Rhode Island’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Division of Fish and Wildlife State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management September 2005 The Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife Mission Statement Our mission is to ensure that the Freshwater, Marine and Wildlife resources of the State of Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use. A message from the Chief… The Division is extremely proud of the plan that it has produced in consultation with Terwilliger Consulting, Inc., all three sections of the Division staff, (Freshwater Fisheries, Marine Fisheries and Wildlife), spent countless hours obtaining data, conducting meetings with stake holders and brainstorming strategies in order to produce the final plan for Rhode Island. We hope that NAAT will look favorably upon the plan as they read through the extensive text, tables and data sets that make up Rhode Island’s CWCS. As a Division employee for 37 years and currently Acting Chief I know that the development of this plan is the most significant accomplishment in the Division’s history, and will change wildlife conservation programs in Rhode Island for the near and distant future. It will define the Division’s mission, which is to “ensure that the freshwater, marine and wildlife resources of the state of Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use”. State of Rhode Island Donald L. Carcieri, Governor Department of Environmental Management Michael Sullivan PhD, Director (401) 222-2771 Division of Fish and Wildlife Michael L. Lapisky, Acting Chief Oliver Stedman Government Center 4808 Tower Hill Road Wakefield, RI 02897 (401) 789-30954 “It is the policy of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to offer its services and accommodations to all orderly person, and, as required, to all properly licensed persons, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, or handicap.” If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, facility, or if you desire further information, please write to the Office for Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Washington, D.C. 20240. RHODE I SLAND’ S C OMPREHENSIVE W ILDLIFE C ONSERVATION S TRATEGY Executive Summary This document presents the results of a two-year process to develop an effective strategy for wildlife conservation in Rhode Island as enabled through the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) federal program that provides funding and administration for this effort through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office of Federal Aid. The goal of this document is to provide direction and coordination of wildlife conservation efforts for the next decade and address the required elements outlined in the legislation. It represents a vision and a strategy for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (RI DEM DFW) along with its conservation partners in the comprehensive conservation of wildlife for the state. As the smallest state in the nation, Rhode Island still supports almost 900 vertebrate wildlife species and an estimated 20,000 invertebrates spanning the scenic coastline of Narragansett Bay to the upland forests typical of the New England region. Included in this incredible natural diversity are 23 mammal species, 129 bird species, 21 reptile and amphibian species, 34 fish species and 157 invertebrate species that Rhode Island DEM DFW has identified as in greatest conservation need (GCN). These 364 GCN species are supported throughout the state in 64 different types of key habitats. This Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) process identified threats to these important species and habitats, and identified habitat loss and degradation from human population growth with its associated impacts as high on the long list of threats. This plan outlines a series of actions prescribed for the next decade to address these threats and to effectively conserve Rhode Island’s important wildlife resources. The CWCS planning process began with an exhaustive inventory of existing natural resource information, programs and stakeholders. This unprecedented broad and inclusive approach was taken to compile and represent information on the status of wildlife conservation in the state and the diversity of public and private stakeholders. It included review of other programs and efforts in the state, region and nation. Information on the full array of wildlife was researched, solicited and compiled. This information is presented herein as a summary of the status of wildlife and its habitat in the state, and as the foundation for identifying species of greatest conservation need and their key habitats. A wide array of stakeholders participated in the development of the process as well as the resulting lists of wildlife species and habitats, threats and conservation actions. Extensive input was provided by natural resource staff throughout the RI DEM DFW. The resulting process engaged a broader network of individuals and entities and sparked increased communication, coordination and integration. Close coordination with the Teaming With Wildlife (TWW) and International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA) Committees as well as local, state, regional, and national conservation partners was maintained in order to capitalize on advancements and encourage integration and future coordination through the implementation of this SWG CWCS. Coordination cut across traditional program divisions to encourage integrated natural resource priority setting to result in mutually beneficial efficiency and economy ii RHODE I SLAND’ S C OMPREHENSIVE W ILDLIFE C ONSERVATION S TRATEGY of scale. It fostered the broader "system" approach that identified and addressed wildlife species in broader habitat associations and more holistic assemblages representing biotic communities for more effective conservation. The resulting product (this ten year strategic plan) provides the vision and direction for effective and efficient wildlife conservation in Rhode Island, including collaboration with the conservation community and citizens alike for the next decade. It is designed to respond and adapt to current needs and to be evaluated at regular intervals in order to provide the most appropriate and effective conservation for wildlife in greatest need of conservation in Rhode Island. iii RHODE I SLAND’ S C OMPREHENSIVE W ILDLIFE C ONSERVATION S TRATEGY Rhode Island CWCS Element Guide The RI DEM DFW has prepared this guide to Rhode Island’s CWCS for the National Advisory Acceptance Team (NAAT) and others to readily find sections that address each of the eight required elements. Rhode Island’s CWCS consists of the main body of text and a series of technical appendices that provide more detailed information and supporting documentation. The main body of the CWCS has eight chapters, each of which focuses on one of the eight elements (in numerical order). Thus, Chapter 1 directly addresses Element 1 and its subelements, Chapter 2 addresses Element 2, and so on. The interconnectedness of the elements allows for each element to also be indirectly addressed in other chapters, and the table below highlights these linkages by listing all of the locations where each subelement is substantially addressed. Figures, tables and appendices are labeled throughout the document with the first number referring to the corresponding chapter and the second number or letter to the sequential order as the figure, table or appendix is introduced in the text. For example, Table 3.4 is the fourth table in Chapter 3 and Appendix 1c is the third appendix supporting Chapter 1. The Rhode Island CWCS and its supporting appendices are available through the RI DEM DFW website (http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/swgindex.htm) as Adobe PDF files. Detailed information about each of the GCN species, key habitats, threats, research needs and conservation actions is also available in the RI DEM DFW CWCS dataset and summarized on the RI DEM DFW website for the CWCS, which provided the public the opportunity to submit comments as well as to find specific information on the status, ranking and associations between individual GCN species and habitat. CWCS Table or NAAT Guidance Pages Pages Section Figure Element 1: Information on the distribution and abundance of species of wildlife, including low and declining populations as the state deems appropriate, that are indicative of the diversity and health of the state’s wildlife: A. The Strategy indicates sources of Chapter 1 4 – 42 Table 7.2 283 information (e.g., literature, data bases, agencies, individuals) on wildlife Bibliography 313 – 353 abundance and distribution consulted during the planning process. Appendix 1a A 2 –12 Appendix 5 A 528 - 574 Appendix 7a A 575 - 580 iv RHODE I SLAND’ S C OMPREHENSIVE W ILDLIFE C ONSERVATION S TRATEGY CWCS Table or NAAT Guidance Pages Pages Section Figure Appendix 8a A 587 -589 B. The Strategy includes information Chapter 1 4 – 42 Figure 1.1 8 about both abundance and distribution for species in all major groups to the extent Appendix 1b A 13- 62 Figure 1.2 10 that data are available. There are plans for acquiring information about species for Appendix 1c A 63 - 74 Figure 1.3 11 which adequate abundance and/or distribution information is unavailable. Figure 1.4 13 Figure 1.5 14 Figure 1.6 15 Figure 1.7 17 Figure 1.8 22 Figure 1.9 23 Figure 1.10 39 Table 1.1 4 Table 1.5 28 Table 1.8 38 Table 2.12 75 C. The Strategy identifies low and Chapter 1 4 – 42 Table 1.5 28 declining populations to the extent data are available. Appendix 1b A 13 – 62 Appendix 1c A 63 - 74 D. All major groups of wildlife have been Chapter 1 4 – 42 Table 1.8 38 considered or an explanation is provided as to why they were not (e.g., including Appendix 1a A 2 – 12 reference to implemented marine fisheries management plans).