B1: Outstanding Biodiversity Significance
This site was visited during 2005 as part of the Grand County Inventory. Troublesome Creek joins the Colorado River east of Kremling. The site is dominated by the sandstones and siltstones of the Troublesome Formation, which are generally sparsely vegetated. These fine-textured, grayish-brown soils may not look like much, but are home to two Grand County endemic plant species that are Federally Listed as Endangered: Penland beardtongue (Penstemon penlandii) and Osterhout milkvetch (Astragalus osterhoutii), as well as the regional endemic dog parsley (Aletes nuttallii).
This site includes all known occurrences for Penland beardtongue. Due to the concentration of globally critically imperiled (G1/S1) plants, this site is of outstanding biodiversity value, in essence irreplaceable.
