Given the level of urbanization and development in Frederick County, it is expected that the majority of the deer harvested from Frederick County came Stattic research buy from within the study area. The public lands in the Catoctin Mountains account for 88 % of all the publicly held lands available for hunting in Frederick County (Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2013). Although deer population density data are not available within

the study area, it is reasonable to assume that trends in the study area would mirror county-wide trends. The increase in orchids in 2008 was unexpected and is likely a response to a decline in the deer population. The deer harvest dropped from nearly 9,000 individuals in 2001 to 7,000 in 2006. Liberalized bag limits are likely the result of the harvest increase in 2007 to 2008 (B. Eyler pers. comm). We expect as the white-tailed deer population continues to decline the response in orchid species will continue to be favorable. Seedlings of many terrestrial species are subterranean

and seeds may still be present learn more in the seed bank (Rasmussen and Whigham 1998). Future inventory should be conducted to determine the current orchid census at a subset of these sites given the recent implementation of deer control efforts at Catoctin Mountain Park. Deer exclosure studies should be conducted to further test the hypothesis that deer herbivory is causing this decline and to document overall herbaceous species response. It is likely that other plant groups have seen a very similar decline (i.e. Trillium, Lilium, Carex) but given no dataset exists it can only be inferred from a lack of diversity throughout the study area or a response to deer exclosures. The lack of overall decline in Platanthera flava var. herbiola is caused by a count of 270 individuals in 2008, up from just 90 in 2007 (Fig. 3). The only species that showed an increase

during this study period was P. ciliaris. Y-27632 order The single site that explains this growth is owned and managed by the State of Maryland. Platanthera ciliaris is a pyrophytic species requiring open conditions such as open woods, roadsides, and seepage slopes (Sheviak 2002). To mimic the disturbance requirements of this rare species, the site has been mowed periodically beginning in 1989 (D. Rohrback pers. com.). Platanthera ciliaris has responded ZD1839 mw positively to the disturbance regime. This study shows the value and utility of long-term datasets over a large area. This study also challenges the underlying idea that an area is protected just because it is publicly owned. Proper natural resource management is a prerequisite for species survival. In the case of this study, we were very fortunate to have a long-term dataset showing the declines that occurred.