Forest Service names Lolo species of conservation concern

The U.S. Forest Service has identified 10 plants and six animals as species of conservation concern on the Lolo National Forest. 

The species include iconic animals like mountain goat and bighorn sheep, and more obscure species like the aquatic western pearlshell mussel and the flowery Arctic sweet coltsfoot. Some, like mountain goat and Mission Mountain kittentails, were added to the final list after the agency reviewed public comments on a draft list released over the summer. 

A bighorn sheep, pictured here in Glacier National Park on June 4, 2023. The U.S. Forest Service named the bighorn sheep a species of of conservation concern on the Lolo National Forest.

JOSHUA MURDOCK, Missoulian

The list of potential species of conservation concern, finalized by Region 1 Forester Leanne Marten, is a selection of species found in the forest that are not already federally protected but that “the best available scientific information,” according to the agency, indicates it may not be able to persist in the area.

The listings, announced publicly Tuesday, are part of the agency’s ongoing effort to revise the Lolo’s outdated management plan for

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