Amber Kirkpatrick , MSU Water Quality Associate Holly Sessoms, MSU Water Quality Associate Jim Bauder, MSU Water Quality Specialist Quentin Skinner , University of Wyoming

Changes in the native range plant community of the Powder River Basin (PRB) are occurring in response to two stimuli; drought and energy development. Due to prolonged drought, shifts in community composition are occurring throughout the PRB and other semi-arid regions of the northern Great Plains and Mountains. In addition, areas of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) development within the PRB, especially riparian areas receiving CBM discharge water, are experiencing changes due to increases in water quantity and changes in water quality. CBM production in the PRB results in the co-production of significant quantities of water, and due to the geologic nature and structure of the basin, the chemistry of produced water is highly variable yet fairly predictable.

The goal of this guide is to identify and describe characteristics of some of the more common plants found in changing landscapes, with emphasis on the PRB of Montana and Wyoming, to aid with watershed management, landowner education and energy-agriculture relations. This regional extension bulletin, a response to these changing conditions, identifies and describes changes in plant community composition occurring as either CBM development progresses or salinity and sodicity conditions begin to dominate landscape sites. This bulletin is designed to give landowners and watershed groups a user-friendly diagnostic tool which informs them about shifts in plant communities and species composition. This bulletin can be used by anyone interested in developing a baseline plant inventory prior to development or evaluating a site which may be impacted. It can also be used to monitor changes/shifts in plant community composition as development, or drought progresses.