Out of the Limelight: Searching for Three Rarely Seen Species in Montana

Abstract

In the summer of 2012 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks conducted surveys to document three little known species of concern in northwest Montana. Each inventory supplied a snapshot of information to continue monitoring their presence on the landscape. The unique life history of the black swift (Cypseloides niger), Coeur D’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoensis), and northern bog lemming (Synaptomis borealis) excludes them from detection during standard multi-species surveys. In addition, previous diversity surveys in Montana that did not employ targeted surveys failed to detect these species. We found that with targeted surveys we could detect all three. These species are all closely tied to water and are potentially vulnerable to climate change and a diminished water resource. Any concerns are speculative however, because we lack basic life history knowledge. We recommend further monitoring and research to understand how to keep these unique species present on the landscape.