Rare state plants found at wind site

MONTEREY — Last month, experts walked the site where Highland New Wind Development LLC is erecting towers for the state's first wind energy utility and found some plants with special state status near the Laurel Fork stream. Under state standards, two of the plants are considered a high risk of being totally destroyed in Virginia, though populations exist elsewhere in the world.

As part of its review of HNWD's site plan, the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Heritage Division had determined special habitats exist in the area, and a physical survey was conducted last month. A report on the botanical inventory of selected habitats was issued by John F. Townsend, DCR staff botanist.

Townsend's report noted the State Corporation Commission had attached conditions to the company's state permit. These included giving a final site plan to reviewing agencies and protecting water quality, habitat, and aquatic resources during construction by adopting recommendations from the DCR, among others.

Sept. 4, 2009, Department of Conservation and Recreation Natural Heritage Division Director Thomas L. Smith sent a letter to HNWD "to determine the extent to which Highland New Wind had complied with these recommendations, particularly pertaining to field surveys for rare plant species in the project area," the report states.

Sept. 24-25, Townsend and Smith conducted a field survey, accompanied by HNWD principal Tal McBride.

"Those areas chosen for survey were limited to habitats presently undergoing development or slated for future action based on the information provided by Highland New Wind to DCR-DNH," Townsend's report noted. "A site overview map created by Blackwell Engineering … was the most detailed reference available at the time surveys were done. Mr. McBride noted future locations of proposed underground electric transmission cables, as well as road and turbine-related infrastructure locations on the ground to assure accuracy in botanical survey work."

The botanists found new populations of four natural heritage resources: pearly everlasting, linearleaved willowherb, narrow-panicled rush, and yellow nodding ladies' tresses, a type of orchid.

The report noted that standard protocol would have involved a survey before any construction activities, but by adhering strictly to DCR's requirements for avoiding the plants, the impacts from construction should be minimal.

What are these plants?

Townsend's report includes a description of the rare plants found on site:

• Pearly everlasting — in the Aster family; a rhizomatous, perennial herb of dryish, usually open or sparsely wooded habitats, mostly in the northern United States and Canada. The other six known occurrences in Virginia are centered on Highland and adjacent mountain counties. Though it's common worldwide, this plant is considered "critically imperiled" in Virginia, which means it has a high risk of being totally destroyed due to extreme rarity, very steep declines or other factors. The pearly everlasting was found in one location on the project site — along a power line right of way — with 30-40 fertile plants in flower and fruit, in a dry upland habitat at road edge, the report explained.

• Linear-leaved willow-herb — in the evening primrose family; an herb of open-canopied seepages and other boggy habitats. It is distributed across the northern United States and much of Canada and reaches its southern limit in states like Virginia, North Carolina, and

Tennessee; has been reported from 20 locations scattered in the mountains of Virginia. This plant is considered "imperiled" by the state because it has a high risk of being destroyed here due to a very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors. The willow-herb was found in two places — in a power line right of way along the western bank of Laurel Fork, and along a power line right of way about 600 meters northwest of Laurel Fork. About 10-20 plants were found in each location in seepage habitat next to the stream, the report states.

• Narrow-panicled rush — in the rush family; found in moderate to high-elevation bogs, seeps, and (rarely) exposed bottoms of natural lakes; a species of more northern distribution and is known from six additional montane locations in Virginia. It, too, is considered "imperiled," by DCR in this state, though is found elsewhere worldwide. The narrow-panicled rush was found in three places at the project site. One was in the powerline right of way along the western bank of Laurel Fork; one in the line right of way about 260 meters northwest of Laurel Fork; and one in the line right of way about 600 meters northwest of Laurel Fork. Hundreds of plants were seen in all three locations.

• Yellow nodding ladies' tresses — in the orchid family; an upland relative of a more common species; restricted to the northeastern United States and adjacent southern Canada and known from a total of four sites in the Virginia mountains. While these tresses are considered "apparently secure" worldwide, they are considered "critically imperiled" in Virgnia. The plants were found in numerous locations, including in the powerline right of way where 62 plants were found in a dry upland habitat, the report said.

How was the survey conducted?

In order to narrow down the number of areas on the site where botantists looked for special species, they used aerial photographs to look for certain landscape features first. They also looked at museum collections, and consulted local naturalists, geologists, and university experts. "Portions of a site not visited on foot were evaluated on the basis of aerial photographs and other information," the report notes. "In this case, the mapped extent of planned construction on the Highland New Wind property was heavily used to guide inventory effort. Threats of present or future disturbances were evaluated."

Then, DCR compiled its report, including a map showing rare plant locations, descriptions of them, and areas to avoid.

"For purposes of this study, rare plants are defined as the rarest known species in the commonwealth," Townsend explained. "Numerous state-rare plant species are known from the higher elevations of Highland County, particularly the Laurel Fork area and adjoining lands. From this list of natural heritage resources, a smaller list of potential natural heritage resources for the project area was generated based on the evaluation of aerial photography and topo maps of the property. This list was quite conservative due to lack of site-specific knowledge." It consisted of ground juniper, drooping bluegrass, and purple oat-grass, plus a high elevation swamp community. "These three species and one community were picked due to the inferred presence of appropriate habitat for each on site and/or the presence of known populations nearby."

Surveys were conducted along the powerline right of way crossing Laurel Fork and its tributaries to the west, due to proposed installation of buried electrical cables, in addition to the Tamarack Ridge turbine locations, the report indicates. Higher elevation areas of Red Oak Knob were surveyed, including all existing and proposed road locations and the turbine footprints.

Populations of four rare plants were found — all were located in the powerline right of way and are associated with wetland and upland habitats, the report said, but they did not find the grasses they expected.

Townsend's report explains these plants "generally have high light requirements and are usually found in habitats dominated by herbs and grasses. In the case of powerline rights of way, species such as those found on the project area are often interpreted as persisting from a time period when more natural openings were present." In the case of two species, he said, "the canopy break created by Laurel Fork itself is enough to provide suitable growing conditions for these wetland species even without the presence of a powerline right of way and these plants are almost certainly present elsewhere on the property in seepage wetlands." In the case of pearly everlasting and the ladies' tresses, though, "the extent of suitable upland habitat beyond the powerline right of way is unknown."

Further, he noted, no natural heritage resources were located in the hardwood and spruce habitats or clearings at the top of Red Oak Knob.

What does this mean for

construction?

The report notes all occurrences of willow-herb and the rush plants were found in "seepage-influenced habitats adjacent to Laurel Fork and its smaller tributaries to the west. In all but one case, these populations were closely tied to seeps within 3 meters or less of the stream itself. The exception is the first unnamed stream crossing to the west of Laurel Fork, where a population of (rush) extends nearly 15 meters southeastward of the stream crossing.

"In the site plan provided by Blackwell Engineering, directional drilling is planned for each of the three stream crossings where natural heritage resources were found."

DCR said the following requirements should ensure drilling doesn't negatively affect the wetlands associated with those plants:

• Laurel Fork — Drilling should be initiated no closer than 10 meters east of the streambed and no closer than 20 meters west of the streambed (the latter due to steep slope with seepage on lower portion).

• First unnamed stream crossing west of Laurel Fork — Drilling should be initiated no closer than 20 meters east of the streambed, due to extent of the (rush) population, and no closer than 10 meters west of the streambed.

• Second unnamed stream crossing west of Laurel Fork — Drilling should be initiated no closer than 10 meters east and no closer than 10 meters west of the streambed.

For the upland species, where pearly everlasting and ladies' tresses were found in the power line rights of way, those areas were drier sections. Townsend used GPS data and field notes to determine whether any particular alignment would minimize the impact of burying power lines. The requirements to avoid impacts to those plants included:

• Limit excavation/burial to areas greater than 5 meters northeast of the southwestern right of way edge - Most of the individuals of these two upland species were found closer to the center or northeastern edge of the powerline right of way. All of the (pearly everlasting) population and 79 percent of the ladies' tresses observed will not be impacted by assuring that all excavation is done within the southwestern most 5 meters of cleared powerline right of way, the report said.