Rmrs gtr077

United States
Department
of Agriculture High Mountain Lake
Forest Service
Rocky Mountain
Research Natural
Research Station
General Technical
Areas in Idaho
Report
RMRS-GTR-77-CD
Fred W. Rabe
June 2001
High Mountain Lake
Research Natural Areas
in Idaho
Fred W. Rabe
The Author
Fred W. Rabe is an aquatic ecologist and

retired professor from the Biological
Sciences Department at the University of
Idaho in Moscow, ID.
Abstract
High mountain lakes in Idaho total about

1800 and represent one of the most pris-
time type ecosystems in the country.
Limnological characteristics are described
for 27 lakes and 20 ponds in 32 established
and proposed Research Natural Areas
(RNA) representing seven subregions in
the state. Field collections were made from
the 1960s through 1999 by different
researchers. Even though data about some
of these lakes is not currently available, the
databases can be updated as research
continues. A classification is developed to
include elevation, size, depth, production
potential and lake origin. Additional infor-
mation that describes the sites is pH, rock
type and hydrology. Aquatic plants, zoo-
plankton, immature aquatic insects and
cold water vertebrates inhabiting the water
bodies are described. The classification
can be applied to gap analysis to identify
missing or under-represented natural area
types. Future research efforts can focus on
covering the gaps and bringing more high
mountain lakes into the RNA system.
Keywords: high mountain lakes, lake clas-

sification, reference area, macroinverte-
brates, zooplankton
Cover photo: View of Theriault Pond locat-

ed in a cirque basin on the side of Marble
Mountain within Theriault Lake Research
Natural Area in north-central Idaho. Photo
by the author, July 12, 1998.
HIGH MOUNTAIN LAKE RESEARCH NATURAL AREAS IN IDAHO
Fred W. Rabe
Contents
Idaho Subregions .....................................................................................................................................i
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................1
Field Methods ..........................................................................................................................................7
Classification ...........................................................................................................................................9
Description of high mountain lake Research Natural Areas in Idaho..............................................17
North Idaho Subregion .........................................................................................................................19

Snowy Top Lake..........................................................................................................................21
Three Ponds ...............................................................................................................................25
Scotchman No. 2 Pond...............................................................................................................27
Pond Peak Pond.........................................................................................................................29
Idaho Batholith Subregion....................................................................................................................33

Theriault Pond.............................................................................................................................35
Bacon Lakes...............................................................................................................................39
Steep Lakes................................................................................................................................43
Grave Peak Lake and Ponds.....................................................................................................49
Fenn Mountain Lakes .................................................................................................................55
Salmon Mountain Lake and Ponds.............................................................................................57
Allan Mountain Ponds.................................................................................................................63
Fish Lake ....................................................................................................................................67
Square Mountain Lake................................................................................................................71
Dome Lake..................................................................................................................................75
Belvidere Lakes and Ponds........................................................................................................77
Mystery Lake...............................................................................................................................85
Chilcoot Lake..............................................................................................................................89
Cache Creek Lakes and Pond....................................................................................................93
Master Sergeant Lake and Ponds..............................................................................................99
Western Fringe Subregion..................................................................................................................103

Little Granite Creek Lakes........................................................................................................105
Goat Lake .................................................................................................................................109
Lava Butte Lake and Ponds......................................................................................................111
Steamboat Lake........................................................................................................................115
Needles Lake and Pond............................................................................................................117
Fiddle Lake................................................................................................................................119
Sawtooths Subregion..........................................................................................................................123
Surprise Valley Lake and Pond.................................................................................................125
Smiley Mountain Lake and Ponds............................................................................................129
Broad Valleys Subregion.....................................................................................................................137
Kenney Creek Pond .................................................................................................................139
Upper Mill Lake.........................................................................................................................141
Upper Merriam Lake.................................................................................................................145
Great Basin Subregion........................................................................................................................149

Mount Harrison Pond................................................................................................................151
Southeast Idaho Subregion ................................................................................................................155

Bloomington Lake.....................................................................................................................157
Summary and Discussion ..................................................................................................................161
Recommendations...............................................................................................................................166
Table 1. Classification elements of high mountain lakes........................................................................10
Table 2. Association between physical, chemical and biotic factors with production potential in
high lakes ..................................................................................................................................10
Table 3. Modifiers used in classification of high mountain lakes............................................................13
Table 4. Classification elements associated with high lakes and ponds ..............................................162
Table 5. Dominant Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera from lakes ponds and
streams....................................................................................................................................166
Glossary ...............................................................................................................................................169
Appendix A: Vascular and Nonvascular Plant Species ...................................................................173
Appendix B: Zooplankton Species ....................................................................................................175
Appendix C: Macroinvertebrate Taxa.................................................................................................177

Acknowledgements
Sedges, grasses and shrubs were identi-
The support for this project was supplied in fied at some RNAs by Mabel Jones and
part by the Rocky Mountain Research Michael Mancuso both associated with the
Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Idaho Conservation Data Center.
Forest Service. Earlier support was provid- Assistance in identification of macroinverte-
ed by the Water Resources Research Unit brates came from Wade Hoiland and
at the University of Idaho and a grant from Russell Biggam; information about amphib-
the office of Continuing Education at the ians was supplied by Dick Wallace.
University of Idaho.
Doug Henderson (deceased), Sheryl
Rocky Mountain Research Station person- Walker, William Burleson, Al Espinosa and
nel Melinda Moeur offered encouragement Charles Wellner provided photographs of
and review of the manuscript and Jeff lakes used in the publication. Dave Parker
Evans worked on the lake graphics from and Jim Weaver photographed three of the
digital elevation models and various sites from the air. All uncredited pho-
sources of ArcInfo data. tographs and drawings were done by the
author.
Mabel Jones of the Idaho Conservation
Data Center (CDC) in Boise prepared site Sarah Koerber, a writing and technical
basic record sheets of the high mountain consultant, provided substantial editing and
lake RNAs which enabled me to better Dana Catts, an entomologist, and Sarah
organize visits to the sites throughout the Koerber reviewed the final manuscript and
state. Steve Rust of the CDC reviewed the provided many useful comments. Edward
manuscript and offered some valuable sug- J. Sala made suggestions for the layout
gestions. and design of the publication.
Over a 30 year period various individuals

accompanied me to the lakes and assisted
in collecting data. They were Nancy Abbott,
Andrea and Erin Brooks, Robert Bursik,
Dana Catts, Roy Harness, Mabel Jones,
Michael Mancuso, Bill Minnerly, Craig
Rabe, Nancy Savage and Charles Wellner.
Individuals contributing information from

their lake studies were Peter Bahls, Steve
Crumb, Al Espinosa and Norm Howse. Bob
Wissmar and Steve Crumb used some of
the RNA high lakes as study sites for their
Master’s degrees at the University of Idaho.
Ben Studer of the Idaho Geological Survey

provided a descriptive geology of different
lake sites. In addition I used information
about the geology of different RNAs com-
piled by the Conservation Data Center.
i
INTRODUCTION
High lakes in Idaho total about 1800 in number and represent
one of the most pristine type of ecosystems in the country
(Bahls 1992). Unlike lower elevation lakes they are seldom
affected by pollution, habitat alteration or unnatural water level
fluctuations. These water bodies are products of rigorous
extremes over time and the biota living there often tolerate
stressful physical and chemical conditions. Since they are such
unique systems and occur predominantly in an unspoiled state,
many of these high lakes have been established or proposed as
Research Natural Areas.
Charles Wellner retired from the Forest Service is

mainly responsible for setting aside some 114
Research Natural Areas in Idaho.
Classifying and cataloging natural diversity and identifying

sites suitable for designation as natural areas has occurred
at a fairly rapid rate since 1974, primarily through the activ-
ities of Charles Wellner, a retired Forest Service employee.
Both agency people and university personnel have worked
with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management,
The Nature Conservancy and other organizations to contin-
ue to establish a network of these reserves in Idaho. This
network is designed to include representative examples of
ecosystems, habitats, and species found in terrestrial, wet-
land and aquatic sites.
In addition to Research Natural Areas established by the

Forest Service, other types of natural areas in the network
include Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs),
managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Nature
Conservancy preserves.
To effectively compare and evaluate potential natural areas

and ensure that an adequate number of examples of every
Research Natural Areas are small tracts of land and water set aside by the type is included in the reserve system, a classification of
Forest Service to provide a range of terrestrial and aquatic diversity. In ecosystems that includes high lakes is necessary.
addition these areas serve as baseline sites to compare to altered sys-
tems; they recognize and protect unique and representative biota; and Classification of aquatic features has lagged behind that of
they are used in educational and research activities. terrestrial sites because community characteristics are not
readily apparent to the observer. Furthermore, classifica-
The RNA program has existed for more than 60 years and tion of aquatic resources in western states is often based
establishes sites representative of different ecosystems, on a single use such as fishery value, aesthetic unique-
communities and processes existing on National Forest ness, recreation importance or wild and scenic river status.
lands. In 1935, Tepee Creek RNA on the Idaho Panhandle
National Forest was established as the first RNA in Idaho Since about 1800 high lakes exist in Idaho, a logical selection
Since then over 207 established and 19 proposed sites have process is needed to choose the most favorable sites for RNAs.
been added in the Northern Region, north Idaho and western The selection process described in this report takes into account
Montana and Intermountain Region, south Idaho and Utah lake productivity and geomorphic lake type. Breckenridge, with
(Evenden et al. In press). Gaps still exist in the network but the Idaho Geological Survey, and Rabe developed this system
with new found knowledge, agency people and volunteers for ranking lakes based on their research on high mountain
are attempting to fill them (Chadde et al. 1996, Rust 2000). lakes (Rabe and Breckenridge 1985).
1
G
F
E B
D C
A
A. alpine cirque lake
B. subalpine ponds
C. wet meadow
D. meandering stream
E. whitebark pine
F. mixed subalpine fir -Englemann spruce forest
G. heather meadows
From Rabe and Savage (1977).
Research Natural Areas consist of a number of cells or basic ecological units. Mill Lake RNA in the Salmon
-Challis National Forest comprises an aggregation of cells. Natural area needs assessment identifies cells
that are under-represented in the system (Chadde et al. 1996 and Rust 2000).
2
Purposes of Natural Areas
RNAs have an intrinsic value due to their natural beauty and

unique habitats and ecosystems. In addition to these val-
ues, RNAs also have many practical purposes. As pristine
relatively undisturbed natural systems, they are ideal to use
as research and reference areas, educational laboratories
and biotic preserves.
Freshwater sites have been studied very little compared to

terrestrial and marine systems, even though these ecosys-
tems harbor a diverse and unique variety of habitats and
endangered species.
Steve Crumb collecting benthos from Lower Steep Lake.
Research
Natural areas may be used as research sites. Glacial lakes
are usually located off the beaten path. Due to their remote-
ness, they are undisturbed except for occasional research of fish. Crumb found most zooplankton species were small-
activities and visits from hikers. Summaries of some of the er in the stocked lake presumably due to size selective pre-
research on high lakes are described below. dation. Some larger invertebrates such as Gammarus
lacustris, a freshwater shrimp, were absent altogether in the
Several studies have been performed in the Five Lakes Butte stocked lake presumably reduced by fish predation.
area of the Bitterroot Mountains. Astudent earned his master’s
degree studying the density and horizontal dispersion of zoo- Moseley (1996) developed methods to assess community
plankton in four high lakes (Wissmar and Rabe 1970). Another composition and structure of plants in 10 high lakes in the
individual described a cutthroat trout population in a shallow Sawtooth Mountains using gradient analysis of eight physi-
sub-alpine lake (Parr and Rabe 1973). Ageneral survey of 10 cal variables including elevation and cirque aspect.
lakes in the Five Lakes Butte area described selected physi-
cal, chemical and biotic conditions (Parr et al. 1968). One of A number of limnological high lake surveys in Idaho have
these sites (Bacon Lake) is a Research Natural Area. been made by the Forest Service and Idaho Fish and Game
Department. These include the Gospel Hump Wilderness
(Espinosa et al. 1977), the Seven Devils Scenic Area
(Howse 1967), the Sandpoint Ranger District (Thorson
1979), and the Nez Perce National Forest (Bahls 1990,
1987). Some of the lakes surveyed in these areas are in
designated Research Natural Areas.
Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University

of Idaho supported research and publication of Aquatic
Natural Areas in Idaho (Rabe and Savage 1977). This
report describes a three year investigation of proposed nat-
ural areas in Idaho including some high mountain lakes. The
publication explains development of a general classification
scheme and a methodology for surveying proposed sites.
Aselection process of high lake natural areas which involved

potential productivity and lake types was developed (Rabe
Bacon Lake RNA in the Five Lakes Butte area was studied and Breckenridge1985). It is important to choose sites that
by Bob Wissmar and Bill Parr.
are highly productive as well as those that are less productive
thus providing a range of ecosystem and habitat diversity.
Steve Crumb studied Upper and Lower Steep Lakes com-
paring the composition and density of invertebrates there Peter Bahls published an excellent discussion of the status of
(Crumb 1977). Steep Lakes RNA is on the Clearwater fish populations and management of high mountain lakes in
National Forest.The lower lake had been stocked with gold- the Western United States based largely on his extensive lim-
en trout (Salmo aguabonito ) and the upper lake was barren nological and fisheries work in northern Idaho (Bahls 1992).
3
Over a period of years in the high Uinta Mountains of Utah The baseline data from Upper Steep Lake provided an impor-
Rabe completed age and growth studies of brook trout, tant control enabling the investigators to see that a slight
Salvelinus fontinalis (Rabe 1968), a transplantation study of increase in nitrates and a decrease in zooplankton occurred
brook trout (Rabe 1967b) and an age and growth study of after the eruption. These effects were only temporary. (Rabe
rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus gairdneri (1967a). In addition 1982).
an artificial fertilization experiment was performed in sever-
al of the waters (Rabe 1969). These lakes in the Swift Creek In the 1970s, some high lakes in Idaho and Montana were
drainage of the Uintas are protected as wilderness. used as baseline sites to monitor the effects of acid rain.
Since a majority of these pristine waters are nutrient poor,
Reference Areas have relatively low pH values and a poor buffering capacity,
Natural areas may provide baseline or reference areas. any effects of acid rain would be easily detected compared
These sites enable us to better understand our impact on to lower lakes and streams with harder waters and more
the world and it upon us by studying natural systems and impacted conditions.
then comparing them to systems that have been affected by
human activities. Classrooms
Natural areas may serve as teaching sites or outdoor labo-
Natural areas provide reference points that we can use to ratories where we can learn more about the natural world.
measure the structure and function of ecosystems. They They are as important to field scientists as a physiology lab
help define ranges of natural variability and present a clear- might be to a medical student; hence these valuable
er understanding of natural processes at work in the larger resources should be protected. We might think of natural
landscape. In addition, they provide an early warning sys-
areas as a library with each individual natural area a book,
tem for environmental problems. The same natural laws that
so both students and scientists can read the lives of
govern fish or plankton in a lake govern us.
streams, lakes, wetlands, trees, flowers, soils and land-
The Sawtooth National Forest has been targeting high lakes forms.
in the Sawtooth Wilderness as monitoring sites (Moseley
1996). Fish, amphibians and plants are sampled in five year Belvidere Lakes RNA on the Payette National Forest was
cycles to determine long-term trends of the baseline data the classroom setting for one group of students participating
measured. A floristic checklist combined with a measure of in a University of Idaho ecology class in 1978. Students
relative abundance of each species in the lakes and asso- hiked several miles up a steep grade carrying a microscope,
ciated wetlands is the goal of this project. folding table, glassware, rubber rafts and sundry other sam-
pling equipment. The objective was to acquaint students
with the methods of sampling high mountain lakes and ana-
lyzing the data.
The class studied seven lakes. Students learned how to col-

lect water, plankton and macroinvertebrate samples,
mapped each lake and used a gill net to sample fish. Some
of the samples were returned to the university for further
identification and analysis. A final report was assembled by
members of the class and submitted to the Forest Service.
One of the students later undertook a high lake survey in the
Sandpoint area for the Forest Service (Thorson 1979).
Biotic Preserves
Natural areas may act as preserves for biotic diversity and
A trip to Lower Steep Lake (Clearwater National Forest) processes. The sites contain both representative and rare
was made to measure any impact Mount St. Helen ash species of plants and animals. It is difficult to imagine study-
fall (gray in color) might have had on plankton. Most of
ing nature without these pristine habitats in which to work.
the lake was frozen, with ash covering the surface.
As with libraries, our understanding of ecological systems in
Steve Crumb compared invertebrate communities of Upper natural areas is enhanced when we have a catalog of native
and Lower Steep Lakes in the Bitterroot Range (Crumb flora and fauna and a description of the habitat.
1977). Mount St. Helens erupted soon after he completed
his study. Since chemical and biological data for the lakes The following examples demonstrate how studies in RNAs
existed before the eruption, the Forest Service asked Rabe have revealed unique or unusual characteristics of high
to determine what effect, if any, the ash fall might have had lakes. While studying plant composition in glacial lakes in
on the water chemistry and biota in one of the lakes. the Sawtooths, Moseley (1996) observed a sedge and a
rush that while common in low elevation peatlands are
rarely observed at higher elevations.
4
Evenden, A. G.; Moeur, M.; Shelly, S.; Kimball, S. F.;
Wellner C. A. ( In Press). Forest Service Research Natural
Areas in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Intermountain
West.U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
RMRS.
Howse, N. R. 1967. Fishery survey of alpine lakes of Seven

Devils Scenic Area. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Nez Perce National Forest. Grangeville, ID. 50 p.
Moseley, R. K. 1996. Sawtooth wilderness high lakes mon-

itoring: Aquatic and wetland flora. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Sawtooth National Forest-
Golden trout (Salmo aquabonita )
Boise: Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 14 p.
Lower Steep Lake (North Fork of the Clearwater drainage) Parr, W. H.; Rabe, F. W. 1973. A cutthroat population in a
is the only lake north of the Salmon River that contains a small subalpine meadow lake. Idaho Academy of Science 9:
breeding population of golden trout (Salmo aquabonita). 44-48.
The only known case of a freshwater shrimp (Gammarus Parr, W. H.; Rabe, F. W.; Wissmar, R. C.1968. Investigations
lacustris) in high lakes north of the Salmon River was col- of subalpine lakes, Five Lakes Butte, Idaho. Journal of
lected in Upper Steep Lake which contains no fish. Fishless Idaho Academy of Science 8:1-5.
lakes and ponds are important because they provide a habi-
tat for certain invertebrates, amphibians and salamanders Rabe, F. W. 1967a. Age and growth of rainbow trout in four
that might not be there if fish were present. alpine lakes. Northwest Science 41 (1): 12-22.
The Forest Service in collaboration with other agencies has Rabe, F. W. 1967b. The transplantation of brook trout in an
established a national network of natural areas that repre- alpine lake. Progressive Fish Culturist 29 (1): 53-55.
sents terrestial, wetland, stream and lake ecosystems
across the country. These sites provide outdoor laboratories Rabe, F. W. 1968. Brook trout populations in high lakes.
for research and education and serve as sites for long term Northwest Science 42 (1): 20-28.
monitoring. It is now possible for scientists to cross-refer-
ence information in RNAs, Wilderness Areas, National Rabe, F. W. 1969. Artificial fertilization of a small high alti-
Parks, private nature preserves, botanical areas and State tude lake. American Midland Naturalist 81 (1): 281-284.
heritage areas. This library of knowledge will grow as we
acquire new sites and study them more thoroughly. Rabe, F. W.; Savage, N. L. 1977. Aquatic natural areas in
Idaho. Moscow: Idaho Water Resources Research Institute.
Literature Cited University of Idaho. 109 p.
Bahls, P. ; Stickney, M. B. 1987. Preliminary report of the high Rabe, F. W. 1982. Effects of volcanic ash on plankton and
lake fisheries project on the Moose Creek Ranger District. Nez benthos in subalpine lakes. Unpublished paper on file at
Perce National Forest. Grangeville, ID. 234 p. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station, Ogden, UT.
Bahls, P. 1990. Ecological implications of trout introductions
to lakes of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, ID. Corvallis, Rabe, F. W.; Breckenridge, R. M. 1985. Physical and chem-
OR: Oregon State University. 55 p. Thesis. ical factors of glacial lakes in Northern Idaho as related to
area selection. Journal of Idaho Academy of Science 21 (1-
Bahls, P. 1992. The status of fish populations and manage- 2): 1-15.
ment of high mountain lakes in the Western United States.
Northwest Science 66 (3): 183-193. Rust, S. K. 2000. Representativeness assessment of
research natural areas on National Forest System lands in
Crumb, S. 1977. Long term effects of fish stocking on the Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. GTR-45. Fort Collins, CO: U.S.
invertebrate communities of Steep Lake, ID. Moscow, ID: Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
University of Idaho. 27 p. Thesis. Research Station. 129 p.
Espinosa, F. A.; Orme, M. L.; Dolan, J. J. 1977. A limnolog- Thorson, D. M.1979.Sandpoint mountain lake management
ical survey of subalpine lakes in the Buffalo Hump Area. plan and inventory. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Nez Perce Service, Sandpoint Ranger District, Panhandle National
National Forest, Grangeville, Idaho. 183 p. Forests, Coeur d’Alene, ID.
5
Wissmar, R. C.; Rabe, F. W. 1970. Crustacean populations
and sampling techniques in four mountain lakes of Idaho.
Transactions American Microscopical Society 89 (2): 205-
215.
6
FIELD METHODS
From a high point on shore an attempt was made to observe
High mountain lake RNAs are typically located in remote dominant bottom substrate in the littoral zone, that area in
areas. Access to these sites is almost always via rugged hik- the lake less than 3 m in depth. Substrates were recorded
ing trails making field work especially challenging. In addition as silt, sand, gravel, rubble, boulders, bedrock or a combi-
to packing in supplies and camping equipment, the nation of the above.
researchers carried sampling gear. The sampling equipment
was lightweight, durable and compact weighing less than 15 Lake sampling procedure
pounds. Distance and time constraints sometimes limited the
number of sampling activities. Field collections were made Collecting samples from the lake posed a challenge.
from the late 1960s through 1999. Investigators needed a boat or flotation device that was sta-
ble and sturdy enough to allow them to safely navigate the
Shoreline sampling procedure lakes; at the same time, the craft had to be light enough to
carry to the research site. The Curtis Designs ultralight
Some field methods were modified from Bahls (1989). inflatable boat weighed only 20 ounces (see below). It is
Sections of shoreline too steep to hike safely were observed made of urethane-coated nylon taffeta with heat sealed
from high points above the lake and from the inflatable boat. seams. A Therm-a-Rest air mattress served as a seat and
The percent coverage of terrestrial vegetation types two ultralight paddles similar to ping-pong paddles were
(trees, shrubs, herbs) in a 10 m wide strip around the lake used to move the raft.
were noted together with the percentage of open ground
coverage (talus and rock).
Macrophytes, mostly emergent sedges, were collected

with a small trowel or knife, placed in a ziplock bag, and
returned to the lab for identification.
Temperature was measured directly below the water sur-

face. A plastic bottle was filled with lake water for surface
Wisconsin Plankton Net chemistry (ph, alkalinity, conductivity) and analysis made
on shore. Water chemistry values helped determine the
Three horizontal hauls below the water surface were taken potential productivity of the site.
with a Wisconsin Plankton Net to collect zooplankton.
Sampling sites around the lake were at least 10 m apart. A weighted Wisconsin Plankton net was lowered 5 m or less
Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected as the investi-

gator walked around the perimeter of a lake. A trowel was
used to scrape up sediment which was placed into a sorting
screen where benthic forms were removed. In addition the
undersides of rocks were searched for benthos. Free
swimming macroinvertebrates such as freshwater shrimp
and beetles were collected with a long handle D-net
(below). The net was also used to sweep through aquatic
vegetation in the littoral zone for phytomacrofauna.
Amphibian species observed along the shore were record-
ed.
Littoral zone in lake with boulder and cobble substrate being
dominant.
(depending upon the depth of the lake) into the water and
retrieved rapidly to sample a vertical haul of zooplankton.
7
An estimate of the dominant bottom substrate and per- Fish were collected from the raft by rod and reel.
cent littoral zone was attempted from the boat. In addition The data used in this report were collected by different
the researcher estimated percent bottom coverage of any researchers over several years. Ideally, the data record
submergent macrophytes. would contain information on morphometry, water chem-
istry, geology, macrophytes, zooplankton, macroinverte-
A bathymetric survey of the lake was attempted in lakes less brates and vertebrates for every lake. Not all of this infor-
than 4 hectares (10 acres). The study lake is photo-copied mation is recorded for every lake but the databases can be
from a 7.5 minute USGS topographic map onto a transparen- updated as continued research adds to our body of knowl-
cy. An overhead projector was used to enlarge the image of edge. RNAs targeted as natural “classrooms” can have the
the lake for tracing onto water resistant paper (Bahls 1989). dual benefit of providing hands-on research experience for
students and providing valuable data for the high mountain
lakes RNA library.
Bathymetric map of Lower Steep Lake. Contour levels in

feet. Scale: 1 inch = 64 feet (From Crumb 1977).
A marked weighted line was used to measure depth along

at least six transects across the lake. Location of depths
sounded along transect lines were recorded on the field
map. If time was limited, soundings were taken in locales
where the maximum depth was believed to occur.
Locations of seeps and streams entering or leaving the
water body were noted.
Literature Cited
Bahls, P. 1989. Preliminary report of a survey methodology
for high mountain lakes. High Lake Fisheries Project. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Nez Perce
National Forest, Grangeville, ID and Idaho Fish and Game
Department, Lewiston, ID. 50 p.
Crumb, S. 1977. Long term effects of fish stocking on the

invertebrate communities of Steep Lake, ID. Moscow, ID:
Fish were collected from the raft by rod University of Idaho. 27 p. Thesis.
and reel.
8
CLASSIFICATION rocky basin but are not above tree line. Montane lakes are
found lower at mid-mountain elevations.
It is important to choose sites that provide a wide range of
Size-depth
ecosystem diversity as RNAs. The classification scheme
developed for high mountain lake RNAs is based on previ-
ous research by the author and others as discussed in the Classifying water bodies according to size can be difficult. In
introduction. The system takes into account factors such as this report they are identified as lakes or ponds. Since the
lake form, chemistry, and biotic characteristics ensuring that terms “pond” and “lake” defy description (Reid 1961), the sites
RNAs represent a diverse range of ecosystems. were categorized according to the above graph which takes
into consideration depth and area (Anderson 1971).
According to Wuerthner (1986), there are 81 mountain
ranges in the state; only the Snake River Plain and some The term “lake” has some additional sub-categories. Small
large prairies and valleys lack hills and mountains. The high lakes are defined as those less than 4 hectares (10 surface
lake RNAs cover seven mountainous subregions deter- acres). Large lakes exceed 4 hectares in size (Bahls
mined by similarities of geology, terrain, climate and plant 1989). Deep lakes are over 4 meters (15 ft) in depth, and
cover (Wuerthner 1986). shallow lakes are less than 4 meters.
This report presents a classification that encompasses five

diverse elements (Table 1). These elements are elevation,
size, depth, production potential and geomorphic form.
Elevation
Elevation of lake basins can be used to reconstruct

Pleistocene snow lines (Richmond 1965, Pierce 1979).
Curve used for designation of

waters as lakes or ponds.
Anderson (1971)
Production Potential
Production or productivity is defined here as the rate at

which radiant energy is converted to organic substances by
photosynthetic activity. Direct measurement of production
in lakes involves estimates of phytoplankton productivity
Elevation and latitude of subalpine lakes in northern Idaho
measured by such methods as carbon -14 and chlorophyll.
(Rabe and Breckenridge 1985)
The production potential of high mountain lakes can be pre-
Alpine ice advances at north latitudes in Idaho reached sev- dicted by examining certain lake characteristics that affect
eral hundred meters lower than ice advances in the south. the productivity of these waters.
The average elevation of the ranges increases from south to
north. The net result is that the effects and features of glacia- Ranking high mountain lakes on the basis of production pro-
tion in northern Idaho ranges are comparable to those in vides a way to select certain lakes as RNAs (Table 2). The
southern Idaho ranges. Paleoclimatic variations and other parameters chosen were modified from those of Johnston
local factors account for diversity between ranges. (1973) who developed an association of rank-ordered chem-
ical, physical and biological parameters that were used to
Three lake categories have been associated with elevation: predict growth rate of fish in Cascade Mountain high lakes.
alpine, subalpine and montane (Table 1). Alpine lakes are those
located above tree line. Subalpine lakes are usually set in a
9
Table 1. Classification elements of high mountain lakes
Elevation alpine subalpine montane
Size large (> 4 ha) small (< 4 ha)
Depth deep (> 4.5 m) shallow (< 4.5 m)

high medium-low
Production medium
potential medium-high low
cirque moraine upland

Lake origin
cirque-scour paternoster other
Table 2. Association between physical, chemical, and biotic factors with production potential in high lakes
Factor Low production Medium production High production
Aspect N NW, NE, E SW, S, SE
Elevation Alpine Subalpine Montane

Littoral zone
Percentage of lake 30 31-84 >85
< 3 m in depth
Dominant bottom substrate bedrock, boulders soft sediments cobble, rubble, gravel
in littoral zone
Shoreline development < 1.07 1.08-1.22 > 1.23
Alkalinity (mg/l) < 12 13-30 > 30
Sedge beds Few, scattered Moderate < 50 % Extensive > 50 %
10
Johnston found that where these parameters were relative-
ly low, fish required a longer time to reach a certain length
than when these values were higher. Since high lake condi-
tions are believed to be somewhat similar in Idaho and
Washington, Johnston’s study was applied to selected mor-
phometric, chemical and biotic conditions in Idaho lakes
(Rabe and Breckenridge 1985).
It was assumed that the factors used to predict fish produc-

tion could also be related to ranking high lakes as to poten-
tial primary production. In this study the factors used to pre-
dict production include elevation (already discussed),
aspect, percentage littoral zone, dominant bottom sub-
strate, shoreline development and alkalinity. The areal
extent of shoreline emergent vegetation (sedge beds) was
added as another significant factor. These factors and their
relation to production potential are presented in Table 2.
The individual factors listed in Table 2 were ranked for each

Valley aspect of subalpine lakes in selected
lake. The ranking system was derived by comparing char- lakes in northern Idaho (Rabe and Breckenridge
acteristics of a large number of high mountain lakes in Idaho 1985).
(Rabe and Breckenridge 1985). The factor was assigned a
zero (0) if it was associated with low production, a one (1) if
associated with medium production and a two (2) if associ-
ated with high production. For example a lake with a north-
ern aspect would receive a rank of “0” for that single factor.
The non-weighted values for all of the factors were then added
together to get an overall score, and the lake was assigned a
high, medium-high, medium, medium-low or low production
potential based on that score. The numeric ranges were 11-14
for high production potential, 9-10 medium-high, 7-8 medium,
6 medium-poor and 1-5 for poor production potential.
The percentage littoral zone in
Aspect this steep-sided lake is small.
Temperate alpine glaciers tend to develop on the shaded

north and northeast facing slopes, where melting rates are Bottom substrate
relatively slow. Consequently high mountain lakes that are
formed by the action of alpine glaciers most commonly
Bottom substrate refers to the type material on the lake bot-
develop in the north or northeast quadrants. The direction of
tom in the littoral zone. Substrates can vary from fine silts to
storms from the west also helps perpetuate the glaciers on
rocky boulders and bedrock depending on the geology and
the lee side by the process of snow drifting. A lake having a
geomorphology of the basin and the distance of the lake
northern or eastern exposure will have a lower productivity
from the basin headwall. Bottom substrates that are com-
score than one facing south (Table 2). Valley aspects of high
prised predominantly of small rock sizes (cobble, rubble,
lakes in northern Idaho are presented below.
gravel) will have a higher production potential than lakes with
either soft sediment or boulder/bedrock substrate (Table 2).
Littoral zone
Rabe and Breckenridge (1985) studied subalpine lakes in
The littoral zone or shallow area of the lake is where sunlight
northern Idaho and reported that those with mostly organic
penetrates to the bottom. In many cases the entire lake basin
substrates consisting of soft sediments were furthest from the
might be littoral since turbidity from plankton and suspended
particles is not common in high altitude waters. Scoring of this valley headwall compared to the lakes with mostly small rock,
factor is based on the percentage of the lake less than 3 m boulders and bedrock. This agrees with the geologic inter-
(10 ft) in depth termed the shallow littoral zone (Bahls pretation that the further the lake basin is from the headwall,
1989).The percentage littoral zone in the cirque lake below the more mature it is and the more likely to accumulate finer-
is relatively low due to the steep-sided shoreline. grained sediments from low energy (low gradient) streams.
11
Alkalinity
Alkalinity refers to the ability of the lake water to neutralize

acid and is expressed in terms of CaCO3 as mg/l. High
mountain lakes in Idaho with less than 12 mg/l alkalinity are
classed as soft; those 13-30 are medium; and greater than
30 mg/l hard (Reid 1961)-Table 2. Medium and hard water
lakes are considered more productive than soft water lakes.
Geologic setting affects the alkalinity of high mountain

lakes. In northern Idaho, Rabe and Breckenridge (1985)
found that 35 of the 61 lakes sampled occurred in granite
and quartzite rock types. Lakes developed in those rock
types had the lowest total alkalinities (3-11 mg/l). The Belt
rocks in the Cabinet drainage were thought to be less meta-
morphosed than those in the Buffalo Hump and as expect-
ed lakes in the Cabinet drainage had somewhat higher alka-
Headwall distance of high lakes in northern linities. The Seven Devils Mountains consist of volcanics;
Idaho (Rabe and Breckenridge 1985). lakes in that area had relatively high alkalinities compared
to lakes in the granitic and quartzite areas.
Shoreline development
Shoreline development refers to the amount of shoreline rel-

ative to the size of the lake: the more convoluted or irregu-
lar the shoreline, the more “edge” or shoreline development
of the lake. Lakes with more edge or contact with shore
have higher production potential than those more round
(Table 2). A lake that has an island or a number of bays
(irregular shoreline) or is elongate scores higher than one
circular in outline. For a lake that is a perfect circle shore-
line development is one. Shoreline development is equal to Precambrian Belt Series metasedi-
the length of the shoreline divided by two times the square ments comprise geologic forma-
root of the surface area of the lake times pi. tion. Photo credit: Wellner and
Moseley (1986).
Sedge beds
Sedge beds include both aquatic and semiaquatic sedges,

rushes and grasses in the water or surrounding the lake
shore. The presence of sedge mats provides nutrients and
attachment sites for diatoms and invertebrates.
This parameter is scored by choosing between 1) low density

- a scattered sedge fringe around the lake shore, 2) moderate
density - no emergent sedge areas larger than five meters
square and less than 50 percent of lake perimeter with sedge
shoreline and 3) high density - more than 50 percent of lake
perimeter with sedge shoreline or a continuous area of emer-
This circular lake has a low shoreline development. gent sedges of more than five meters square (Bahls 1989).
Cirque lakes more often have a lower shoreline devel-
opment than moraine lakes. Modifiers
Additional lake characteristics used for a more detailed clas-

sification of the site were termed modifiers (Rabe and
Chadde 1994). They provide supplementary information
12
.
Table 3. Modifiers used in classification of high mountain lakes
Rock type pH Hydrology
Granite acid Stream inlet
(pH 5.5-7.4)
Quartzite circumneutral Seepage inlet
(pH 5.5-7.4)
Belt alkaline Stream outlet1
(pH 7.5-8.4)
Volcanics highly alkaline No surface outlet
(pH > 8.4)
1Stream outlet is sometimes described as riffle-pool, meandering glide

or cascade pool type.
The island (arrow) in this lake increases shoreline development or

“edge” of the waterbody because more contact occurs with shore.
13
within the five classification categories. The modifiers are Geomorphic lake types in this study are patterned after
pH, rock type and hydrology (Table 3). Lake water pH is Rabe and Breckenridge (1985).This classification describes
measured in the field. Rock types for some RNAs were the lake basins using very general terminology and com-
described by the Conservation Data Center Site Basic pares them using common parameters. Six types of lakes
Records and personnel from Idaho Geological Survey. are recognized (Table 1).
Hydrology is based on number of seep or stream inlets and Cirque

outlets to the lake. In some cases lake outlets were
described more specifically as meandering glides, riffle- A cirque is a deep, steep-walled recess or basin typically sit-
pools or cascade-pool types (Savage and Rabe 1979). uated at the headwall of a glacial valley. Cirques are formed
by glacial plucking and scouring with a “down at the heel
and up at the toe” motion. Cirque lakes form as melt water
and water from seeps and springs fill the cirque. The cirque
lake is usually positioned in a cup under the crest of a peak
and is flanked on three sides by steep walls.
Sedge bed
Cirque lake
Cirque -scour
Cirque-scour lakes form when alpine glaciers scour out a
basin down-valley from the headwall. These lakes usually
occupy basins carved in less resistant bedrock caused by a
variation in geologic structure or rock composition. The
basins are often the result of multiple glaciations and repre-
sent different ice advances.
Extensive sedge beds exist in this lake.
Lake Origin
The diverse characteristics of high lakes are attributed to

differences in geomorphic glacial processes and rates of
succession acting on the system (Espinosa et al. 1977).
Most of Idaho’s glacial record is temporally correlated to the
Wisconsin glaciation period which is represented in Idaho
by both alpine glaciers and continental ice from Canada. All
lakes in this study occur near the crest of mountain ranges
and are considered products of alpine glaciation. Repeated
glaciation took place during the Pleistocene. A useful dis- Cirque-scour lake
cussion of geomorphic lake classification is found in
Fairbridge (1968).
14
Paternoster Upland
Paternoster lakes are a variety of cirque-scour lakes that Upland lakes form in depressions scoured by ice caps on
form a linear chain or string of “bead lakes” connected by a gently rolling or upland valleys. This type might represent
stream in a glacial valley. These lakes are usually separated early Wisconsin ice cap glaciation or an even older pre-
by steep drops or by moraines from different ice advances. Wisconsin period.
Upland lake
Beaver modified
Some glaciated bodies of water may be modified by beaver

activities that control the water level of the lake.
Paternoster lakes
Moraine
Moraine lakes are formed in extended valleys when the lake

basin is dammed by a terminal or recessional moraine.
They are montane in elevation.
Beaver modified lake

Moraine lake
15
Such lowland lakes are often classed as semidrainage Savage, N. L.; Rabe, F. W. 1979. Stream types in Idaho: An
(Pennak 1969). Semidrainage lakes lack a permanent out- approach to classification of streams in natural areas
let. They are small in size, shallow, have a high organic con- Biological Conservation 15: 301-315.
tent and are usually located in a meadow (meadow lake).
Semidrainage lakes in this study were montane or subalpine Wellner, C. A.; Moseley, C. A. 1986. Establishment record
in elevation and were mostly cirque-scour in origin. for Theriault Lake Research Natural Area within Panhandle
National Forest, Shoshone County, ID. U. S. Department of
Literature Cited Agriculture, Forest Service. On file at Intermountain Region,
Ogden, UT. 18 p.
Anderson, R. S. 1971. Crustacean plankton of 146 alpine
and subalpine lakes and ponds in Western Canada. Journal Wuerthner, G. 1986. Idaho Mountain Ranges. Idaho
Fisheries Research Board of Canada 28: 311-321. Geographic Series. Helena, MT: American Geographic
Publishing. 101 p.
Bahls, P. 1989. Preliminary report of survey methodology for
high mountain lakes. High Lake Fisheries Project. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Nez Perce
National Forest, Grangeville, ID and Idaho Fish and Game
Department, Lewiston, Idaho. 50 p.
Espinosa, F.A.; Orme, M. L. ; Dolan, J. J. 1977. A limnolog-

ical survey of subalpine lakes in the Buffalo Hump Area.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Nez Perce
National Forest, Grangeville, ID. 183 p.
Fairbridge, R. W. 1968. Encyclopedia of geomorphology

Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross Publishers. 1295 p.
Johnston, J. J. 1973. High lakes and stream survey report.

Olympic National Forest, Washington State Game
Department, Olympia, Washington. 74 p.
Noss, R. F. 1990. Indicators for monitoring biodiversity: a

hierarchical approach. Conservation Biology 4: 355-364.
The Forest Service conducted a limnological survey of sub-
Pennak, R. W. 1969. Colorado semidrainage mountain alpine lakes in the Buffalo Hump area of Idaho (Espinosa et
lakes. Limnology and Oceanography 14: 720-725. al. 1977).
Pierce, K. L. 1979. History and dynamics of glaciation in the

northern Yellowstone Park area. U.S. Geological Survey
Professional Paper 729-F. 57 p.
Rabe, F. W.; Breckenridge, R. M. 1985. Physical and chem-

ical factors of glacial lakes in Northern Idaho as related to
potential productivity and Natural Area selection. Journal of
Idaho Academy of Science 21 (1-2): 1-15.
Rabe, F. W.; Chadde S. W. 1994. Classification of aquatic

and semiaquatic wetland natural areas in Idaho and
Western Montana. Natural Areas Journal 14(3): 175-187.
Reid, G. K.1961. Ecology of inland waters and estuaries.

New York: Reinhold Books. 373 p.
Richmond, G. M. 1965. Glaciation of the Rocky Mountains.

p. 217-230. In: H.E. Wright and D.G. Frey (eds). The
Quaternary of the United States. Princeton University
Press. 450 p.
16
Vertebrates: When observed, fish, amphibians and sala-
manders are described.
Literature Cited: Usually a site record or establishment

record for a particular RNA is cited. These reports some-
times describe location and a brief resume of the geology
and geographic setting of the RNA lakes and ponds.
Bailey, R. G. 1995. Description of the ecoregions of the

United States. 2nd ed. Misc. Publ. No. 1391 (rev.)
Washington DC.: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service. 108 p. plus map insert.
Menakis, J. and Long, D. 1986. Subsections-Landscape

characterization further delineating Bailey’s sections. J.
Nesser and G. Ford, project coordinators. Unpublished map
prepared for Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project, U. S. Department of Agriculture and
U. S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
Portland, OR.
McNab, W. H.; Avers, P. E., comps. 1994. Ecological subre-

gions of the United States: section descriptions.
Administrative Publication WO-WSA-5. Washington DC: U.
S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 267 p.
Rust, S. K. 2000. Representativeness assessment of

Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. GTR-45. Fort Collins, CO: U.S.
Department of Agriucluture, Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station. 129 p.
18
Description of high mountain lake Research The individual descriptions of RNA lakes and ponds are
arranged in the following format.
Natural Areas in Idaho
Introduction: The introduction contains information about
The ten subregions in the state are determined by similari- the number of water bodies in each RNA, which ones were
ties of geology, terrain, climate and plant cover. RNA high sampled and by whom. The sampling date is also included.
lakes described in this book are located in seven of these
regions. A map of each of the subregions (see example Location: This section contains the description of the geo-
below) preceeds the description of RNAs. graphic area, the ecoregion section, county, and the name
of the USGS quad map. Although we have chosen to use
the National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units
(McNab and Avers 1994; Bailey 1995) in the publication, it
is important to note that refinements in this classification
have been made and are being applied within certain geo-
graphic areas. For example, the State of Idaho is utilizing a
revised version of the national hierarchy that was developed
for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management
Project (Menakis and Long 1996; Rust 2000).
There is also a brief description of how to reach the trail-

head and in some cases the distance to the lake from the
trailhead. Most lakes were accessed by hiking. A few were
briefly observed by aerial fly-overs. Lakes and ponds in
each RNA are identified on a USGS map.
Geology: The geology section describes rock type

observed or reported from other sources. In addition the
physical setting is noted.
Classification: The method for classifying the lakes and

ponds is described in the previous section. Classification of
the water bodies in the RNA is summarized in a table. The
bullet items listed in the table refer to the elements and
modifiers assessed in classifying the lakes. Elevation, size,
depth and geomorphic form are grouped in the first line; pro-
duction potential in the second; and applicable modifiers are
grouped in the third and fourth lines.
Aquatic physical-chemical factors: For each lake the fol-

lowing is described: surface area, perimeter, depth, eleva-
tion, aspect, percent littoral zone, dominant bottom sub-
strate, shoreline development, percentage of rock and type
vegetation surrounding lake edge, alkalinity, conductivity,
Thirty two established or proposed RNAs in the state have pH, and number and type of inlets and outlets. Data may be
high lakes within their boundaries. Redfish Moraine RNA in missing for some of these factors.
the Western Fringe Subregion and Targhee Creek RNA in
the Broad Valleys Subregion were not surveyed. Lakes in Vegetation: Terrestrial vegetation surrounding the water
Scotchman No. 2, Needles, Patrick Butte and Kenny Creek body is sometimes described. Aquatic and semiaquatic
RNAs were only photographed from the air. forms identified include mostly sedges.
Field collections were made from the 1960s through 1999. Zooplankton: Identification of copepods and cladocera are
Distance and time constraints sometimes limited the num- listed.
ber of sampling activities. In addition the data used in this
report were collected by different researchers over the Macroinvertebrates: Macroinvertebrates, predominantly
years. Even though information about some of these lakes aquatic insects, are identified from each water body.
is not currently available, the databases can be updated as Crustaceans, snails, clams, aquatic earthworms and leech-
continued research adds to our body of knowlege. es are also listed. Macroinvertebrates are described from a
lake inlet or outlet.
17
Vertebrates: When observed, fish, amphibians and sala-
manders are described.
Literature Cited: Usually a site record or establishment

record for a particular RNA is cited. These reports some-
times describe location and a brief resume of the geology
and geographic setting of the RNA lakes and ponds.
Bailey, R. G. 1995. Description of the ecoregions of the

United States. 2nd ed. Misc. Publ. No. 1391 (rev.)
Washington DC.: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service. 108 p. plus map insert.
Menakis, J. and Long, D. 1986. Subsections-Landscape

characterization further delineating Bailey’s sections. J.
Nesser and G. Ford, project coordinators. Unpublished map
prepared for Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem
Management Project, U. S. Department of Agriculture and
U. S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
Portland, OR.
McNab, W. H.; Avers, P. E., comps. 1994. Ecological subre-

gions of the United States: section descriptions.
Administrative Publication WO-WSA-5. Washington DC: U.
S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 267 p.
Rust, S. K. 2000. Representativeness assessment of

Idaho. Gen. Tech. Rep. GTR-45. Fort Collins, CO: U.S.
Department of Agriucluture, Forest Service, Rocky
18
19
20
SNOWY TOP LAKE Geology
The geologic formation of the RNA is comprised of the

Snowy Top Research Natural Area Windermere Group of Precambrian Belt Series (Wellner
Idaho Panhandle National Forest and Bernatus 1990). A volcanic conglomerate with phyllite,
quartzite and greenstone underlies most of the area.
One lake is located in this RNA. It was sampled by Fred Volcanics of greenstone with green schist occur at the
Rabe and Nancy Abbott on September 26, 1998. extreme western edge of the RNA (Aadland and Bennett
1979).
Location
Snowy Top RNA is located in the northwest corner of Idaho

on the Canadian border .
Ecoregion Section: OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS (M333A),

Boundary County; USGS Quads: CONTINENTAL MOUN-
TAIN and SALMO MOUNTAIN.
The easiest route is from the Canadian side. From Creston,

British Columbia drive west about 25 miles on Highway 374 to
the summit of Kootenay Pass. From here, a four wheel drive
vehicle with high clearance is strongly advised. Take Maryland
Stagleap Service Road south (begins near snow course).
Pass the road to Ripple cabin (1.7 miles) on right. Continue
downhill for 3 miles to a junction. Turn right. Continue for 1.5-
2.0 miles bearing left until the road ends. Proceed by foot
southeast traversing the hillside until reaching a trail to the
lake for about 1 1/2 miles. Ablaze through the forest marks the View of summit of Snowy Top Mountain from south.
boundary between Canada and United States. Slope of green fescue (Festuca viridula). Photo credit:
Charles Wellner.
Krummholz near summit of Snowy Top Mountain.

Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and whitebark pine
(Pinus albicaulis). Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
USGS Quads: CONTINENTAL MOUNTAIN and SALMO

MOUNTAIN.
21
Classification
• Subalpine, small, deep cirque lake

• Low production potential
• Circumneutral water in Belt Series
• Inlet: seep; Outlet: meandering glide stream
Aquatic physical-chemical factors
Lake surface area (hectares): 2.4 (5.9 acres)

Total perimeter (m): 592 (1942 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 5.9 (19.5 ft)
Elevation (m): 1884 (6179 ft)
Aspect: NW
Percent shallow littoral zone: 15
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediment
Shoreline development: 1.06
Lake edge %: conifers-50, shrubs-50
Alkalinity (mg/l): 30
Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 65
pH: 7.4
Inlet: seep
Outlet: meandering glide stream
19.5
18
12
Bathymetric map of Snowy Top Lake

Scale: 1 inch = 84 feet
Contour levels every 3 feet
The lake depth drops off abruptly from shore thus the littoral zone
is limited. The soft bottom is covered with a layer of felt-like algae.
Logs have accumulated near the outlet end of the lake. The out-
let stream late in September was partially dried out making it dif-
ficult for fish to gain access from the lake. The stream substrate Snowy Top Lake and view of Snowy Top Mountain summit. The
consists of various sized rock coated with algae. shoreline of the lake is ringed with conifers and alder trees.
22
Logs piled up at outlet side of Snowy Top Lake.
Outlet of Snowy Top Lake exhibited low

flow late in September.
Vegetation
Plants growing in the Snowy Top RNA lie between subalpine

and alpine zones (Wellner and Bernatas 1990). Two of the
Snowy Top Lake. The photograph was taken standing in the blaze most interesting habitats are subalpine fir / white rhododendron
separating Canada from the United States. The portion of the lake (Abies lasiocarpa-Rhododendron albiflorum) habitat type and
to the left of the blaze is in Canada and that to the right is in the U.S. the green fescue (Festuca viridula) grassland. Krummholz is
The blaze continues up the slope on the other side of the lake. common because climatic conditions are so severe. Dominant
conifers at these high elevations are Engelmann spruce-sub-
alpine fir (Picea engelmannii-Abies lasiocarpa) and whitebark
pine (Pinus albicaulis). Wellner and Bernatas (1990) state that
Snowy Top is the only known Idaho location for alpine arnica
(Arnica alpina) and mistmaiden (Romanzoffia sitchensis).
23
Vertebrates
A large population of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) was pre-

sent. Adults averaged seven inches in length. Young of the year fish
were also present.
Mountain caribou (Rangifer caribou), a listed Endangered Species,

migrate through the RNAon their way in and out of Canada. Snowy
Top RNAis within the Selkirk Grizzly Recovery Habitat.
White mountain heather (Phyllodoce glanduliflora) near sum-
mit of Snowy Top Mountain. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Literature Cited
Zooplankton Aadland, R.; Bennett, E. 1979. Geologic map of the

Sandpoint Quadrangle, ID. Geologic Map Series. Moscow,
Zooplankton samples collected in the lake consisted entire- ID: University of Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology. 25 p.
ly of Cyclopoida, a small copepod. In addition, a large num-
ber of what appeared to be rotifer eggs were present in the McCafferty, W. P. 1983. Aquatic entomology. Boston: Jones
sample. and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Macroinvertebrates Wellner, C. A.; Bernatas, S. 1990. Research Natural Area

Establishment Record Snowy Top RNA, Boundary County,
Macroinvertebrates were limited in number and kind possibly ID. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
because of the dense population of brook trout in the lake.. Unpublished report on file at Northern Region, Missoula,
Polycentropus was found in the lake and outlet stream. MT. 24 p.
Paraleptophlebia debilis
Sketch credit: McCafferty 1983
Snowy Top Lake

Ephemeroptera
Callibaetis sp.
Trichoptera
Polycentropus sp.
Chironomidae
Megaloptera
Sialis sp.
Outlet stream
Ephemeroptera
Epeorus deceptivus
Paraleptophlebia debilis
Trichoptera
Polycentropus sp.
Chironomidae
24
Three Ponds western edge of the Purcell Trench which was scoured out
by continental ice sheets. Moseley and Wellner (1987)
report the ponds were formed from glacial scouring that
Three Ponds Research Natural Area exposed the bare granitic ridges. This is especially evident
Idaho Panhandle National Forest north of the ponds. A deep valley marks a strike-slip fault on
the west side of the RNA..
Three ponds are located in the RNA. Charles Wellner and
Fred Rabe hiked to the site on June 26, 1982. Aquatic sam-
pling occurred at the West Pond.
Location
The RNA is located on the western edge of the Purcell

Trench, 4.5 air miles southwest of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Ecoregion section: OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS (M333A),

Boundary County; USGS Quad: MORAVIA
From U.S. Highway 95 at the southern end of Bonners Ferry

turn west at the golf course onto County Road 2, 1.3 miles
south of the Bonner’s Ferry Ranger Station. Follow Highway 2
west and south for 2.6 miles; then turn west onto Forest Road
417 and continue 0.5 miles crossing Deep Creek. Take a
sharp turn to the north onto 417 and go 1.1 miles. Shortly after West Pond is probably the deepest of the three water bod-
crossing Caribou Creek, turn west on a dirt road up Caribou ies. A macrophyte (Potomogeton natans) can be seen on
Creek and follow it for 0.3 miles. Park here. Hike south across the water surface (arrow).
Caribou Creek and climb the steep ridge to the southwest for
1.1 miles to the boundary of Three Ponds RNA. Go south
down the slope for 0.3 miles to Middle Pond. The climb from
the parking area to the pond takes about 2.5 hours. Game
trails are all that exist (Moseley and Wellner 1987). Classification
West Pond
• Montane, small, shallow, upland pond
• Medium-high production potential
• Circumneutral water in a granite basin
East • Inlet: ephemeral; Outlet: ephemeral
Middle Pond
Pond

West pond
West
Pond
Lake surface areas (hectares): 1.1 (2.7 acres)
Length of shoreline (m): 383 (1257 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 2 (6 ft)
USGS Quad: MORAVIA Aspect: S
Geology Shoreline development: 1.04
Inlets: ephemeral from middle pond
The RNA is underlain by intrusive igneous rocks of the Outlet: ephemeral
Kaniksu Batholith (Bond 1978). The RNA is located on the
25
The semidrainage ponds are in depressions believed to
have been formed scoured by ice caps on gently rolling or
upland valleys (upland type origin). Beaver activity controls
water level of the ponds. No major inlets are present
because the ponds are on a ridgeline (Moseley and Wellner
1987). The water bodies are connected by a small intermit-
tent stream. A deep valley near the western boundary of the
RNA contains a small stream.
Vegetation
According to Moseley and Wellner (1987), about one third

of the trees are mature forest that originated around 1850,
and about two-thirds is a mixture of older trees and young
stands that grew after a 1929 fire. The following habitat
types are intermixed: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii),
grand fir (Abies g randis), western hemlock (Tsuga hetero - East Pond
phylla), and western redcedar (Thuja plicata). On the north
side of East Pond there is an excellent stand of western
paper birch (Betula papyrifera).
Zooplankton and macroinvertebrates
Riparian vegetation common along a small stream near the
western border of the RNA consists of alder (Alnus sinuata)
Limited sampling of West Pond yielded Cyclopoida zoo-
and lady-fern (Athyrium felix-femina).A large mat consisting
plankton and a number of macroinvertebrates, identified
mostly of Carex lasiocarpa and sphagnum moss is located in
mostly to the family level.
the Middle Pond. Macrophytes on the pond surface
arePotomogeton natans, Myriophyllum sp., and Vallisneria sp.
West Pond
Aeshnidae Libelluidae
Porifera Sphaeridae
Physidae Caenidae
Phryganeidae Limnephilidae
Glossiphonidae Phyryganeidae
Dytiscidae Gerridae
Chaoboridae Coenagrionidae
Chironomidae Planorbidae
Western paper birch (Betula An unidentified frog species was observed. No fish were
papyrifera ) noted. A more thorough collection of macroinvertebrates
and amphibians from the ponds is recommended.
Literature Cited
Bond, J. 1978. Geologic map of Idaho. ID: University of

Idaho, Idaho Bureau Mines and Geology. 24 p.
Moseley, R. K.; Wellner, C. A. 1987. Research Natural Area

Establishment Record of Three ponds RNA, Boundary
County, ID. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Middle Pond. Note the large sedge/sphagnum mat and
Unpublished report on file at Northern Region, Ogden, UT.
beaver lodge.
21p.
26
Scotchman No. 2 Pond
Scotchman No. 2 Research Natural Area

Idaho Panhandle National Forest
The area was photographed from the air by Dave

Parker in September 1999. The site was visited by
Charles Wellner and Bob Moseley to sample vegeta-
tion and establish RNA boundaries (Wellner and
Moseley 1987). The RNA is located in the Cabinet
Mountains about 12 miles northeast of Clark Fork in
the Idaho Panhandle near the Idaho-Montana border.
Ecoregion Section: BITTERROOT MOUNTAIN

(M333D), Bonner County; USGS Quad:SCOTCH-
MAN PEAK
The small pond is located in the North Basin of

Scotchman No. 2. Savage Mountain is in far distance.
Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Pond
USGS Quad: SCOTCHMAN PEAK.
The RNA is located in the Cabinet Mountains

among fractured, tilted, folded, and glaciated sedi- The outlet to the pond (see arrow) flows a short distance
mentary rocks that have undergone low-grade and then drops off a steep escarpment to the valley
metamorphism. Photo credit: Dave Parker. below. Photo credit: Dave Parker.
27
Literature Cited
Wellner, C. A.; Moseley, R. K. 1987. Establishment

record for Scotchman No. 2 Research Natural
Areas within Panhandle National Forest. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Unpublished report on file at Northern Region,
Missoula, MT. 20 p.
28
POND PEAK POND
Pond Peak Research Natural Area
One pond is located in the RNA. Fred Rabe and Nancy

Abbott surveyed it on June 27, 1998.
Location
Wallace Formation of the Belt Supergroup. From: Wellner
The RNA is located in the Shoshone Range in the Idaho and Moseley (1988).
Panhandle northeast of Interstate 90 near Kingston, Idaho.
The pond drains into Shoshone Creek and from there into
the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.
Ecoregion Section: BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS (M333D),

Shoshone County; USGS Quad: POND PEAK
From Interstate 90 at Kingston, take FS Road 9 up the Coeur

d’Alene River for 23 miles to Prichard. Follow FS Road 208
up the river for 6 miles almost to Shoshone Camp. Turn onto
FS Road 151 then onto FS Road 412 up Shoshone Creek Ripple marks show on bedding surface. From: Wellner
for 18 miles to the divide between Shoshone Creek and and Moseley (1988).
Jordan Creek. Take FS Road 992 south along the ridge for 7
miles to Pond Peak. The pond is reached by descending
northwest about 500 feet from the top of the mountain
(Wellner and Moseley 1988). and quartzite (Savage 1967). An extensive talus slope bor-
ders the lake on the west. Ripple marks appear on some of
the rock. The RNA has been glaciated and land forms cre-
ated by localized alpine glaciers are present.
Classification
• Montane, small, shallow, cirque pond

• Medium production potential
• Circumneutral water in belt rock basin
• Inlet: seep; Outlet: none
USGS Quad: POND PEAK.
Geology
The area is underlain by Precambrian Belt Supergroup

metasediments that have intensely folded and faulted
(Wellner and Moseley 1988). Sediments were deposited
between 500 and 1500 million years ago. The Striped Peak
Formation is composed of green to maroon siltite and
Pond Peak pond. Note Mountain hemlock trees (Tsuga hetero-
quartzite with interbeds of argillite and some carbonaceous
phylla ) in foreground.
units. The Wallace Formation is comprised of gray and black
argillites and greenish to gray carbonate-bearing siltite.
29
Aquatic physical-chemical factors Vegetation
Lake surface area (hectares): 0.4 (0.9 acres) Old growth stands consisting almost exclusively of moun-
Length of shoreline (m): 231 (758 ft) tain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) in the climax stage of
Maximum depth (m): 1.2 (4 ft) succession are one of the main reasons this area was
Elevation (m): 1649 (5410 ft) selected as an RNA.
Aspect: NE
Percent shallow littoral zone: 100 Sitka alder (Alnus sinuata), sedges (Carex spp.) and
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediments conifers occur along 50 percent of the shoreline. The alder
Shoreline development: 1.06 and sedges are concentrated on the east shore (Wellner
Lake edge %: talus -50, conifers-20, shrubs-15, sedges-15 and Moseley 1988).
pH: 6.6
Inlet: seep
Outlet: none
Carex geyeri (elk sedge)

From: Hurd et al. 1998.
Extensive talus slope borders pond on west and south.

Carex geyeri - Elk sedge
Carex lenticularis - Lens sedge
Carex microptera - Small-winged sedge
Carex rossii - Ross sedge
Carex ulticostata - Many-ribbed sedge
Carex vesicaria - Blister sedge
A species of rush, Juncus filiformis, was also noted by

Wellner and Moseley. In June, no aquatic macrophytes
were mature.
Zooplankton
Approximately half the pond shoreline is bordered by .

conifers, Sitka alder (Alnus sinuata) and sedges. Polyphemus pediculus
Chydorus sp.
Suborder Harpacticoida
The semidrainage pond has no outlet and is fed by springs
and melting snowbanks that accumulate during the winter. In
June water temperature of the spring was 6 degrees C and
the lake 11 degrees C. Talus slopes of very old Precambrian Both Harpacticoida and Polyphemus were dominant. They
sedimentary rocks line about 50 percent of the shoreline. are associated with shallow, littoral areas of lakes and
Lentic waters are scarce in this section of thje Idaho ponds. The head of Polyphemus is large, filled in front by a
Panhandle National Forest (Wellner and Moseley 1988). huge movable eye (see illustration).
30
Polyphemus pediculatus is a common zoo-
plankton in shallow weedy water. It is the
sole genus in the family Polyphemidae.
Sketch from Brooks (1963).
Chydorus sp. is a spherical or oval shaped zoo-

plankton. Sketch credit: Melanie Abel. Case of
Grammotaulius.
From Wiggins
Macroinvertebrates A caddisfly (Grammotaulius sp.) (1996).
From Wiggins (1996).
Pond Peak Pond

Trichoptera Seven taxa were collected from the lake and two species
Grammotaulius sp. from the small seep entering the lake.The dominant taxa
was Grammotaulius, a caddisfly that builds its case out of
Hemiptera sedge parts arranged lengthwise. The larvae have a yel-
Gerris sp. lowish-brown head bearing numerous dark spots (Wiggins
Family Corixidae 1996). They are common in small ponds and slow streams.
Coleoptera Literature Cited

Rhantus sp.
Liodessus sp. Brooks, J. L. 1963. Cladocera In: Fresh water biology. New
Ilibius sp. York: Wiley Publishers. 599 p.
Odonata Hurd, E. G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others).

Family Cordulegastridae 1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10. Ogden,
Seep UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Odonata
Family Cordulegastridae Savage, C. N. 1967. Geology and mineral resources of
Bonner County, Idaho. County Report No. 6. Moscow, ID:
Oligochaeta
University of Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology. 131 p.
Family Lumbriculidae
31
Wellner, C. A. and R. K. Moseley 1988. Establishment record
for Pond Peak Research Natural Area, Shoshone County. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished report
on file at Northern Region, Missoula, MT.19 p.
Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Larvae of the North American caddisfly

genera 2nd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 267 p.
32
33
34
Theriault Pond
Theriault Lake Research Natural Area

Fred Rabe and Bill Minnerly surveyed Theriault Pond on

July 12,1998. According to Anderson (1971), the water body
is a pond not a lake (see Classification section).
Location
Theriault Pond is a tributary to Marble Creek, a major tribu-

tary to the St. Joe River near Clarkia. The pond is located in
a cirque basin on the north side of Marble Mountain. Precambrian Belt Series metasediments com-
prise geologic formation. Photo credit: Wellner
Ecoregion section: BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS (M333D), and Moseley (1986).
Shoshone County; Quad: MARBLE MOUNTAIN.
From Clarkia take FS Road 301 east for one mile. Then
travel FS Road 321 north over Hobo Pass down to Marble
Creek. Continue on 321 until it joins with FS Road 216, 16 Classification
miles from Clarkia. Take FS Road 216 east for about 9 miles
bearing left at junctions until reaching FS Road 1936. • Subalpine, small, shallow cirque pond
Proceed northwest on FS 1936 for 4.5 miles until road • Medium-high production potential
junctions with FS Road 1938. Continue on FS Road 1938 • Circumneutral water in Precambrian Belt rock
until you come to the end of the road. Hike up the trail sev- • Inlet: stream; Outlet: Meandering glide stream
eral hundred yards to the top of Marble Mountain. Proceed
down steep hillside to Theriault Pond.
USGS Quad: MARBLE MOUNTAIN.
Geology
Precambrian Belt Series metasediments comprise the geo-

Bathymetric map of Theriault Pond (1 inch = 25 m).
logic formations of Theriault Lake RNA. Wellner and
Moseley (1986) describe the geology as being metamor-
phosed rocks of white coarse-grained vitreous quartzite to
micaceous quartzite and mica schist.
35
View of pool about 26 m below outlet stream with Theriault
Pond in the background.
35 cm deep. The stream is surrounded by sedges mostly

Carex utriculata. Both pool and stream channels have a
substrate of soft sediments. The outlet stream below the
pool is 1 m wide and about 2 cm deep.
Bottom substrate was mainly composed of soft sediments

and coarse particulate organic matter. An aquatic moss
Theriault Pond from slope of Marble Mountain with mountain (Fontinalis sp.) is present in the water. The outlet stream
hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) in foreground. temperature was 21 degrees C compared to 8 degrees for
the inlets. Respiratory activities of the massive amount of
plant material in the pond apparently contributed to the sub-
Aquatic physical-chemical factors stantial rise in temperature of the pond.
Lake surface area (hectares): 1.7 (4.3 acres)

Maximum depth (m): 1.9 (6 ft)
Aspect: NE
Percent shallow littoral zone: 100%
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediments
pH: 7.2
Inlets: 2 seeps
Outlet: Meandering glide stream
A pool originating from an underground spring flowed into

an inlet which emptied into the pond. The stream inlet aver-
aged 0.3 m wide and 7 cm deep. Water temperature was
8.3 degrees C.
Ameandering glide outlet stream 25 cm deep and 0.3 m wide

flows about 26 m into a large pool, 9 m wide, 25 m long and Mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana ) with pond in back-
ground
36
Vegetation
The habitat type of mountain hemlock-menziesia (Tsuga

mertensiana-Menziesia ferruginea) is located in the RNA.
The old growth mountain hemlock is associated with sub-
alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and Engelmann spruce (Picea
engelmannii).
The wet meadow at the inlet end of the pond is dominated

by the water sedge Carex aquatilus and the outlet meadow
by the beaked sedge Carex utriculata. Other sedges and
rushes listed by Wellner and Moseley (1986) are Merten’s
sedge (C. mertensiana), smallwing sedge (C. microptera),
green sedge (C. oderi), and the rushes Juncus drummondii
and J. ensifolius.
Inlet stream flowing into Theriault Lake. The sedge, Carex

aquatilis dominates the area.
Carex aquatilus (left) and Carex utriculata (right)

inflorescences. They are some of the most com-
mon sedges of the Intermountain area. C.
aquatilus has a wide distribution from foothills to
near timberline. From: Hurd et al. 1998.
View southwest of outlet stream flowing from Theriault

Pond. Here the sedge Carex utriculata was dominant.
Marble Mountain is in background. Zooplankton
Polyphemus pediculus
Suborder Harpacticoida
Chydorus sp.
Both Harpactocoida and Polyphemus were dominant. The

Fontinalis (an aquatic moss) found in the lower outlet same zooplankton were found in Pond Peak Pond which
stream is an indicator of soft water conditions in the was also shallow and partially surrounded by sedges.
drainage.
37
Macroinvertebrates
A Coeur d’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoensis) was
observed about 25 m from the lake shore in a wet area. The
Pond edge Outlet range of this vertebrate is somewhat restricted; it is one of
Trichoptera the less well known amphibians in our region (Corkran and
Homophylax sp. X Thoms 1996).
Protoptila sp. X
Ephemeroptera
Siphlonurus sp. X
Odonata
Libelluidae X
Family Cordulegastridae X
Ischnura / Enallagma X
Coleoptera
Ilybius / Agabus X X
Hemiptera Spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) was extremely com-
Gerris sp. X mon in both pond and streams. From Corkran and
Thoms (1996)
Notonecta kirbiyi X
Diptera
Subfamily Tanypodinae X X
Family Psychodidae X
Family Culicidae X
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp. X X
Six macroinvertebrate species were collected from Theriault

Pond and nine species from the outlet stream. Pisidium, a
freshwater clam, was found by the hundreds in one square
meter of sample from the pond’s outlet stream. No clams
were observed in the outlet below the pool, which was more
shallow and had less sedge cover. Coeur d’Alene Salamander (Plethodon idahoensis)
observed in a wet area 25 m from the pond shore. This
specimen coiled up when discovered.
Literature Cited
Anderson, R. S. 1971. Crustacean plankton of 146 alpine

and subalpine lakes and ponds in western Canada. Journal
Pisidium sp., a freshwater clam. Fisheries Research Board Canada 28: 311-321.
Vertebrates Corkran, C. C.; Thoms, C. 1996. Amphibians of Oregon,

Washington and British Columbia. Redmond, WA: Lone
No fish were observed in the pond. However spotted frogs Pine Press. 175 p.
(Rana pretiosa) were extremely abundant along the edge of
the pond and in the stream. This species is not as common Hurd, E. G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others)
in its western range because of development and the intro- 1998. Field guide to Intermountain sedges. GTR-10.
duction of bass and bullfrogs (Corkran and Thoms 1996). Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station. 282 p.
Spotted frogs breed in flooded meadows like those at
Theriault Pond. Tadpoles live in the warmest parts however Wellner, C. A.; Moseley, R. K. 1986. Establishment Record
none were noted in July. The frogs are best identified by the for Theriault Lake Research Natural Area. Moscow, ID: U.S.
huge black spots on the back and the belly. The underside Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished
of the thigh is opaque with a mottling of brick red to orange report on file at Northern Region, Missoula, MT. 19 p.
-red or yellow-orange (Corkran and Thoms 1996).
38
Bacon Lakes
Five Lakes Butte Research Natural Area

Fred Rabe, Bob Wissmar and Bill Parr studied ten lakes
including Lower Bacon Lake in the Five Lakes Butte area in
1968. Upper Bacon Lake was not sampled. Upper and
Lower Bacon Lakes were established within Five Lakes
Butte RNA in 1986 after a visit to the site by Charles
Wellner and Bob Moseley. The following report deals with
research on Lower Bacon Lake and several other lakes in
the Five Lakes Butte area.
Location
Upper Bacon Lake occupies a cirque and drains south into

a basin entering Lower Bacon Lake about one-half mile Bacon Lake basin - Lower Bacon Lake to left ( see arrow).
downstream. The outlet from the lower lake flows about Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
one-quarter mile south before converging with an unnamed
creek that empties into the St. Joe River.
Ecoregion Section: BITTERROOT MOUNTAIN (M333D), Geology

Idaho County; USGS Quad: BACON PEAK.
The area is underlain by Precambrian Belt Supergroup
From Superior, Montana on Interstate 90 travel Forest metasediments which are folded and intensely faulted
Road 250 south over Hoodoo Pass. Take Forest Road (Moseley and Wellner 1988). According to Parr et al. (1968),
720 west to Fly Hill. At Fly Hill take Forest Road 715 north the Wallace Formation is the only carbonate-bearing siltite
to the trail going west to Five Lakes Butte. Park and fol- and quartzite formation of the Belt Supergroup. The glaciat-
low trail approximately two miles between Tin and Gold ed landscape of the area is believed to be less than 40,000
Lakes. Leave the trail and proceed north across basin to years old (Savage 1967).
a ridge following it to the head of Bacon Creek. The lakes
are within the basin. The trailhead can also be reached Four lakes south of Bacon Lake are described by Parr et al.
from Orofino, Idaho on U.S. Highway 12. From Orofino 1968 as being formed by glacial “quarrying” which occurred
take State Highway 11 to Pierce, Idaho and then Forest in well-jointed bedrock adjacent to the more consolidated
Road 250 to the Cedars (Moseley and Wellner 1988). resistant rock comprised of black and gray argillites and
greenish to gray carbonates.
Lower
Lake
Upper
Lake
The dashed line is the original valley floor. The solid line is
USGS Quad: BACON LAKE. the valley floor after glaciation. B = basin; S = step. Parr
et al. (1968).
39
Classification
Lower Bacon Lake

• Circumneutral water in Precambrian Belt basin
• Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: 1 stream
Lower Bacon Lake

Area (hectares): 2.1 (5.1 acres)
Maximum depth (m): estimate10 m (32 ft)
Upper Bacon Lake. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Aspect: NNW
Dominant bottom substrate: bedrock, boulders
pH: 6.8
Inlet: 1 stream
Outlet: 1 stream
Bacon Creek. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Vegetation
Terrestrial vegetation of the RNA is comprised of succes-

sional stages of forests in the mountain hemlock series that
burned in 1910 (Moseley and Wellner 1988). Relatively
dense stands of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and moun-
tain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) occurred on north and
Lower Bacon Lake. Photo credit: Charles Wellner. east facing slopes whereas west facing slopes had little tree
cover. These species also occurred in the valley bottom.
40
Zooplankton
Lakes in Five Lakes Butte area
Diaptomus sp.
Daphnia sp.
Holopedium gibberum
Conochilus sp.
The cladoceran, Holopedium gibberum, is considered an

indicator of ultra-soft water lake environments (Pennak
1991).
Mountain hemlock-menziesia habitat type. Photo credit:

Charles Wellner.
Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) and mountain heather

(Phyllodoce glanduliflora) are the dominant understory veg-
etation and avalanche chute and snowbank communities
exist on the cirque headwall.
Carex sp., Sparganium sp., Isoetes sp., Fontinalis sp. and

Drepanocladus sp. occurr in and around the lower lake. Holopedium gibberum
Isoetes (quillwort), a rooted submergent, is present in the From: Brooks (1959).
shallows where the bottom is soft enough for rooting.
Fontinalis, an aquatic moss, and algae grow profusely
around springs in Copper and Tin Ponds a few miles south
of Bacon Lake (Parr et al. 1968). A high concentration of Macroinvertebrates
carbon dioxide in the vicinity of the spring may account for
this growth. Sparganium (bur-reed) is an emergent confined
to the littoral zone where depth is less than one meter. Ten lakes in the Five Lakes Butte area
Family Ceratopogonidae
Family Limnephlidae
Family Dytiscidae
Family Sialidae
Family Libelluidae
Family Sphaeriidae
Class Oligochaeta
Immature Ceratopogonidae (biting midges). The

Sparganium sp. (Bur-reed) growing in the littoral zone of adults are known as “punkies” or “no-see-ums.” Their
Lower Bacon Lake. mouthparts are modified for piercing. Sketch credit:
Melanie Abel.
41
Research
Before Bacon Lake was established as an RNA, research

occurred on four lakes adjacent to Bacon Lake. These stud-
ies resulted in four publications in refereed journals.
Wissmar and Rabe (1970) studied zooplankton populations

and sampling techniques in four mountain lakes in the Five
Lakes Butte area. Samples were based on vertical plankton
Copper Pond is in the Five Lakes Butte area. It is a semi-

drainge pond lower in elevation than Gold and Silver Lakes
pictured in the opposite column. Instead of a rocky basin it is
located in a meadow.
Literature Cited
Brooks, J. L. 1963. Cladocera. In: Freshwater biology. New

York: Wiley Publishers: 599 p.
View of two high lakes in the Five Lake Butte area. Gold Lake
is in foreground and Silver Lake in the background. Methods
of zooplankton collection in these lakes were studied by Moseley, R. K.; Wellner, C. A. 1988. Research Natural Area
Wissmar and Rabe (1970). establishment record Five Lakes Butte RNA, Shoshone
County, Idaho. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
hauls using four different field methods of collection togeth- Service, Unpublished report on file at Northern Region,
er with various sample sizes. It was concluded that both Missoula, MT. 22 p.
rocky and semidrainage type lakes had similar species
composition and low density of crustaceans. Parr, W. H.; Rabe, F. W.; Wissmar, R. C.1968. Investigations
of subalpine lakes, Five-Lakes Butte, Idaho. Journal Idaho
Academy of Science 8: 1-5.
Pennak, R. W. 1991. Freshwater invertebrates of the U.S.

Third edition. New York: Wiley Publishers. 628 p.
Savage, C. N. 1967. Geology and mineral resources of

Clearwater County. County Report No. 6. Moscow, ID:
University of Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology. 131 p.
Wissmar, R. C.; Rabe, F. W. 1970. Crustacean populations

and sampling techniques in four mountain lakes of Idaho.
Transactions American Microscopic Society 89(2): 205-215.
Sampling zooplankton from Gold Lake.
42
Steep Lakes Geology
Steep Lakes Research Natural Area Upper and Lower Steep Lakes are subalpine cirque lakes sit
ated on the west side of the Bitterroot Range in the headwate
Clearwater National Forest of the North Fork of the Clearwater River. The site is
Precambrian Belt quartzites and argillites that have been su
During the summer of 1997, Fred Rabe and Steve Crumb jected to alpine glaciation. Carbonaceous argillites are present
conducted research at the two Steep Lakes and pond. the basins accounting for the relatively high calcium carbona
content of the water (Crumb 1977).
Location
Steep Lakes are located northeast of Lewiston at the head Classification

of the Clearwater River drainage straddling the Idaho/
Montana border. Upper Steep Lake
Ecoregion Section: BITTERROOT MOUNTAIN (M333D), • Low production potential
Clearwater County; USGS Quad: STRAIGHT PEAK. • Alkaline water in Precambrian Belt basin
• Inlet: 1 stream, 1 seep; Outlet: 1 stream
From Superior, Montana on I-90, follow FR 250 over
Lower Steep Lake
Hoodoo Pass and FR 5450 up Goose Creek to its end. Hike
• Subalpine, small, shallow cirque lake
Trail 414 which parallels Goose Creek for 1.5 miles to the
• Low-medium production potential
mouth of Steep Creek. Access to the lower lake is by a
• Alkaline water in Precambrian Belt basin
steep one mile unimproved trail. An undeveloped campsite
• Inlet: 1 stream, 2 seeps; Outlet: 1 stream
is located above the lower lake on the northwest side in the
timber. The upper lake and pond are reached by hiking over
500 feet up a steep incline .
Lower
Pond Lake
Upper
Lake
USGS Quad: STRAIGHT PEAK.
Bathymetric map of Lower Steep Lake. Contour levels in feet,

Upper and Lower Steep Lakes. Crumb (1977).
43
Aquatic physical-chemical factors Upper Steep Lake
Lower Steep Lake Area (hectares): 2.3 (5.7 acres)
Area (hectares): 2.3 (5.8 acres) Length of shoreline (m): 625 (2051 ft)
Length of shoreline (m): 610 (2001 ft) Maximum depth (m): 4.6 (15.1 ft)
Aspect: NW Elevation (m): 2012 (6600 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 4.7 (15 ft) Aspect: N
Elevation (m): 1800 (5904 ft) Percent shallow littoral zone: 20
Percent shallow littoral zone: 20 Dominant substrate: silt and angular boulders
Dominant substrate: primarily silt and large boulders Shoreline development: 1.172
Shoreline development: 1.142 Alkalinity (mg/l): 50
Inlets: 1 stream, 2 seeps
Outlet: 1 stream
Lower Steep Lake is in a steep-walled cirque basin with a

“V” shaped draw at the outlet. The outlet stream from the
lake flows for about 150 feet at a low gradient before it cas-
cades into a steep canyon. The upper portion of the outlet
stream is partly blocked by log debris forming a barrier pre-
venting loss of fish from the lake. The main inlet stream is
on the west side of the lake and provides about 150 feet of
1/4 inch to 1 inch spawning gravel. Two other small seeps
enter from the southwest side.
The lake substrate consists of fine silt and large angular boul-
ders. Considerable log debris extends along the northwest
side and provides good cover for trout. Underwater springs
provide oxygenated water that help the trout survive in the
lake during the winter months when oxygen might be limited.
Lower Steep Lake.

Bathymetric map of Upper Steep Lake and pond. Contour
levels are in feet. Crumb (1977 ).
44
Upper Steep Lake is southwest of the lower lake and about
213 m (700 ft) higher in elevation. Bottom substrate consists
of silt and large boulders. Numerous springs are present.
No macrophytes and only scattered log debris occur there.
The inlet stream is approximately 3 m (10 ft) wide and lacks
the spawning gravel present in the lower lake basin. The
outlet, about 3.7m (12 ft) wide, flows into a pond that drains
down the mountainside over a steep cascade going under-
gound before reaching the lower lake.
Camp and study site on Upper Steep Lake.
Upper Steep Lake outlet flows into a pond. The outlet of the
pond then cascades down the mountain and goes under-
ground until entering the lower lake.
Pond draining Upper Steep Lake. Experiments were conduct-

ed here on Diaptomus shoshone, a zooplankton present in
A helicopter transported us and our supplies back and forth
the upper lake and pond. Pond is also visible in upper left
to the study lakes.
photograph.
45
Vegetation
Upper and Lower Steep Lakes continued
The surrounding forests are dominated by mountain hem-
Plecoptera
lock (Tsuga mertensiana) and subalpine fir (Abies lasio-
Acroneuria sp. - stream
carpa). Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Sitka alder
(Alnus sinuata) communities are also present (Habeck Alloperla sp. - stream
1988).
Ephemeroptera
Steep Lakes Basin was burned in 1910 and therefore has Ameletus sp.
sparse tree cover. The South Basin with older stands did not Siphlonurus sp. - stream
burn in 1910 (Habeck 1988). Little or no macrophytic vege- Cinygmula sp.
tation was noted in the lakes.
Trichoptera
Zooplankton Rhyacophila sp.
Hesperophylax sp.
Onocosmoecus sp. - stream
Diaptomus shoshone, a zooplankton, was present only in the
Psychoglypha sp.
upper lake which lacked fish (Crumb 1977). Diaptomus arapa-
hoensis was more abundant in the lower lake stocked with fish.
Megaloptera
Daphnia schodleri was more abundant in the stocked lake
Sialis sp.
except in late summer and fall when fish apparently switched
to feeding on it. Bosmina longirostris and Macrocyclops albidus
Coleoptera
were zooplankton collected in both lakes.
Gyrinus sp.
Hydrovatus sp.
Diptera
Chironomus sp.
Microspectra sp.
Procladius sp
The freshwater shrimp (Gammarus lacustris) is present in

both upper and lower lakes and is represented by unusual-
ly large specimens. It is abundant in Upper Steep Lake but
limited in number in Lower Steep Lake apparently, due to
selective predation by the trout population. The presence
Diaptomus shoshone was present only in the upper
lake. Females like this will attain sizes up to 4 mm in and size of these invertebrates may relate to the relatively
length. high alkalinity in the waters compared to other northern
Idaho lakes where this species has not been reported.
Macroinvertebrates
Upper and Lower Steep Lakes
Amphipoda
Gammarus lacustris
Rhynchobdellida
Glossiphonia complanata
Haplotaxida
Ilyodrilus templetoni
Heterodonta Freshwater shrimp (Gammarus lacustris). From
Pisidium subtruncatum Huggens et al. (1985).
.
46
Research
The invertebrate communities of the two sub-alpine lakes

were compared to ascertain the effect of stocking golden
trout (Salmo aquabonito) in 1962 in the lower lake by the
Idaho Fish & Game Department (Crumb 1977). Attempts to
stock the upper lake have failed. Both bodies of water were
somewhat similar in size, morphometry and physical-chem-
ical characteristics.
Both lakes had similar invertebrates except Diaptomus

shoshone, a large zooplankton that was absent in the lower
lake. This was apparently due to selective fish predation.
Diaptomus arapahoensis, another zooplankton, was less
abundant and of smaller size in the lake containing trout.
Gammarus lacustris, a freshwater shrimp, was also found in
both lakes but nearly absent in the lower lake probably due
to selective predation by fish.
Since 1962, growth and reproduction of golden trout have

been successful with trout reaching record weights for the
state up to four pounds. Since 1977 no stocking has
occurred since the original plantings. Lower Steep Lake was Collecting water and plankton samples from Upper Steep
the only lake north of the Salmon River that contained a Lake following eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1978. Ash had
consistently good breeding population of golden trout. settled on the surface of the ice which was beginning to melt.
California Golden Trout (Salmo aquabonito ).
Mt. St. Helens erupted soon after Steve Crumb completed

his study of the Steep Lakes. Since chemical and biological
data on the lakes existed before the eruption, the Forest
Service was interested in determining what effect if any the
ash fall might have on the water chemistry and biota in the
upper lake. A slight increase in nitrates and decrease in zoo-
plankton was noted, but these effects were only temporary. Upper and Lower Steep Lakes provide an excellent opportu-
Baseline data from the lake provided the opportunity to nity for aquatic research.
compare the undisturbed site with the disturbed site one
year later (Rabe 1982).
47
Literature Cited
Crumb, S. 1977. Long term effects of fish stocking on the

invertebrate communities of Steep Lake, Idaho. Moscow,
ID: University of Idaho. 27 p. Thesis.
Habeck, J. R. 1988. Research Natural Areas in the

Northern Region. Review Draft. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. Northern Rocky Mountain
Research Station, Ogden, UT. Unpaginated.
Huggins, D. G.; Liechti, P. M.; Ferrington, L. C. 1985. Guide

to the freshwater invertebrates of the midwest. Technical
Publication No.11. Lawrence, KS: Kansas Biological
Survey. 221 p.
Rabe, F. W. 1982. Effects of volcanic ash on plankton and

benthos in subalpine lakes. Unpublished paper on file at:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Northern
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, UT.
Unpaginated.
48
Grave Peak Lake and Ponds
Grave Peak Research Natural Area

Clearwater National Forest
Fred Rabe, Andrea Brooks and Erin Brooks studied a lake,

Pond 1, Pond 2 and associated inlet and outlet streams in
the RNA on July 31-August 1, 1998. Ponds 3 and 4 in the
RNA were not sampled. Lake
Location
The RNA is situated on the northern boundary of the

Pond 1
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in the Clearwater Mountains.
It is about 8.5 air miles south of Powell Ranger Station
(Wellner and Bernatas 1991).
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Idaho

County; Quad: GRAVE PEAK
Turn south onto the Elk Summit Road (FS road 360) from
about two miles east of Route 12 near the Powell Ranger
Grave Peak Pond 1 and lake viewed from the ridgeline.
Station. Follow FS road 360 about 17 miles to the junction
with FS road 358. Turn right on FS 358 and continue for two
miles to where the road has been blocked. The road Geology
becomes FS trail 45 to Kooskooskia Meadows (Wellner and
Bernatas (1991). Continue on the trail past Swamp Lake to
Grave Peak RNA is located within the Idaho batholith of
Friday Pass about 3.5 miles from the trailhead. About 100
granitic and related rocks which were uplifted and exposed
meters before reaching the top of Friday Pass, take a faint
in the late Tertiary. The area experienced multiple glacial
trail which branches to the right. It eventually takes you
events during the Quaternary, described in more detail in the
along a ridgeline separating Windy Lakes on one side and
RNA Establishment Report (Wellner and Bernatas 1991).
Grave Peak Lakes on the other. Two of the Grave Peak
water bodies can be viewed off to the right. Use extreme
caution working your way down the slope to Pond 1.
Classification
Grave Peak Pond 1

Pond 3
• Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque pond
Pond 4
• Circumneutral water in granitic basin
• Inlet: stream; Outlet: riffle-pool stream
Pond 1
Grave Peak Lake
• Subalpine, small, deep, cirque lake
• Medium-low production potential
Pond 2 • Circumneutral water in granitic basin
Lake • Inlet: stream; Outlet: riffle-pool stream
Grave Peak Pond 2

• Medium-low production potential
USGS Quad: GRAVE PEAK. • Inlet: cascade; Outlet: stream
49
Aquatic physical - chemical factors
Grave Peak Pond 1

Maximum depth (m): 1 (3.2 ft)
Aspect: SE
Dominant substrate: silt
Lake edge %: herbaceous-90, shrubs-10
Inlet: 1 stream
Outlet: 1 stream
The inlet to Pond 1 flows from the talus rock for about 30
meters and then takes on a meandering glide pattern for
about the same distance to the pond. Sedges provide ripar-
ian cover. The lower section of the inlet substrate was
organic sediment. The temperature of the inlet stream is 7
degrees C.
Riffle-pool type stream connecting Pond 1 and lake.
Meandering glide inlet stream flowed from talus rock to Pond 1.

Riparian vegetation along the stream is mostly sedges.
Grave Peak Lake

Length of shoreline: 677 (2221 ft)
Maximum depth (m): estimate >5 m (> 16 ft)
Aspect: SE
Dominant substrate: boulders and cobble
Lake edge %: rock-70, conifers-20, herbaceous-10 View SE across Grave Peak Lake.
Inlets: riffle-pool type stream
Outlets: 1 stream
50
Northeast view of Grave Peak Pond 2.
View southeast at Grave Peak Lake. Note the inlet stream.

The lake is a much larger, deeper water body than either of
the two ponds studied.
Grave Peak Pond 2

Maximum depth (m): Estimate 2 (7 ft)
Elevation (m): 2197(7207 ft)
Aspect: E
Dominant substrate: bedrock, silt
Lake edge %: rock-55, shrubs-35, herbaceous-10
Conductivity (micromhos/cm): <5
pH: 7
Inlet: cascades
Outlet: 1 stream
Water cascades down bedrock slope emptying into Pond 2.
51
Raynold’s sedge
(Carex raynoldsii )
Hurd et al. 1998.
Macroinvertebrates
Grave Peak Pond 1

Trichoptera
Psychoglypha sp.
Coleoptera
Uvarus sp.
Diptera
Subfamily Orthocladiinae
Grave Peak Pond 1 inlet
Trichoptera
Psychoglypha sp.
Allomyia sp.
Diptera
Polypedilum sp.
Rheotanytarsus sp.
After inlet stream cascades down a steep slope it levels out
for a short distance and enters Pond 2.
Grave Peak lake
Trichoptera
Clistorina sp.
Desmona sp.
Vegetation
Hesperophylax sp.
Psychoglypha sp.
Subalpine coniferous vegetation in the Graves Peak area
Megaloptera
consists of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), whitebark pine
Sialis sp.
(Pinus albicaulis), subalpine larch (Larix lyallii), and
Diptera
Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii).
Polypedilum sp.
Prosimulium sp.
Sedge meadows occur adjacent to the water bodies. Wellner
Rheotanytarsus sp.
and Bernatas (1991) reported yellow bog sedge (Carex dioica),
Platyhelminthes
Raynold’s sedge (Carex raynoldsii), Ross sedge (Carex rossii),
Polycelis coronata
and Drummond’s rush (Juncus drummondii).
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
52
Grave Peak lake inlet
Trichoptera
Desmona sp.
Psychoglypha sp.
Diptera
Hydrobaenus sp.
Prosimulium sp
Pond 4
Grave Peak Pond 2 inlet
Trichoptera
Neothremma sp.
Plecoptera
Setvena bradleyi Pond 3
Sweltza sp.
Ephemeroptera
Nixe sp.
Ameletus sp.
Baetis bicaudatus
Diptera
Cryptolabis sp.
Subfamily Orthocladiinae Ponds 3 and 4 further downstream were not studied. Photo cred-
Simulium sp. it: Charles Wellner.
Coleoptera
Uvarus sp.
Platyhelminthes
Polycelis coronata
Lake
Pond 1
View from ridge looking at Pond 1 and lake.

Ameletus, a mayfly from inlet of Grave Peak Pond 2.
Sketch from McCafferty (1983).
Macroinvertebrates (continued)
53
Literature Cited
McCafferty, W. F. 1983. Aquatic entomology. Boston: Jones

and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Hurd, E. G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J (and others).

1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station, Ogden, UT. 282 p.
Wellner, C. A.; Bernatus, S. 1991. RNA Establishment

Record for Grave Peak RNA, Idaho County. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished
report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 22 p.
54
Fenn Mountain Lakes The rock is Cretaceous in age and was emplaced as part of
the Idaho batholith. It is uniform in this region and the main
varying feature is the structure of the rock which can be uni-
Fenn Mountain Proposed Research Natural Area form or foliated as here, depending on the stage of metamor-
Clearwater National Forest phism (Greenwood and Morrison 1973).
Florence Lake was surveyed by Peter Bahls on July 23-24,

Classification
1991. Hjort Lake, also in the RNA, was not sampled.
• Subalpine, large, deep, cirque lake

Location • Medium production potential
• Circumneutral water
Florence Lake and Hjort Lake part of the Selway Bitterroot • Inlet: 13 major, 14 minor streams, 9 seeps
Wilderness are located in the Craig Mountain Range about • Outlet: 1 stream
13 air miles from the Fenn Ranger Station on the Selway
River. Florence Lake is 9.5 miles from the nearest road
(Bahls 1992). Access to the lake is very difficult. It is inac-
cesible by horseback.

County; USGS Quad: FENN MOUNTAIN.
USGS Quad: FENN MOUNTAIN.

Florence Lake
Geology
Foliated quartz monzonite is a granitic rock found in the

area that has foliated texture from the parallel alignment of
its mica mineral (biotite) as well as the other crystals in this Bathymetric map of Florence Lake (Bahls 1992). Three meter
rock (Greenwood and Morrison 1973). contour level. 1 inch = 400 feet.
55
Aquatic physical-chemical factors Literature Cited
Area (hectares 12 (29.9 acres) Bahls, P. F.1992. Report of the High Lake Fisheries Project
Length of shoreline (m): 1993 (6539 ft) Cooperative Project of Idaho Department of Fish and
Maximum depth (m): 7.5 (25 feet) Game, Region 2, Clearwater National Forest, Orofino,
Aspect: NE Idaho. 67-72.
Elevation (m): 1917 (6288 feet)
Percent shallow littoral zone: < 3 Greenwood, W. R.; Morrison, D. A. 1973. Reconnaissance
Dominant substrate: silt and rubble geology of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. Moscow ,
Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 5 ID: University of Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology. l54 p.
pH: 6.6
Inlet: 13 major and 14 minor streams, 9 seeps Wellner, C. A. 1991. Letter to R. K. Moseley dated 9
Outlet: 1 stream September regarding elements occurring in Grave Peak
proposed RNA, Fenn Mountain proposed RNA and Elk
Creek proposed RNA. 2 p.
View towards west side of Florence Lake. The Crags in

background. Photo credit: Sheryl Walker.
View north of the The Crags encircling Florence Lake.

Notice the island in the water. A small portion of Hjort
Lake is visible downstream (arrow). Photo credit: Sheryl
Walker.
The littoral zone is limited especially on the west side of the

lake (Bahls 1992). Ten percent of the bottom substrate is
bedrock. The dominant sedge around the perimeter is
Carex rostrata. Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) and rainbow
trout (Salmo gairdneri) are reported to be large in size.
Sheryl Walker, wilderness ranger, initiated campsite restora-
tion measures at Florence Lake in 1992 (Wellner 1991).
56
Salmon Mountain Lake and Ponds
Salmon Mountain Research Natural Area

Bitterroot National Forest
Three ponds and a lake are located in the RNA. Pond 1 and
the lake were sampled by Fred Rabe on September 12-13,
1998.
Location
FS Road 468 (Magruder Corridor).
The RNAis located on the divide between the upper Selway
River drainage and the Salmon River drainage in east-cen-
tral Idaho within the Frank Church River of No Return
Wilderness (Habeck 1992).
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332-A), Idaho

County; USGS Quad: STRIPE MOUNTAIN.
From Grangeville, Idaho drive east on State Highway 14 to

Elk City. Travel southeast 13 miles to FS Road 468
(Magruder Corridor). Drive about 44 miles to Salmon Mt.
Base Camp. The trailhead is about one mile further. Hike
approximately 1 1/2 miles to the manned lookout atop
Salmon Mountain. The lake and Pond 2 are visible as you Lookout atop Salmon Mountain at 2727 m (8943 ft).
get close to the top. Pond 1 is reached by descending a trail
from the lookout. The trail stops a short distance down the
mountain and the remaining way to the pond is quite steep. Geology
The lake can be reached by cautiously descending the
steep ridge overlooking the water body. Pleistocene glaciation scoured cirques and steep cliffs in
this part of the Bitterroot Mountains (Habeck 1992). The
rock type is believed to be coarse grained hornblende-
biotite granodiorite, part of the Idaho Batholith (Weis et al.
Pond 3
1972). The area is crudely mapped due to its remoteness
and difficulty in interpreting the changes in rock types.
Lake
Classification
Salmon Mountain Pond 1

Pond 2
• Inlet: none; Outlet: ephemeral
Salmon Mountain Lake

Pond 1 • Low - medium production potential
• Inlet: none; Outlet: 1 stream
USGS Quad: STRIPE MOUNTAIN.
57

Maximum depth (m): estimate 3 (10 ft)
Elvevation (m): 2536 (8320 ft)
Aspect: E
Dominant substrate: silt and boulders
Lake edge %: talus-80, cliff-15, trees-herbaceous-5
pH: 7
Inlets: none
Outlets: 1 ephemeral stream
Steep cliff and talus slope surrounding most of shoreline

of Salmon Mountain Pond 1.

View of slope from lookout to Salmon Mountain Pond 1. Aspect: SE
Percent shallow zone: 10
Dominant substrate: sediment, boulders
Lake edge %: cliff-55, herbaceous-15, trees-15, talus-15
pH: 7
Inlets: none
Outlets: 1 stream
An island is located in the lake. Only a small amount of lit-

toral zone exists. The surface water temperature was 16
degrees C.
The outlet from the lake is about 5 centimeters deep. It flows

approximately 5 meters to a rock face where it trickles over
the surface into a pond that appears as two ponds on the
View of west end of Salmon Mountain Pond 1. Note littoral map. Bedrock and soft sediments comprise the substrate of
zone. the pond.
58
View of pond 2 which appears as two separate ponds.
View east of Salmon Mountain Lake from the ridge trail. Note island
in the lake (lower arrow) and adjoining Pond 2 (upper arrow).
View west of Salmon Mountain Lake and ridgeline. View east of Salmon Mountain Pond 3, a shallow water
body in the RNA that was not sampled.
59
Water sedge Cliff sedge
(Carex aquatilis ) (Carex scopulorum )
From Hurd et al. From Hurd et al. 1998.
Outlet from Salmon Mountain Lake flows into Pond 2. 1998.
Quillwort (Isoetes sp.) was observed in the shallow portion

of Pond 2.
Zooplankton

Cladocera
Pleuroxis sp.
Daphnia sp.
Chydorus sp.
Copepoda
Family Cyclopidae
Lower end of Pond 2, view west towards Salmon Mountain

ridge.
Vegetation

Juncus mertensianus
Juncus nevadensis
Carex scopulorum

Juncus mertensianus
Carex aquatilis Cyclopoid copepods
Carex sp. From Brooks (1963).
60
Macroinvertebrates Salmon Mountain Lake outlet
Salmon Mountain Pond 1 Trichoptera

Trichoptera Ecclisomyia sp.
Unidentified Unidentified
Diptera Diptera
Subfamily Chironominae Subfamily Tanypodinae
Ephemeroptera Pelecypoda
Callibaetis sp. Pisidium sp.
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
Coleoptera
Hydroporus sp.
Ecclisomyia sp., a caddisfly that commonly feeds on

diatoms. It often fixes plant material on to a rock case as
seen here. Drawing: Wiggins (1996).
Callibaetis sp., a mayfly dominant in the lake.

They are collector-gatherers. Drawing:
McCafferty (1981). Literature Cited
Brooks, J. L. 1963. Cladocera. In: Freshwater biology. New

York: Wiley Publishers. 599 p.
Salmon Mountain Lake Habeck, J. R. 1992. Establishment record for Salmon

Ephemeroptera Mountain Research Natural Area within Bitterroot National
Callibaetis sp. Forest, Idaho County, Idaho. U.S. Department of
Diptera Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished report on file at
Subfamily Chironominae Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 23 p.
Coleoptera
Hydroporus sp. Hurd, E. G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others).
Pelecypoda 1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10. U.S.
Pisidium sp. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Region, Ogden, UT. 282 p.
61
McCafferty, W. P. 1981. Aquatic entomology. Boston: Jones
Weis, C. P. 1972. Mineral resources of the Salmon River

Breaks Primitive Area. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho,
Bureau of Mines and Geology. 52 p.
Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Larvae of the North American caddisfly

genera. 2nd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 267 p.
62
Allan Mountain Ponds Allan Lake is not included in the RNA because of
heavy recreational use. Lake 1 north of Allan
Mountain drains into Twin Creek. It was not sam-
Allan Mountain Research Natural Area pled. The two ponds are located in a meadow above
Salmon-Challis National Forest Allan Lake. A wetland comprised of small intercon-
nected pools is located between the ponds.
Two ponds and a lake are located in the RNA. Fred
Rabe surveyed Pond 1 on September 24, 1999.
Some data were collected from Pond 2.
Location
Allan Mountain RNA is located in the Bitterroot

Mountains close to the Idaho / Montana border Allan Lake
about 16 miles north of North Fork, Idaho.
Ecoregion section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A),

Lemhi County; USGS Quad: ALLAN MOUNTAIN
From the town of North Fork, follow U.S. Route 93 Pond 1

north up the North Fork of the Salmon River about
5.5 miles to the junction with FS Road 091. Turn left
on 091 and follow this road about 2 miles to the
junction with FS Road 089. Turn right on 089 and
follow it up Ditch Creek about 4.6 miles until it junc- Aerial view of Allan Lake and Pond 1 along the
tions with FS Road 202. Take FS 202 about 1.5 flank of Allan Mountain.
miles to the bridge over Ditch Creek. Take FS Trail
112 for approximately three miles to Allan Lake. The
ponds are about one mile west of Allan Lake. Classification
Pond 1
• Subalpine, small, shallow cirque-scour pond
Lake 1. • Circumneutral water in Belt supergroup
• Inlet: seeps; Outlets: ephemeral stream
Geology
Near alpine conditions occur on Allan Mountain,

9154 feet (2791 m). Lateral and terminal moraines
are illustrative of mountain glaciation (Wellner 1988).
The rock type is Precambrian undifferentiated
quartzite and argillite possibly of the Belt supergroup.
Rocks of the area range from a light to dark-gray flat
Pond 1. laminated argillite to a white to light gray quartzite
Pond 2. with sedimentary structures. The argillite is relatively
darker colored and softer than the green to dark gray
USGS Quad: ALLAN MOUNTAIN.
impure quartzite ( Ross 1963).
63
Aquatic physical-chemical factors A series of shallow pools and channels comprise a
wetland in a high meadow adjacent to Allan
Pond 1 Mountain. This wetland separates the two ponds.
Surface area (hectares): 0.01 (0.03 acres)
Length of shoreline: (m): 40 (131 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 1.2
Aspect: NE
Lake edge %: herbaceous-90, conifers-10
Conductivity (micromhos): 11
pH: 6.9
Inlet: seeps
Outlet: ephemeral stream
Pond 1 above. Pond 2 below occupies a cirque. Note Wetland adjacent to the two ponds. Note subalpine
subalpine larch (Larix lyallii ) in foreground. larch (Larix lyallii ). Allan Mountain at an elevation of
9154 ft is in background.
Vegetation
The following plants surrounding Pond 1 were iden-

tified by Michael Mancuso working for the Idaho
Conservation Data Center: Subalpine fir (Abies
lasiocarpa), whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), huck-
leberry (Vaccinium spp.), laurel (Kalmia microphyl-
la), wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa), hairgrass
(Deschampsia cespitosa), rock sedge (Carex scop-
ulorum), and rush (Juncus torreyi). The mosses
Polytrichum juniperinum, Aulcomnium androgynum
and Sphagnum sp. were also identified.
Subalpine larch (Larix lyallii ) is relatively rare in the

inland United States. At Allan Mountain the species is
at the southeastern limit of its range (Wellner 1988).
64
Vertebrates
Long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodacty-

lum ) were quite numberous in Pond 2 and the wet-
land area. They had just metamorphosed and aver-
aged about 9 cm in length.
Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia

cespitosa).
Long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macro-

dactylum).Photocredit: Corkran and Thoms
(1996).
Spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa ) were common at the

edge of Pond 2 and wetland. The one year age
group averaged about 20 mm in length. The larger
frogs, approximately 70 mm long were believed to
be 2-3 years old
A rush (Juncus torreyi)
Zooplankton
Pond 1 .
Diaptomus sp.
Daphnia sp.
Simocephalus sp.
Macroinvertebrates
Ponds 1 and 2
Ephemeroptera Hemiptera
Caenis sp. Limnogonus sp.)
Coleoptera Gerris sp. Spotted frog (Rana pretiosa ) Photo credit: Corkran and
Coptotomus sp. Diptera Thoms (1996).
Pelecypoda Family Chironomidae
Pisidium sp. Class Oligochaeta
65
Literature Cited
Corkran, C. C.; Thoms, C. 1996. Amphibians of

Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing. 175 p.
Ross, C. P. 1963. Geology along U.S. Hiway 93 in

Idaho. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho, Bureau of
Mines and Geology. 130 p.
Wellner, C. A. 1988. Establishment Record for Allan

Mountain RNA within Salmon National. Forest. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region,
Ogden, UT. 19 pp.
66
Fish Lake
Fish Lake Research Natural Area

Nezperce National Forest
Al Espinosa, a former fisheries biologist with the Forest

Service, conducted a limnological survey of Fish Lake and
other lakes in the Buffalo Hump area in August 1977.
Location
Fish Lake is located in the Buffalo Hump area of the Gospel

Hump Wilderness Area about 20 miles southwest of Elk Buffalo Hump, elevation 2713 m (8900 ft) in the Gospel
City, Idaho. Buffalo Hump is the most prominent landmark in Hump Wilderness. Photo credit: Espinosa et al. 1977.
the area at an elevation of 2713 m (8,900 feet).
Fish Lake RNA is an example of a large valley that radiates
Ecoregion Section: PALOUSE PRAIRIE (331A), Idaho County; from high areas containing deposits of morainal material left
USGS Quads: SILVER SPUR RIDGE by valley glaciers.
Classification
• Montane, large, deep, moraine lake

• High production potential
• Circumneutral water in Belt rock
• Inlet: 4 streams; Outlet: 1 stream

Length of shoreline (m) 1934 (6345 ft)
Aspect: S
USGS Quad: SILVER SPUR RIDGE Percent shallow littoral zone: 89
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediments
From Grangeville travel southeast on State Highway 14 Shoreline development: 1.615
along the South Fork of the Clearwater River to FS Road Lake edge %: estimate, primarily herbaceous
233 up the Crooked River to Orogrande Summit. From there Alkalinity (mg/l): 17
take a FS trail about two miles to Fish Lake. Conductivity (micromhos): 23
Inlets: 4 streams
Outlet: 1 stream
Geology
This moraine type lake is relatively large in size with a mean
According to Espinosa et al. (1977), the oldest rocks of the depth of 2.4 m (8.8 ft). It has a long shoreline length and a
region apparently belong to the Belt series which include high shoreline development. Fish Lake has four inlets and
gneisses, schists, quartzites and limestones. Quartz monzonite one outlet. The mouth of Lake Creek inlet averages 6.1 m (20
and granodiorite of the Idaho Batholith intruded these Belt ft) in width and 1.2 m (3.8 ft) in depth. According to Espinosa
rocks. Faulting and warping of a partly dissected peneplain et al. (1977), the inlet at this location contains 5,000 square
formed basin- like depressions in which clay, gravel and sand feet of high quality spawning gravel. The outlet (Lake Creek)
were deposited. According to Espinosa et al. (1977), only the is 4.6 m (15 ft) wide and averages 0.2 m (0.8 ft) deep.
higher region around Buffalo Hump has been extensively
glaciated. There is no evidence of more than one glaciation.
67
wetland
Fish Lake, formed by a glacial moraine, is relatively low in eleva-

tion. Note the extensive sedge growth along the lake edge and
large littoral zone extending out in the lake (arrow). Also observe
the extensive wetland transected by Lake Creek, a large mean-
dering glide inlet. Photo credit: Espinosa et al. 1977.
View west across Fish Lake toward the Englemann spruce stand
at the outlet of Whistling Pig Creek. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
20
View south at Lake Creek inlet near its entrance to Fish

Lake. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Morphometric map of Fish Lake. Contour depths in feet. 1 inch =
215 feet. Map credit: Espinosa et al. 1977.
68
Zooplankton
Copepoda
Diaptomus lintoni
Orthocyclops modestus
Cyclops venustoides
Cladocera
Daphnia rosae
Chydorus sphaericus
Lake Creek outlet (cascade-pool) type stream). Photo

credit: Charles Wellner.
Vegetation
Alluvial deposits adjacent to relatively large flat lake shores

have accumulated around Fish Lake where the topography is
gentle. The soils tend to be deep and relatively stable and
support dense amounts of sedges, rushes, grasses and A zooplankton, Chydorus sphaericus
forbs. The major phytoplankton taxa in Fish Lake are Sketch credit: Melanie Abel.
Staurastrum sp., a desmid and Melosira sp., a diatom.
Vertebrates
Some of the macrophytes found in the water were yellow water
lily (Nuphar polysepalum), water lily (Nuphar varigatum), water At the time of gillnet sampling, species composition consist-
buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis) and quillwort (Isoetes sp.). ed of 70 percent rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri ), 26.7 per-
cent brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) and 3.3 percent rain-
Quillwort is eaten by moose. As the animals forage on the bow - cutthroat hybrid. Many brook trout and rainbows were
plant off the bottom, large quantities of the plant are torn observed by the investigators in the shoal areas of the lake.
loose and the uprooted vegetation floats to the surface
where moose continue to eat the plant. Fish Lake has had a reputation for good fishing since 1899
(Elsensohn 1971) when large catches of trout were report-
ed. Since the lake has such high quality spawning and rear-
ing habitat, the lake, according to the authors, will likely
sustain a moderately heavy to heavy level of fishing intensi-
ty without supplemental stocking (Espinosa et al. 1977).
Sizeable “rafts” of quillwort float to the leeward side of Fish

Rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) was the dominant trout in
Lake after moose forage on the lake bottom. Photo credit:
Fish Lake. Sketch from Simpson and Wallace 1978.
Al Espinosa 1971.
69
Literature Cited
Elsensohn, A. 1971. Pioneer days in Idaho County. The

Idaho Corporation of Benedictine Sisters, Cottonwood,
Idaho. 2: 618 p.
Espinosa, F. A.; Orme, J. J.; Dolan, J. J. 1977. A limnologi-

cal survey of subalpine lakes in the Buffalo Hump Area. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Red River
Ranger District, Nezperce National Forest, Idaho
Unpublished report. 211 p.
Simpson, J. C.; Wallace, R. L. 1978. Fishes of Idaho.

Northwest Naturalist Book. University Press of Idaho,
Moscow, Idaho. 237 p.
70
Square Mountain Lake Geology
The area has a complex geology. It occurs on the contact

Square Mountain Creek Research Natural line between sedimentary Belt quartzite rocks and the
Area igneous, granitic rocks of the Idaho Batholith. Much of the
Nez Perce National Forest RNA is exposed rock in the form of cliffs and talus slopes on
bedrock (Wellner and Bernatas 1980).
On July 15, 1998 Fred Rabe and Nancy Abbott sampled the
lake and inlet and outlet streams.
Location
The RNA is located in the center of the Gospel-Hump

Wilderness in the South Fork Clearwater River drainage of
north-central Idaho. It is 51 miles south-southeast of
Grangeville, Idaho (Wellner and Bernatas 1980).

County; USGS Quad: MARBLE BUTTE
From the eastern edge of Grangeville, take FS road 221

south for about 35 miles to its junction with FS road 444.
Turn east on FS road 444 and follow it east and southeast
for 16 miles to its end on Square Mountain. The distance to
the lake from the trailhead is about 1 1/2 miles.
View north of Square Mountain Lake.
Classification

• Circumneutral water in Belt - granitic basin
• Inlets: 1 stream, 2 seeps; Outlet: 1 stream

Aspect: NE
Dominant substrate: soft sediments
Lake edge %: shrubs/herbs-85, conifers-5, rock-10
pH: 7.0
USGS Quad: MARBLE BUTTE. Outlets: 1 stream
71
View of wet meadow east of the lake.
The RNA is a glaciated cirque basin containing a lake, stream

that drains the lake and wet meadows (Wellner and Bernatas
1980). The lake is bounded by talus slopes on the west and a
meadow on the east. Logs line the periphery of the lake.
The inlet stream is about 0.3 meters wide and 0.5 m meters
deep. Small pea-gravel comprises the substrate. Water
temperature of the inlet was 11 degrees C.
Inlet stream to Square Mountain Lake. Note pea-
gravel substrate and herbaceous riparian growth.
Inlet stream (arrow) into Square Mountain Creek Lake.
The outlet stream averages about 3 meters wide and 14 cm

deep. The channel has a slight meander. Coarse particulate
organic matter comprises most of the substrate in contrast
to the mineral substrate of the inlet. The water temperature
of the outlet is 18 degrees C, 7 degrees warmer than the Outlet stream. Note coarse particulate organic materi-
inlet. Pools downstream are up to 55 cm deep. Water flow al comprising most of substrate.
is subsurface in places.
72
Vegetation Inlet stream
Platyhelminthes
The entire area burned in 1919 and partially burned again in Polycelius coronata
1933. Tree cover is minimal over much of the RNA due to Trichoptera
fire and lack of adequate soil development (Wellner and Clistorina sp.
Bernatas 1980). Whitebark pine-subalpine fir (Pinus albi- Psychoglypha sp.
caulis-Abies lasiocarpa) habitat types are found in the RNA Doliphiloides sp.
together with six subalpine fir types. Douglasia idahoensis, Gramataulius sp. ?
a category two candidate and Forest Service Sensitive Plecoptera
species is found along the southwest boundary. Family Chloroperlidae
Cultus sp.
An aquatic moss (Fontinalis sp.) is commonly observed in Ephemeroptera
the outlet stream. Wetland vegetation in the RNA includes Nixe sp.
Carex nigricans, Carex scopulorum, and Juncus parryi. Ameletus sp.
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
Diptera
Subfamily Tanypodinae
The most obvious diifference in community structure of the

two streams was that six Plecoptera-Trichoptera species
occurred in the inlet compared to only two Trichoptera in the
outlet stream. Dominant forms were Paraleptophlebia
debilis, a mayfly in the outlet stream and Polycelius corona-
ta, a planarian flatworm in the inlet.
Carex nigricans Carex scopulorum

Hurd et al. 1998. Hurd et al. 1998.
Macroinvertebrates
Outlet stream
Megaloptera Paraleptophlebia, a
Sialis sp. mayfly from outlet
Ephemeroptera stream. Sketch credit:
Paraleptophlebia debilis McCafferty (1983).
Ameletus sp.
Baetis tricaudatus
Diptera
Prosimulium sp.
Subfamily Chironominae
Coleoptera
Agabus sp.
Hygrotus sp.
Hemiptera Anterior of Polycelius
Corixidae coronata a planarian flat-
worm dominant in the inlet
Trichoptera stream. Note numerous
Clistorina sp. simple eye spots. Sketch
Limnephilus sp. credit: Kolasa (1991).
73
Literature Cited
Hurd, E., G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others).

1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10. Ogden,
UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Kolasa, J. 1991. Turbellaria. In: Ecology and classification of

North American freshwater invertebrates. New York:
Academic Press: 158 p.

Wellner, C. A.; Bernatas, S. 1980. Establishment record for

Square Mt. Creek RNA.. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Unpublished report on file at Intermountain
74
Dome Lake
Dome Lake Research Natural Area

Salmon-Challis National Forest
Charles Wellner, Roy Harness and Fred Rabe briefly sur-

veyed the lake on August 22, 1974.
Location
The RNA lies at the northern end of the Bighorn Crags in

the Salmon River Mountains. This is about 3 miles south of
the Salmon River at a point 17 miles southwest of Shoup,
Idaho (Mancuso 1992).
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Lemhi

County; USGS Quad: LONG TOM MTN., MT. MCGUIRE
Access is difficult. From the town of North Fork head west on

the Salmon River Road 033 for about 36 miles. The western
trailhead for FS Trail 172 is on the south side of the Salmon
River between river miles 201 and 202. This is opposite
Colson Creek RNA just west of the junction with FS Road
123 (Colson Creek Road). FS Trail 172 heads south from the
trailhead, switchbacking up the ridge west of Shell Creek and A direct but very difficult route to Dome Lake is to
gaining about 5000 feet in elevation as it ascends to an area cross Salmon River near Ebenezer Campground
immediately below the Horse Heaven Lookout. Just south- and ascend the steep terrain to the left in the pho-
east of the lookout, FS Trail 172 joins the ridgeline that tograph. Once on top, follow game trails and
bushwhack to the lake. Charles Wellner and Roy
defines the western boundary of the RNA. Other routes
Harness in photograph.
include FS Trail 021 from Crags Campground which is about
a ten mile hike and the eastern trailhead of FS 172 which
leaves from near the junction of the Salmon River Road 033
and Panther Creek Road 055 (Mancuso 1992).
Geology
A more direct way to the lake is to cross the Salmon River
by raft near Ebenezer Campground. From there it is a steep The geology of the lake area is of foliated gneiss and schist
climb with no FS trails. There are game paths to the lake. and of gneissic sedimentary rocks. They may be a part of
the Belt supergroup or of a pre-Belt origin. These Belt rocks
are about 1,500 million years old and still have preserved
sedimentary structures in northern Idaho and western
Montana (Bennett1977).
Classification
• Montane, large, deep moraine lake

• Circumneutral water in Belt rock
• Inlets: 1 seep, 1 stream; Outlet: 1 stream
USGS Quad: LONG TOM MOUNTAIN, MOUNT

MCGUIRE.
75
Dome Lake RNA in the Frank Church River of No Return Aquatic physical - chemical factors
Wilderness contains the entire upper portion of the Lake
Creek watershed including moraine-dammed Dome Lake. Area (hectares): 7.8 (19.4 acres)
About 1407 m (4616 feet) of vertical relief occurs in the Length of shoreline (m): 1158 (3799 ft)
area which represents an excellent cross section of upper Maximum depth (m): Estimate 8 (26 ft)
elevation aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Salmon Elevation (m): 1863 (6112 ft)
River Canyon (Mancuso 1992). Aspect: NE
Percent shallow littoral zone: estimate, 50
Dome Lake is one of the few moraine lakes in Idaho’s Dominant bottom substrate: rubble and soft sediment
RNA system. This subalpine water body is uncommon rel- Shoreline development: 1.188
ative to its latitude in central Idaho. Lake edge %: estimate - rocks-70, shrubs and herbs- 30
pH: 6.8
Inlets: 1 seep, 1 stream
Outlets: 1 stream
Vegetation
Most of the terrestrial vegetation surrounding the lake is

coniferous forest habitat types, largely Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasio-
carpa). Forests at the middle elevation in the RNA burned
in the 1986 Dome 2 Fire. A population of the rare plant
Borsch’s stonecrop (Sedum borschii) occurs near the sum-
mit of Dome Mountain (Mancuso 1992).
Vertebrates
Dome Lake is a moraine-dammed water body
at a relatively low elevation in central Idaho. Apopulation of stunted Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fonti-
nalis) occurrs in the lake. Successful spawning takes place
because different age classes of fish were observed.
Stunted brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) in lake.

Inlet end of Dome Lake. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Literature cited
Bennett, E. 1977. Reconnaissance geology and geochem-

istry of the Blackbird Mountain, Lemhi Co., Idaho, Moscow,
ID: University of Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology. 167 p.
Mancuso, M.; Evenden, A. G.; Rust, S. K. 1996.

Establishment record for Dome Lake RNA within Salmon
National Forest, Lemhi County, ID. Department of
View of moraine that dams Dome Lake. Agriculture, Forest Service Intermountain Research
Photo credit: Charles Wellner. Station, Ogden, UT. 25 p.
76
Belvidere Lakes and Ponds
Geology
Belvidere Creek Research Natural Area
The bedrock varies from moderately hard, well fractured
Payette National Forest granite of the Pinnacles adjacent to Lake 3 to weathered
volcanic rocks near Lake 7. The lands are characterized as
Twelve lakes and ponds exist in the RNA. From July 18-27, being geologically young and erosion is quite active (Rabe
1978 eight of these sites together with associated inlet and et al. 1979). Much of the area has rock debris from talus,
outlet streams were studied by Fred Rabe and his Aquatic loose rubble from avalanche slopes or exposed bedrock on
Biology class from the University of Idaho. the surface.
Location The RNA encompasses an entire watershed that was

glacially sculpted during the Pleistocene. Outlet streams
Belvidere Creek, located in the Salmon River Mountains, from nine cirque and paternoster lakes comprise the head-
lies between Goat Mountain and Coin Mountain and covers waters of Belvidere Creek. After the tributaries merge they
almost the entire Belvidere Creek drainage which is a tribu- enter a straight U-shaped lower valley and flow into Big
tary to Big Creek (Lichthard and Rust 1994). Creek which eventually enters the Middle Fork of the
Salmon River.
Ecoregion Section: CHALLIS VOLCANICS (M332F), Valley
County; USGS Quad: EDWARSBURG and PROFILE GAP
From McCall, Idaho travel FR 48 east about 40 miles to Yellow

Pine. Continue east on FR 412 along the South Fork of the
Salmon River for five miles to Profile Creek. Next take FR 340
north for 10-12 miles. Belvidere Creek enters Big Creek from
the south about 4.5 miles before reaching Big Creek Ranger
Station. After crossing Big Creek, access to the RNA is over-
land. An unmaintained trail follows Belvidere Creek up into the
basin. The easiest access to the lakes is by hiking one of the
spur ridges to the main ridge system on the west side of the
RNA and following it to the top (Lichthardt and Rust 1994).
View of Belvidere Lake basin.
1.
5b
3
5a
4
East end of Belvidere Creek drainage showing six of the headwa- Lower Belvidere Creek in “U” shaped valley.
ter lakes and ponds studied. USGS Quads: Edwardsburg, Profile
Gap. T20N, R9E.
77
Belvidere Lakes Study
Classification
Lake 4

• Inlet: 1 seep; Outlet: 2 streams
Pond 5a
• Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque-scour pond

Lake 7
Pond 1 • Circumneutral water in granitic basin
Pond 2
Pond 6
Pond 5b Pond 5b
Lake 4
Pond 5a Lake 3 • Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque pond

• Inlet: 2 streams; Outlet: 1 stream
Pond 6
Location of three lakes and five ponds studied among the twelve
water bodies in the Belvidere Creek Research Natural Area. • Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque pond
Classification Lake 7
Pond 1
• Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque pond • Medium-high production potential
• Low-medium production potential • Circumneutral water in granitic basin
• Circumneutral water in granitic basin • Inlet: 2 seeps; Outlet: 1 stream
Pond 2

• Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: 1 stream.
Lake 3
• Alpine, small, shallow, paternoster lake

• Inlet: none; Outlet: 1 stream.
Unidentified lake in the Belvidere Creek RNA.
78
Aquatic physical - chemical factors Pond 2
Pond 1 Length of shoreline (m): 341
Area (hectares): 0.4 (1.1 acres) Maximum depth (m): 1.2 (4 ft)
Length of shoreline (m): 241 (791 ft) Elevation (m): 2348 (7700 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 2.1 (7 ft) Aspect: N
Elevation (m): 2598 (8520 ft) Percent shallow littoral zone: 100
Aspect: E Dominant substrate: rubble and gravel
Percent shallow littoral zone:100 Shoreline development: 1.204
Dominant substrate: rubble Alkalinity (mg/l): 19
Shoreline development: 1.087 pH: 6.8
Alkalinity (mg/l): 10 Inlets: 3 streams
pH: 7.0 Outlets: 1 stream
Inlets: none
Outlets: 1 stream
Map of Pond 1 in the Belvidere Creek RNA.
Belvidere Pond 1. Note banding of the lake sedi- Belvidere Pond 2. The Pinnacles at an elevation of
ments. 2827 m (9273 ft) in background.
79
Lake 3 Lake 4
Area (hectares): 0.8 (2.1 acres) Area (hectares): 1.3 (3.2 acres)
Length of shoreline (m): 458 (1503 ft) Length of shoreline (m) 457
Maximum depth (m): 3.7 (12 ft) Maximum depth (m): 6.1 (20 ft)
Elevation (m): 2512 (8240 ft) Elevation (m): 2463 (8080 ft )
Aspect: NE Aspect: N
Percent shallow littoral zone: 40 Percent shallow littoral zone: 60
Dominant substrate: cobble Dominant substrate: cobble
Shoreline development: 1.411 Shoreline development: 1.103
Alkalinity (mg/l): 20 Alkalinity (mg/l): 12
pH: 7.1 pH: 7.0
Inlets: none Inlets: 1 seep
Outlets: 1 stream Outlets: 2 streams
Map of Lake 4 in Belvidere Creek RNA.

Map of Lake 3 in Belvidere Creek RNA.
Belvidere Lake 3 is the upper lake in a chain of Belvidere Lake 4.

three lakes (paternoster lakes).
80
Pond 5a Pond 6
Area (hectares): 0.4 (1 acre) Area (hectares): 0.6 (1.5 acres)
Length of shoreline (m): 269 (883 ft) Length of shoreline (m): 323 (1060 ft)
Maximum depth (m): 3 (10 ft) Maximum depth (m): 3.3 (11 ft)
Elevation (m): 2402 (7880 ft) Elevation (m): 2439 (8000 ft)
Aspect: N Aspect: ESE
Percent shallow littoral zone: 90 Percent shallow littoral zone:70
Dominant substrate: cobble Dominant substrate: cobble
Shoreline development: 1.208 Shoreline development: 1.184
Alkalinity (mg/l): 16 Alkalinity (mg/l): 18
pH: 6.8 pH: 6.8
Inlets: none Inlets: 1 stream
Outlets: 1 stream Outlet: 1 stream
Map of Pond 5b in Belvidere Creek RNA.
Pond 5b
Aspect: N Map of Pond 6 in the Belvidere Creek RNA.
Dominant substrate: cobble
pH: 6.8
Inlets: 2 streams
Outlet: 1 stream
Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki ) collected from one of the

Belvidere Lakes.
81
Lake 7 Vegetation
Area (hectares): 0.8 (2 acres)
Length of shoreline (m): 567 (1860 ft) The majority of terrestrial vegetation consisted of subalpine fir
Maximum depth (m): 5.1 (17 feet) (Abies lasiocarpa) habitat types. Most of the understory near
Elevation (m): 2439 (8000 ft) the lakes was grouse whortleberry (Ledum glandulosum).
Aspect: S
Percent shallow littoral zone: 60 Zooplankton
Dominant substrate: cobble
Shoreline development: 1.800 Zooplankton density and richness was quite low in most
Alkalinity (mg/l): 12 lakes and ponds. Only one taxa was present in Ponds 1, 5a,
pH: 6.8 and 5b and Lakes 2 and 4, two taxa in Pond 6, and four taxa
Inlets: 2 seeps in Lake 7. In Pond 1 and Lake 3, where fish were absent,
Outlet: 1 stream large red calanoid copepods (Diaptomus sp.) were present.
Depth of the ponds may have had some effect on numbers
and kinds of zooplankton observed.
Belvidere Creek lakes and ponds
Copepoda
Diaptomus sp.
Cyclopoidea
Cladocera
Daphnia sp.
Chydorus sphaericus
Holopedium gibberum
Map of Belvidere Lake 7. It was found to have one of the highest

prodution potentials compared to the other water bodies due in
part to its southern aspect and high shoreline development.
Chydorus sphaericus , a zooplanton was only

found in Pond 6.
Belvidere Lake 7.
82
Macroinvertebrates
Outlet streams
Taxa 1 2 3 4 5a 5b
Trichoptera
Limnephilus sp. X X
Asynarchus sp. X X
Imania sp.
Rhyacophila acropodes X X
Rhyacophila vaccua X
Ephemeroptera
The stonefly (Yoraperla brevis) was collected only from
Cinygma sp. X X
the outlet stream of Pond 5b.
Ephemerella infrequens X X X
Siphlonurus columbianus X
Paraleptophlebia memorialis X X Lakes and ponds
Centroptilum sp. X X
Plecoptera Taxa 1 2 3 5a 5b 7
Nemoura sp. X
Yoraperlis brevis X Trichoptera
Acroneuria californicus X X Chyranda centralia X
Isoperla sp. X Asynarchus sp. X X X
Family Chloroperlidae X Limnephilis sp. X
Diptera Hesperophylax sp. X
Simulium sp. X Ephemeroptera
Family Chironomidae X X Centroptilum sp. X X
Pelecypoda Siphlonurus sp. X
Family Sphaeriidae X Odonata
Platyhelminthes Aeshna sp. X
Order Tricladida X Coleoptera
Agabus sp. X X
Bidessus sp. X
Neuroptera
Sialis sp. X
Hemiptera
Graptocorixa sp. X
Gerris sp. X
Diptera
Family Chironomidae X X X
Pelecypoda
Family Sphaeriidae X
Hirudinea
Family Erpodellidae X X
Platyhelminthes
Order Tricladida X
In Lakes 4 and 7, which supported relatively large trout pop-

ulations, macroinvertebrate numbers were substantially less
than in water bodies without fish.
Chloroperlidae, a stonefly family, was collected from the The first record of the caddisfly Chyranda centralis in Idaho
outlet stream of Lake 4. came from specimens collected from Pond 2 in the Belvidere
Creek RNA (Russell Biggam-personal communication).
83
Camp was set up adjacent to one of the study sites. All
In Belvidere Pond 2, Chyranda centralis was identified for the first
equipment which included a microscope and a folding table
time in Idaho. The case consists of pieces of thin bark arranged
was packed in by the students enrolled in Aquatic Biology
to form a straight tube with a prominent flange, like a seam along
(Zoology 503) at the University of Idaho.
each side (Wiggins 1996).
Vertebrates
Aquatic Biology Class Field Trip
Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki ) were sampled from Lakes 4
and 7 and Ponds 2 and 5b. In Lake 7, fish collected by The field trip from July 18-27, 1978 to the Belvidere Lake
angling and gill nets had an average length of 278 mm (11 drainage was a requirement in Zoology 503 (Aquatic
1/8 inches) and an average weight of 229 gm (1/2 lb). Fish Biology) which at the time was offered at the University of
samples from the same length class in Lake 4 averaged Idaho. Support for the course was supplied by the Office of
considerably less in length and weight. Many of the fish Continuing Education at the university. The objective of the
from Lake 4 were well developed sexually compared to trout class was to acquaint students with methods of sampling
from Lake 7 that were immature. aquatic high lakes and analyzing the resulting data. An
additional objective was to provide data to justify selection
A limited number of fish were observed in Ponds 2 and 5b. of this site as a Research Natural Area.
They were considerably smaller than in Lakes 4 and 7.
Trout from Pond 2 had ready access to spawning from inlet Literature Cited
and outlet streams. However, no young of the year fish were
noted in any of the lakes, suggesting that spawning was not Biggam, R. C. (Personal communication). January 10,
successful. 1978. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho, Biological Sciences
Department.
It is reasonable to believe that a high degree of fish winterkill
exists in the water bodies since they are so shallow and Lichthardt, J.; Rust, S. 1994. Establishment record for
some of them retain ice and snow cover quite late into the Belvidere Creek Research Natural Area within Payette
summer. Lack of fish in Ponds 1, 5a, 6 and Lake 3 even National Forest. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
though they were all planted at the same time in the early Service, Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region,
1970s supported this theory. Ogden, UT. 25 p.
Rabe, F. W.; Saunders, G. W.; Savage, N. L. 1979.

Belvidere Lake study. Unpublished paper on file at Idaho
Fish and Game Department, McCall, ID. 22 p.
Simpson, J. C.; Wallace, R. L. 1978. Fishes of Idaho.

Moscow, ID: University Press of Idaho. 237 p.
Westslope cutthroat (Salmo clarki). Drawing: Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Larvae of the North American caddis-
Simpson and Wallace 1978. fly genera. 2nd Edition. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press. 267 p.
84
Mystery Lake
Mystery Lake Research Natural Area

Fred Rabe and Craig Rabe surveyed Mystery Lake and its
outlet on August 21,1998. A lower lake and two ponds in
the RNA were not surveyed.
Location
The RNA is located in the Salmon River Mountains at the

head of the Loon Creek drainage about 28 air miles west of
Challis, Idaho (Rust and Evenden 1996).
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Lemhi Rock glaciers are moving out into the water below the head-
County; USGS Quad: MOUNT JORDAN wall of The General , a massif ridge partly encircling the lake.
From Stanley, Idaho, travel west on State Route 75 along Geology

the Salmon River to Sunbeam, Idaho. Take FS Road 013
north along the Yankee Fork for about 9.5 miles to the junc- The glaciated basin includes four water bodies of varying
tion with FS Road 172 just past the Bonanza Guard Station. size. The highest point in the area is The General, a mas-
Go north approximately 15 miles on FS Road 172 up sif partly encircling Mystery Lake at an elevation of 3149 m
Jordan Creek over Loon Creek Summit and down the West (10,329 ft). Rock glaciers are moving out from below the
Fork Mayfield Creek to the mouth of Mystery Creek. A trail headwall into Mystery Lake. The area is underlain by Idaho
follows Mystery Creek up the mountain. In places the trail is Batholith granitics with a close contact to the Custer
marked by rock cairns some of which are difficult to locate. Graben. The granitic bedrock has been cut by a number of
No regular trail exists from the lower lake to the upper lake. volcanic dikes of tertiary age (Rust and Evenden 1996).
Pond 2
Pond 1
Classification
Upper Mystery Lake
Lower
Lake
• Alpine, large, deep, cirque lake
• Circumneutral water in a granitic basin

Aspect: NE
Dominant substrate: boulders, soft sediments
Lake edge %: scree-80, cliff-20
pH: 7.0
USGS Quad: MOUNT JORDAN. Inlet: 1 stream
Outlet: 1 stream
85
A view of rock glaciers moving into the lake. Massif in back -
ground is The General. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis ) in
the foreground.
The depth recorded in the middle of the lake is 20 m (66

feet). About 4 m from shore, depth is 5.5 m (18 ft). The lake
water temperature was 16 degrees C at the surface. Most of
the lake has a limited littoral zone with the shoreline con-
sisting of cliffs and scree slopes.
The outlet stream has a channel bottom comprised of

bedrock. A massive amount of green algae occurs in the
water. Water temperature was 16 degrees C. No sedges
were noted along the edge of the stream.
View of south end of Mystery Lake. Note steepness of shore-

line and lack of littoral zone. Another view of shoreline is
seen below.
Parts of the north and east sides of the lake have a

shallow littoral zone.
86
View of substrate in littoral zone along east side of
Mystery Lake. Lower Mystery Lake.
Vegetation
Due to the relatively arid climate in the central portion of the

Salmon River Mountains, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis)
and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) communities dominate
(Rust and Evenden 1996). Krummholz exists at upper tim-
berline on The General above the whitebark pine and sub-
alpine fir. Masses of filamentous green algae were noted in the
outlet stream of Mystery Lake. Dense algae concentrations
were also observed in the stream outlet of Upper Surprise
Lake towards the end of summer. Both lakes are alpine.
Pond 1 is 2720 m (8920 ft) in elevation. Pond 2 at an

elevation of 9200 feet drains into Pond 1.
Lower Mystery Lake at 2622 m (8600 ft). Pond 1 drains Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) on slope surrounding
into the lake. Mystery Lake.
87
Golden trout (Salmo aguabonita )
Outlet of Upper Mystery Lake has a

bedrock channel. Flow is rapid. Large Literature Cited
amounts of filamentous green algae
observed in the water. Rust, S.; Evenden, A. G. 1996. Establishment record for
Mystery Lake Research Natural Area, Lemhi County, ID.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Zooplankton Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden,
UT. l6 p.
Cladocera
Simocephalus sp.
Copepods
Diaptomus sp.
Cyclopoida
Zooplankton were collected in the littoral zone. Density of

organisms was very sparse.
Macroinvertebrates
Upper Mystery Lake outlet

Trichoptera
Glossosoma sp.
Family Odontoceridae
Diptera
Simulium sp.
Pseudodiamesa sp.
Extremely low numbers of macroinvertebrates were collect-

ed from the outlet stream. Large amounts of filamentous
algae in the channel may account for the low density of
invertebrates.
Vertebrates
Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) were sampled from Upper

Mystery Lake. Golden trout (Salmo aguabonita) were col-
lected at an earlier date from Lower Mystery Lake.
88
Chilcoot Lake
Chilcoot Peak Research Natural Area

Boise National Forest
Fred Rabe and Mike Mancuso surveyed the lake

and inlet streams on September 25, 1999.
Location
The site is located in the Salmon River Mountains

on the divide between the Middle Fork and South
Fork of the Salmon River drainages. The area is
approximately 54 miles northeast of Cascade,
Idaho (Mancuso 1992). View north of Chilcoot Lake from the flank
of Chilcoot Peak.
Ecosystem section: CHALLIS VOLCANICS
(M332F) Valley County; USGS Quad: CHILCOOT Geology
PEAK
This area is along the boundary between undiffer-
Travel south from Cascade, Idaho to the intersection entiated Idaho batholith dark granitic rocks and
of Warm Lake Road and State Route 55. Drive north- alaskite (a granite rock with only a few dark miner-
east on the Warm Lake Road for about 35 miles to als) with metamorphic fragments (Rember and
Landmark. Turn onto FS Road 447 and go southeast Bennett 1979). Recent glacial deposits border the
then northeast for about 19 miles. Here the road north face of the lake.
passes near the Chilcoot RNA western boundary
about a mile northwest of Chilcoot Pass. Follow a trail
east over Chilcoot Pass and down a series of switch- Classification
backs. Then proceed north on the trail for about a
mile; the lake is at the base of Chilcoot Peak a short
• Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque lake
distance off the trail.
• Circumneutral water
• Inlet: 2 seeps, 1 stream; Outlet: 1 stream
View east from Chilcoot Peak ridge of extensive

wetlands in the valley.
USGS Quad: CHILCOOT PEAK.
89
Aquatic physical-chemical factors reed grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) in one
place. On the northwest side of the lake, a drier
Area (hectares) 1 (2.5 acres) and slightly more raised meadow exists. Sedges
Length of shoreline (m): 389 (1276 ft) occur here but not Carex utricularia. Labrador tea
Maximum depth (m): 3 (10 ft) (Ledum glandulosum) together with small
Elevation (m): 2335 (7660 ft) Engelman spruce (Picea engelmannii) were
Aspect: NW observed. Scattered patches of water sedge
Percent shallow littoral zone: 90 (Carex aquatilis) were noted along the lake shore.
Shoreline development: 1.051 A species of pondweed (Potomogeton) was sub-
Lake edge %: herbs-65, shrubs, trees-15, rocks-15 merged in the water together with the blue green
Alkalinity (mg/l): 15 algae (Nostoc). A “green island” floating in the lake
Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 20 was bur-reed (Sparganium angustifolium).
pH: 7.6
Inlet: 3 seeps A willow (Salix drummondiana) was observed lin-
Outlet: 1 stream ing the outlet area close to a small patch of alder
(Alnus sinuata). Collection and identification of
plants were made by Michael Mancuso from the
Conservation Data Center in Boise, Idaho.
Outlet
View north of Chilcoot Lake. Note extensive sedge

mat consisting mostly of beaked sedge (Carex utric-
ularia) in foreground. Seepage of water from this
mat provides the main source of water into the lake.
Vegetation View south across Chilcoot Lake with Chilcoot Peak

in background (8998 ft elevation). The willow Salix
drummondiana is in the foreground. Bur-reed
An almost pure stand of beaked sedge (Carex (Sparganium angustifolium) appears as a pale
utricularia) occurred along the south shore of the green island in the lake.
lake with a patch of willow (Salix commutata) and
90
Macroinvertebrates
Inlet stream
Trichoptera
Ecclisomyia sp.
Diptera
Procladius sp.
Lake
Ephemeroptera
Baetis tricaudatus
Paraleptophlebia sp.
Trichoptera
Lenarchus sp.
Limnephilus sp.
Diptera
Procladius sp.
Neuroptera
Sialis sp
Coleoptera
Neoscutopterus sp.
Beaked sedge (Carex utric- Pelecypoda
u l a ri a) occurred in an
Pisidium sp.
almost pure stand in the
wet meadow on the south
Oligochaeta
side of the lake. From Hurd Family Lumbriculidae
et al. 1998. Aeshnidae
Aeshna sp.
Zooplankton
Cladocera
Graptoleberis testunaria
Chydorus sp.
Alona sp.
A larval case of Limnephilus, a caddisfly. Sketch credit:

McCafferty (1983).
Vertebrates
Graptoleberis testunaria. Sketch
credit: Melanie Abell. Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) up to nine inches in
length were observed in the lake.
91
Literature Cited
Hurd, E. G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and

others)1998. Field guide to Intermountain sedges.
GTR-10. Ogden UT: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
Research Station. 282 p.
Mancuso, M. 1992. Establishment record for Chilcoot

Peak Research Natural Area within Boise National
Forest. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Unpublished report on file at Intermountain
McCafferty, W. P. 1983. Aquatic entomology. Boston:

Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Rember, W. C.; Bennett, E. H. 1979. Challis 1 x 2

degrees geologic map. Moscow, ID: University of
Idaho, Bureau of Mines and Geology.
92
Cache Creek Lakes and Pond
Cache Creek Lakes Research Natural Area

On August 22, 1998 Fred Rabe and Craig Rabe sampled Lake
1 and Pond 1 together with associated inlet and outlet streams
in the RNA. Lake 2 and Ponds 2 and 3 were not sampled.
Location
The RNA is located on the north side of Sleeping Deer

Mountain in the Salmon River Mountains about 42 miles
northwest of Challis, Idaho (Rust and Evenden 1996).
Ecoregion Section: CHALLIS VOLCANICS (M332F) Lemhi FS Road 086. Sleeping Deer Mountain in background at an
County;USGS Quad: SLEEPING DEER MOUNTAIN elevation of 3012 m (9881 ft).
From Challis, Idaho drive northwest on Twin Peaks Road

which becomes FS Road 086 at the Forest boundary.
Continue on this road about 39 miles until it ends. Take FS
Trail 103 to the lakes. After about two miles the trail borders Classification
the east side of the RNA (Rust and Evenden 1996).
Cache Creek Pond 1
Pond 1
• High production potential
Pond 2 • Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: seep
Cache Creek Lake 1

• Circumneutral water in volcanic basin
• Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: 2 streams
Pond 3
Lake 1
Lake 2
Cache Creek Pond 1

USGS Quad: SLEEPING DEER MOUNTAIN. Length of shoreline (m): 418 (1371 ft)
Geology Elevation (m): 2598 (8525 ft)
Aspect: SW
Pond 1 and Pond 2 are in a hornblende rich granite while Percent shallow littoral zone: 100
those waters south of Ponds 1 and 2 are in the Casto Dominant substrate: Soft organic material
Volcanics. The rocks around Sleeping Deer Mountain are Shoreline development: 1.322
more sodium rich than the surrounding rocks of the same Lake edge %: herbaceous-100
type (Ross 1934). The granitic rock is identifiable due to its Inlet: 1 seep
weathered rusty appearance. The Castro volcanics sur- Outlet: 1 stream
rounding Sleeping Deer Mountain are mostly rhyolitic. They
have a pallid drab-gray to somewhqat greenish-gray color.
93
The inlet stream runs through an extensive sedge meadow.
Water temperature was 11 degrees C. The low gradient
meandering glide stream averages 0.3 m wide and about 5
cm deep. A fingerling brook trout collected in the benthos
sample indicates that the site is a nursery area for small fish.
The outlet to Cache Creek was 19 degrees C, a seven

degree temperature difference from the inlet. Mean width
was 0.3 m and depth 0.1 m. Substrate is soft organic mate-
rial; riparian growth is sedges.The outlet stream continues
for about 70 m and then drops off a cliff.
6
6
Cache Creek Pond 1 is set in a meadow with an extensive

growth of sedges. Sleeping Deer Mountain is in the back-
ground.
Cache Creek Pond 1, set in a meadow, is surrounded by tall

sedges. Bottom substrate is soft sediment which in places Contour depths in feet
measures 0.75 m deep. A large amount of plant debris is in N
the lake except at the inlet end where a depression exists.
Springs are believed to occur in this depression and proba- Bathymetric map of Cache Creek Pond 1. 1 inch = 125 feet
bly account for the large concentration of macrophytes
observed there. The water temperature in this part of the
pond was 16 degrees C.
Cache Creek Lake 1
Area (hectares): 1 (2.5 acres)
Aspect: SW
Dominant substrate: boulders
Lake edge %: conifers-70, talus-20, herbaceous-10
Inlets: 1 stream
Outlets: 2 streams
The maximum depth of the lake is 4.3 m (14 feet). More

than half the lake area exceeds 2.4 m (8 ft) in depth. Sedges
are common at the inlet end where an extended littoral zone
is present.
Cache Creek Pond 1 substrate is mainly soft organic mate-

rial. The log in the water provides shade for fish.
94
View from east shore of Cache Creek Lake 1.
Inlet stream into Cache Creek Lake 1. Note thick

sedge riparian growth.
14
12
8
Contour depths
are in feet
N
cascade
View southwest of Cache Creek Lake 1. No trail to this water

Bathymetric map of Cache Creek Lake 1. One
body exists.
inch = 197 feet.
95
The inlet stream into the lake was 11 degrees C. The substrate
is comprised of small, light colored gravel mixed with some rub-
ble-size stones. Arelatively small amount of coarse particulate
matter (CPOM) is present. Riparian vegetation is primarily
sedges. The stream which averages about 0.5 m wide and only
3 cm deep with pools up to 10 cm in depth, cascades down a
steep slope and then flows about 30 m into the lake.
In contrast the outlet stream is laden with CPOM. The inlet is

about 3.5 m wide and 0.5 m deep. Further downstream the
substrate changes to small boulders, cobble and gravel.
View from inlet end of Cache Creek Lake 1.
Inlet stream to Cache Creek Lake 1. Note the small size rock
substrate and clarity of water.
Vegetation
Cache Creek Pond

Quillwort (Isoetes sp.)
Pondweed (Potomogeton crispus)
Cliff sedge (Carex scopulorum)
Beaked sedge (Carex utricularia)
Bogbean (Meyanthes trifoliata)
Littoral area at inlet end of lake.
96
Quillwort - Isoetes sp.
Kellicottia sp. a rotifer

dominant in Cache Creek
Lake 1. Sketch credit:
Needham and Needham
1962.
Macroinvertebrates
Cache Creek Pond 1

Ephemeroptera
Callibaetis sp.
Odonata
Family Libelluidae
Enallagma sp.
Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)
Diptera
Family Chironominae
Amphipoda
Hyallela azteca
Pelecypoda
Cache Creek Lake 1 Pisidium sp.
Cliff sedge (Carex scopulorum)
Gray sedge (Carex canescens )
Small-winged sedge (Carex microptera)
Zooplankton
Cache Creek Lake 1

Cladocera
Pleuroxus sp.
Copepods
Cyclopoida
Calanoida
Libelluidae, a family of dragonflies was dominant in Cache
Creek Pond 1. They are sometimes sprawlers along the
bottom or climbers among debris and vegetation. Some
species are tolerant of low dissolved oxygen levels or
highly eutrophic environments (McCafferty 1981).
97
Literature Cited
Cache Creek Lake 1 - inlet
Ephemeroptera McCafferty, W. P. 1981. Aquatic entomology. Boston: Jones
Cinygmula sp. and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Plecoptera
Yoraperla brevis Merritt, R. W.; Cummins, K. W. 1996. Aquatic insects of
Visoka sp. North America. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishers. 862 p.
Family Chloroperlidae
Trichoptera Needham, J. G.; Needham, P. R. 1962. A guide to the study
Clistorina sp. of freshwater biology. San Franciso: Holden-Day
Allomyia sp. Publishers. 108 p.
Hesperophylax sp.
Diptera Ross, C. P. 1934. Geology and ore deposits of the Casto
Family Chironomidae Quadrangle, Idaho. U.S. Geological Survey. B-854. 132 p.
Rust, S.; Evenden, A. G. 1996. Establishment record for

Cache Creek Lakes Research Natural Area within Lemhi
County, Idaho. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Some mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies listed above are Service. Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region,
quite sensitive to perturbations and reflect a pristine habitat. Ogden, UT. 15 p.
Yoraperla brevis is a roachlike stonefly Sleeping Deer Mountain on right. Abandoned lookout
found in cold clean water in an erosion- tower on summit.
al habitat. (Merritt and Cummins 1996).
Sketch Credit: McCafferty 1981.
Vertebrates
The spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) was observed in Cache

Creek Pond 1. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) up to 24
cm (9.5 in) in length were collected. The fish apparently
reproduce in the lake because there were at least three
length classes present. The lake is overpopulated with this
species. Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki) were collected in
Cache Creek Lake 1.
98
Master Sergeant Lake and Ponds
Classification
Soldier Lakes Research Natural Area Master Sergeant Lake
• Subalpine, small, deep, cirque-scour lake
During July 1980, Charles Wellner, Nancy Savage and Fred • Medium-high production potential
Rabe sampled Master Sergeant Lake and three ponds com- • Circumneutral water in granitic-quartz monzonite
prising the RNA. • Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: 1 stream
Location Tech Sergeant Pond

The RNA is located 25 air miles northwest of Stanley, Idaho
at the head of Soldier Creek which is a tributary to the
• Circumneutral water in granitic-quartz monzonite
Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Custer
County; USGS Quad: SOLDIER CREEK
From Stanley, Idaho travel 18 miles northweston State Route 21.

From there drive north on FS Road 008 for about 20 miles to the Aquatic physical - chemical factors
end of the road at Josephus Lake Campground. Hike approxi-
mately four miles west from the campground on FS Trail 013. Master Sergeant Lake
The RNA is up the steep slope to the south where the trail Area (hectares): 2.2 (5.5 acres)
approaches the first water body. Tech Sergeant Pond is less than Length of shoreline (m): 578 (1896 ft)
0.25 miles from there (Wellner 1991). Maximum depth (m): 5.5 (18 ft).
Aspect: NW
Dominant substrate: soft sediments and gravel
Lake edge %: herbaceous-70, conifers-20, talus-10
Inlets: 1 stream
Outlets: 1 stream
Tech
Pond Sergeant
1 Pond
Master
Sergeant
Lake
Pond 2
USGS Quad: SOLDIER CREEK. The upper two water bod-

ies are not in the Sodier Lakes RNA.
Geology
One lake and three ponds are connected by moderate to

steep gradient streams in high elevation cirque basins of Master Sergeant Lake. An unidentified macrophyte appears in
granitic-quartz monzonite (Wellner 1991). Three-quarters of the littoral zone where the substrate is gravel. Photo credit:
these basins consist of rocky, treeless headwalls and talus Charles Wellner.
slopes. The basin floors are scoured bedrock.
99
Tech Sergeant Pond
Area (hectares) 0.6 (1.5 acres)
Aspect: N
Lake edge %: talus-80, conifers-20
Inlets: none
Outlets: 1 stream
Pond 1 on left and Tech Sergeant Pond on right. Photo cred-

it: Charles Wellner.
Pond 1 is located in a shallow closed basin near Tech

Sergeant Pond. Water loss is by seepage and evaporation
and inflow is primarily from snowmelt. The water body
warms considerably during the summer and may be vernal
in dry years. It contains a high density of invertebrates, frogs
and submerged macrophytes.
Tech Sergeant Pond. Note raft used to collect samples.

Pond 2 is in an upper cirque near the headwall and drains

Pond 1 is about 1 1/4 acres in size and three feet in depth. into Master Sergeant Lake. It is about 0.5 acres in size and
It warms up considerably during summer months. A tem- contains sparse populations of plankton and macroinverte-
perature of 73 degrees F was recorded in July. Photo by brates.
Charles Wellner.
100
Vegetation
Trees in the area include lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta),

subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Engelmann spruce (Picea
engelmanni) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis).
Common shrubs are grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium sco-
parium) and western ledum (Ledum glandulosum).
Quillwort (Isotes sp.) was abundant in

Pond 1.
Invertebrates
Subalpine fir-grouse whortleberry habitat type on slope to

High densities of invertebrates were observed in Pond 1
right of Tech Sergeant Pond. Photo credit: Charles including the red calanoid zooplankton (Diaptomus
Wellner. shoshone), the fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sp.), aquatic bee-
tles and the caddisfly, Limnephilus. The uppermost Pond 2
contained few of the taxa described above.
Fairy shrimp ( Branchinecta sp.) were observed in two of

the fishless ponds. These specimens are about 1 cm in
length. They are filter feeders.
Subalpine fir-labrador tea habitat type near Pond 2. Photo
101
Vertebrates
Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) were present in

Master Sergeant Lake. The spotted frog (Rana pretiosa)
was noted in large numbers at Pond 1.
Literature Cited
Wellner, C. A. 1991. Establishment record for Soldier Lakes

RNA within Challis Naional Forest. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished report on file at
Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 23 p.
102
102
103
Little Granite Creek Lakes
(Wellner 1979). The natural area spans elevations from abou
427 m (1400 feet)where Little Granite Creek flows into the
Little Granite Creek Research Natural Area Snake River to 2863 m (9393 ft) at the summit of one of the
Nezperce National Forest peaks. The proposed RNA will contain the entire drainage o
Little Granite Creek except for some recreational exclusions.
There are five lakes and five ponds in the proposed RNA.
Norm Howse surveyed Echo Lake, Quad Lake, and He Devil
Lake on August 7-11, 1967 (Howse 1967). Fred Rabe and
Nancy Savage subsequently made observations of Baldy
Lake and Ponds 1-3 on September 27-29, 1974. Triangle
Lake was not sampled.
Location
The high lakes in the proposed RNAare located in two basins

forming the headwaters of Little Granite Creek in the Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area.
Ecoregion Section: BLUE MOUNTAINS (M332G), Idaho

County; USGS Quad: HE DEVIL, SQUIRREL PRAIRIE
From Riggins, Idaho, drive south about two miles to the Seven
Devils Road (FR 517) and travel to Heaven’s Gate and the
Seven Devil’s Guard Station. By trail, Quad Lake, He Devil
Lake and Echo Lake are about 9 miles from the guard Station. View west of Seven Devils Mountain Range
Classification
Pond 5 Quad Lake

Pond 4
• Circumneutral water in a basalt-granite basin
• Inlet: none; Outlet: intermittent
Pond 2 Echo Lake

Pond 3
Pond 1
• Circumneutral water in a basalt-granite basin
• Inlets: seeps; Outlet: 1 stream
He Devil Lake

Geology • Circumneutral water in a basalt-granite basin
• Inlet: none; Outlet: intermittent stream
The area in the Seven Devisl Mountain Range is rich in aquat-
ic features, ranging from cirque lakes and ponds to moderate
to steep gradient streams. The higher elevation portions of the
area have been shaped by alpine glaciation. The area con-
tains Triassic metabasalt rocks and possibly granitics
105
Echo Lake, Quad Lake and He Devil Lake were surveyed
by Norm Howse August 7-11,1967.
Echo Lake
Maximum depth (m): 12.2 m (40 ft)
Aspect: NW
Dominant substrate: silt covered rock bottom
Lake edge %: conifers-80, herbacous-10, rock-10
Alkalinity (mg/l) 17
pH: 6.5
Inlets: 2 seeps
Outlets: 1 stream
Echo Lake (above and below). Note extensive coniferous

growth along inlet shore. Photographs by W. Burleson,
August 1982.
Morphometric map of Echo Lake (Howse 1967). Contour levels

in feet.
There are two intermittent seepage inlets at the east end of

the lake and an outlet at the west end measuring about 0.75
m wide and 10 cm deep. The outlet was blocked with alders,
sedges and a fish screen installed several years ago.
Marginal spawning gravel was noted near the north and
west sides. Transparency was 12 m (40 feet) indicating high
light penetration.
106
Quad Lake Baldy Lakes
Area (hectares1.3 (3.2 acres)
Length of shoreline (m): 549 (1801 ft) These water bodies are reached from Seven Devils Guard
Maximum depth (m): estimate, >7.6 (>25 ft) Station Campground, a distance of about 12 miles by trail.
Elevation (m): 2195 (7200 ft) A brief description follows. Detailed measurements and
Aspect: NW samples were not taken.
Dominant bottom substrate: silt covered boulders Baldy Lake , square in shape, is surrounded by a young for-
Shoreline development: 1.3 est growing over the site of a fire in 1945. An extensive lit-
Lake edge %: slide rock-90, conifers-10 toral zone exists except for the southern shore which has a
Inlets: none steep drop off. The substrate is rocky and there is no inlet
Outlet: intermittent visible. The outlet is dry except for a small spring.
No aquatic vegetation was observed in Quad Lake. Baldy Pond 1 has an estimated depth of about 3 m (10 ft).
Considerable amounts of spawning gravel were observed The substrate consists of soft bottom sediments.
around most of the water body. The pond below the lake is
about 2 m deep. Baldy Pond 2 has an estimated maximum depth of 2.4 m
(8 feet). The water body has a boulder substrate and the
He Devil Lake shoreline is predominantly rocky. The lake at its widest
Area (hectares): 2.1 (5.2 acres) point is estimated to be about 37 m (120 ft).
Maximum depth (m): estimate, 7.6 (25 ft) Baldy Pond 3 has an estimated maximum depth of about 1
Elevation (m): 2268 (7440 ft) m (3 ft). Herbaceous plant growth covers the muddy sub-
Percent shallow littoral zone: estimate, 35 strate with filamentous algae attached to the plants. No inlet
Dominant bottom substrate: rock and sediment or outlet is noted. The diameter of the pond is estimated to
Shoreline development: 1.2 be 15 m (50 ft).
Lake edge %: conifers-30, herbaceous-20, rock-50
Inlets: none According to the topographic map the main body of Little
Outlets: intermittent stream to small pond Granite Creek begins as the outlet stream of Baldy Lake but
such is not the case. Little Granite Creek probably origi-
nates as a spring draining water out of Baldy Lake through
underground channels. This spring is located somewhere
north of the side trail to Baldy Lake and south of the small
trickle that constitutes the direct overflow out to the water
bodies below.
2
3
Baldy Pond 1 with Baldy Pond 2 to the right and Baldy Pond
He Devil Lake. Note the island in the lake.
3 to the left.
107
Vegetation Macroinvertebrates
Quillwort (Isotes sp.) was observed in Big Baldy Lake and

Bur-reed (Sparganium sp.) in Big Baldy and Lower Baldy
Lake 1. Echo Lake
Order Trichoptera
Family Aeshnidae
Family Coenagrionidae
Literature Cited
Howse, N. R. 1967. Fishery survey of alpine lakes in the

Seven Devils Scenic Area. Nez Perce National Forest. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Grangeville, ID.
50 p.
Fassett, N. C. 1972. A manual of aquatic plants. Madison:

University of Wisconsin Press. 405 p.
Wellner, C. A. 1979. Proposed Little Granite Creek

Research Natural Area within Hells Canyon National
Recreation Area, Nezperce National Forest. U.S.
Bur-reed (Sparganium sp.)
Quillwort (Isotes sp.) reproduces by megaspores just large

enough to be seen and microspores which appear as fine
powder (Fassett 1972).
Zooplankton
Echo Lake
Daphnia longispina
Diaptomus sp.
Ostracoda
Kellicottia sp.
108
Goat Lake
Patrick Butte Proposed Research Natural Area

Payette National Forest
The RNA has one lake. The site was visited in the
1980s by Charles Wellner and Bob Moseley to
establish an RNA. Aerial photos were taken of the
area in September1999. The RNA is located in the
western Salmon River Mountains about 8.5 air
miles southeast of Riggins, Idaho (Wellner and
Tisdale 1985).
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A),

Idaho County; USGS Quad: PATRICK BUTTE
View north. Paradise Lake on the right below Patrick

Butte, 2695 m (8841 feet). Goat Lake is over saddle
on left. Photo credit: Jim Weaver.
USGS Quad: PATRICK BUTTE.
View southwest. Goat Lake is surrounded on all

sides by very steep slopes. Photo credit: Jim
View south. Goat Lake lies in an Weaver.
extremely deep glacial cirque basin
(arrow). Photo credit: Jim Weaver.
109
Literature Cited
Wellner, C. A.; Tisdale, E. W. 1985. Coverage of

natural diversity in northern, central and southern
Idaho within established and proposed Research
Natural Areas and equivalents. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. Unpublished report on
file at Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT.
110
Lava Butte Lake and Ponds
Classification
Lava Butte Research Natural Area
Payette National Forest Lava Butte Lake
On July 16-17, 1998, Fred Rabe and Nancy Abbott sampled • Circumneutral water in granite-basalt basin
the lake in the RNA. Two ponds outside the RNA but near • Inlet: none; Outlet: riffle-pool type stream
the lake were also sampled.
Lava Butte Pond SW
Location • Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque pond
The RNAis situated in the western Salmon River Mountains • Circumneutral water in granite-basalt basin
about 25 air miles north of McCall, Idaho. • Inlet: none; Outlet: none
EcoregionSection: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Idaho Lava Butte Pond SE

County; USGS Quad: HERSHEY POINT and PATRICK • Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque-scour lake
BUTTE • Medium production potential
• Circumneutral water in granite-basalt basin
From the bridge crossing on U.S. Route 95 over the North • Inlet: seeps; Outlet: meandering glide stream
Fork Payette River in McCall, travel 3.5 miles northwest on
U.S. 95. Take FS Road 257 north about 26 miles past Hazard
Creek to the junction with FS Road 308. Follow Road 308
southeast then north about 11 miles to its junction with FS Aquatic physical - chemical factors
Road 365. Take FS 365 about 0.4 mile west to the Lava Lakes
Trail 347. Proceed west and north about 1.5 miles to the junc- Lava Butte Lake
tion with Trail 149. Turn south on 149 for about 1 mile to Lava Area (hectares): 4.8 (11.8 acres)
Butte Lakes. Part of the trail is in serious need of maintenance. Length of shoreline (m): 864 (2835 ft)
Aspect: SE
Dominant substrate: boulders, soft sediments
Lake
Lake edge %: shrub-70, conifers-15, talus-15
pH: 7.4
Inlets: None
Outlets: 1 stream
SW Pond
SE
Pond
USGS Quad: HERSHEY POINT, PATRICK BUTTE.
Geology
The Lava Butte RNA includes a subalpine glacial basin and

ridgeline system. The granite and basalt formations that
occur on Lava Butte offer an opportunity to study the influ- Lava Butte Lake before widespread fire which
ence of parent material on plant distribution. occurred in 1995.
111
Lava Butte Pond SW
Maximum depth (m): 1.8 (5.9 ft)
Aspect: E
Dominant substrate: boulders and soft sediments
Lake edge %: talus-65, herbaceous-35
pH: 7.3
Inlets: None
Outlets: None
Lava Butte Pond SE

Length of shoreline (m): 470 (1542)
Aspect: NE
Lake edge %: dead conifers -50, herbaceous-50
pH: 7.4
Inlets: Seeps
Outlet: 1 stream
Lava Butte Lake. Water depth exceeds 4 m in most of lake.
Downed logs in the water are prevalent towards outlet end.
Lava Butte Pond SW. Boulders near the distant shore are-
Lava Butte Pond SE. Color of lake indicates suspended
heavily mineralized. Large fairy shrimp (Branchianecta col-
fine particles in water or “rock flour.”
oradensis ) are dominant invertebrates in the water.
112
Vegetation Zooplankton
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and subalpine fir (Abies

lasiocarpa) habitat types and dry grass meadow vegetation Lava Butte Lake
occur in upslope areas (Wellner and Rust 1996). There is Daphnia sp.
an opportunity in this locale to study the influence of parent Chydorus sp.
material, especially granite and basalt, on plant distribution. Family Cyclopidae
Lava Butte Pond SW
Diaptomus shoshone
Lava Butte Pond SE
Scapholeberis sp.
Extensive sedge beds primarily water sedge (Carex Diaptomus shoshone is a large size calanoid
aquatilis) surround Lava Butte Pond SE. copepod which is found predominantly in water
bodies without fish populations as was the case
in the southwest pond.
Macroinvertebrates
Lava Butte Lake

Ephemeroptera
Callibaetis sp.
Diptera
Family Orthocladiinae
Hirudinea
Helobdella stagnalis
Lava Butte Lake outlet stream

Platyhelminthes
Polycelius coronata
Plecoptera
Isoperla sp. Diptera
Cultus sp. Simulium sp.
Amphinemura sp. Subfamily Tanypodinae
Ephemeroptera Trichoptera
Ephemerella sp. Rhyacophila albertae
Carex aquatilis Nixe sp. Rhyacophila grandis
(water sedge) Cingyma sp.
Hurd et al. 1998.
113
Stoneflies, mayflies and caddisflies were well represented
in the first order stream outlet from the lake. Lava Butte Pond SE
Ephemeroptera
Ephemerella sp.
Diptera
Ablabesmyia sp.
Family Ceratopogonidae
Family Culicidae
Family Orthocladiinae
Odonata
Ischnura sp.
Oligochaeta
Family Lumbriculidae
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
Hirudinea
Helobdella stagnalis
Dead timber adjacent to Lava Butte Pond

SW from 1995 fire.
Lava Butte Pond SE outlet stream
Ephemeroptera
Lava Butte Pond SW Ephemerella sp.
Diptera
Eubranchiopoda Simulium sp.
Branchianecta col- Family Culicidae
oradensis Family Ceratopogonidae
Amphipoda Family Tanypodinae
Hyallela azteca Family Orthocladiinae
Diptera Pelecypoda
Family Culicidae Pisidium sp.
Trichoptera Oligochaeta
Limnephilus sp. Family Lumbriculidae
Literature Cited
Hurd, E., G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others)

1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station, Ogden, UT. 282 p.
Wellner, C. A.; Rust, S. 1996. Establishment record for Lava

Butte RNA within Payette National Forest, Idaho County,
These fairy shrimp (Brachianecta coloradensis ) were Idaho. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
collected as dominant macroinvertebrates in Lava Butte
Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden,
Pond SW.They are commonly observed in ponds less
than one hectare in area. Fish populations are usually
UT. Unpaginated.
absent.
114
Steamboat Lake Geology
The lake basin was developed by ice scour in granitic rock.

Pony Meadows Research Natural Area This water body is probably one of the youngest (Little Ice
Payette National Forest Age) wetland lakes studied by Rabe et al. (1990). Boulder
fields are rock meadows surround the area.
Robert Bursik and Fred Rabe sampled the lake on June 28,
1987. Other aquatic resources in the RNAare a small pond,
stream and spruce bog at the headwaters of Pony Creek .
Classification
Location
Steamboat Lake
The RNAis located in the Salmon River Mountains about 61 • Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque lake
miles northeast of McCall and 11 miles south of Warren, • Medium-high production potential
Idaho (Savage and Wellner 1979). • Circumneutral water in granitic basin
County; USGS Quad: PONY MEADOWS
From McCall follow the Warren Wagon Road (FS 21) north
along the west side of Payette Lake and the North Fork
Payette River to the town of Warren a distance of about 50
miles. Continue southeast on FS Road 340 about 1.5 miles
past Warren.Turn right (southwest) onto FS Road 359 and
follow it for nine miles.Turn right again onto FS Road 361
which ends within the RNA (Savage and Wellner 1979).
Steamboat Lake in Pony Meadows RNA. Extensive sedge

beds surround the lake (1). Open water supports yellow
water lilly - Nuphar polysepalum (A).
USGS Quad: PONY MEADOWS.
115
Aquatic physical - chemical factors Vegetation
Area (hectares): 2.7 (6.7 acres) Steamboat Lake, located in a shallow drainage basin, is sur-
Length of shoreline (m): 890 (2920 ft) rounded by a forest of mostly Engelman spruce (Picea engel-
Maximum depth (m): 1.5 (5 ft) manii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and subalpine fir
Elevation (m): 2278 (7472 ft) (Abies lasiocarpa). The lake is encircled by an open fen dom-
Aspect: NE inated by water sedge (Carex aquatilis) and firethread sedge
Percent shallow littoral zone: 100 (Carex prionophylla). The yellow water lily (Nuphar polysepa-
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediment lum) is the only aquatic macrophyte present and is distributed
Lake edge %: herbaceous-100 % somewhat uniformly throughout the lake.
pH: 7.1 Other emergents surrounding the lake are small headed
Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 10 sedge (Carex illota), early sedge (C. praeceptorum), spike
Inlets: none rush (Eleocharis pauciflora), and rush (Juncus
Outlets: 1 stream mertenisanus).
The firethread sedge (Carex priono-

phylla) is one of the dominant herba-
ceous plants surrounding the lake.
Sketch from Hurd et al. 1998.
Literature cited
Hurd, E., G.; Shaw, N. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, J. (and others)

1998. Field guide to intermountain sedges. GTR-10. U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain
Research Station. 282 p.
Rabe, F., W.; Bursik, R. J.; Cantor, E. B. 1990. Classification

and monitoring of wetlands in established and proposed
natural areas. Water Resource Research Institute,
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 209 p.
Savage, N. L.; Wellner, C. A. 1979. Establishment record for

The yellow water lily (Nuphar polysepalum) is the dominant Pony Meadows Research Natural Area within Payette
aquatic macrophyte and is distributed somewhat uniformly
National Forest, Valley and Idaho Counties, ID. U.S.
in Steamboat Lake.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Unpublished
report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT.
Unpaginated.
116
Needles Lake and Pond
Needles Research Natural Area

Boise National Forest
One lake and a pond are located in Needles RNA..
The site was visited several times to help establish

an RNA. Aerial photographs were taken by Jim
Weaver in September 1999. The RNA is located in
the North Fork Payette River drainage at the head-
waters of an unnamed tributary to the North Fork of
the Gold Fork River approximately 34 miles north-
east of Cascade, Idaho.
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Stump Lake. Plants in foreground are Shooting
Valley County; USGS Quad: GOLD FORK ROCK Star (Dodecatheon jeffe ry i) (Lichthardt 1993).
and BLACKMARE. Photo credit: Michael Mancuso
Pond 1.
Aerial view looking northeast at Pond 1. Square-

top Peak at 8681 feet elevation at upper right of
Aerial view of Stump Lake looking southeast photo. Some of the Needles formations can be
Photo credit: Jim Weaver. seen (arrow). Photo Credit: Jim Weaver
117
Literature Cited
Lichthardt, J. 1993. Establishment record for

Needles Research Natural Area within Boise
National Forest, Valley County, Idaho. USDA
Forest Service. 24 p. Draft.
Closer view of Pond 1.
118
Fiddle Lake Geology
Trinity Mountain RNA includes a complex series of cirques

Trinity Mountain Research Natural Area on the north side of Trinity Mountain which is one of the high-
Boise National Forest est peaks in the Boise Mountains at 2881 m or 9451 ft
(Lichthardt 1993). The rock type is diorite believed to have
On August 12, 1998 Fred Rabe sampled the lake and inlet intruded into the older Atlanta lobe approximately 30-50 mil-
and outlet streams to the lake. lions years after it formed. The rocks are medium grained
and salt and peppery in appearance (Bennett 1980).
Location
Classification
Trinity Mountain RNA is located in the Trinity Mountains
about 38 air miles east of Boise, Idaho.
• Subalpine, small, shallow, cirque lake
Ecoregion Section: IDAHO BATHOLITH (M332A), Elmore • Medium production potential
County; USGS Quad: TRINITY MOUNTAIN • Circumneutral water in granitic basin
• Inlet: 1 stream; Outlet: 1 cascade-pool type
From Mountain Home, Idaho, take U.S. Route 20 north for
about 25 miles to paved FS Road 134. Turn left and take FS
Road 134 north about 5 miles and cross Anderson Ranch
Dam. Follow FS Road 113 north along Anderson Ranch
Reservoir to the Fall Creek recreation site. From there take FS
Road 123 north; it turns into FS Road 129 past Ice Springs
Campground. Continue north for a total of 16 miles to Big
Trinity Lake Campground. The trailhead for Rainbow Basin
(Trail 174) leaves the campground from the north side of Big
Trinity Lake. After about 1.5 miles, the trail switchbacks steeply
into a saddle. The ridge running southwest from the saddle is
the northwest boundary of the RNA. The trail into the basin
provides easy access to Fiddle Lake (Lichthardt 1993).
The trail to Fiddle Lake with view of Trinity

Mountain which is 2881 m in elevation (9451 ft).
Area (hectares): 1 (2.5 acres)

Length of shoreline (m): 625 (2050)
Aspect: NE
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediment, silt
Lake edge %: shrubs-80, herbaceous-10, conifers-10
pH: 7.0
Outlet: 1 stream
USGS Quad: TRINITY MOUNTAIN.
119
The inlet averages 38 cm wide and 3 cm deep. The sub-
strate is small pea-gravel. The gradient is 1 percent. No
pools are present. The water temperature is 14 degrees C.
Shrubs and sedges comprise the riparian vegetation.
The outlet stream below the thin neck of Fiddle Lake aver-
ages 1.5 m wide and 10 cm deep. It is a cascade-pool type
stream characterized by a boulder substrate and 5-6 per-
cent gradient. The water temperature is 17 degrees C. The
dominant riparian growth is herbaceous vegetation.
Vegetation
The vegetation is typically open, high elevation forest

including Pinus albicaulis (whitebark pine) and Abies lasio-
carpa (subalpine fir) habitat types (Lichthardt 1993). Isoetes
sp. (quillwort) covers about one third of the bottom substrate
of Fiddle Lake. Large amounts of an aquatic moss
(Fontinalis sp.) were observed in the outlet stream.
View of Fiddle Lake southwest towards Trinity Mountain.

Inlet at opposite end of lake (arrow). Outlet of lake is below
to the right.
Isoetes sp. (quillwort) was the dominant

macrophyte on lake bottom. Sketch from
Steward et al. (1963).
An aquatic moss (Fontinalis

The narrow portion of the lake (neck of the fiddle) was dry sp.) common in outlet of lake.
during August, leaving only pools of water. Sketch from Prescott (1969).
120
Outlet stream from Fiddle Lake
Trichoptera
Rhyacophyla - Albertae group
Eocosmoecus sp.
Platyhelminthes
Polycelius coronata
Diptera
Corynorena sp.
Tventenia sp.
Prosimulium sp.
Nanocladius sp.
Pentaneura sp.
Plecoptera
Cultus sp.
Isoperla sp.
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
Head portion of Polycelius coronata,

a flatworm common in clean water
environments. Sketch credit: Kolasa
(1991).
The inlet stream into Fiddle Lake. Note the small size
pea-gravel comprising the substrate. Sedges and shrubs
are the dominant riparian vegetation.
Macroinvertebrates
Rhyacophyla sp., a caddisfly, collected from inlet and out-

Inlet stream to Fiddle Lake let streams of Fiddle Lake. Sketch from McCafferty (1983).
Trichoptera
Rhyacophyla brunea Literature Cited
Plecoptera
Visoka sp. Bennett, E. H. 1980. Reconnaissance geology and geochem-
Ephemeroptera istry of the Trinity Mountain-Steel Mountain Area, Idaho.
Ameletus sp. Report 80-11. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho, Bureau of
Diptera Mines and Geology. 56 p.
Diamesa sp.
Platyhelminthes Kolasa, J. 1991. In: Ecology and classification of North American
Polcelius coronata
freshwater invertebrates. Boston: Academic Press. p. 158.
121
Lichthardt, J. 1993. Establishment record for Trinity
Mountain Research Natural Area within Boise National
Forest. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden,
UT. 20 p.

Prescott, G. 1969. The aquatic plants. Dubuque: William C.

Brown Publishers. 171 p.
Steward, A., N.; Dennis, L.; Gilkey, H. M. 1963. Aquatic

plants of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon. Corvallis: Oregon
State University Press. 261 p.
122
123
124
Surprise Valley Lake and Pond
Surprise Valley Research Natural Area

Fred Rabe and Mabel Jones sampled a pond and a lake in

the RNA on August 20, 1998.
Location
The RNA is located north of Standhope Peak in the Pioneer

Mountains about 19 air miles northeast of Ketchum, Idaho.
Ecoregion Section: CHALLIS VOLCANICS (M332F), Custer

County; USGS Quad: STANDHOPE PEAK
Trail along Fall Creek. View south of Pioneer Mountains.
From Mackay, Idaho travel northwest on U.S. Route 93 for 16 Geology
miles to the junction with the Trail Creek Road. Turn left onto
this road and travel 19 miles to the junction with FS Road 135. Surprise Valley RNA is a glacially-formed, high elevation
Turn left on 135, go 2 miles; then turn right on FS Road 136, hanging valley perched some 1,000 feet above Fall Creek
driving up Wildhorse Creek for about 3 miles to the mouth of and bordered by rugged ridges especially on the eastern
Fall Creek. Take FS Trail 059 up Fall Creek for about 2 miles side. The granitic rocks are composed of calcium rich min-
to the junction with FS Trail 045. Take this trail up Fall Creek erals formed in the late Cretaceous to Tertiary periods (60-
for another mile to its junction with the Moose Lake Trail 068. 80 million years ago). These granitoids commonly have
Shortly beyond this junction the trail forks again. One fork con- xenoliths or inclusions of a separate rock type averaging
tinues to Angel Lake and the east fork goes to Surprise Valley. one foot in length (Dover 1966, Dover and Hall 1976). A
Continue on the east fork of FS Trail 045 for another mile to stream leaves the lake, cascades down the slope as a
the entrance to Surprise Valley and the lower lake. The upper waterfall over part of a moraine and flows down valley.
lake is about 2 1/2 miles above the lower lake (Wellner 1991).
Lower pond
Standhope Peak 3621 m (11,878 ft).
Classification
Upper Surprise Valley Lake

• Alpine, small, deep, cirque lake
• Circumneutral water in granitoid basin
• Inlets: 4 seeps; Outlet: 1stream
Lower Surprise Valley Pond

Upper lake
• Circumneutral water in granitoid basin
• Inlets: none; Outlet: none
USGS Quad: STANHOPE PEAK.
125
Aquatic physical - chemical factors Upper Surprise Valley Lake
Lower Surprise Valley Pond Area (hectares): 2.3 (5.7 acres)

Area (hectares): 0.6 (1.42 acres) Length of shoreline (m): 685 (2247 ft)
Length of shoreline (m): 288 (945 ft) Maximum depth (m): estimate 5 (16 ft)
Maximum depth (m): estimate 1 (3 ft) Elevation (m): 3098 (10,160 ft)
Elevation (m): 3000 (9840 ft) Aspect: SE
Aspect: SE Percent shallow littoral zone: estimate 40
Percent shallow littoral zone: 100 Dominant substrate: boulders
Dominant substrate: soft sediment Shoreline development: 1.255
Shoreline development: 1.058 Lake edge %: talus rock-60, herbaceous-40
Lake edge %: herbaceous-90, conifer-5, shrub- 5 Alkalinity (mg/l): 25
Inlets: none Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 40
Outlets: none pH: 7.6
The organic sediment in the lower pond measures 35 cm Outlets: 1 stream
deep. Water temperature was 18 degrees C. The pond is
probably spring fed; no inlets or outlets were observed. It is The lake surface water temperature was 14 degrees C, 4
classed as a semi-drainage pond. degrees cooler than the lower lake. Extensive wet meadows
surrounding the lake are intersected by seeps. The relatively
high alkalinity, pH and conductivity readings in the upper lake
might relate to the calcium rich granitoid rock basin.
View north of Lower Surprise Valley Pond. Standhope Peak

is in background.
Upper Surprise Valley Lake at an elevation of 3098 m
(10,160 ft) view north. Standhope Peak is in background.
View south. Herbaceous plants including forbs, sedges

View south of Lower Surprise Valley Pond. and grasses grow extensively around the lake shore.
126
Inlet stream into Upper Surprise Valley Lake.
Temperature was 9 degrees C. First order tributary (riffle-pool stream type) of Fall Creek from
upper lake. Standhope Peak in the background.
Vegetation
Salix planifolia var. monica (plane-leaf willow) and Carex

aquatilis (water sedge) were the dominant shrub and herba-
ceous plants surrounding the lower lake. Carex limosa
(mud sedge) and Eleocharis pauciflora (few-flowered
spikerush) were also present in the area. Sparganium
emersum (Bur-reed) was noted in the lake. No aquatic
plants were observed in the upper lake and sedges and
other wetland forms were not collected there.
Swift flowing outlet stream from Upper Surprise Valley Lake.

Temperature was 13 degrees C. The substrate was dominat-
ed by large boulders. Dense amounts of algae in stream chan-
nel may be due to nutrients from decomposition of large Edge of Lower Surprise Valley Pond. Carex aquatilis
amounts of herbaceous growth surrounding the lake. (water sedge) is dominant.
127
Inlet to Upper Surprise Valley Lake
Diptera
Diamesa sp.
Prosimulium sp.
Trichoptera
Lenarchus sp.
Outlet to Upper Surprise Valley Lake

Diptera
Diamesa sp.
Family Chironomidae
Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus
Taking a plant transect adjacent to Lower Surprise Valley

pond. A list of terrestrial plants and aquatic species can be
obtained from the Conservation Data Center in Boise, Idaho.
Zooplankton
The only taxa observed in Lower Surprise Valley Pond was

Scapholeberis kingi . This form is common in weedy waters
such as occurs in the lower pond. S. kingi swims on its back
near or at the surface (Brooks 1959). No plankton sample
was collected from the upper lake.
Diamesa sp. was the dominant chironomid larvae from the

Scapholeberis kingi was the only zooplank- inlet and outlet of Upper Surprise Valley Lake.
ton observed in the lower pond sample.
Sketch credit: Melanie Abell.
Literature Cited
Macroinvertebrates Brooks, J. L. 1959. Cladocera. In: Fresh water biology. New
York: Wiley Press. 1248 p.
Lower Surprise Valley Pond
Diptera Dover, J. H. 1966. Bedrock geology of the Pioneer
Family Orthocladiinae Mountains. Seattle, WA: University of Washington. 138 p.
Bezzia sp. Dissertation.
Ephemeroptera
Callibaetis sp. Dover, J. H.; Hall, W. E. 1976. Geologic map of the Pioneer
Amphipoda Mountains region. Blaine and Custer Counties, Idaho. U.S.
Hyallela azteca Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Open file report: 75-76
Gammarus lacustris
Hemiptera Wellner, C. A. 1991. Establishment record for Surprise Valley
Notonecta undulata Research Natural Area within Challis National Forest, Custer
Family Gerridae County, ID. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
Pelecypoda Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT.
Pisidium sp. 25 p.
128
Smiley Mountain Lake and Ponds Geology
The RNA is located in the extreme southeastern of the

Smiley Mountain Research Natural Area Pioneer Mountains. The main rock formations in the area
Salmon-Challis National Forest are Challis volcanics and granitics (Dover 1981). Mountain
glaciation has resulted in sharp and broad ridges, cliffs,
One lake and two large ponds occur in the RNA together ledges, talus slopes, rock glaciers and cirque basins.
with smaller ponds and wetlands at a lower elevation. Fred
Rabe and Mabel Jones sampled the large ponds and lake
along with a number of interconnecting streams on August
19 - 20,1998.
Location
The RNA is located at the southeastern end of the Pioneer

Mountains approximately 27 air miles east of Ketchum Idaho.
Ecoregion Section: CHALLIS VOLCANICS (M332F), Custer

County; USGS Quad: SMILEY MOUNTAIN
From Mackay, Idaho go southeast on U.S. Route 93 for 16

miles. Turn right on Antelope Road and travel southwest for 18
miles to Antelope Guard Station. Turn right onto FS Road 135
and go 17 miles crossing Antelope Pass to the junction with FS
Road 138 near the Copper Basin Guard Station. Turn left onto
FS Road 138 and go 4.5 miles to Lake Creek. Park at the Lake
Creek trailhead and take FS Trail 064 up Lake Creek for 5
miles to the point near Round Lake where the trail divides. One
branch goes to the south end of Long Lake and the other goes
past the north end of Long Lake and on to Rough Lake and Big
Lake. The western boundary of the RNA is about 0.2 miles
southeast of the point where the trail divides (Wellner 1991). Small ponds and wetlands in the RNA are downstream of
study site. These ponds were not sampled.
Classification
Upper Smiley Lake

• Alpine, small, shallow, cirque lake
Upper • Circumneutral water in volcanic-granitic basin
lake • Inlet: seep; Outlet: stream
Middle Middle Smiley Pond

pond • Alpine, small, shallow, cirque-scour pond
• Circumneutral water in volcanic-granitic basin
Lower
pond • Inlet: stream; Outlet: stream
Lower Smiley Pond

• Alpine, small, shallow, cirque pond
• Circumneutral water in volcanic-granitic basin
• Inlet: stream; Outlet: stream
USGS Quad: SMILEY MOUNTAIN.
129
Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediments, silt
Lake edge %: herbaceous / willow-80, talus, cliffs-20
pH: 7.0
Inlets: 1 seep
Outlets: 1 stream
Rock in the littoral zone is covered with a fine layer of silt.

Temperature of the lake is 12 degrees C. The outlet from the
upper lake flows about 200 m to the middle pond. The first
section of stream has no perceptible flow and was about 2
m wide and 20 cm deep. Downstream the current
increased; stream averages 10 cm deep and 70 cm wide.
Substrate in the stream consists of boulders and cobble. No
coarse particulate organic matter are observed.
Temperature was 14 degrees C.
Middle Smiley Mountain Pond

View north of Upper Smiley Mountain Lake in the Pioneer Length of shoreline (m): 288 (945)
Mountains. The elevation is 3024 m (9920 ft). Maximum depth (m): estimate 3 (10)
Aspect: S
Dominant bottom substrate: boulders and cobble
Lake edge %: herbaceous-99, rock-1
Inlets: 1 stream
Outlet: 1 stream
View south of Upper Smiley Mountain Lake with seep enter-

ing lake.
Upper Smiley Mountain Lake

Length of shoreline (m): 483 (1585 ft) Middle Smiley Mountain Pond. Note inlet to the right. Salix
Maximum depth (m): 3 (10 ft) planifolia var. monica (plane-leaf willow) visible in fore-
Elevation (m):3024 (9920 ft) . ground.
Aspect: SE
130
A meandering glide stream flows from the middle pond.
Boulders with some rubble constitute the stream substrate.
Width and depth averages about 1 m. No coarse particulate
organic material exists. Silt covers the rocks in the stream
similar to the upper pond and lake. Water temperature was
16 degrees C. The riparian zone consists of herbaceous
plants and low growing willows.
Origin of inlet to Lower Smiley Mountain Pond.

Outlet from Middle Smiley Mountain Pond. Note prepon- Accumulated snow and ice insulated by rock provide
derance of boulders in channel. runoff into the pond.
Lower Smiley Mountain Pond

Length of shoreline (m): 408
Maximum depth (m): 4
Aspect: S
Dominant substrate: soft sediment and silt.
Lake edge %: Sedge-90, talus and boulders-10
Inlets: 1 stream
Outlets: 1 stream
The inlet stream into Lower Smiley Mountain Pond originat- View south of Lower Smiley Mountain Pond.
ed from snow and ice accumulated under loose rock. At its
beginning the inlet is about 1 m wide and 8 cm deep. It The low gradient outlet from the lower pond with a boulder-
flows rapidly 100 m downhill into a shallow pool which then rubble substrate averages about 61 cm wide and 13 cm
empties into the pond. At this point, the stream is about 45 deep.The riparian vegetation is primarily sedges and other
cm deep. herbaceous growth.
131
A large number of interconnected ponds within an extensive
wet meadow occur below the study site.
Vegetation
Mabel Jones from the Conservation Data Center in Boise,

Idaho identified the plants in the Smiley Mountain area.
Willows are Salix artica (arctic willow) which forms mats in
snowmelt areas and Salix planifolia var. monica (plane-leaf
willow) dominant along outlet channels. When mature,S.
planifolia is only about 1 m tall.
Low gradient outlet from Lower Smiley Mountain Pond.

Salix artica (arctic willow) observed in vicinity of upper lake.
Herbaceous growth provides the riparian cover. Note lack of
coarse particulate organic matter in stream channel.
Sedges common as riparian vegetation surrounding lakes and
streams were Carex scopulorum (Holm’s Rocky Mountain
sedge), Carex aquatilis (water sedge) and Carex utriculata
(bladder sedge). Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
was also common in some of these aquatic habitats.
132
Outlet Upper Smiley Mountain Lake
Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus - dominant
Plecoptera
Family Chloroperlidae
Diptera
Simulium sp.
Trichoptera
Lenarchus sp.
Platyhelminthes
Procotyla sp.
Middle Smiley Mountain Pond

Trichoptera
Lenarchus sp.
Diptera
Amphipoda
Sedges, forbs, grasses and willows line the edge of Upper Gammarus lacustris
Smiley Mountain Lake. Note the scarlet paintbrush
(Castilleja miniata ).
Outlet Middle Smiley Mountain Pond

Zooplankton Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus
A calanoid copepod (Diaptomus sp.) was the only taxa Plecoptera
observed in all three water bodies. This was somewhat Unidentified
unexpected since a minimum of at least three species of Diptera
zooplankton are usually found in high mountain lakes. No Simulium sp. - dominant
rotifers were present in the samples. The most dense pop- Pseudodiamesa sp.
ulation of zooplankton occurred in the lower pond and least Amphipoda
dense was observed in the upper lake. The presence of Hyallela azteca
these large Diaptomus may be due to the lack of fish pop-
ulations.
Lower Smiley Mountain Pond
Macroinvertebrates Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus
Trichoptera
Upper Smiley Mountain Lake Dicosmoecus sp.
Trichoptera Diptera
Brachycentrus sp. Prosimulium sp.
Lenarchus sp. Coleoptera
Diptera Rhantus sp.
Subfamily ChironomInae Hydroporus sp.
Coleoptera Oligochaeta
Uvarus sp. Family Tubificidae
Ephemeroptera Pelecypoda
Baetis bicaudatus Pisidium sp.
Amphipoda
Gammarus lacustrus
Hyallela azteca
133
Outlet Lower Smiley Pond First order tributary of Lake Creek below Lower
Smiley Pond.
Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus Ephemeroptera
Trichoptera Baetis bicaudatus
Dicosmoecus sp. Ameletus sp.
Diptera Plecoptera
Simulium sp. Zapada sp.
Subfamily Orthocladiinae Trichoptera
Platyhelminthes Chyranda sp.
Procotyla sp. Dicosmoecus sp.
Psychoglypha sp.
Diptera
Inlet Lower Smiley Pond Pseudodiamesa sp.
Ephemeroptera Simulium sp.
Baetis bicaudatus Triboles sp.
Trichoptera Pagastea sp.
Rhycophyla albertae Diamesa sp.
Diptera Platyhelminthes
Subfamily Orchocladinae Proctyla sp.
Two additional stream reaches below Lower Smiley

Mountain Pond were sampled. One site has a heavy ripari-
an cover of willow (Salix planifolia var. monica) and the
other site is a steep gradient cascade-pool type below the
confluence of two streams.
First order tributary below Lower Smiley Mountain Pond with

thick riparian cover of willow. Large rocks embedded in sedi-
ment and ample CPOM (coarse particulate organic matter). Second order tributary of Lake Creek averaged 2 m in
Channel varies in width. Water temperature was 11 degrees C. width. Gradient about 7 percent. Pools up to 35 cm deep.
Soft water conditions (pH 7, alkalinity 7, conductivity 15). Large Rapid flow. Water temperature was 14 degrees C. Many
concentrations of flatworms and caddisfly larvae were sampled. different kinds of mayflies and caddisflies were sampled.
134
Second order tributary of Lake Creek below conflu-
ence of stream draining Lower and Middle Smiley
Mountain Ponds
Ephemeroptera
Baetis bicaudatus
Cinygmula sp.
Seratella tibialis
Epeorus albertae
Trichoptera
Rhyacophyla albertae
Rhyacophyla bettini
Dicosmoecus sp.
Parapsyche sp.
Arctopsyche sp.
Diptera
Simulium sp.
A freshwater shrimp (Gammarus lacustrus ) occurs in Upper
Smiley Mountain Lake.and Middle Smiley Pond. This crus-
tacean is usually not found in high lakes where fish occur as
was the case with the Smiley lakes. Gammarus is omniver -
ous. It browses on the film of diatoms and organic debris cov-
ering leaves such as might occur on the dense sedges along
the lake shores. Hyallela azteca is another freshwater shrimp
sampled from the two lakes. It is considerably smaller in size
than Gammarus.
Vertebrates
No fish species were observed in the relatively shallow

Chyranda sp. is a caddisfly whose case consists of alpine lake and ponds. The spotted frog (Rana pretiosa )
pieces of thin bark arranged to form a straight tube with
was commonly seen along the water’s edge.
a prominent flange-like seam along each side. This taxa
was dominant in the first order stream leaving Smiley
Mountain Lower Pond.
Rhyacophyla albertae is a caddisfly common in the second

order tributary of Lake Creek with a cascade-pool type
flow. A relatively large proportion of aquatic insects from
this stream reach were mayflies and caddisflies compared
to the low gradient first order stream with a willow domi-
nated riparian zone which had a different macroinverte- Spotted frog (Rana pretiosa ) was common along the shore
brate composition. of the lake and ponds.
135
Literature Cited
Dover, J. H. 1981. Geology of the Boulder - Pioneer wilder-

ness study area. Blaine and Custer Counties, Idaho. U.S.
Geological Survey. Bulletin 1497-A: 16-75.
Wellner, C. A. 1991. Establishment record for Smiley

Mountain Research Natural Area within Challis National
Forest, Custer County, Idaho. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service,Unpublished report on file at
Intermountain Region, Ogden, UT. 26 p.
136
137
138
Kenney Creek Pond
Kenney Creek Research Natural Area

One pond in the RNA was photographed from the

air on September 25, 1999.
The RNA is at the head of the Kenney Creek

drainage in the Beaverhead Mountains on the west
side of the Continental Divide (Idaho-Montana bor-
der). The site is approximately 19 air miles east-
southeast of Salmon, Idaho (Bernatus and Wellner
(1989).
Ecoregion Section: BEAVERHEAD MOUNTAINS

(M332E), Lemhi County; USGS Quad: GOLD-
STONE MOUNTAIN
Pond
View into Kenney Creek drainage (arrow) and the
Continental Divide separating Idaho from Montana.
USGS Quad: GOLDSTONE MOUNTAIN.
After crossing the Lemhi River, about 15 miles

south of Salmon, drive the backcountry byway
Glacial pond (arrow) north of Kenney Creek in the
approximately 17 miles to a point where you can Beaverhead Mountains. Pond is partially dry.
hike into Kenney Creek. The pond is about 1 mile
north of here. No trail is observed from the road.
139
Literature cited
Bernatus, S.; Wellner, C. A. 1989. Establishment

Record for Kenney Creek Research Natural Area
within Salmon National Forest, Lemhi County, ID.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region,
Ogden, UT.
140
Upper Mill Lake Geology
The larger Mill Lake is a recreational site and not part of the
Mill Lake Research Natural Area RNA. Subalpine and alpine habitats above Mill Lake comprise
Salmon-Challis National Forest the RNA. Upper Mill Lake is situated in a cirque at timberline.
Several shallow ponds exist in the basin just below Upper Mill
Charles Wellner, Nancy Savage and Fred Rabe visited the Lake. The lake basin consists primarily of a quartzite forma-
RNA on November 3, 1975 and sampled the lake, three tion. Steep cliffs below the crest and numerous moraines
ponds and outlet streams. A fourth pond was dry at the time down-valley are evidence of alpine glaciation (Wellner 1993).
of the survey.
Location Classification
Upper Mill Lake
Mill Lake is located on the east slope of the Lemhi Range • Alpine/subalpine, small, deep, cirque lake
about 15 miles west-southwest of Leadore, Idaho. • Circumneutral water in quartzite basin
Ecoregion Section: BEAVERHEAD MOUNTAINS (M332E), • Inlet: seeps; Outlet: meandering glide stream
Lemhi County; USGS Quad: MOGG MOUNTAIN
From Leadore, Idaho, proceed north on State Route 28

about 7.5 miles. Turn left onto Cottom Lane and proceed
abou three miles to junction with FS Road 189. Turn right
heading west about three miles to Mill Creek and turn left
onto FS Road 006 which runs along the north-northwest
side of Mill Creek. Drive about five miles to the trailhead of
FS Trail 181 and follow the trail about 3.5 miles to the RNA
boundary adjacent to Upper Mill Lake (Wellner 1993).
1 2
Lake
View east of Upper Mill Lake at 2863 m ( 9390 ft) elevation. Part
of the lake is above timberline. Three lower ponds lie east of the
Pond lake. The water bodies are in a “U” shaped glaciated valley.
1 Pond 3
Pond 2 The outlet of Upper Mill Lake flows through talus rubble and
reappears as a slow moving low gradient stream in a sphag-
Upper Mill num-sedge meadow. The stream substrate is comprised of
Lake rubble, gravel and sediment. The outlet averages about 1 m
wide and 8 cm deep and flows about 200 m to Pond 1. The
moss Dermatocarpo fluviatile covers rocks in the stream.
USGS Quad: MOGG MOUNTAIN
141
The outlet from Pond 1 discharges to Pond 2; the Pond 2
outlet discharges to Pond 3. The water bodies all appear to
be less than two m deep. Pond 4 was dry in November.
Upper Mill Lake

Area (hectares): estimate 0.5 (1.4 acres)
Aspect: NE
Dominant bottom substrate: boulders
Lake edge %: talus rock: 70, conifers-30
pH: 6.8
Inlets: 2 seeps
Outlet: 1 stream
View northwest across Upper Mill Lake.
Upper Mill Lake looking southwest into talus slope. Note lit-
toral zone in foreground. Pond 1 receives water from Upper Mill Lake.
142
Filamentous green algae (Zygnema
sp.) Sketch credit: Palmer (1959).
Zooplankton
Upper Mill Lake Pond 2

Pond 2 receives water from Pond 1. Water level is low
in November. Observe the dead whitebark pine (Pinus Copepoda Copepoda
albicaulis ) in background. Diaptomus shoshone Diaptomus shoshone
Diaptomus sp. Diaptomus sp.
Cladocera
Chydorus sphaericus
Macroinvertebrates
Upper Mill Lake Outlet to Upper Mill Lake
Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera
Centroptilum sp. Centroptilum sp.
Trichoptera Trichoptera
Family Limnephilidae Brachycentrus sp.
Diptera Diptera
Dolichopesa sp. Family Chironomidae
Coleoptera
Agabus sp.
Pond 3 outlet leaves pond as series of pools eventu-

ally forming a discrete channel (Mill Creek).
Vegetation
The dominant tree in the timberline forest is whitebark

pine (Pinus albicaulis), with grouse whortleberry Four sided case of Brachycentrus constructed of
(Vaccinium scoparium) in the understory (Wellner plant material arranged transversely. Drawing:
1993). McCafferty (1981).
Diatoms and a filamentous green algae (Zygnema sp.)

were dominant in Pond 2. Four additional algal taxa
were observed there.
143
Literature Cited
McCafferty, W. P. 1981. Aquatic entomology. Boston:

Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Palmer, C. 1959. Algae in water supplies. U.S.

Department of Health, Education and Welfare,
Washington D.C. Public Health Service Publication 657.
88 p.
Wellner, C. A.; Evenden, A. G.; Rust, S. K. 1993.

Establishment record for Mill Lake Research Natural
Area within Salmon National Forest. Lemhi County, ID.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 25 p.
144
Upper Merriam Lake
Merriam Lake Basin Research Natural Area

Charles Wellner and Fred Rabe sampled the lake, outlet

stream and pools in the Upper Merriam Lake basin on July
21, 1978. Merriam Lake, lower in elevation, is outside the
RNA. and was not studied.
Location
Upper Merriam Lake is located in the Merriam Lake Basin

on the eastern slope of the Lost River Range near the head
of the West Fork Pahsimeroi River in southcentral Idaho.
Ecoregion Section: BEAVERHEAD MOUNTAINS (M332E),

Custer County; USGS Quad: ELKHORN CREEK
From U. S. Route 93, 46 miles north of Arco (32 miles south

of Challis), follow FS Road 116 northeast over Doublespring
Pass for 10 miles to the turnoff of FS Road 117. Follow 117
over Horseheaven Pass for 6 miles to the junction with FS
Road 118. Follow 118 up the West Fork Pahsimeroi River for
4.5 miles to its junction with FS Road 267. Follow 267 for 2.5
miles up the West Fork Pahsimeroi River to the end of the
road.The FS Trail to Merriam Lake begins near the end of the
road. Climb for about 2.2 miles to Merriam Lake and follow
the valley above Merriam Lake into the RNA (Wellner 1991).
View of Upper Merriam Lake basin (arrow) looking west
from Merriam Lake. Borah Peak, the highest peak in
Idaho at 3858 m (12655 ft), is in the background. Photo
Upper Merriam
Lake
USGS Quad: ELKHORN CREEK.
Geology
The RNA is comprised of metamorphic and sedimentary

limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and quartzite rocks with the View of Merriam Lake (outside the RNA) from trail to Upper
strata exhibiting considerable folding. The Lost River Range Merriam Lake. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
experiences convergence of storm systems from over the
Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. As a result this mountain
range is relatively dry and the valleys are some of the driest
in Idaho (Wellner 1991).
145
Classification
Upper Merriam Lake
• Alpine, small, deep cirque lake
• Highly alkaline water
• Limestone, dolomite, quartzite basin
• Inlet: seeps Outlet: riffle-pool stream
View of vertical rock strata northwest of the lake. One

of several pools is in foreground.
Aquatic physical - chemical features
Area (hectares): 0.6 (1.5 acres) Upper Merriam alpine lake is located at 3122 m (10,240 ft) eleva-
Length of shoreline (m): 459 (1506 ft) tion. The lake lies against a cirque headwall surrounded by talus
Maximum depth (m): estimate > 5 (16 ft) rock on three sides. One year it was reported that lake size varied
Elevation (m): 3122 (10,240 ft) from about 1.6 h (4 acres) during snowmelt to less than 0.24 h (1
acre) after snow melt. The water is clear and the bottom substrate
Aspect: SE
consists of large angular rocks and silt.
Percent shallow littoral zone: estimate 20
Dominant substrate: boulders and silt
Lake edge %: talus rock-100
Alkalinity (mg/l): 41-105 recorded in lake and pools
Inlet: small seeps
Outlet: riffle-pool stream
146
The lake outlet and other steep first order streams enter a wet
meadow downstream where the gradient diminishes and the
stream becomes sinuous with fine organic and inorganic sub-
strate materials. The stream eventually flows into lower
Merriam Lake. A portion of the meadow is of interest because
of its hummocky character probably caused by freezing and
thawing action. Seasonal pools are brown in color (dystrophic).
Merriam Lake Basin RNA has pools and wet meadows.

Riffle-pool type stream draining Upper Merriam Lake basin.

Marshmarigold (Caltha leptosepala var sulfurea) lines the
banks. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Hummocks in the wet meadow are likely caused by freez-

ing and thawing action. Photo credit: Charles Wellner.
Vegetation
Extremely varied alpine vegetation exists in the upper basin

growing on different rock formations. Several rare plants are
located here. East of Upper Merriam Lake an extensive
population of purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) was
growing on dolomite with no other plant species present
(Wellner 1991). This particular occurrence has not been
Marshmarigold (Caltha leptosepala ) surrounds the wet observed anywhere else in Idaho but apparently is typical of
meadow and pools. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis ) and sites in the high arctic tundra north of Hudson Bay, Canada.
limber pine (Pinus flexilis) are both in the photograph. Photo No plants were observed around the edge of the upper lake.
credit: Douglas Henderson.
147
Macroinvertebrates
Limited observations in the lake waters revealed the large

red calanoid copepod, Diaptomus shoshone, and fairy
shrimp, Branchinecta sp. It is unlikely that fish are present
in the lake since fairy shrimp are not known to coexist with
trout populations (Rabe 1967).
The larval soldier fly (Stratiomys sp.) feeds largely on

algae and detritus common in the pools. Often these
insects must remain in contact with the water surface
intermittently to obtain air. Sketch credit: McCafferty 1981
Streams and pools in Merriam Lake Basin
Ephemeroptera
Ameletus similor
Plecoptera Literature cited
Zapada sp.
Trichoptera McCafferty, W. P. 1981. Aquatic entomology. Boston: Jones
Lenarchus sp. and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Philarctus sp.
Allomyia sp. Rabe, F. W. 1967. The transplantation of brook trout in an
Coleoptera alpine lake. The Progressive Fish-Culturist 29(1): 53-55.
Agabus sp.
Diptera Wellner, C. A. 1991. Establishment record for Merriam Lake
Stratiomys sp. Basin RNA within Salmon-Challis National Forest, Custer
Aedes sp. County, ID. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Family Chironomidae Unpublished report on file at Intermountain Region, Ogden,
Coleoptera UT. 23 p.
Agabus sp.
Pelecypoda Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Larvae of the North American caddis-
Pisidium sp. fly genera. 2nd edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Eubranchiopoda 267 p.
Branchinecta sp.
Allomyia sp. formerly Imania is a small caddisfly up to 11

mm (0.4 inches) long. The head is flattened dorsally. It lives
at high elevations and frequently occurs on vertical rock
faces. Allomyia is a grazer and is believed to require more
than a year to complete its life cycle (Wiggins 1996).
148
149
150
Mount Harrison Pond
Mount Harrison Research Natural Area

Sawtooth National Forest
Fred Rabe sampled the single pond in the RNA on August

14, 1998.
Location
Mount Harrison RNA, located in the Albion Mountains, is

about 14 miles southwest of Albion, Idaho.
Ecoregion Section: NORTHWESTERN BASIN AND Looking down at pond (arrow) from inside Forest
Service fire lookout atop Mount Harrison.
RANGE (342B). Cassia County; USGS Quad: MOUNT
HARRISON
Geology
From Albion, Idaho travel southeast on State Route 77 for
about 4 miles to the intersection with the Howell Canyon
Mount Harrison is the highest point in the Albion Range of
Road which becomes FS Road 549. Drive about 9 miles to
southern Idaho. The steep topography and distribution of
the summit. From the Forest Service fire lookout, descend
geologic formations result in very distinct vegetation pat-
approximately 600 feet to the pond below.
terns (Mancuso and Evenden 1996). Subalpine fir (Abies
lasiocarpa) occured on quartzite while limber pine (Pinus
albicaulis) was observed on calcareous substrates. The
basin consists of a steep-walled, rocky cirque with a vernal
pool at the bottom.
Pond
USGS Quad: MOUNT HARRISON.
This Precambrian quartzite rock shows streaking or

smearing where an allignment of minerals occurs. Mica
is present in the rock.
Classification

• Circumneutral water in quartzite, calcareous
basin
A road goes to the top of Mt Harrison from the Snake River • Medium - high production potential
Plain. The summit is 2825 m (9265 ft). • Inlet: snow melt; Outlet: ephemeral stream
151

Length of shoreline (m): 384 (1260 (ft)
Maximum depth (m): 2 (7)
Aspect: SE
Dominant bottom substrate: cobble and boulders
Pond edge %: talus rock-90, herbaceous-10
Conductivity (micromhos): 10
pH: 7.3
Inlet: snowmelt
Outlet: ephemeral stream
Spike rush (Eleocharis sp.) lines about a third of the

pond edge.
Flagged trees (whitebark pine) reflect windy conditions on

the rim of the cirque wall.
Vegetation
View looking northwest at Mt. Harrison Pond. The pond is Castilleja christii (Indian paintbrush) is endemic to Mount
ephemeral drying up in some years. Surface water had Harrison and is a candidate for listing. (Mancuso and
receeded about 6 m (20 ft) by the middle of August. Snow Evenden 1996). Cymopterus davisii is endemic to the
drifts in the basin likely provide an inflow to the pond.
Albion Range and is known from only two other sites.
Machaeranthera laetevirens (aster) is a USFS Sensitive
An army plane crashed into the basin in 1942 killing a few species and known from three other sites in Idaho and
people. A large tire and other scattered debris still remain Nevada. Mount Harrison RNA is the only documented
from the crash close to the pond. occurrence for this species in Idaho.
152
Zooplankton
The only taxa observed in the sample was a species of

Diaptomus seen below.
The backswimmer Notonecta is a swimmer and climber. It

may utilize the macrophyte, Eleocharis, as a substrate.
Notonecta is a predator which pierces the body of prey
Diaptomus sp. is a calanoid copepod. sucking out the contents. It is also cannibalistic (Merritt and
Cummins 1996). Drawing: McCafferty 1983.
Macroinvertebrates
Backswimmers (Notonecta undulata and N. kirbiyi ) were
found throughout the pond but were in more dense concen-
Trichoptera trations in the vicinity of Eleocharis, a species of sedge
Clistorina sp. growing in the north end of the pond.
Diptera
Hemiptera
Notonecta undulata -dominant
Notonecta kirbiyi
Family Corixidae
Coleoptera
Agabus sp.
Eubranchiopoda
Branchianecta paludosa
According to Pennak (1989 )the fairy shrimp (Branchianecta

paludosa ) found in the pond is not known in Idaho. This
might be its first documented occurrence.
Head area of the fairy shrimp

(Branchianecta paludosa ) Sketch
credit: Pennak (1989).
View of stunted coniferous vegetation and steep-walled, rocky

Fairy shrimp and a zooplankton (Diaptomus sp.) are often
cirque with Mount Harrison pond at bottom.
found together in small ephemeral water bodies where no
fish exist as was the case in Mt. Harrison pond.
153
Literature Cited
Mancuso, M.; Evenden, A. G. 1996. Establishment

record for Mount Harrison Research Natural Area with-
in Sawtooth National Forest. Cassia County, ID. U.S.
McCafferty, W.P. 1983. Aquatic entomology. 1981.

Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 448 p.
Merritt, R. W.; Cummins, K. W. 1996. Aquatic insects of

North America. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing
Company. 861 p.
Pennak, R. W. 1991. Freshwater invertebrates of the

United States. Third Edition. New York: Wiley
Interscience. 618 p.
154
155
156
Bloomington Lake
Proposed Bloomington Lake Special Interest

Area
Caribou National Forest
Fred Rabe sampled the lake in the RNA on August 15,

1998. Limited sampling occurred in Pond 2. Pond 1 was not
sampled.
Location
The lake lies at the head of Bloomington Creek in the Bear

River Range east of the town of Bloomington,Idaho
(Moseley 1992).
Ecoregion Section: OVERTHRUST MOUNTAIN (M331D),

Bear Lake County; USGS Quad: PARIS PEAK.
From Bloomington travel west about 12 miles (no road

name or number) to a well marked trailhead. The road can
be very dusty and the last few miles are extremely rough.
The trail to the lake is about 0.5 miles long.
Note the upper dolomite formation over the lower quartzite

layer in Bloomington Lake. Observe the littoral zone com-
prised of soft sediment and some boulder-size rocks.
Pond 2
Pond 1
Classification

• Low - medium production potential
• Highly alkaline, quartzite-dolomite basin
• Inlet: snow seepage; Outlet: stream
USGS Quad: PARIS PEAK Aquatic physical - chemical factors

Geology Elevation (m): 2500 (8200 ft)
Aspect: NW
The headwall above the lake is the steepest in the Idaho Percent shallow littoral zone:10
portion of the Bear River Range. According to Moseley Dominant bottom substrate: soft sediment
(1992) two quite different geologic formations occur on the Lake edge %: cliff-25, herbaceous-5, boulders-5, willows-65
headwall. White Swan Peak Quartzite comprises the lower Alkalinity (mg/l):104
cliff next to the lake; the upper face is gray Laketown Conductivity (micromhos/cm): 195
Dolomite. Moseley reports that the two substrates have pH: 8.5
quite different physical and chemical properties. Lake water Inlet: snow seepage
chemistries reveal highly alkaline conditions compared to Outlet: 1 stream
other high lakes studied in the state.
157
The headwall retains snow in the chutes and along cliff Macroinvertebrates
bases longer than in any other area of the Bear River Range
(Moseley 1992). The lake is deep (15 m). About 3 m off
shore the depth is 9 m. Even though alkaline conditions
Bloomington Lake
exists in the water, the lake was classed as low to medium
production potential mainly because of a limited littoral zone
Ephemeroptera
and limited sedge growth around the lake perimeter. A few
Callibaetis sp.
logs and boulders were observed on the light colored soft
Trichoptera
sediment substrate in the littoral zone.
Limnephilis sp.
Diptera
Vegetation Subfamily Tanypodinae
Odonata
Rydberg’s musineon (Musineon lineare) and green spleen- Aeshna californica / multicolor
wort (Asplenium viride) are two rare plant species that occur Coenagrion / Enallagma sp.
in the area (Moseley 1992). Moseley also noticed two rare Coleoptera
species that occur at Bloomington Lake, but not in other Gyrinus sp.
portions of Idaho’s Bear River Range; these species are Amphipoda
usually observed at elevations 2000 feet higher than the Hyallela azteca
elevation of Bloomington Lake. Sedges were noted mostly
along the west shore of the lake.
Pond 1 is a short distance northwest of Bloomington Lake.
Zooplankton
Bloomington Lake
Cladocera The low gradient outlet of Bloomington Lake has a boulder -

rubble substrate. It flows about 10 m into a wet meadow and
Polyphemus pediculus
then into Pond 2 which is surrounded by a profusion of
Simocephalus sp. sedges and other herbaceous plants.
Copepoda
Diaptomus sp.
Ostracoda
158
Bloomington Pond 2
Diptera
Hemiptera
Gerris sp.
Odonata
Family Aeshnidae
Pelecypoda
Pisidium sp.
Gastropoda The whirligig beetle (Gyrinus ) is somewhat
Physella sp. unique in having a ventral pair of eyes that
Oligochaeta serve for vision in water and a dorsal pair used
Family Lumbriculidae for aerial vision, an adaptation for optimal sight
at the water surface. The beetles swim errati-
cally or dive while emitting defensive secre-
tions when disturbed. McCafferty (1983). .
Sampling the lake was difficult because of the limited littoral
zone. Density of macroinvertebrates was high possibly due
to alkaline water conditions in the basin. The lake and Pond
2 shared very few common species.
Limnephilus sp. was present along the lake

margin. It is the most common caddisfly in the
western United States. Limnephilus constructs
a variety of different type cases. The above case
is comprised of wood and bark arranged trans-
versely (Wiggins 1996).
A small specimen of dragonfly

(Aeshnidae). It appears that dif-
ferent species occur in the pond
and lake. They are voracious
predators, some reaching a max- View of Bloomington Lake. Observe the White
imum size of 5 cm. Swan Peak Quartzite which comprises the base of
the steep headwall in the background.
159
Literature Cited
Moseley, R. K. 1992. The biological and physical features of

Bloomington Lake Cirque, Caribou National Forest.
Unpublished report on file at Idaho Department of Fish and
Game, Conservation Data Center, Boise Idaho.11 p.

Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Larvae of the North American caddis-

fly genera. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 457 p.
160
Summary and Discussion
This section describes characteristics of 27 lakes and 20 ponds sampled in 32 established or

proposed Research Natural Areas in Idaho. Five classification elements - elevation, size,
depth, production potential and lake origin are addressed followed by a discussion of semi-
drainage waters and data describing modifiers (pH, rock type and hydrology). Dominant flora
and fauna in the RNAs are identified. The report closes with some projects proposed to carry
forward the identification and characterization of new RNAs and thoughts on the future of high
lake RNAs.
Classification elements
Four classification elements of the water bodies are summarized in Table 4. Two lakes and
two ponds are montane; 20 lakes and 16 ponds are subalpine; and five lakes and two ponds
are alpine. Alpine water bodies are located in the Broad Valleys, Sawtooths and Idaho
Batholith subregions. Montane sites are in the North Idaho, Idaho Batholith and Western
Fringe subregions. Subalpine waters are located in all subregions.
Twenty-one of the lakes are small in size or less than 4 hectares (10 acres) and six are
large or more than 4 hectares in size (Table 4). Twenty-one of the lakes are classed as
deep or more than 4.5 m (15 ft) and six lakes are shallow or less than 4.5 m in depth. All
of the ponds are small and shallow.
Ten lakes and three ponds are classed as having low production potential; 16 lakes and
16 ponds have low-medium, medium and medium-high production potential and; one lake
and one pond have a high production potential (Table 4).
Production potential is mostly low in alpine lakes. Factors that contribute to low production are
high elevation, small littoral zone, boulder-bedrock substrate and few or scattered sedge mats.
Exceptions occur in Upper Smiley Lake and Surprise Lake in the Pioneer Mountains where
extensive sedge beds occur together with relatively large littoral zones of cobble and rubble.
Alpine lakes usually have a low production potential compared to

subalpine waters.
161
162
Montane lakes have medium-high to high production potential. Fish Lake (high produc-
tion) has a low elevation, large littoral zone with a mix of small rock and sediments com-
prising the bottom substrate, high shoreline development, extensive sedge mats and a rel-
atively high alkalinity. Subalpine lakes varied from low to medium-high production and
subalpine ponds from low to high production potential (Table 4).
In comparing subalpine lakes with forest lakes located near the base of Mount Rainier,
Larson et al. (1994), observed that lower elevation forest lakes had larger watersheds,
larger surface areas, deeper waters and more nutrients than subalpine lakes. This was
true for the two montane lakes in this study compared to most subalpine waters.
Lake origin
Thirty-four water bodies were characterized as having a cirque origin formed near a
mountain headwall. Fourteen lakes/ponds were classed as cirque-scour occupying basins
carved in less resistant rock formed down valley from the headwall. It was often difficult to
differentiate between cirque and cirque-scour types due to variation in the extent and flow
patterns of glaciers.
Paternoster lakes and ponds form a chain of at least three water bodies connected by a
stream in a glaciated valley.Two sets of paternoster lakes were observed in this study. For
example, in the Graves Peak watershed, a small pond is linked to a large lake by a steep
gradient stream merging into a cascade-pool type stream. The outlet to the lake becomes
a steep cascade that flows into a lower pond. A pond further down stream is connected
by a steep gradient stream.
The two montane lakes in the study are formed by an end moraine in extended valleys.
Upland lakes and ponds form in depressions scoured by ice caps on gently rolling or upland
valleys. This type might represent early Wisconsin ice cap glaciation or an even older pre-
Wisconsin period (Rabe and Breckenridge 1985). Three Ponds RNA is a montane site mod-
ified by the presence of beaver activities that control water levels in the ponds.
Semidrainage systems
Semidrainage waterbodies are not connected with definite drainage systems or the
drainage is poorly defined (Pennak 1989). Pennak studied semidrainage ponds in
Colorado and described most as being located in grassy meadows with highly organic,
peaty soils and no surface outlets or having poorly defined outlets. Maximum depths range
from 1 to 4 m, and water levels remain somewhat constant. Most semidrainage water-
bodies in the Idaho study conform to the above meadow description; however Lava Butte
SW is a semidrainage pond set in a rocky basin with limited organic growth.
Pennak describes most semidrainage waters at midmountain (montane) elevations. However

subalpine semidrainage waterbodies include Allan Mountain ponds, Steamboat Lake, Mt.
Harrison Pond, Lava Butte Ponds, Quad Lake, Baldy Pond 3, Surprise Pond and Soldier Lake
Pond 1. Most semidrainage waters in this study are cirque-scour in origin but some semi-
drainage ponds such as Pond Peak RNA and Lava Butte RNA are cirque in origin.
163
Since semidrainage waters are for the most part closed systems, their basins fill with fine
organic sediment that supports rooted plants such as burr reed (Sparganium angustifoli-
um) one of the most common aquatic macrophytes observed in this study. Also amphib-
ians, leeches, aquatic earthworms, dragonflies, and snails are apt to occur in these mead-
ow waters more than in rocky drainage basins.
Theriault Pond is a small, shallow, montane waterbody having a substrate comprised of soft
organic sediments and encircled by an extensive sedge meadow. In addition a large popula-
tion of spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) occupies this site. It is not a closed system since a rela-
tively deep outlet stream exits the pond. However further downstream the outlet diminishes in
size so that later in the year it might be described as ephemeral. Cache Creek pond has some
of the same characteristics described above but also has a well defined outlet stream.
Topographic maps are not often accurate in showing or not showing outlets.
Cache Creek Pond, a shallow, subalpine waterbody having an

organic substrate, is surrounded by an extensive sedge meadow.
Modifiers
All of the waterbodies in this study are circumneutral (pH 5.5-7.4) except Steep Lakes
which are alkaline (pH 7.5-8.4) and Upper Merriam Lake and Bloomington Lake which is
highly alkaline (pH > 8.4).
Medium soft water (13-30 mg/l) most commonly occurs in Precambrian Belt and volcanic
rock basins compared to soft water lakes (0-12 mg/l) mostly in granitic basins.
Bloomington Lake in a quartzite-dolomite basin is a hardwater lake with an alkalinity of
104 mg/l. Merriam Lake basin pools and lake are hardwater with alkalinities of 41-105
mg/l. They occur in limestone, dolomite, sandstone, quartzite basins. Steep Lakes in
Precambrian Belt rock are also classed as hardwater with alkalinities of 50 mg/l.
164
Surface and subsurface seepage commonly form inlets into alpine lakes such as Mystery
Lake which is close to the headwall. Such small flows are often difficult to distinguish and
usually do not appear on maps. Examples of multiple inlets into subalpine large deep
lakes were observed at Fenn Lake with four inlet streams and Fish Lake with 27 stream
inlets and nine seep inlets. A cascade of water was observed to flow into Graves Peak
Pond 2 from the lake above, part of the paternoster pattern. Outlet streams are either rif-
fle-pool, meandering glide or cascade-pool type streams. Riffle-pool and meandering
glide streams are the most common types observed.
Inlets and outlets often differ in size, substrate, temperature and biological composition.
Inlet streams are usually small in width and depth and have small size substrate, com-
monly small gravel. Inlets are usually several degrees cooler than outlet streams. Outlet
streams have more coarse particulate organic matter and dense filamentous algae often
covers the rocks late in the season. When this occurred, fewer macroinvertebrates were
present in the stream channel.
Biota
The most common aquatic plants associated with standing water are quillwort (Isoetes sp.)
and bur-reed (Sparganium) Fontinalis is a moss prevalent in streams. Twenty-three different
sedges and rushes were identified. Juncus mertenisana is the rush most frequently collect-
ed and Carex aquatilus and C. scopulorum are the most common sedges.
Fourteen zooplankton taxa were identified. The composition of microcrustacean commu-

nities varies from one lake to the next, similar to what Larson et al. (1994) report. The
copepods Diaptomus and Cyclopoidea and the cladocerans Chydorus, Polyphemus
pediculus and Simocephalus are dominant. Diaptomus is thought to be absent in many
lakes due to selective fish predation.
There are 16 different mayflies (Ephemeroptera) collected. Dominant forms are listed in
Table 5. Other common mayflies sampled are Ameletus and Nixe. Twelve different
Plecoptera (stoneflies) are recorded but only from streams since they do not ordinarily
occur in lakes. Thirty-three caddisfly (Trichoptera) taxa are identified. Dominant mayflies,
stoneflies and caddisflies are listed in Table 5.
Trichoptera (caddisflies) are the

most diverse group of macroin-
vertebrates collected.
165
Table 5. Dominant Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera from lakes, ponds and streams
Ephemeroptera Plecoptera Trichoptera
Baetis bicaudatus Sweltsa sp. Asynarchus sp.

Callibaetis sp. Yoraperla brevis Psychoglypha sp.
Siphlonurus sp. Isoperla sp. Limnephilis sp.
Paraleptophlebia sp. Zapada sp. Dicosmoecus sp.
Insect representatives from the Orders Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Megaloptera and
Odonata are also present. Macroinvertebrates other than insects common in the water
bodies are freshwater clams (Pisidium), freshwater shrimp (Gammarus lacustris, Hyallela
azteca), flatworms (Polycelius ), and fairy shrimp (Anostraca).
The spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum)

and Coeur d’Alene salamander (Plethodon idahoenus) are the amphibians observed.
Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and golden trout (Salmo
aguabonita) are identified from the lakes.
Recommendations
The classification system presents elements and modifiers (Tables 1 and 3) that can be
observed, measured and analyzed. This approach has two primary benefits. First, it sets
up uniform methods and target parameters for future research. Second, the system can
be applied to gap analysis to identify missing or under-represented natural area types.
These gaps may not exist on the landscape or may simply not be reported in the inven-
tory. Future research efforts can focus on covering the gaps and bringing more natural
areas into the RNA system.
Of the 52 lakes and ponds assessed in this study, only five were classed as alpine, and
lakes in only three RNAs were identified as highly alkaline. Our surveys have identified a
series of alpine lakes and ponds located in sedimentary rock basins adjacent to waters in
granitic basins in the White Cloud Mountains of central Idaho. Highly alkaline alpine lakes
in argillaceous quartzite, dolomite and conglomerates at elevations above 9000 feet are
common here (Wissmar and Rabe 1967). Such lakes would provide an excellent oppor-
tunity for research comparing the composition and density of macroinvertebrate and plant
communities in soft and hard water lakes.
Pond in the White Cloud Mountains.
166
There is also a need to establish more upland and moraine lakes as RNAs. Both of these
geomorphic types occur at slightly lower elevations and are not recognized as high lakes.
However since they demonstrate such significant differences in limnological characteris-
tics, a greater effort should be made to identify and inventory these systems.
High lake ecosystems provide an important early warning system for environmental prob-
lems expected to grow in number, such as the threat of acid rain and eutrophication.
Natural perturbations can also be monitored, as when ash from Mount St. Helens fell on
the Steep Lakes, where we had previously gathered baseline data (Crumb 1977).
It is important to increase public awareness of the opportunities that RNAs offer for studying
natural systems. Educators and research groups can use these RNA lakes and ponds to
give students valuable experience in making scientific observations and collecting samples.
Such learning opportunities are exciting for those who enjoy and appreciate nature and can
open up a new perspective for those who have never been introduced to these prized nat-
ural systems. At the same time, the research produces more information about high lake
ecosystems and heightens our awareness and appreciation of Idaho’s natural treasures.
Literature Cited
Crumb, S. 1977. Long term effects of fish stocking on the invertebrate communities of
Steep Lake Idaho. Moscow ID, University of Idaho. 27 p. Thesis.
Larson, G.L.; Wones, A.; McIntire, C. D.; Samora, B. 1994. Integrating limnological char-
acteristics of high mountain lakes into the landscape of a natural area. Environmental
Management 18 (6): 871-888.
Pennak, R.W. 1969. Colorado semidrainage mountain lakes. Limnology and

Oceanography 14: 720-725.
Rabe, F. W.; Elzinga, C.; Breckenridge, R. 1994. Classification of meandering glide and
spring stream natural areas in Idaho. Natural Areas Journal 14 (3): 188-202.
Wissmar, R. C.; Rabe, F. W. 1967. Preliminary study of some White Cloud Mountain lakes
in central Idaho. Biological Sciences Department, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.
167
Glossary
Terms that are in bold italics and other words describing high mountain lakes are includ-
ed in the glossary. The glossary was adapted in part from Horn and Goldman (1994),
Hutchinson (1967, Merritt and Cummins (1996, and Reid (1964).
Alkalinity— Ability of lake water to neutralize acid expressed in terms of calcium carbon-
ate as mg/l.
Alpine lake — Lake located above tree line.
Aspect — Direction the outlet of a lake is facing.
Bathymetric — Related to depth measurement of lakes.
Belt Rock — Formations of sedimentary rocks laid down in Idaho, eastern Washington
and western Montana during the latter part of Precambrian time, 850-1450 million years
ago.
Benthos— Invertebrates living on the bottom of lakes and streams.
Cascade-pool type—Steep gradient stream with a series of cascades and pools.
Circumneutral — Water having a pH of between 5.5 and 7.4.
Cirque — A glacially formed depression containing a lake at the upper end of a moun-
tain valley.
Cirque-scour — Basin scoured out down-valley by alpine glaciers, usually in less resis-
tant rock.
Conductivity— Measure of water to carry an electrical current, varies both with the
number and type of ions the solution contains. It is expressed as micromhos/cm.
CPOM — Coarse particulate organic matter comprised of wood litter, leaves and nee-
dles in water bodies.
Dystrophic — Brownish in color with much dissolved humic matter.
Ecoregion — Ecosystems of regional extent or ecosystems described at the macroscop-

ic scale (McNab and Avers 1994; Bailey 1993).
Geomorphic form — Lake origin related to glacial processes.
Granite — Common intrusive igneous rock compound predominantly of quartz and fel-
sic minerals with crystals large enough to distinguish with the unaided eye.
168
Hard water — Waters that contain bound carbon dioxide in excess of 30-35 mg/l.
Common in regions where the substrate contains easily dissolved minerals.
Krummholz —Stunted trees characteristic of timberline.
Lake — Large inland body of water. This study used a curve plotting maximum depth in
meters against area in hectares used to designate waters as lakes or ponds.
Lentic — Standing bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.
Littoral —Shallow zone. In this study lake waters less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) in depth.
Macrophyte — Macroscopic plant in an aquatic environment.
Macroinvertebrate — Invertebrates visible with the unaided eye. Aquatic insects, flat-
worms, freshwater clams, freshwater shrimp, fairy shrimp and snails are examples of
macroinvertebrates collected in lakes and streams.
Massif — Large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an

independent portion of a range.
Meandering glide —Low gradient stream having a sinous channel.
Modifiers— Lake characteristics (pH, rock type ,hydrology) that provide supplementary
information to classifying high mountain lakes.
Montane — a mountain zone lower than alpine and subalpine zones. Upland and moraine
type lakes are commonly found in this zone.
Moraine — A deposit of glacial till. One of the geomorphic lake types in this study char-
acterized as being formed by morainal dams.
Paternoster — Variety of cirque-scour lakes that form a linear chain of at least three lakes
connected by a stream in a glacial valley.
Phytomacrofauna — Macroinvertebrates associated with aquatic plants.
Pond — Small shallow body of water in a depression. A curve plotting maximum depth
in meters against area in hectares is used for designating waters as lakes or ponds.
Production potential — Production of lake based on seven physical, chemical and biot-
ic parameters. Lakes are classified as poor, medium-poor, medium, medium-high and
high production.
Quartzite — Metamorphic rock formed by recrystallization of quartz sandstone.
169
Reference area —Pristine or unaltered site used as a contro to compare with locales
changed by human disturbance or natural events.
Riffle-pool — Stream type with series of alternating stretches of fast and slow water in
the channel located on a terrain of moderate gradient.
RNA — Research Natural Area. Tracts of land and water set aside by the U.S. Forest
Service for the purpose of research, biotic diversity, education and reference areas.
Rock glacier —Mass of poorly sorted angular boulders and other material cemented by
interstitial ice, as observed in Mystery Lake.
Scree — An accumulation of rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff;
talus
Sedge — Any of various plants of the family Cyperaceae resembling grasses but having
solid stems.
Sedimentary rock — A deposit of sediment hardened into rock. Most sedimentary rocks
are layered or stratified.
Seep — Slow movement of water, sometimes derived from melting snow through porous
material.
Semidrainage lake — Small, shallow, soft bottomed lakes lacking a permanent outlet and
not being connected with a definite drainage system, most commonly located in a mead-
ow. Macroinvertebrate community is usually different compared to that in a seepage lake.
Shoreline development — Amount of shoreline relative to size of lake. The more convo-
luted or irregular the shoreline, the more “edge” or shoreline development of the lake.
Lakes with more edge or contact with shore have higher production potential than those
more round.
Soft water lake — Having a low pH. Concentratrion of bound carbon dioxide as carbon-
ate is low usually less than 10 mg/l.
Subalpine lake — Located on a high upland slope but not above tree line.
Subregion — An area clssified as similar geology, terrain, climate and plant cover. There
are ten subregions in the state of Idaho, seven of which contain high mountain lake
Research Natural Areas.
Talus — A sloping mass of rock accumulated at base of a cliff or hill.
Upland lake — Form in depressions scoured by ice caps on gently rolling or upland val-
leys.
170
Volcanic rock — Finely crystalline or glassy igneous rock resulting from volcanic action
at or near the earth’s surface, either ejected explosively or extruded as lava, e.g. basalt.
Zooplankton — Microscopic crustaceans and rotifers occupying the water column of a

lake.
Literature Cited
Horne, A.. J.; Goldman, C. R. 1994. Limnology. Second Edition. New York: McGraw Hill
Publishers. 576 p.
Hutchinson, G. E. 1967. A treatise on limnology. Volume 2. Introduction to lake biology and

the limnoplankton. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1115 p.
Merritt, R. W.; Cummins, K. W. 1996. Aquatic insects of North America. Dubuque:

Kendall/Hunt Publishers. 861 p.
Reid, G. K. 1964. Ecology of inland waters and estuaries. New York: Reinhold Publishing.
373 p.
171
Appendix A: Vascular and Nonvascular Plant Species of High
Mountain Lake RNAs in Idaho
The emphasis here is on aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, however some terrestrial
species in describing an RNA are also listed. Vascular plant nomenclature follows
Hitchcock and Cromquist (1973). Common names are developed by the Northern Region,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service 1992). Moss nomenclature follows Anderson and others (1990).
Pteridophytes
Isoetaceae
Isoetes lacustris L. Lake quillwort
Dry Opteridacea
Althyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth ex Mertens Ladyfern
Gymnosperms
Cupressaceae
Thuja plicata Donn. Western redcedar
Pinaeceae
Abies grandis (Dougl.) Forbs Grand fir
Abies lasiocarpa (Hook) Nutt. Subalpine fir
Larix lyalli Parl. Subalpine larch
Picea contorta Dougl. Lodgepole pine
Picea engelmannii Parry Engelmann spruce
Pinus albicaulis Engelm. Whitebark pine
Pinus flexilis James Limber pine
Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. Western hemlock
Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr. Mountain hemlock
Angiosperms
Betulaceae
Alnus sinuata (Regel) Rydb. Sitka alder
Betula papyrifera Marsh. Paper birch
Boraginaceae
Romanzoffia sitchensis Bong Mistmaiden
Cyperacea
Carex aquatalis Wahl. Water sedge
Carex canescens L. Gray sedge
Carex dioica L. Yellow-bog sedge
172
Carex geyeri Boott Elk sedge
Carex illota Bailey Small-headed sedge
Carex lasiocarpa Ehrh. Slender sedge
Carex lenticularis Michx. Lens sedge
Carex limosa L. Mud sedge
Carex mertensii Prescott Merten sedge
Carex microptera Mack. Small-winged sedge
Carex multicostata Mack. Many-ribbed sedge
Carex nigricans C. A. Meyer Black alpine sedge
Carex oderi Retz. Green sedge
Carex parryana Dewey Parry sedge
Carex prionophylla Holm Firethread sedge
Carex raynoldsii Dewey Raynold sedge
Carex rossii Boott Ross sedge
Carex scopulorum Holm Holm Rocky Mountain sedge
Carex utriculata Boott Beaked sedge
Carex vesicaria L. Inflated sedge
Eleocharis pauciflora (Lightf.) Link Few-flowered spike rush
Compositae
Arnica alpina (L.) Olin Alpine arnica
Machaeranthera laetevirens Ness Aster
Crassulaceae
Sedum borschii Stonecrop
Ericaceae
Gaultheria humifusa (Grah.) Rydb. Wintergreen
Kalmia microphylla (Hook.) Heller Laurel
Ledum glandulosum Nutt. Labrador- tea
Menziesis ferrusginea Smith Fool’s huckleberry
Rhododendron albiflorum Hook White rhododendron
Vaccinium scoparium Leiberg Grouse whortleberry
Vaccinium spp. Huckleberry
Gramineae
Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv. Hairgrass
Hippuridaceae
Myriophyllum sp. L. Water-milfoil
Hydrocharitaceae
Vallisneria americana Michx. Tapegrass
Juncaceae
Juncus drummondii E. Meyer Drummond’s rush
Juncus ensifolius Wikst. Dagger-leaf rush
Juncus filiformis L. Thread rush
173
Juncus mertensianus Bong Rush
Juncus nevadensis Wats Nevada rush
Juncus parryi Engelm. Rush
Juncus torreyi Cov. Rush
Menyanthaceae
Meyanthes trifokiata L. Bogbean
Nymphaeaceae
Nuphar polysepalum Engelm. Yellow water- lily
Umbelliferae
Cymopterus sp. Raf. Cymopterus
Musineon lineare Raf. Rydberg’s musineon
Poaceae
Callamagrostis canadensis (Michx) Beauv. Bluejoint reedgrass
Festuca viridula Vasey Green fescue
Potamogetonaceae
Potomegeton crispus L. Curly pondweed
Potomegeton natans L. Floating-leaved pondweed
Primulaceae
Douglasia idahoensis Henderson
Ranunculaceae
Calltha leptosepala DC. Marshmarigold
Saxifragaceae
Saxifraga oppositifolia L. Purple saxifrage
Salicaceae
Salix artica Pall. Arctic willow
Salix commutata Bebb Undergreen willow
Saoix drummondiana Barratt Drummond willow
Salix planifolia Pursh Planeleaf willow
Scrophulariaceae
Castilleja christii Rydb. Indian paintbrush
Sparganiaceae
Sparganium angustifolium Michx. Bur-reed
174
Mosses
Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw

Aulacomnium sp.
Sphagnum spp.
Literature Cited
Anderson, L. E.; Crum, H.; Buck, W. 1990. List of mosses of North America north of
Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4): 448-499.
Hitchcock, C. L.; Cromquist, A. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA:
University of Washington Press. 730 p.
175
Appendix B: Zooplankton Species of High Mountain Lake RNAs in Idaho
Microcrustacean zooplankton consisting of cladocerans and copepods are listed below.

Common names of these taxa do not occur. Ostracods are found in the samples but not iden-
tified beyond the Class Ostracoda. Brooks (1963) is used to identify cladocerans and Wilson
and Yeatman (1963) to identify copepods. Harpacticoid copepod specimens are not identified
beyond the Order Harpacticoida.
Cladocera
Polyphemidae
Polyphemus pediculus (Linne)
Holopedidae
Holopedium gibberum Zaddach
Chydoridae
Alona sp. Baird
Chydorus sphaericus (O. F. Muller)
Chydorus spp. Stebbing
Graptoleberis sp. Sars
Pleuroxus sp. Baird
Daphnidae
Ceriodaphnia spp. Dana
Daphnia rosea Sars
Daphnia schodleri Sars
Daphnia spp. Straus
Scapholeberis sp. Schodler
Simocephalus sp. Schodler
Bosminidae
Bosmina longirostris (O. F. Miller)
Bosmina spp. Sars
Copepoda
Diaptomidae
Diaptomus arapahoensis Dodds
Diaptomus lintoni S. A. Forbes
Diaptomus shoshone S. A. Forbes
Diaptomus spp.
176
Cyclopidae
Macrocyclops albidus Claus
Cyclops venustoides Coker
Orthocyclops modestus E. B. Forbes
Cyclopidae spp.
Harpacticoida
Ostracoda
Literature Cited
Brooks, J. L. 1963. Cladocera 1963. In: Fresh water biology. New York: Wiley Press. 1248 p.
Wilson, M. S.; Yeatman, H. C. 1963. Free-living Copepoda. In: Fresh water biology. New York:
Wiley Press. 1248 p.
177
Appendix C: Macroinvertebrate taxa of High Mountain
Lake RNAs in Idaho
Immature aquatic insects were identified from Merritt and Cummins (1996), Wiggins
(1996) and Stewart and Stark (1993). Pennak (1989) was used to identify macroinverte-
brates other than aquatic insects. The invertebrates were collected from both lakes and
streams.
ARTHROPODA
INSECTA
Ephemeroptera
Heptageniidae
Cingma sp.
Cinygmula sp.
Epeorus albertae (McDunnough)
Epeorus deceitivus (McDunnough)
Nixe sp.
Ephemerillidae
Ephemerella infrequens Eaton
Seratella tibialis McDunnough
Ameletidae
Ameletus similor Eaton
Ameletus sp.
Caenidae
Caenis sp.
Leptophlebiidae
Paraleptophlebia debilis (McDunnough)
Paraleptophlebia memorialis (McDunnough)
Siphlonuridae
Siphlonurus columbianus
Siphlonurus sp.
Baetidae
Baetis bicaudatus Dodds
Baetis tricaudatus Dodds
Callibaetis sp.
178
Centroptilum sp.
Plecoptera
Peltoperlidae
Yoraperla brevis (Banks)
Nemouridae
Amphinemura sp.
Nemoura sp.
Visoka sp.
Zapada sp.
Perlidae
Acroneuria sp.
Perlodidae
Cultus sp.
Isoperla sp.
Setvena bradleyi (Smith)
Chloroperlidae
Alloperla sp.
Sweltsa sp.
Trichoptera
Glossosomatidae
Glossosoma sp.
Protoptila sp.
Limnephilidae
Asynarchuis sp.
Chyranda sp.
Clistorina sp.
Desmona sp.
Ecclisocosmoecus sp.
Ecclisomyia sp.
Ecosmoecus sp.
Grammotaulius sp.
Hesperophylax sp.
Homophylax sp.
Lenarchus sp.
Limnephilus sp.
179
Onocosmoecus sp.
Hydropsychidae
Arctopsyche sp.
Parapsyche sp.
Philopotamidae
Dolophilodes sp.
Polycentropoidae
Polycentropus sp.
Apataniidae
Allomyia sp.
Brachycentridae
Brachycentrus sp.
Uenoidae
Neothremma sp.
Odontoceridae
Megaloptera
Sialidae
Sialis sp.
Coleoptera
Dytiscidae
Agabus sp.
Coptoptomus sp.
Hydroporus sp.
Hydrovatus sp.
Hygrotus sp.
Ilybius / Agabus sp.
Neoscutopteris sp.
Rhantus sp.
Uvarus sp.
Gyrinidae
Gyrinus sp.
Limnogonus sp.
180
Hemiptera
Notonectidae
Notonecta kirbyi Hungerford
Notoecta undulata Say
Corixidae
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Bezzia sp.
Stratiomyidae
Stratiomyia sp.
Culicidae
Psychodidae
Simulidae
Prosimulium sp.
Chironomidae
Ablabesmyia sp.
Chironominae
Corynorena sp.
Cryptolabis sp.
Diamesa sp.
Dolichopesa sp.
Hydrobaenus sp.
Microspectra sp.
Nanocladius sp.
Orthocladiinae
Pagastea sp.
Pentaneura sp.
Polypedilum sp.
Procladius sp.
Pseudodiamesa sp.
Tanypodinae
Tventenia sp.
Odonata
Cordulegastridae
181
Libelluidae
Aeshnidae
Aeshna sp.
Coenagrionidae
Ischnura sp.
Ischnura / Enallagma
CRUSTACEA
Gammaridae
Gammarus lacustris Sars
Talitridae
Hyallela azteca Saussure
Branchinectidae
Branchinecta coloradensis Packard
Branchinecta paludosa (O. F. Muller)
PLATYHELMINTHES
Dendrocoelidae
Polycelis coronata Kenk
Procotyla sp.
ANNELIDA
Oligochaeta
Lumbriculidae
Tubificidae
Hirudinea
Glossiphoniidae
Helobdella stagnalis (Linnaeus )
Glossiphonia complanata (Linnaeus)
182
MOLLUSCA
Sphaeridae
Pisidium sp.
Literature Cited
Merritt, R. W.; Cummins, K. W. 1996. Aquatic insects of North America. Third edition.
Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing. 862 p.
Pennak, R. W. 1989. Fresh-water invertebrates of the United States. Third edition. New
York: John Wiley & Sons. 628 p.
Stewart, K. W.; Stark, B. P. 1988. Nymphs of North American stonefly genera (Plecoptera).
Denton: University of North Texas Press. 460 p.
Wiggins, G. B. 1996. Second edition. Larvae of the North American caddisfly genera
(Trichoptera). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 457 p.
183
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FAX (970) 498-1396
E-mail rschneider@fs.fed.us
Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/rm
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Rocky Mountain Research Station
240 West Prospect Road
Fort Collins, CO 80526
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United States

Fred W. Rabe is an aquatic ecologist and

High mountain lakes in Idaho total about

Keywords: high mountain lakes, lake clas-

Cover photo: View of Theriault Pond locat-

Idaho Subregions .....................................................................................................................................i

Field Methods ..........................................................................................................................................7

Description of high mountain lake Research Natural Areas in Idaho..............................................17

North Idaho Subregion .........................................................................................................................19

Idaho Batholith Subregion....................................................................................................................33

Western Fringe Subregion..................................................................................................................103

Great Basin Subregion........................................................................................................................149

Southeast Idaho Subregion ................................................................................................................155

Summary and Discussion ..................................................................................................................161

Table 1. Classification elements of high mountain lakes........................................................................10

Table 3. Modifiers used in classification of high mountain lakes............................................................13

Appendix A: Vascular and Nonvascular Plant Species ...................................................................173

Appendix B: Zooplankton Species ....................................................................................................175

Appendix C: Macroinvertebrate Taxa.................................................................................................177

Over a 30 year period various individuals

Individuals contributing information from

Ben Studer of the Idaho Geological Survey

Charles Wellner retired from the Forest Service is

Classifying and cataloging natural diversity and identifying

In addition to Research Natural Areas established by the

To effectively compare and evaluate potential natural areas

RNAs have an intrinsic value due to their natural beauty and

Freshwater sites have been studied very little compared to

Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University

Aselection process of high lake natural areas which involved

The class studied seven lakes. Students learned how to col-

Howse, N. R. 1967. Fishery survey of alpine lakes of Seven

Moseley, R. K. 1996. Sawtooth wilderness high lakes mon-

Macrophytes, mostly emergent sedges, were collected

Temperature was measured directly below the water sur-

Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected as the investi-

Bathymetric map of Lower Steep Lake. Contour levels in

A marked weighted line was used to measure depth along

Crumb, S. 1977. Long term effects of fish stocking on the

This report presents a classification that encompasses five

Elevation of lake basins can be used to reconstruct

Curve used for designation of

Production or productivity is defined here as the rate at

Elevation alpine subalpine montane

Size large (> 4 ha) small (< 4 ha)

Depth deep (> 4.5 m) shallow (< 4.5 m)

cirque moraine upland

Factor Low production Medium production High production

Aspect N NW, NE, E SW, S, SE

Elevation Alpine Subalpine Montane

Shoreline development < 1.07 1.08-1.22 > 1.23

Alkalinity (mg/l) < 12 13-30 > 30

Sedge beds Few, scattered Moderate < 50 % Extensive > 50 %

It was assumed that the factors used to predict fish produc-

The individual factors listed in Table 2 were ranked for each

Temperate alpine glaciers tend to develop on the shaded

Alkalinity refers to the ability of the lake water to neutralize

Geologic setting affects the alkalinity of high mountain