIES 2.1.
Page 25 and 26: TABLE 2.1. Summary of natural commu
Page 27 and 28: TABLE 2.3. Locations of vegetation
Page 29 and 30: green ash seedlings, and silver map
Page 31 and 32: Genus Species Common Name 1995-‘9
Page 33 and 34: ounding. Genus Species Common Name
Page 43 and 44: Phryma leptostachya American lopsee
Page 45 and 46: 1 2 3 4 5 Family Scientific name Co
Page 47 and 48: 1 2 3 4 5 Family Scientific name Co
Page 49 and 50: annuals initially. Eventually, herb
Page 55 and 56: TABLE 3.1. Animal species protected
Page 57 and 58: September. On 8 September, four tra
Page 59 and 60: warbler, ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapi
Page 61 and 62: TABLE 3.4. Carrion beetles (Coleopt
Page 63 and 64: Potential for Occurrence on FLMR. B
Page 65 and 66: Recommendations. The lack of suitab
Page 67 and 68:
suggests that practices that degrad
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1996, Freeman et al. 1997). Availab
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Potential for Occurrence on FLMR. R
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FLMR is the only site in northeast
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A Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypte
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Species Old-growth Mid- Early- Succ
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(68%) have been confirmed since 199
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NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAV
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4.1. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 4. PLANTS
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Date Location Time Notes 39.3611°N
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plants (including all infraspecific
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TABLE 4.3. Number and cumulative pe
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limestone derivation. After the 200
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ock outcrops; it is often found wit
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hickory Forest on FLMR. Observation
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Scientific Name Carex crus-corvi Sh
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epresenting 5 families, 13 genera,
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with other considerations, includin
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existing natural areas information.
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these areas would enhance the prair
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Other trails and paths on the insta
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FIGURE 5.1. One of the small remnan
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While FLMR supports a diverse flora
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Sorghum halepense, previously repor
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Brumwell, M. J. 1951. An ecological
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Kansas State Board of Agriculture.
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Schwartz, C. W. and E. R. Schwartz.
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APPENDIX A. Directions to vegetatio
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The GPS reading is the SE corner of
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APPENDIX B. Checklist of vertebrate
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ORDER Species Common Name Presence
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Equisetum ×ferrissii Clute (Equise
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Daucus pusillus Michx. southwestern
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Aster oolentangiensis Riddell var.
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[Solidago nemoralis Ait. var. longi
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Thlaspi arvense L. field pennycress
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Commelina communis L. Asiatic dayfl
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Carex vulpinoidea Michx. fox sedge
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Dalea candida Michx. ex Willd. var.
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56. Hydrophyllaceae, the waterleaf
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Nothoscordum bivalve (L.) Britton y
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Spiranthes lacera (Raf.) Raf. slend
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Echinochloa muricata (P. Beauv.) Fe
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misidentified specimen of Sporobolu
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91. Rhamnaceae, the buckthorn famil
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99. Scrophulariaceae, the figwort f
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Phryma leptostachya L. American lop
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Net sets 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11
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However, Anabat recordings indicate
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APPENDIX E. Report on a 2003 field
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TABLE E.1. Reptiles and amphibians
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APPENDIX F. Exotic and Invasive Pla
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TABLE F.2. Life forms (habit) of ex
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are in bloom. Fire has not been pro
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Euonymus fortunei (Celastraceae; Ch
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disperse their seeds. They are foun
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Reed canary grass can become highly
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References Information on exotic an
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