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2013 Draft Mazama Pocket Gopher Status Update and Recovery Plan

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2013 Draft Mazama Pocket Gopher Status Update and Recovery Plan DRAFT Mazama Pocket Gopher Status Update and Recovery Plan Derek W. Stinson Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Program 600 Capitol Way N Olympia, Washington January 2013 In 1990, the Washington Wildlife Commission adopted procedures for listing and de-listing species as endangered, threatened, or sensitive and for writing recovery and management plans for listed species (WAC 232-12-297, Appendix A). The procedures, developed by a group of citizens, interest groups, and state and federal agencies, require preparation of recovery plans for species listed as threatened or endangered. Recovery, as defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the process by which the decline of an endangered or threatened species is arrested or reversed, and threats to its survival are neutralized, so that its long-term survival in nature can be ensured. This is the Draft Washington State Status Update and Recovery Plan for the Mazama Pocket Gopher. It summarizes what is known of the historical and current distribution and abundance of the Mazama pocket gopher in Washington and describes factors affecting known populations and its habitat. It prescribes strategies to recover the species, such as protecting populations and existing habitat, evaluating and restoring habitat, and initiating research and cooperative programs. Target population objectives and other criteria for down-listing to state Sensitive are identified. As part of the State’s listing and recovery procedures, the draft recovery plan is available for a 90-day public comment period. Please submit written comments on this report by 19 April 2013 via e-mail to: [email protected], or by mail to: Endangered Species Section Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA 98501-1091 This report should be cited as: Stinson, D. W. 2013. Draft Mazama Pocket Gopher Status Update and Washington State Recovery Plan. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 91+ vi pp. DRAFT January 2013 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3 TAXONOMY AND Distribution ................................................................................................................. 4 NATURAL HISTORY ................................................................................................................................. 6 Behavior, Burrowing and Burrows ........................................................................................................... 6 Diet and Foraging ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Home Range, Movements, and Dispersal ............................................................................................... 11 Reproduction ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Pocket Gopher Demography and Population Dynamics ......................................................................... 14 Predation .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Ecological Relationships and Functions ................................................................................................. 16 HABITAT REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................... 19 Mazama Pocket Gopher Association with Prairies and Grassland Vegetation ...................................... 19 Effects of Soil Characteristics on Distribution and Abundance of Pocket Gophers .............................. 20 POPULATION AND HABITAT STATUS ............................................................................................... 23 Past Status of Habitat and Populations ................................................................................................... 23 Pocket Gopher Surveys and Population Estimation ................................................................................ 27 Present Status of Populations and Habitats ............................................................................................. 30 MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................................. 38 Habitat Management and Restoration ..................................................................................................... 38 Research .................................................................................................................................................. 39 Conservation Planning ............................................................................................................................ 40 Information and Education ...................................................................................................................... 41 FACTORS AFFECTING CONTINUED EXISTENCE ............................................................................. 41 Adequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ...................................................................................... 41 Impacts of Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, Degradation, and Succession ................................................. 43 Airport Management and Development .................................................................................................. 46 Military Training ..................................................................................................................................... 48 Climate Change ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Altered Ecological Communities ............................................................................................................ 49 RECOVERY .............................................................................................................................................. 50 RECOVERY GOAL ................................................................................................................................... 50 RECOVERY OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 52 Rationale ................................................................................................................................................. 52 RECOVERY STRATEGIES AND TASKS ............................................................................................... 53 IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................... 65 REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................................................... 67 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS .......................................................................................................... 76 Appendix A. Washington Administrative Code. ........................................................................................ 77 Appendix B. Measurements and dorsal fur colora of eight subspecies of Mazama pocket gophers from Washington. ................................................................................................................................... 80 Appendix C. Hypothesized suitabilitya of certain soils of Thurston, and Pierce counties for Mazama DRAFT January 2013 ii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Pocket Gophers based on presence and abundance. ...................................................................... 81 Appendix D. Hypothesized suitabilitya of certain soils of Mason County for Mazama Pocket Gophers based on gopher presence and abundance. .................................................................................... 82 Appendix E. Washington localities, year, collector of Mazama pocket gopher specimens collected from 1825– 2006, in major research collections. ................................................................................... 83 Appendix. F. Summary of population status, site ownership, habitat, and site management for populations of Mazama pocket gophers in five counties in Washington. ..................................... 89 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1. General locations of eight subspecies of Mazama pocket gopher in western Washington. ........... 6 Table 3. Plant species eaten or cached by Mazama pocket gophers. ......................................................... 10 Table 3. Implementation schedule and preliminary cost estimates for implementation of recovery tasks. 65 Figure 1. Mazama pocket gopher (photo
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