U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Winter 2016 spotlight Fish & Wildlife News
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s p o t l i g h t Strategic Habitat Conservation 14 Unfinished Story 20 Sharing the Land 26 and more... what’s inside
Departments Features
From the Director / 1 s p o t l i g h t News / 2 Curator’s Corner / 42 STRATEGIC Our People / 43 HABITAT CONSERVATION 14 by PAUL SOUZA The Next Generation of Wildlife Conservation | and TOM MELIUS
Catching On to Border Crossing / 24 Connect the Surrogates / 18 Working together across Connecticut / 30 Preserving Oregon’s state lines to protect the A landscape conservation Willamette Valley magnificent Great Lakes design for the Connecticut River watershed takes shape
Protecting the Flint Conservation for Islands of Shelter Hills / 32 Sustainability / 34 by Design / 38 Surrogates of the Programs and partners Wildlife and people benefit Vast Tallgrass Prairie stand together to ensure from forward-looking the future of Alaska’s rich landscape conservation social-ecological system vision for California’s ON THE COVER: BULL ON THE NATIONAL BISON RANGE. PHOTO: DAVE FITZPATRICK, Central Valley VOLUNTEER
2 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 from the director
Seeing the Big Picture
One of the best parts about being the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is having the opportunity to travel throughout our great nation. To quote the late Johnny Cash, “I’ve been everywhere, man.”
From the Artic to the Everglades, I’m continually In this issue of Fish and Wildlife News, we travel awed by the landscapes surrounding me, and to every region to provide a sense of how these wherever I go, I similarly find special people landscape-scale efforts are proceeding. These stories determined to protect our lands, not just because capture just a few of the many examples of landscape they love them, but because they want them to thrive conservation work underway in places like the Prairie and sustain fish and wildlife for future generations. Potholes, Blackfoot Challenge, Rocky Mountain Front, Flint Hills, Everglades Headwaters and the To do this, it’s time to see the big, landscape-scale remote Pacific Islands. picture. At the same time, we’re focusing on species to Implementing landscape conservation strategies isn’t conserve entire landscapes. With the greater something that’s “nice to do.” It isn’t an adjunct to our sage-grouse, our annual $8 million investment is daily efforts to conserve wildlife. It is how the day-to- driving hundreds of millions and eventually billions in day work of the agency needs to be done from now conservation dollars across nearly 200 million acres. on — if we want to be successful into the future. Our priority focus on monarch butterfly conservation promises to have a similar landscape-scale impact We must work collaboratively with our partners across North America — beyond just that single to use the best available science to set conservation iconic species. objectives — and to design, implement and evaluate landscape conservation strategies that drive toward We need your help. those objectives. Only in this way can we maximize the return on our limited conservation dollars. Many employees and partners may be uncertain about this approach. That’s why we’re creating a Only by delivering conservation at appropriate community of practice around landscape-scale scales can we ensure that our work makes a difference conservation efforts and developing new platforms for native wildlife and ecosystems. And only by and tools to help practitioners share experiences and identifying and prioritizing work that conserves intact lessons learned. Like me, I think you’ll be inspired by and functional landscapes can we ensure that these the examples in this issue and feel empowered to join vital resources are protected for generations to come. this growing effort.
The most important thing that we can all do right now is simply get started, try something new and be part of the big picture. Thanks, I’ll see you out there!
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STRATEGIC HABITAT Many of the forum participants CONSERVATION believe more needs to be done to make sure practitioners feel like Creating a Community they have the tools and answers of Practice they need. The participants also concluded that project leaders for Landscape and refuge managers may need Conservation far different sets of answers than biologists and conservation n May 2015, project leaders, design experts. Irefuge managers and other Service staff working on “I’m not sure we’re ready for landscape conservation gathered prime time — meaning engaging at the Service’s National partners — until we’ve settled on Conservation Training Center for our own points of reference and the first-ever Strategic Habitat have a simple ‘Rosetta Stone’ to
Conservation Practitioners Forum. USFWS consistently translate what it is we are doing in terms that can be Over three days, participants For many participants, the discus- Catherine Phillips, project leader in easily understood by our partners shared their experiences and sions represented the first steps the Panama City Field Office, at the in the landscape in which we knowledge implementing toward creating a community of Practitioners Forum: “If we’re going to operate,” says Mike Bryant, landscape-scale conservation. practice — a mutual support make progress, we have to get together refuge manager at Alligator River The forum featured sessions and system for experienced practi- and learn from each other.” National Wildlife Refuge in North discussions to gather feedback tioners to share what they know, Carolina. “Clarity is key, but it’s on the Service’s ongoing efforts and for those newer to this difficult.” to implement landscape conser- approach, to learn from what’s requires a level of rigorous vation and hear how Service been done before. Even those adaptive management that isn’t Phillips agrees, noting that staff and partners are making forum participants who have always easy to sustain. And to be effective landscape conservation it happen. been working on landscape effective, the approach requires requires the Service to engage conservation for years came cooperative goal setting and partners and find shared For Paul Souza, Assistant Director away from the event with new conservation design above and solutions, a task that’s often hard for Science Applications, the ideas and energy. beyond what most conservation for different programs and field forum was a key step forward professionals are used to seeing. stations within the Service to in efforts to institutionalize “Strategic, landscape-scale accomplish. landscape conservation as the conservation is a scientific Phillips says she hopes the Service’s focus for the future. process, and getting together to Practitioners Forum is the “All of our partners have different share information and discuss beginning of a true community missions and areas of focus. They “We’ve received comments progress is how scientists of practice. But she’s aware of also have different contributions from leaders at all levels within move the needle. That’s why this the difficulty of creating and to make, and approaches they the Service that they need forum needed to happen,” says sustaining such a community — apply to their work,” Phillips says. help applying this conservation Catherine Phillips, project leader especially given the pressures “Our challenge is to find ways approach to their daily work in the Panama City Field Office. and demands most practitioners to fit the pieces together to make and making sure their efforts “If we’re going to make progress, are under today. a bigger contribution to the contribute to larger landscape we have to get together and learn landscapes we’re working to conservation goals. It’s not easy, from each other.” “For a community of practice protect. That’s why this dialogue and we know that some people to be successful, it has to be needs to continue and expand.” feel like they’re alone in this,” Implementing a more systematic organic. It has to meet the needs he says. “Being able to get approach to setting priorities and of practitioners and be sustained Souza is on the same page. together with peers from other designing, delivering and evalu- by them,” she says. “It’s actually “I believe that the only way we programs and regions helps ating conservation actions to started happening, but not in are truly going to tackle large- break down that isolation and accomplish those priorities isn’t a formal sense. We’ve begun scale and long-term conservation shows how others are tackling an enormous departure from talking more regularly with folks challenges are to face them the very same issues.” what most biologists and land in other regions, continuing the together.” managers know and do every discussions we began at the day. But landscape conservation forum, and that’s encouraging.”
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STRATEGIC HABITAT achieve greater conservation STRATEGIC HABITAT CONSERVATION gains. We want to ensure our CONSERVATION goals are clear — this is simply Selecting Surrogate SHC’s first step. If there are other 225 Million Monarchs Species approaches that accomplish this goal more effectively in a given Finding out what works to he surrogate species concept landscape, we should use them.” strategically conserve habitats Tis one way for the Service for monarch butterflies to help set thoughtful priorities By recasting the guidance as a with state partners. In theory, reference document, the Service onsider the monarch by taking action to conserve hopes to give employees across Cbutterfly, North America’s surrogate species, the Service the agency the green light to most beloved butterfly. The not only addresses that species’ innovate and experiment. This species has specific habitat
needs but also creates cascading TOM KOERNER/USFWS is, after all, the way scientific requirements throughout its benefits for other species on the The brewer’s sparrow and numerous advances are made. To that lifespan, many of which it shares landscape. other species that rely on sagebrush end, the Service is supporting with other insect and avian polli- habitat are benefiting from conservation the creation of a community of nators, and a remarkable annual The Service published draft efforts for the greater sage-grouse. practice among landscape migration across thousands of technical guidance regarding conservation professionals, miles over many generations. surrogate species in 2012 and and emphasizing its role as a requested feedback on the For these reasons, the Service learning organization that But over the past 20 years, the approach from staff and scien- rewrote the draft technical constantly improves its methods monarch population has dropped tists outside of the agency. guidance to be used as a and practices. more than 90 percent, compelling Since that time, a small team of tool where appropriate. This the Service to take a lead role dedicated employees has worked non-prescriptive technical “Adaptive management has in its conservation. This sharp steadily to respond to and incor- reference document is designed always been at the heart of our decline, combined with the porate thousands of comments to address the comments work. That won’t change, but we butterfly’s species-specific and suggestions from staff, received during the peer review can and must do a better job of requirements, makes it a strong partners and peer reviewers. and help employees and partners sharing what we learn and using candidate to benefit from understand the strengths and our successes and setbacks to Strategic Habitat Conservation, A major theme across the limitations of a surrogate species improve how we design and also known as SHC. comments emphasized that the approach. The document uses deliver conservation in the science surrounding the use of real world examples to help future,” Souza says. “I hope and SHC is a process of critical surrogate species is still incon- explain when this approach can expect that the Service will make thinking about why, how and clusive. While many methods for best be applied. It also recog- significant contributions to the where the Service does habitat surrogate species selection nizes that other approaches can science behind species conser- management by documenting have been proposed, few be used to set science-based vation, so that in future years we reasons for management actions examples exist that can confirm priorities with our partners. can develop even more effective and learning to make subsequent a causal relationship between approaches that help practi- management actions more conservation actions that benefit “The surrogate species approach tioners across the planet.” effective. ›› surrogate species and improve- was intended to empower our ments in other species that employees to think bigger share the landscape. As is often and find creative and efficient ? MORE INFORMATION A monarch butterfly in Minnesota. the case, one size does not fit all. solutions to the conservation In some parts of the country, the challenges we face. But it’s just The Technical Reference guidance proved to be a helpful that — an approach, not an end in Document can be found at tool in developing Strategic itself,” says Paul Souza, Assistant
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SHC Step 1: These strategies should target Biological Planning known or suspected important In the United States, monarch breeding and migration areas. butterflies occur in eastern and western migratory populations. SHC Steps 3 & 4: From wintering grounds in Conservation Delivery and evergreen forests tucked away in Monitoring a small area of the Sierra Madre Based on the Conservation Occidental Mountains west of Design strategies, managers Mexico City, Eastern monarchs can begin delivering conservation make a 3,000-mile annual flight to on the ground. breeding habitats across the United States and Canada. From schoolchildren to CEOs, the Service has been enlisting Monarch populations are conservation partners, surveyed each year on their landowners and the public to wintering area in the Mexican plant native milkweed and protect highlands by measuring the monarch habitat. In the Midwest, area of forest occupied by the prairie restoration remains a goal, butterflies. This measurement current and desired future condi- strategies for achieving and other strategies are is a population index and it tions; and refining species-habitat population objectives. underway as well. has declined from a high of relationships. more than 18 hectares in The loss of milkweed from nearly Monitoring these “deliveries” 1996–97 — corresponding to Ultimately, the model helps 90 million acres of cropland in creates opportunities to find out 1 billion butterflies — to a low managers identify uncertainties the Corn Belt and the continued what works and what doesn’t. of 0.67 hectares in 2013–14, and use the best science loss of pasture and other grass- Through this learning process, about 33 million monarchs. available to make assumptions lands will be difficult to mitigate. the Service is able to gauge and wisely focus conservation Several Conservation Design progress and make future Subsistence timber harvesting investments. A key part of SHC approaches have been proposed management more effective in Mexico has been a problem, is subsequent research or for monarchs, and each is useful: and efficient while reducing but the dramatic population drop monitoring, which will test uncertainties. over the last decade is thought and support or refute these n Using public-private partner- to be due to habitat deterioration assumptions. ships to restore monarch habitat, The expansive range and in the species’ core Midwestern including augmenting public and unique lifecycle of the monarch breeding range. The simplest conceptual model Conservation Reserve Program presents challenges to range- for monarchs is that the species (CRP) lands with higher densities wide monitoring. Fortunately, Although the population index requires native milkweed to lay of milkweed planting; researchers and citizen scientists number inched up to 56.5 million their eggs on and for their cater- have been working for decades in 2015, it’s not enough to save pillars to eat. Most experts agree n Restoring prairies; to monitor the species and its the species. The Service has that milkweed abundance is the migration patterns. set a population goal for Eastern first acute (or grave) limiting n Managing roadsides and utility monarchs of 225 million butter- factor for monarch butterflies. corridors for milkweed and nectar The Service is also drafting a flies by 2020, the equivalent of Nectar plants are also critical for plants; National Monitoring Strategy roughly six hectares of occupied food during the breeding and for monarchs and milkweed to forest. migration seasons, and their n Engaging gardeners, schools monitor the effectiveness of availability is the second acute and others to create gardens of conservation efforts. A sampling Through Biological Planning, limiting factor. milkweed and nectar plants design will drive the collection of managers build a shared known as way stations; and data about milkweed, flowering conceptual or expert-based SHC Step 2: nectar plants, monarch eggs and model of a species’ conservation Conservation Design n Working with farmers to restore larvae, and the presence of needs. The model serves as a Conservation Design involves and manage parts of their land monarch butterfly adults. foundation for future conser- using the best tools and infor- for milkweed and nectar plants. vation efforts by identifying mation available to merge the The monitoring should resolve conservation targets; describing results of Biological Planning into some of the uncertainties regarding monarch biology including: 4 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 news
n Can we improve the estimation Bad Actors: 11 before it even begins. We’ve because of the damage invasive of wintering population densities scoured the globe and created species cause to industries since monarch populations Animals We Hope a bad-actor list of 10 fish and one and the environment. Stopping expand and contract at the You Never Meet in crayfish that we want to make invasive species before they wintering site depending on sure never find their way to the cross our borders is the most temperature, clustering more Midwest Waters Midwest. Nearly all of these efficient and cost-effective tightly in colder weather? animals would find our rivers, approach to battling these n an era when the Midwest is lakes and streams a suitable unwelcome guests. n Can we better understand the Ifrustrated by a seemingly home. Coupled with their relationship between milkweed endless litany of unwelcome unfortunate tendency to invade In the absence of a magic crystal density and monarch repro- guests in our waters, from zebra new places, we’ve decided the ball to show us future invasive ductive output? Does a high mussels and Asian carp to risk these animals pose to our species, we turn to science to density of milkweed attract an Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny environment is too high. help us create a lineup of our equivalently high density of water fleas, the Service has bad actors. We use a process monarch females? Does a high decided that enough is enough Why Prevention is Key we call Ecological Risk Screening density of milkweed or monarch and is going on the offensive. Experience has taught us that Summaries to focus our caterpillars attract parasites? invasive species remedies prevention efforts. Starting our The Service hopes to stop the are costly, both in time and in bad-actor search with freshwater n Do corridors along roads have next invasion by non-native resources. Additionally, society animals, we use international adequate survival rates to help critters of Midwestern waterways loses billions of dollars a year databases, scientific literature achieve population objectives? and a computer model to locate areas of the United States that The Yabby crayfish n Is restoring monarch habitat provide the right climate, such near agricultural habitat effective is widely distributed as temperature and rainfall given the widespread use of throughout Australia. patterns, for animals known to aerial spraying and neonictinoid be invasive in other parts of the and other pesticides? world. The potential risk an animal poses to our country’s n Are way stations effective at waters increases when we find attracting monarchs? a strong climate match.
SHC enables the practice of Preempting the Next Invasion adaptive management. It’s flexible Ecological Risk Screenings enough to allow managers to have revealed our bad actors. change strategies depending on how successful conservation Amur sleeper. Crucian carp. delivery was to producing Eurasian minnow. European favorable biological outcomes. perch. Nile perch. Prussian carp. Monarchs are just one of the Roach. Stone moroko. Wels species that benefit from this catfish. Zander. Yabby crayfish. conservation framework. COMMONS STINSON/CREATIVE MATHEW The Wels catfish is The next step is to keep them out. KURT JOHNSON, Science found throughout Applications, Headquarters, and Europe. The Service used the information REX JOHNSON, Midwest Region collected in the Ecological Risk Screening Summaries to support ? MORE INFORMATION a proposed rule to list the 11 species as injurious under the Lacey Act. If the rule becomes To learn more about final, it will make the import and the Service’s “Save the interstate transport of any of Monarch” initiatives, visit these animals illegal, except with
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The zander is already found in Proposed BP-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill one lake in North Dakota. But the ban on interstate transport would Settlement Largest in U.S. History contain the fish to North Dakota. n October 5, U.S Attorney $5.5 billion provided for Another crucial part of the effort OGeneral Loretta Lynch, RESTORE Act projects to stop animals before they enter announced a “major step forward The $20 billion total agreed to by our country is our partnership in our effort to deliver justice to BP includes a $5.5 billion penalty with industry and state conser- the Gulf region.” Flanked by four under the Clean Water Act. In vation agencies. In 2013, the Cabinet-level leaders, Lynch accordance with the RESTORE Service signed a Memorandum explained, “We have secured Act of 2012, which set up a of Understanding with the Pet a historic resolution of our framework for restoring the Industry Joint Advisory Council pending claims against BP, ecosystem and economy of the and the Association of Fish and totaling more than $20 billion — Gulf Coast region, 80 percent of Wildlife Agencies. Both groups making it the largest settlement the $5.5 billion will go to environ- agreed to help us in our efforts against any entity in American mental restoration, economic by voluntarily refraining from the history.” BP was the party recovery projects, and tourism importation of high risk species primarily responsible for 2010’s and seafood promotion in Florida, not yet introduced to the country Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana in trade. Their ongoing support is largest environmental disaster and Texas. a vital part of our future success. in U.S. history. A RESTORE Council composed of The interplay of science, policy If approved by a federal judge, representatives of the five Gulf and partnerships is important in the settlement agreement would states and six federal entities — our fight to keep invasive animals end a long and arduous legal the Departments of the Interior, out of U.S. waters. We hope that journey that brought the U.S. Commerce, Agriculture and the names on our bad-actor list Department of Justice together Homeland Security as well as slip from your memory in a few with five Gulf states and four the Army and the Environmental months or years. That would federal agencies to make BP Protection Agency — has been The guidance for using the mean our offensive is doing the pay penalties for Clean Water hard at work since 2012 identi- damages, which will be paid job: With help from our partners, Act violations and damages for fying potential restoration over 15 years, is described in we would have the next invasion injuries to natural resources. projects and developing regula- a proposed restoration plan before it ever became a tions to make the Gulf Coast published by the Deepwater problem. While a “major step forward,” environment and economy more Horizon Natural Resource Lynch emphasized the amount of sustainable and more resilient. Damage Assessment (NRDA) KATIE STEIGER-MEISTER, External work that remains. The 350-page shortly after Justice filed the Affairs, Midwest Region written agreement known as the $8.8 billion provided in natural consent decree. consent decree is a proposed resource damages agreement; it will be finalized The agreement also stipulates As with the proposed consent only after Justice considers that BP must pay $8.1 billion in decree, the public comment all comments made during a natural resource damages to period for the draft restoration 60-day public comment period compensate for injuries to the plan ended on December 4. that ended December 4. Gulf of Mexico ecosystem caused Justice and the NRDA team are Lynch strongly encouraged all by the spill and spill-response reviewing public input and antic- interested parties to provide activities. This sum includes ipate finalizing both documents their views on the proposed $1 billion already made available this spring. agreement. by BP to fund restoration activ- ities before resolution of litigation. NANCIANN REGALADO, Deepwater BP has also agreed to pay up to Horizon Natural Resource Damage $700 million for injuries not now Assessment, Southeast Region recognized but possibly identified in the future.
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Sand dunes on the Perdue Unit at She also committed her bureaus Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in to continuing to work with Gulf Alabama. Coast communities to ensure they are engaged in recovery and restoration efforts. These hensive restoration plan. efforts will “generate jobs, Because the oil spill occurred improve water quality, support across a vast geographic area our tribal responsibilities and and affected a wide array of result in an improved wildlife natural resources, habitat types habitat for migratory birds and and species, the proposed plan hundreds of vulnerable species,” identifies restoration goals she explained. and restoration approaches rather than specific restoration Trustees are reviewing public projects. Identification of comments and hope to finalize individual restoration projects the plan this spring. will be accomplished by future implementation groups that will NANCIANN REGALADO, Deepwater focus on restoration needs in Horizon Natural Resource Damage specific geographic areas. Assessment, Southeast Region
The draft plan’s five goals are restoring and conserving habitat; ? MORE INFORMATION restoring water quality; replen- ishing and protecting living Visit USFWS providing enhanced recreational www.gulfspillrestoration. opportunities; and providing for noaa.gov>. Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration monitoring, adaptive management and administrative oversight. For more information on the Plan Proposed to Address Massive Trustees identified 13 restoration draft plan and the other Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill targets: wetlands, coastal and work of the Deepwater nearshore habitats; habitat Horizon NRDA Trustees, hen the U.S. Department hazardous substances enter projects on federally managed please visit Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 7 news In Southern California, Dia de Los Muertos Celebrates the Role of Monarch Butterflies in Honoring Ancestors he small community of Santa celebration, which included TPaula in southern California native garden tours, seed joined the Service at the Santa giveaways, butterfly-themed arts Paula Agriculture Museum on and crafts, a bee hive demon- November 1 to celebrate Dia de stration, and educational booths Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) by community partners. and the integral role monarch butterflies play in Hispanic Monarch butterflies and other culture and native ecosystems. pollinators such as bees, birds, bats and other insects help “This celebration honors the pollinate more than 75 percent of cultural significance of monarch the world’s flowering plants and butterflies in their role repre- nearly 75 percent of its crops. senting the spirits of ancestors Often unnoticed by humans, ASHLEY SPRATT/USFWS in the Hispanic community,” pollinators carry pollen from one says Steve Henry, field supervisor plant to another, fertilizing them A monarch butterfly enthusiast shows off for the Service’s Ventura Fish as they collect nectar. Without his seed packet full of native California ? MORE INFORMATION and Wildlife Office. “As this these hard-working animals, wildflower seeds. season’s monarch migration wildlife would have fewer nutri- To help monarch butterflies gets underway, we are also tious berries and seeds, and and native pollinators, plant celebrating the important role humans would struggle to migrations, many monarch butter- milkweed native to your monarch butterflies play as produce many fruits, vegetables flies travel thousands of miles region, cultivate native indicators of the health of our and nuts, from blueberries to over many generations from nectar plants, avoid the use pollinators.” almonds. Mexico to the United States of pesticides, participate in and Canada. In the Hispanic citizen science projects and More than 140 people from the Undertaking one of the world’s community, as part of the Dia de get involved in the Service’s Ventura County area joined the most remarkable and fascinating Los Muertos celebration, the Schoolyard Habitat Program. monarch butterfly migration is For more information on symbolic of the journey home monarchs, visit 8 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 news South Sound Prairies Communications with, and teaching site analysis of UNCOVERED: Urban the school campus. The students Partnership Reaches Out to Olympia Youth were encouraged to think like Wildlife Refuge designers as they headed outside Partnership Bringing he Service, with the assis- to conduct a site inventory. Saw Mill River Back Ttance of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Rivers, Trails Five teams created maps showing to Life in Yonkers and Conservation Assistance pedestrian and vehicular circu- Program, has formed the South lation, wildlife patterns, sun and t one time, Yonkers, New York, Sound Prairies Communications shade direction, site constraints, Awas an industrial power- Partnership to develop a broader and ideas for thinking “outside house. The historic city between base of community support for the box.” When the maps were New York City’s Bronx Borough all prairie species in the South overlaid, students could see how and a spacious expanse of the Puget Sound prairies of all the site elements play a part in Hudson River was used to being Washington state. designing their prairie garden and described in superlatives: the how many good ideas can be largest elevator and carpet mills The partnership recognizes incorporated into one design. in the world; the birthplace of farmers, ranchers and the plastics and FM radio; as well as Department of Defense for their In November, the students used a treasure trove of industries, conservation efforts, and works their skills as budding landscape Hudsonian-styled mansions, one to expand this productive model SUE ABBOTT/NPS architects to create a concept of America’s oldest golf courses through education, volunteer Students from ORLA learn about design for their prairie garden, to and storied gardens. In the mad opportunities, media events, landscape architecture and “find their be built at ORLA within the next rush to industrialize, the Saw Mill prairie tours, “prairie appreci- park” by listening to sound recordings year. They made design decisions River, which once served as the ation” days and more. A key from local and national parks in using their site maps, and city’s lifeblood, was entombed strategy is to create and promote Washington. integrated their artistic ideas for in concrete and buried under educational activities and the garden’s shape, color and parking lots and factories, a events that get residents involved texture. They used their transgression shrugged off in in prairie appreciation and the once-industrial-site- education in prairie ecology to the name of progress. protection. turned-native-oasis and a lesson select appropriate plants and in using landscape architecture take into consideration the In an all too familiar parable in With that in mind, the partnership to approach environmental wildlife that may use the school the industrial Northeast, one day teamed up with instructor opportunities and challenges. prairie as habitat. the factories were shuttered, Karina Champion, whose Students walked through a the metal presses and looms seventh-grade students at functioning prairie in an urban This year’s seventh-graders will grew silent, and Yonkers, like Olympia Regional Learning environment, experiencing help next year’s class learn about many post-industrial cities of Academy (ORLA) in Olympia, firsthand many of the park’s prairies and nurture the school America’s “Rust Belt” fell quickly Washington, are studying prairie successful, high-impact design prairie garden. South Sound into decline. The workshops gave ecology and restoration. solutions. Students also toured Prairies Communications partners way to brownfields, once pictur- the NPS PARK(ing) Day instal- believe this cycling of students esque boulevards increasingly Stephanie Stroud, a community lation, where a parking space with ORLA’s prairie curriculum showcased blight rather than assistance fellow with the was transformed into a mini-park will help create a lasting opulence, and disinvestment NPS Rivers, Trails and for a day. The installation connection to the local prairie and economic devastation led Conservation Assistance featured a “sound map,” encour- landscape and strengthen to further environmental degra- Program, is integrating a design aging students to think about students’ skills as designers and dation, social upheaval and component within Champion’s using all five senses when stewards of the land. racial divisiveness as highlighted prairie curriculum that allows considering a design solution. recently in HBO’s “Show Me a students to design and build TAYLOR GOFORTH, External Affairs, Hero” docudrama. For many, their own prairie garden. In October, Stroud was in the Pacific Region Yonkers was done. ›› classroom, sharing videos about In September, the class met landscape architects and the Stroud at Seattle’s Olympic many kinds of projects they work Sculpture Park for a tour of Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 9 news Youth from the Groundwork Hudson Valley Green Team maintain the Saw Mill River. The river was once buried under a parking lot. Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery May Hold Solution for Rare Turtles s crickets sing sunshine to Asleep, it’s a wake-up call for alligator snapping turtles. They make a living by the dark of the night in big creeks, rivers and marshes in the southern United States. In Oklahoma, they are not quite as abundant as they used to be. They once occupied much of the eastern third of the state, but habitat loss and over-harvest reduced this animal to living in only a few select sites. And that’s LINDSAY YOUNG/PACIFIC RIM CONSERVATION YOUNG/PACIFIC LINDSAY when Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery stepped in with a It is for these reasons that so river’s restoration. Magder working at Wallkill Refuge in New captive-rearing program for this many dignitaries and well- declared that a new era had Jersey to improve habitat along most interesting animal. What wishers who gathered along the indeed arrived for Yonkers and the Wallkill River. In turn, Wallkill animal has a piece of flesh on its banks of the restored Saw Mill that the restoration of the river staff visit Yonkers to help youth tongue it can wiggle to lure in River in October prefaced their was just a starting place for improve biodiversity along the unsuspecting fish and then prey remarks with “I can’t believe this a host of ambitious greening Saw Mill River and soon-to-be upon them with a forceful snap of is happening.” Standing at the projects planned for the constructed Yonkers RailTrail. its jaw? This one. podium, flanked by young faces community. He further directed reflecting the new diversity of the audience’s attention to The crowd lingered as long Starting in 1999, scientists at the Yonkers, and overlooking the now Michael Horne, refuge manager as they could. Young people hatchery brought the animals on babbling and daylighted Saw Mill, for Wallkill River National Wildlife gathered to work on Eastern station and developed captive- Cynthia Martinez, the Chief of the Refuge, standing nearby, and his phoebe nesting boxes to be breeding and -rearing techniques, National Wildlife Refuge System, staff, including refuge biologists installed along the river. A local with much success. While they unveiled a russet sign embla- Marilyn Kitchell and Ken teacher who had brought have not abandoned their work zoned with words designating Witkowski. Wallkill staff had students to the event read the with paddlefish, catfish and the Yonkers as an Urban Wildlife made numerous trips to Yonkers quote by Aldo Leopold on the endangered Arkansas River Refuge Partnership. The desig- to work with Groundwork on a new sign: “The good life of shiner, the alligator snapping nation served as a culmination variety of restoration projects. any river may depend on the turtle has risen in importance to of a decade of commitment and He reminded the audience that perception of its music; and stave off a potential listing under relentless determination to they were there not simply to the preservation of some music the Endangered Species Act. restore the Saw Mill to an celebrate the work that had been to perceive.” ecologically viable tributary. done but to revel in the alliance Toward that end, turtle biologist But the appellation was for that now flourished between a While there is still much to be Brian Fillmore recently more than a reclaimed tributary. refuge and a community leading done to restore the environment co-authored research findings in to real environmental change. of the region, at least the the specialized scientific journal, At the designation event, standing partnership between the Service Chelonian Conservation and alongside Yonkers Mayor Mike The partnership between Yonkers and Yonkers has added voices to Biology. Think of the journal as Spano, stood a beaming Rick and the Service was developed the chorus now singing the river’s “all things turtle” for scientists. Magder, the head of Groundwork over the last three years by rebirth. While it might be a specialized Hudson Valley, a local nonprofit Groundwork Hudson Valley and audience reading about Fillmore’s that played a central role in the its youth conservation program. CURT COLLIER, Deputy Director, work, what is reported is of civic partnership leading to the Young people from Yonkers are Groundwork Hudson Valley significance to conservation in 10 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 news East Oklahoma and beyond. those turtles were re-captured, Endangered Hawaiian Petrels Moved to scientists measured their size Fillmore and his four co-authors and weight. The data were Start New Colony at Kilauea Point National examined how young turtles compared to data from alligator Wildlife Refuge raised and given a head start at snapping turtles of the same age the hatchery survived the rigors that were kept at the hatchery of the wild. over the same period. It showed A Hawaiian that the released turtles put on petrel chick in its Captive rearing and releasing more mass and size than those mountain burrow. have worked for other species in kept in captivity. the past. White-tailed deer and wild turkey were once a rarity; That piece of information alone now they are quite common, is encouraging. It may show that thanks in part to “re-stocking” as captive-bred alligator snapping a conservation measure. But will turtles can quickly find the food it work for alligator snapping and space that they need to turtles? The upshot: It sure looks survive in waters that provide like it could. required habitat. Alligator snapping turtles from The ultimate sign of success will, Tishomingo were tagged, stocked of course, be a naturally breeding in the Caney River and Pond population, much like deer and Creek in northeastern Oklahoma, turkey. But alligator snapping and later re-caught. Some of the turtles are not deer; they aren’t 246 tagged turtles were never quite so visible or as easily seen again. Others were caught monitored. And that should be the multiple times for several years in next step in this turtle conser- the nets baited with dead fish set vation endeavor, say Fillmore and out in the late afternoons. When his co-authors, to determine if ANDRE RAINE/KAUA’I ENDANGERED SEABIRD RECOVERY PROJECT ANDRE RAINE/KAUA’I repatriated turtles will naturally reproduce. en downy endangered to the tops of peaks and loaded Brian Fillmore (right) and a volunteer THawaiian petrel chicks were onto the helicopters. Like any measure an adult alligator snapping CRAIG SPRINGER, External Affairs flown by helicopter last fall from precious cargo, the carriers turtle. Southwest Region their nesting area in the Na Pali were securely strapped into the Kona Forest Reserve to a new helicopter. colony protected by a predator- proof fence at Kilauea Point “This translocation will establish National Wildlife Refuge. a new, predator-free colony of the endangered Hawaiian petrel to In the early morning of November help prevent the extirpation of 3, two teams were dropped the species from Kaua’i,” says by helicopter onto mountain Michael Mitchell, the Service’s peaks managed by the Hawaii acting project leader of Kaua’i Department of Land and Natural National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Resources’ Division of Forestry “Petrels, like many other native and Wildlife. There, the teams Hawaiian species, are facing headed for 10 nest burrows that tremendous challenges with had been monitored throughout shrinking habitat and the the breeding season. onslaught of invasive species. Translocating the birds to Kilauea Each burrow contained a large, Point National Wildlife Refuge healthy chick. The chicks were ensures that this colony of birds carefully removed by hand, will be protected for our children placed into pet carriers, hiked up and our children’s children.”›› USFWS Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 11 news Natural Resources’ Division of Outfoxing Mange In Bakersfield, there have Forestry and Wildlife, the Kaua‘i been more than 90 known Endangered Seabird Recovery in the San Joaquin cases of mange in the Project, Pacific Rim Conservation Kit Fox San Joaquin kit fox and others. population. he endangered San Joaquin “Predator-proof fencing and Tkit fox is facing a new threat translocations of this type are and the Service is joining others necessary conservation strat- to help save the species. In egies in Hawaii to deal with addition to habitat loss, predation widespread non-native predator and human-induced mortality, populations that cannot be a sarcoptic mange disease readily eradicated,” says epidemic has hit the fox in USFWS Dr. George Wallace, vice Bakersfield, California, until TORY WESTALL/CSU STANISLAUS ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY PROGRAM The chicks are loaded onto a helicopter. president for Oceans and Islands recently a thriving population at ABC. “For the Hawaiian petrel, hub for the species. In 2013, the first cases of mange which is threatened by non- were reported in an urban The chicks were flown to native predators in their montane If you’re a pet owner, you’ve population of kit fox inhabiting Princeville Airport where an nesting areas, creation of a probably heard the word mange. Bakersfield. Since then, there animal care team assessed their colony protected from predators Sarcoptic mange is a highly have been more than 90 known health. From there, they were will be a major step forward in contagious and potentially fatal cases of mange in this population, driven to their new home within stabilizing and recovering its skin disease for canines caused with the number of infected the predator-proof fence in the Kaua’i population.” by parasitic mites. In foxes and individuals increasing each year. Nihoku area of the refuge. other closely related species This outbreak is particularly Hawaiian petrel chicks imprint on such as coyotes and wolves, troubling because Bakersfield The endangered Hawaiian petrel, their birth colony the first time sarcoptic mange is caused by hosts the last remaining stable or ‘ua’u, is one of two seabird they emerge from their burrows a canine-specific variety of mite population of San Joaquin kit fox. species endemic to the Hawaiian and see the night sky, and they unable to survive and reproduce Islands. Its population has will return to breed at the same on humans. Domestic dogs Historically abundant throughout declined dramatically due to colony as adults. Since the chicks are easily protected from the the San Joaquin Valley, kit a number of threats, including were removed from their natural disease by monthly tick and foxes now exist in small, predation by introduced mammals burrows before this imprinting flea prevention medication. fragmented populations. The (such as cats, rats and pigs) and stage, they will emerge from their overall population size of the collisions with manmade struc- nest boxes and imprint on the After colonizing a mammalian San Joaquin kit fox is estimated tures during the birds’ nocturnal Nihoku area, returning to the site host, the microscopic mites to be as low as 3,000. While flights from breeding colonies in as adults. burrow into the skin, depositing populations in natural areas the mountains to their ocean eggs, exoskeletons and fecal are subject to fluctuations in foraging grounds. In the meantime, human waste along the way. This leads abundance due to availability of caretakers will hand-feed the to intense itching and hair loss, prey and water, urban kit foxes Surrounded by fine mesh young birds a slurry of fish and leaving the host more vulnerable live in an environment with a stainless steel fencing 6.5 feet squid and carefully monitor to other parasites and skin constant source of human-related high, the 7.8-acre enclosure at their growth until the birds leave disease. If left untreated, food and water resources and Nihoku protects the birds from their new nest burrows and fly sarcoptic mange can eventually fewer natural predators. Over predators. The area inside the out to sea. The petrels will result in death due to factors the years, kit foxes in Bakersfield enclosure has also been partially remain at sea for the next three such as secondary infection, have maintained a population restored with native vegetation, to five years. hypothermia, dehydration and size of several hundred and seabird-friendly nest boxes, starvation. While mange has individuals and with consistently specifically designed to mimic The new colony will be the only been widely documented in high reproductive rates, but that natural burrows, have been fully protected colony of federally red fox populations across the stability may now be at risk. installed. listed seabirds anywhere in the globe dating back to 1689, it has Hawaiian Islands and represents been documented in the San Supported by funds from the The effort was a collaboration a huge achievement toward Joaquin kit fox within just the Service, researchers at the among the Service, American recovering this species. last three years. University of California, Davis, Bird Conservancy (ABC), the School of Veterinary Medicine; Hawaii Department of Land and the California State University, 12 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 news Iowa Reaping Benefits of North American Wetlands Conservation Act n the heart of Iowa, a quiet dependent birds, plants and other A biologist by training, Bishop has Itransformation is underway. For wildlife. NAWCA funds are also a knack for spreading the word the past 24 years, a remarkable used on conservation easements, about the value conservation coalition of private landowners, which protect the natural values easements and acquisitions conservation organizations, and of the land while families maintain bring to the community. In one local, state and federal officials private ownership and the right to of the Prairie Lakes phases, for has partnered to transform more continue to farm the land, live on example, Bishop reached out to than 47,900 acres of land into the property and conduct other Linn County Parks Department, vibrant habitat for hundreds of compatible uses. which had never tackled a species of birds and other wetlands restoration project. wildlife. In Iowa, where only 0.3 percent By the end of the project, the of land is managed by the federal department was enthusiastically In the last 10 years alone, more government, these projects make identifying birds on the property, Stanislaus, Endangered Species than 250 partners have raised a big difference for wildlife spreading the word about public Recovery Program; and the nearly $50 million, which the Iowa protection. access and clamoring to partner California Department of Department of Natural Resources on another NAWCA project. Last Fish and Wildlife are teaming (IDNR) has used as matching In Iowa, IDNR Special Projects spring, a pair of sandhill cranes up to stop this epidemic. contributions for 20 federal Coordinator Todd Bishop has nested on the property for the They plan to test the use of grants from the Service under been orchestrating the use of first time in modern history, an over-the-counter mange- the North American Wetlands NAWCA funds for 12 years. He event that drew bird watchers preventive collars. Conservation Act (NAWCA). oversees several large project from all over the area. Almost all properties in Iowa that areas, where multiple NAWCA Kit foxes will be trapped at have been acquired are publically grants have been awarded. For The Iowa Prairie Lakes projects high risk sites in Bakersfield. accessible for outdoor recre- example, he has overseen the show how NAWCA supports Individuals with mange will either ation, hunting and fishing. completion of five phases of the federal-private partnerships be dosed with a topical parasit- Prairie Lakes Initiative and has that strengthen both natural icide or taken to the California NAWCA grants allow organiza- three more phases in progress. and human communities and Living Museum for rehabilitation, tions such as IDNR, local groups, IDNR’s goal is to protect 15,000 successfully preserve local depending on severity of the Ducks Unlimited, The Nature acres in the Prairie Lakes region landscapes. With work like that, infection. Uninfected foxes will Conservancy and others to of Iowa for the benefit of many you could even call it a quiet be divided into two groups: a work with willing landowners to species of waterfowl such as storm. treatment group and a control purchase land, restore native lesser scaup, rails and other group. The treatment group will habitats and enhance wetlands to species. NISA MARKS, Migratory Bird Program, be fitted with mange-preventive increase their value for wetland- Headquarters collars, and the control group will not be treated. Foxes in both groups will then be monitored for nine months using radio-tracking collars and remote cameras to detect differences in the occur- rence of mange between the two groups. Based on the results of this study, researchers can determine whether mange-preventive collars will be an effective tool for controlling this outbreak on a larger scale. Sandhill cranes on property that was acquired as part of the recently DANA HERMAN, Sacramento Fish approved Prairie Lakes 8 NAWCA and Wildlife Office Biologist, Pacific grant. Southwest Region RESOURCES OF NATURAL DEPARTMENT IOWA Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 13 spotlight Catching on to Surrogates / 18 Connect the Connecticut / 30 Preserving Oregon’s Willamette Valley by A landscape conservation design for the working for species that represent others Connecticut River watershed takes shape Unfinished Story / 20 Protecting the Flint Hills / 32 Writing a happy ending for the silvery minnow Surrogates of the Vast Tallgrass Prairie on the Big Bend reach of the Rio Grande Conservation for Sustainability / 34 INSIDE SPOTLIGHT Border Crossing / 24 Programs and partners stand together to ensure Working together across state lines to protect the future of Alaska’s rich social-ecological system the magnificent Great Lakes Islands of Shelter by Design / 38 Sharing the Land / 26 Wildlife and people benefit from forward-looking Making sure wildlife doesn’t get crowded landscape conservation vision for California’s out of the South Atlantic landscape Central Valley 14 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Sunset on Lake Michigan The NextGeneration of ConservationWildlife Broadening our perspective by PAUL SOUZA and TOM MELIUS The Fish and Wildlife Service has worked tirelessly for generations to conserve both celebrated locations and species and those that are less known but just as important. We know we are at our best when we work with states, tribes, private landowners and a multitude of diverse interests to set and achieve shared conservation priorities. History shows the amazing results we get when we work with others to clearly define goals, build and implement strong conservation plans, and then refine the plans to get better every day. COURTNEY CELLEY/USFWS Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 15 spotlight ome successes have been truly We continue to use Idaho Sagebrush Scontinental in scale, such as waterfowl conservation through the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. They a broad, landscape- also include conservation of some of the nation’s crown jewels such as the Great scale perspective Lakes, Arctic, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, Everglades, Great Basin and Gulf to find success. of Mexico. Conservation successes have also been demonstrated for wide ranging species from wolves to sea turtles. By investing in science and defining up front what success looks like for these species, we are able to concentrate the efforts inside and outside our agency to make conservation happen. The legacy of conservation for wildlife the right places that will make a difference continues to evolve and our agency has for the species’ future. The monarch also new success stories to share. We continue offers a wonderful and rare opportunity to use a broad, landscape-scale perspective to touch the hearts and minds of the public to find success. The recent and ongoing in a new way, broadening our conservation effort for the greater sage-grouse is one constituency and making the mission of example. Working hand-in-hand with state the Fish and Wildlife Service relevant to wildlife agencies, we first defined our goal a new generation. as conserving the greater sage-grouse now and over the long term. This goal drove Our agency’s work across large landscapes the identification of Priority Areas for continues through these examples and Conservation, representing the amount many others showcased during the and configuration of habitat across Practitioner’s Forum on Strategic Habitat 11 states needed to conserve the species. Conservation held last year (see article With a common purpose, we worked page 2). The new generation of successes with others on species conservation, will borrow the same formula that has eventually eliminating the need to give worked in the past — clearly defining the bird the protections of the Endangered our goals, using science to develop, Species Act. implementing and refining a conservation strategy over time, and working with Monarch butterfly conservation is, we others to get more done for our mission believe, a success in the making. This than we could do alone. charismatic species has created an amazing groundswell of public support in PAUL SOUZA is the Assistant Director of Science both urban and rural areas in the United Applications. TOM MELIUS is the Regional Director States, Mexico and Canada. While we of the Midwest Region. still have a long way to go, this unity of purpose has enabled us to tap into a special energy that is producing results after only a couple of years. We have a better understanding of the migratory needs of the species than ever, and are using that science to build a continental conservation design and restore habitat in SAGEBRUSH: BARB SCHMIDT. KIDS: GARY PEEPLES/USFWS SAGEBRUSH: BARB SCHMIDT. 16 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Students in North Carolina plant a garden for monarchs and other pollinators behind their school. Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 17 spotlight METRO Catching Surrogateson to Preserving Oregon’s Stretching 150 miles north to south, the Willamette Valley is the economic lifeblood of western Oregon and the soul of an innovative culture infused in its Willamette Valley cities including Portland, St Helens, Salem and Eugene. Renowned as Oregon’s by working for species wine country, the valley is also home to a wide array of habitats, species and natural spaces. But this beautiful valley faces many conservation challenges that represent others and has long been the focus of extensive conservation planning. (Above) Citizen scientists n 2014, the Service’s Pacific Region Now, with such partners as the spent more than 1,000 hours Iselected the Willamette Valley for a Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, collecting thousands of landscape-scale conservation project using the Wetlands Conservancy, the Willamette records across hundreds of surrogate species. The Service worked Partnership and other local organizations, square miles on Oregon white closely with the Oregon Department of projects are underway to benefit the oak. Fish and Wildlife and other key partners surrogates and their habitats. With to identify 14 plants and animals that thousands of species in the region, a represent five priority habitats to target surrogate species, strategic landscape conservation in the valley. approach is the most efficient way to carry out the Service’s mission. 18 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 (Left) Surveying Oregon white oak. (Below) Students search for mussels. spotlight PHOTOS BY USFWS Willamette Valley OREGON “With this approach, we are working on More than 80 trained volunteers led by scientists to monitor mussel populations broader landscapes in ways we wouldn’t youth leaders from the Native American and collect water quality data for long- have been able to otherwise,” says Paul Youth Organization were mobilized during term evaluation. Henson, state supervisor of the Oregon the first year of OakQuest. In all, citizen Fish and Wildlife Office and lead for the scientists spent more than 1,000 hours The academy is catching on. Willamette Valley project. “The approach collecting thousands of oak locations allows us to expand our capacity for across hundreds of square miles. “I think whatever you guys presented to conservation beyond just listed species the kids in the classroom portion rubbed or small patches of habitat.” There is strong interest and excitement them the right way,” says a seventh-grade around conserving oak habitats and teacher’s assistant. “The students said Two projects focused on two selected associated birds, butterflies and plants. they would invite you back and even species — Oregon white oak and the mentioned mussels to me yesterday… western pearlshell mussel — illustrate When Metro asked Tom Salzer from so it stuck with them.” how working on certain species can lead the Clackamas Soil and Water to landscape-level conservation. Conservation District for support, he These projects extend conservation replied: “You ]had me at oak. How much benefits far beyond the surrogate species As part of a project called “OakQuest,” do you need?” themselves. By protecting Oregon white Service biologists are working closely oak, numerous species of birds, mammals with Metro, a regional governance Metro plans to continue these efforts with and insects beneficial to oak savannah group in the Portland metropolitan area free landowner workshops on oak-friendly habitat are also conserved. By protecting responsible for land-use planning and nature-scaping and expansion of mapping the western pearlshell mussels, the managing more than 16,000 acres of efforts throughout the Willamette Valley. Service helps improve water quality natural areas and parks, to build a map for salmon and all of the other species of native Oregon white oak in three For western pearlshell mussels, the dependent on healthy aquatic systems. metropolitan counties. Oregon white oak Service piloted a Freshwater Mussel is an umbrella surrogate and an excellent Academy this past year in Portland to These short-term, innovative successes species to advance landscape-level give middle and high school students the demonstrate the Service commitment conservation. opportunity to learn about mussel species to supporting landscape-level and understand how these species are conservation and locally led actions, Metro manages multiple oak-rich natural excellent indicators of ecosystem health. and show they work. areas, and improved mapping will help conserve and maintain connectivity Started by the Service’s Washington among oak habitat managed by Metro Fish and Wildlife Office and the Fisheries OREGON FISH AND WILDLIFE OFFICE, and private landowners. Program, the Freshwater Mussel Pacific Region Academy trains these students as citizen Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 19 spotlight he river is still “grande” in length, Tflowing 1,896 miles from southwestern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico; but in ferocity, it’s a different story. Decades of river alterations and heavy water consumption by cities and farms since the mid-1900s have reduced the river’s strength, leaving a scant 20 percent of its natural discharge flowing to the Gulf. Sediment accumulation and resultant channel narrowing have led to increased Unfinished flooding of riverside communities, degraded water quality and a decrease in healthy habitats for fish and wildlife. Once, heavy steamboat traffic told the story story of the Rio Grande. Today, the river is barely navigable, and an endangered, diminutive silvery minnow tells about Writing a happy impacts of unsustainable use of this ending for the silvery formerly mighty river. Nevertheless, the Rio Grande is a story minnow on the in search of a happy ending. Not a perfect ending — of a return to the unaltered, Big Bend reach of free-flowing river of the mid-1800s — but a 21st century happy ending in which the Rio Grande conservationists in the United States and Mexico work together to restore and better manage a portion of the river and by AISLINN MAESTAS surrounding lands of great value to both countries. The Rio Grande…the name itself calls to mind stories In 2010, Mexican President Felipe of America’s Wild West and old cowboy movies along Calderón and U.S. President Barack the “big river” that forms the natural border between Obama agreed that the Rio Grande/Río Bravo region, which includes the Big Bend Texas and Mexico. In Mexico, it’s known as the Rio Bravo, reach of the Rio Grande, encompasses one of the largest and most significant roughly translated as “fierce river,” although that too ecological complexes in North America evokes a reality more past than present. for people and for wildlife. Flowing through the heart of the northern Chihuahuan Desert, the Big Bend reach is surrounded by nearly 3 million acres of public and private conservation lands in Texas and Mexico. And, it is home to the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. On Life Support The tale of the Rio Grande silvery minnow, like the river itself, is full of twists and turns. In days gone by, it was the most 20 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Chris Harper and Aimee Roberson navigate the Lower Canyons of the Big Bend reach of the Rio Grande during a monitoring trip. The Rio Grande silvery minnow is one of the most endangered fishes in North America. The Service is working across programs with state and federal agencies on both LEFT: USFWS. TOP: JEN BACHUS LEFT: sides of the border, and with private companies and non-governmental common fish in the Rio Grande. Now “Likewise, actions we take today to help organizations to achieve on-the-ground in critical condition, the silvery minnow recover this species will benefit the river recovery success. survives on life support provided by as a whole, providing clean water and dedicated people across the region. healthy habitats for a multitude of Success in this case means creating three species.” self-sustaining populations of silvery Before the Service began reintroducing minnow outside the middle Rio Grande. the silvery minnow to the Big Bend reach Determining what those actions are; in 2008, the species had not been found deciding where and when to implement At Big Bend, Service experts, along there since 1960, serving as an important them; monitoring success; and adapting with partners including Texas Parks and indication of how the river had changed. to lessons learned are all chapters in this Wildlife Department and the National unfolding saga. Park Service, are leading efforts to As the Rio Grande has diminished in size, re-establish the fish. it has become narrower and deeper, “There is much we do not know right now, leaving fewer shallow areas with slow not just about this fish but about what is “If successful, the Rio Grande silvery moving water to serve as good nursery going on with other species in the Rio minnow reintroduction effort at Big Bend habitat for young silvery minnows. Grande,” says Mike Montagne, project would help us meet one of our critical leader of the Service’s Texas Fish and recovery goals and contribute to the “The plight of the silvery minnow is a Wildlife Conservation Office. “Our overall recovery of the species,” says warning to us that actions we have taken work on the silvery minnow provides an Wally Murphy, supervisor of the on the Rio Grande are causing significant opportunity to assess the status of other Service’s New Mexico Ecological Services harm to the river’s ecosystem,” says fish and wildlife, including the imperiled Field Office. Chris Harper, an Austin, Texas-based fish Chihuahua shiner and Rio Grande shiner.” and wildlife biologist with the Service’s It would also serve as an example of Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. how to restore the fish to other parts of the river. ›› Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 21 spotlight While far from healthy, this remote an interdisciplinary team of researchers part of the river holds promise due to and managers, led by the National its high-quality freshwater spring Park Service and others, to develop a inflows. It is the ideal place to combine monitoring plan to guide management reintroduction efforts with riverine and decisions. Recently, the Desert LCC riparian restoration. funded a project led by Utah State University to synthesize and analyze “Because the Big Bend reach is so remote data on abundance trends, habitat and not really in anyone’s backyard, we requirements and population trends have to work together and leverage of species in this target area. resources to get this work done,” says Harper. “It is a vast improvement on the “This information will inform way work has been done in the past and is recommendations for future monitoring exemplary of the direction our agency is and research,” says Aimee Roberson, the headed with partnering and collaborative Desert LCC’s science coordinator. “Our conservation.” ultimate goal is to give decision-makers the knowledge they need to most Long-Term Monitoring on the Rio Grande effectively manage the life-sustaining Equally important to on-the-ground water resources of the Big Bend reach conservation efforts is inventory and now and into the future.” monitoring of the Rio Grande silvery minnow and its habitat. The Service Pushing Forward for the Silvery Minnow has released more than 2 million silvery Every achievement on the Big Bend minnows into the Big Bend reach, but the reach — whether it is successful fish are not surviving to the size and age minnow spawning in the wild, increased where they can spawn. dispersal of the fish from release sites or reforestation of key riparian areas — “We need to go step by step and find out motivates Service staff to keep pushing what is happening with these fish at every forward. stage of their life cycle,” says Montagne. “There simply is no silver bullet solution This year, the Desert LCC will co-host to save the silvery minnow. The best we a forum on the Rio Grande where can do is to continue to restock, study, stakeholders will discuss what has been learn and improve. Once we identify the done to date, what lessons have been pinch points, we can respond in turn with learned and what should be done next for appropriate conservation management conservation and management of the river actions.” and its tributaries. Helping to identify these pinch points and At the same time, the Service is expanding answer other questions is the Desert captive-breeding and monitoring efforts Landscape Conservation Cooperative for the silvery minnow along the Big Bend (LCC). Its coordinator, Genevieve Johnson reach. Both efforts are emblematic of the of the Bureau of Reclamation, describes collaborative problem solving called for in the Desert LCC as a partnership of public- the complex environments of this day and and private-sector organizations that have age and into the future. come together voluntarily to address The Big Bend reach supports climate change and other ecosystem Will there be a happy ending on the wetlands with dozens of stressors impacting life in the Mojave, Big Bend reach? The little silvery minnow native fish, mussels that Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert regions will let us know. are being considered for of the southwestern United States and listing under the Endangered northern Mexico. Species Act and more than AISLINN MAESTAS, External Affairs, 500 species of birds. Along the Big Bend reach of the Rio Southwest Region Grande, the Desert LCC is working with USFWS 22 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Rio Grande Identified as One At the same time, the Service has of Five Emphasis Areas for funded an experimental program to rear Southwest Region Rio Grande silvery minnows at Uvalde National Fish Hatchery in Texas to meet As a way of making conservation efforts stocking needs for the Big Bend reach. as effective as possible with limited resources, the Service’s Southwest In October, Service staff released Region is concentrating conservation the first batches of juvenile silvery on five geographies or “emphasis minnows into the reach from Uvalde areas,” where it can achieve the and Dexter Southwestern Native greatest return on investment. Among Aquatic Resource and Recovery Center the five is the Rio Grande. in New Mexico. Monitoring activities for fish, invertebrates, water flow and Charged with breaking down silos, quality, and habitat conditions will the Rio Grande Emphasis Area Team inform science-based instream flow (RGrEAT) is uniting Service programs recommendations to support a healthy under a single shared vision for the river ecosystem. landscape: healthy, abundant riverine and riparian habitats capable of RGrEAT is also emphasizing community sustaining native fish and wildlife for engagement and awareness through generations to come. It is also teaming environmental education and youth up with a host of partners on both sides employment. of the Mexican border. According to Monica Kimbrough, Over the next five years, RGrEAT will National Wildlife Refuge System Middle prioritize conservation issues for the Rio Grande coordinator, “We need to landscape and set measurable goals understand our communities and create and objectives. The team has already opportunities for residents to connect received $39,000 in seed funding with and appreciate these resources. from the Service and $67,000 from An educated and informed public that the National Park Service to advance understands, values and protects the riparian habitat restoration work and Rio Grande corridor is key to achieving increase monitoring of fish populations our conservation goals.” on the Big Bend reach of the Rio Grande. Together, RGrEAT’s diverse group of stakeholders hopes to achieve tangible, sustainable results for people and wildlife along the Rio Grande. Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 23 spotlight Border Crossing Working together across state lines to protect the magnificent Great Lakes NOAA GREAT LAKES NOAA GREAT (Top) The Great Lakes (Right) Environmental contain 6 quadrillion Research Laboratory gallons of water — Aquatic species such as one-fifth of the world’s Lake sturgeon depend fresh surface water. on a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem to survive. KATIE STEIGER-MEISTER/USFWS KATIE 24 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight by JOANNA GILKESON In 2013, the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes (UMGL) LCC initiated a project designed to discuss landscape- Ever hear of State Wildlife Action Plans? Every level conservation and regional collaboration within Wildlife Action Plans of the nine Great Lakes states. The state in the country has a congressionally mandated project connected individual states as they revised their plans and facilitated the sharing of tools, resources and Wildlife Action Plan that guides their fish and strategies that could support regional efforts across the wildlife conservation actions, including actions for plans. States involved with the discussion were Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, species that are not hunted or fished. The plans serve New York and Wisconsin. as tailored conservation blueprints, allowing each Through this LCC effort, states unanimously agreed state to determine and specify their priorities and that regional collaboration was critical to conservation species of greatest conservation need. The plans success. are critical and popular because state conservation “The LCC has provided a venue and directed resources practitioners can formally identify their needs and to help us connect,” says Derosier. “Having the LCC step up to be a facilitator across state lines for the Wildlife justify conservation decisions. Action Plans in this region has been a significant step toward real collaboration. The Wildlife Action Plan coordinators are excited to have our plans revised so that tate and Tribal Wildlife Grants through the Service’s we can begin to coordinate the implementation of our SWildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR) plans across boundaries and help drive conservation in support the plans and help get them off the shelf and on the the Great Lakes region.” ground. Congress requires states to review and revise their plans every 10 years. The latest revision was in fall 2015. Now that the states have finalized their revised plans, the UMGL LCC plans to bring states and their partners But even as these personalized plans are implemented at together again to discuss commonalities among their the state level, conservation dilemmas are becoming more Wildlife Action Plans and think strategically about complex than ever before — ecology, climate and natural implementing plans for the Great Lakes region and processes do not recognize state lines — and conservation beyond. States will also define resources needed to get practitioners must adapt. their conservation actions on the ground. The LCC will continue to fuel this collaborative energy. “Within the Great Lakes region, the Wildlife Action Plan coordinators often talk about collaborating more,” says Dave Scott, Midwest Assistant Regional Director of Amy Derosier, State Wildlife Action Plan coordinator for the WSFR and co-chair for the UMGL LCC, praises the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We understand funding support of WSFR for helping to promote the importance of looking across boundaries if we want to state-based conservation. But, he recognizes that there conserve species and habitats. But given our positions and is more to be done to conserve fish and wildlife and their our state borders, it can be difficult to do this effectively.” habitats — the gems — of the Great Lakes. Thinking more broadly about conservation can lead to “Now that we have the LCC engaged, we have a forum addressing the true size and scope of an environmental issue that facilitates planning and conservation actions by our more effectively. This landscape-level thinking is at the state partners that are no longer constrained by political forefront of current conservation philosophies and will boundaries,” Scott says. “Our conservation actions as a continue as the world changes. community are focused at a landscape level and more effectively address the issues faced by fish and wildlife This is where Landscape Conservation Cooperatives resources across our region. By pooling our resources (LCCs) rise to meet today’s most pressing environmental and coming together, we can do better conservation.” challenges. LCCs comprise federal, state, tribal, private and nongovernmental entities that come together to address common, cross-boundary conservation issues. JOANNA GILKESON, External Affairs, Midwest Region Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 25 spotlight USFWS (Above) Swainson’s warblers are part of a suite of birds that serve as good indicators for several species of bats. 26 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight the Making sure wildlife Sharing doesn’t get crowded out of the South Atlantic landscape Land by JEFF FLEMING Loggerhead sea turtles need intensive management, which makes them a poor indicator for the health of beach nesting birds. Accelerating urbanization will create at least three sprawling mega-regions in the southeastern United States by 2060 — cities linked by suburban corridors. ne will encompass most of the Florida peninsula, Oand another will link cities along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Houston. The third will sprawl from Nashville, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, in the west through Atlanta, Georgia, South Carolina’s Greenville-Spartanburg and Columbia before ending in North Carolina’s Research Triangle and Charlotte. Now home to 34 million people and a gross regional product of $1.1 trillion, this mega-region is projected to develop additional land equivalent to that of South Carolina by 2060. The logistical challenges this mega-region will present are staggering, and finding better ways for people and wildlife to share the landscape is an increasingly urgent priority. ›› ORSULAK/USFWS Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 27 spotlight Regional leaders must anticipate and meet an enormous future demand for infrastructure and resources, while trying to prevent wholesale ecosystem degradation. That’s pressure — on conservationists, business owners, city, county and state planners, policymakers, farmers and citizens. But much of this pressure will fall on the region’s wildlife and natural systems. The partner agencies and organizations of the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC), including the Service, are working to understand how future development pressure will affect the sustainability of fish and wildlife, and to define desired future landscape conditions that account for these stressors. The SALCC is working with experts from the American Planning Association Perhaps most important, they’re pressing to influence the way future development planning and development authorities to and planning decisions are made. consider the needs of wildlife and natural Together, they’re focusing on preserving systems when making current and future and protecting the region’s exceptional land-use decisions. aquatic diversity and providing the public with more opportunities to access these “Things change as you get into the resources. urban frontier,” says Rua Mordecai, the SALCC’s science coordinator. “What The Tennessee River watershed, for works for larger sustainability efforts in example, is home to more than 270 rural areas doesn’t work so well as you fish species — more than four times get into suburban urban communities. the number found in the Columbia or (Top): The American (Above) The South By connecting urban planners and Colorado watersheds. oystercatcher needs Atlantic area is conservation professionals, we can help healthy beaches. continually adding more natural and developed environments work “This is about taking shared action people and roads. It may together more effectively to sustain both and knocking down barriers that keep never top Times Square, species and ecosystems.” these conversations from occurring,” but who knows? Mordecai says. Along with other Southern LCCs, the Southeast Climate Science Center, the The SALCC has also brought the Service Service and many other federal and state together with representatives of more agencies, SALCC partners are working than 80 organizations to develop a shared overtime to develop a first generation vision for the South Atlantic geography. Southeast Conservation Adaptation Partners have identified target levels for Strategy in just 15 months. a suite of natural resource indicators that define a healthy ecosystem capable This region-wide strategy is designed to of supporting abundant and diverse spotlight the needs of the area’s diverse populations of native fish, wildlife and fish and wildlife and protect the more other species. than $17 billion in annual economic activity these resources support. 28 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Through aggressive monitoring and The SALCC is helping partners evaluate evaluation, the SALCC continues to and monitor data more quickly than ever. test underlying assumptions and revise The blueprint has already been revised indicators as needed. twice, and partners are planning regular annual updates to help both land For example, biologists initially believed managers and policymakers improve loggerhead sea turtles might closely their ability to respond to change. represent or be good indicators for healthy beaches capable of supporting beach- “Sometimes our typical plan revision time dependent nesting birds such as the frames don’t work. Five- to 10-year scales American oystercatcher. are way too slow, given the rapid change GARRY TUCKER/USFWS we’re seeing,” Mordecai says. “We’ve got But they soon discovered that the turtles’ to give managers and policymakers the need for intensive management, including information they need to make accurate, predator control and active nest timely decisions.” relocation, made them a poor indicator for the health of beach-nesting birds. Service project leaders formed the South As a result, researchers developed revised Atlantic Leadership Team (SALT) to help indicators and continue to test them. the agency align its conservation work to contribute to the blueprint’s desired “We’ve got to be careful about picking big future conditions. The result has been charismatic species and leaving behind an unprecedented effort to work across big chunks of aquatic diversity found in programs and field stations at a this geography and other parts of the landscape scale. Southeast,” Mordecai says. “We know no one species is a perfect indicator. The “SALT is bringing capacity together point is to look at collective indicators.” across nearly 40 field stations, and tapping the experience of more than 60 project The emphasis on monitoring and leaders to develop innovative ways to evaluation is helping SALCC members help achieve shared biological objectives,” make important and surprising new Uihlein says. connections between species and ecosystem health. This includes the While planning for the future is critical for JOEY LAX-SALINAS/JOEYBLSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM discovery that a suite of birds found in proactive conservation, taking action forested wetlands, including such species today is also essential. In turn, the Service and participating as Swainson’s warblers, serve as good agencies and organizations have begun indicators for several species of bats. Last summer the SALCC’s work played aligning conservation work to achieve a vital role in securing $1 million for these targets and measure shared success “It’s no surprise that the initial suite prescribed fire work at St. Marks at a landscape scale. It’s called the of species identified and the population (Florida), Okefenokee (Georgia) and Great South Atlantic Blueprint, available objectives set for them are often imperfect Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuges at Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 29 spotlight he watershed is also a source of clean Twater, recreation, food, jobs and more Connect the for millions of people living in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Connecticut The best long-term strategy for sustaining natural resources across this kind of large A landscape conservation design for the Connecticut River landscape is to keep vital parts of it intact watershed takes shape and connected. Connect the Connecticut is a collaborative effort to identify the best AL BRADEN/ALBRADENPHOTO.COM by BRIDGET MACDONALD places to start — the areas within the watershed that partners agree should be priorities to ensure that important species, Encompassing New England’s largest river system, the Connecticut River habitats and natural processes will be sustained into the future, even in the face watershed provides important habitat for a diversity of fish, wildlife and of climate change and land alteration. plants from such well-known species as the bald eagle and the black bear “This is truly a groundbreaking effort, to threatened and endangered species such as the piping plover and the building on a long history of collaborative dwarf wedgemussel. conservation in the watershed,” says Ken Elowe, a former state wildlife agency director in Maine who now heads the Service’s Science Applications Program in the Northeast Region. “For the first time, we have the science capability to pinpoint habitat needs — what kind, how much and where — to sustain fish and wildlife species at desired population levels across a large area like the Connecticut River watershed,” Elowe says. “And we will know how the watershed contributes to broader species and habitat goals for the entire Northeast.” Using the best available science and information from the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC), a team of partners representing 20 state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and private organizations spent more than a year creating a conservation “design” for the watershed. Outlining a network of core areas — intact, connected and resilient places within the watershed — the design serves as a roadmap for conservation. The effort also featured a modeling approach developed by the Designing Sustainable Landscapes Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 30 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Connecticut River One of the keys to developing the Connect land acquisition decisions made by the the Connecticut design was selecting 15 refuge, as well as by our partners. Blackburnian warbler species as representatives for others that Together, the models project the impacts USFWS rely on similar habitats within the major of climate change, road crossings and Black bear types of natural systems in the watershed. barriers to aquatic species passage. For example, the blackburnian warbler Further, these products will also help us was selected to represent hardwood assess and quantify land management and forests. By ensuring that high-quality restoration opportunities in our Habitat habitat for these representative species Management Plans and our place within was included in the design, the partners the 1.8 million-acre existing conservation were able to address the needs of a range network in this watershed. of fish and wildlife. Georgia Basso, biologist in the Service More than just a map, the conservation Coastal Program and liaison to the Long design includes a variety of datasets and Island Sound Study: tools that people from all sectors can The design gives us the potential to be access to make more informed decisions much more strategic in habitat restoration about managing lands and waters that and land acquisition for the Long provide habitat for wildlife, and support Island Sound Study, a state and federal local economies and the overall health and partnership to restore and protect the well-being of communities. sound. Service staff members in the watershed It offers perspective we didn’t have before region describe Connect the Connecticut and provides an extremely powerful tool and how the design can help inform their for helping prioritize limited dollars in work: important areas where it is expensive to do conservation work — coastal Andy French, project leader, Silvio O. Conte Connecticut and New York. USFWS National Fish and Wildlife Refuge: This effort has generated scientifically The design shows quantifiably where the based products that visually illustrate highest quality forest is located. Combined a sense of priority and importance for with what we already know about this connecting a mosaic of partner-conserved region, it can show us where it is most lands. The design highlights strategic beneficial to increase connectivity, and will opportunities to focus our communication help us better allocate the money we have and collaborative efforts with our many to protect land in a variety of ways, such partners who are working at various scales as increasing buffers and working against within this large and vibrant working development forces to mitigate impacts. landscape. Several of the products, such as the BRIDGET MACDONALD, Science Applications, representative species models, help inform Northeast Region Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 31 spotlight Protecting the Surrogates of the Vast Flint Tallgrass Prairie Hills by STEVE SEGIN Greater prairie-chickens on the booming grounds in the Flint Hills, putting on ho hasn’t imagined traveling back in In 1806, when explorer Zebulon Pike first their best dance moves Wtime to witness an important event in gave this area the name Flint Hills, there in the largest remaining history — or simply to correct a mistake? were 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie block of tallgrass prairie in North America. A century later, nearly in the world. Yes, actual time travel is still just science all of it had been plowed under to feed a fiction, but in the Flint Hills of Kansas, rapidly growing nation. anyone can look back into the past and see what the vast tallgrass prairies of the West Only 4 percent or so of that once vast looked like for millennia. ecosystem remains — roughly 80 percent of which is found in the Flint Hills of And today, a committed group of partners Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. That is working to protect, restore and expand this remnant still exists is due to the this vanishing part of the North American unique geography of the Flint Hills. landscape before it’s gone forever. 32 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Nearly 50,000 acres have easements or understand how various species are awaiting appraisals. complement and interact with each other at a landscape scale. Other barriers such These conservation easements will also as a lack of access to private lands and help to protect the region’s sustainable limited management tools and resources ranching culture and the many landowners have also been identified. who have been stewards of the tallgrass prairie for generations. “There are some challenges ahead of us,” says Stephen Torbit, Assistant Regional “The Flint Hills has a strong and rich Director for Science Applications in the history of preserving the ranching Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region. heritage and the tallgrass prairie “This first step was to define species ecosystem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and determine what data we needed Service’s conservation easement program to have, and we are well on our way to will provide a voluntary opportunity completing that.” to preserve this heritage for future generations,” says Mike Collinge, This species-focused conservation a Flint Hills rancher. approach brought Service employees together from across the region, helping to USGS Working together, a cross-programmatic break down programmatic and field-based Topeka shiners are a surrogate for other species. interagency team of state and Service barriers to leverage the expertise of employees also identified a set of key dozens of staff. species endemic to the tallgrass prairie ecosystem that can serve as biological “We were able to tap into biological indicators of ecosystem health. and programmatic expertise from every Early settlers found that the rocky flint program in the region,” says Torbit. beneath the grasses made it difficult to These preliminary “surrogate” species “We successfully brought together plow or farm. They left vast tracts of the were jointly identified from those multiple programs into a team focusing prairie undisturbed to provide forage for previously recognized in the Kansas what we need to know to improve our grazing cattle as well as habitat for more State Wildlife Action Plan and on Service understanding of the ecology and than 100 native species of grassland birds priority species lists. They include the management of the Flint Hills.” and 500 native plant species. greater prairie-chicken, northern GREG KRAMOS/USFWS bobwhite quail, Henslow sparrow, upland The use of surrogate species enabled the To help protect and conserve this unique sandpiper, Eastern meadowlark and team to implement a strategic, landscape- and important landscape, biologists and selected guilds of mussels and fish. scale approach to conservation in the land managers from the Service and the Flint Hills that will help the Service and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks “By identifying shared surrogate species, its partners test, evaluate and adjust their and Tourism (KDWPT) have joined with we were able to develop a less biased conservation work to gradually improve landowners and local communities to approach with our Kansas partners, efficiency and magnify the impact of create the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation resulting in a demonstrated need for more available resources. Area (FHLCA). scientifically based information,” says Mike Estey, a biologist with the Service’s “We have to adjust our goals and priorities Established in 2010, the FHLCA is Habitat and Population Evaluation Team. to fit our fiscal and statutory capabilities,” designed to help maintain the integrity of says Torbit. “But the real takeaway is that tallgrass prairie wildlife habitat, stream Since then, the team has been working to any new information will benefit species water quality and the rich agricultural test whether these species can effectively and habitat conservation in Kansas, heritage of the Flint Hills by acquiring serve as indicators for the health of other regardless of the outcome of this and protecting up to 1.1 million acres of species and the ecosystem itself, and to particular process.” habitat through voluntary, perpetual identify critical information gaps that conservation easements. need to be addressed in order to better STEVE SEGIN, External Affairs, Mountain-Prairie Region Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 33 spotlight Conservation for Sustainability (Top) Landscape connectivity is the most often recommended climate adaptation Programs and international strategy in conservation science literature. (Facing page) Climate change partners stand together is having profound effects on biological systems in Alaska. Waterfowl, like to ensure the future of Alaska’s this emperor goose, are nesting eight days earlier on the Yukon-Kuskokwim rich social-ecological system Delta, with increasing temperatures a by CHARLA STERNE and MIKE SPINDLER likely cause. DONNA DEWHURST/USFWS 34 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight et in recent decades, even Alaska has Ybegun to show signs of stress due to rapid change. Oil and gas development, mineral mining, logging and biofuels, population growth and urbanization are fragmenting the landscape. Alaska is home to millions of migratory birds, hundreds of Road and infrastructure development is increasing access to remote areas, thousands of caribou, some of the world’s largest salmon runs, further fragmenting habitat and a significant proportion of the nation’s marine mammals facilitating the introduction of invasive species. and half of the nation’s fish catch. The state’s harsh climate, pristine waters and vast, un-fragmented landscapes have Accelerating climate change amplifies each of these impacts. allowed natural processes to unfold with little human interference for most of history. The state’s average annual air temperature has increased at two to three times the global rate, while its growing season has lengthened by 50 percent over JOHN MEIKLE the last century. The average extent of summer Arctic sea ice in Alaska waters has declined by more than 30 percent since 1979. Permafrost, which physically supports the ground surface and influences water availability and species distributions, has been warming since the 1960s. The combination of climate and land-use change is disrupting Alaska’s biological systems. Waterfowl are nesting on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta an average of eight days earlier from when than they were in the 1980s, as May temperatures increase, leading to earlier snowmelt and breaking up ice on the river. On the Kenai Peninsula, warm summers followed by warmer winter temperatures have contributed to making spruce bark beetle infestations in southcentral Alaska part of the largest outbreak recorded in North America. As ice-free winter conditions in southwest Alaska increase, the percentage of pacific brant over- wintering in southwest Alaska, rather than their traditional winter areas in mainland Mexico, has increased from about 2 percent of the population to 20–30 percent. ›› Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 35 spotlight Many more changes are expected. These changes are forcing the conservation community to rethink longstanding assumptions about how best to manage Alaska’s lands and ecosystems sustainably for both people and wildlife. By collaborating at a landscape scale, the Service and its partners are moving forward to address these challenges in new and innovative ways. “The time to act is now,” says Amanda Robertson, coordinator of the Northwest Boreal Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NWB LCC). “We have the unprecedented opportunity to protect and sustain an ecologically connected landscape while it is still relatively intact, which is far easier than restoring it once it’s gone.” From Species to Landscapes Making this conservation opportunity a reality requires strategies that make wise use of declining budgets while effectively integrating the Service’s interests with those of partners to address increasingly complex conservation challenges. In January 2013, the Alaska Region identified priority species for the geographic areas of each of the five LCCs in Alaska using consistent criteria, including biological status, ecological significance and social importance. These selections, which include such species as polar bear, black brant, buff- breasted sandpiper and caribou, will be evaluated regularly to ensure that conservation remains focused on the right things in the right places, and that these priority species support broad ecological benefits wherever possible. Working together across programs, regional teams are now developing conservation frameworks that identify measurable objectives, limiting factors and key threats for each species, as well as determining critical information gaps and prioritizing management actions into a near-term conservation strategy. RYAN HAGERTY/USFWS RYAN 36 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight (Top) An open pit gold mine near the headwaters of The NWB LCC seeks to conserve national parks and several other state and the Little Chena River, Fairbanks. The Chena River is “a dynamic landscape that maintains native corporation land management units. the second most important Chinook salmon spawning functioning, resilient boreal ecosystems stream in interior Alaska. (Bottom) The Yukon River and associated cultural resources.” BLM planners are applying NWB LCC Chinook salmon, which is a keystone to the overall Partners are working on the science to products to help plan for landscape health of the river systems on which they depend guide shared conservation efforts geared resilience and identify priority areas and associated terrestrial ecosystems, is bringing toward maintaining landscape connectivity needing special management attention. conservation partners together in an effort to ensure for wildlife, people and ecosystem There is general agreement among its future. processes. This is a goal around which the LCC partners that close cooperation conservation community and stakeholders could enhance future connectivity can easily coalesce. between the parks and refuges. Focusing on these species and their The Service both benefits from and The results of this effort will also show associated conservation frameworks contributes to NWB LCC landscape- how partner organizations can take a brings needed emphasis to conservation planning processes and products. Service more holistic approach to planning and investments, allows the Service to align biologists and managers can work with informing on-the-ground conservation staff expertise and resources where they partners to maintain the landscape and policy decisions. can have the greatest impact, and helps characteristics necessary to sustain shape landscape planning efforts. priority species. At the same time, LCC For instance, watersheds surrounding planning products can be used to refine Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge are Regional leaders are also developing a regional conservation and land-use plans, highly vulnerable to current and prioritized regional science plan based and can help Service managers see the potential future mineral exploration on needs identified in conservation resources they manage in the broader and development due to their high frameworks and directing resources context of the landscape. mineral content and easy access to toward implementing highest priority major transportation corridors and actions. The Alaska Region’s priority species infrastructure. Kanuti is working with figure prominently in the LCC’s landscape BLM on behalf of the six other northern These priority species and conservation planning effort, with seven of 11 LCC focal and interior Alaska refuges to develop frameworks are also important resources species also identified as Alaska Region planning alternatives that would best as LCCs integrate shared landscape priority species. These include the Yukon protect watersheds upstream from the conservation priorities and objectives into River Chinook salmon, a keystone to the refuge. Science provided by the NWB their landscape conservation designs. overall health of river systems, associated LCC will also help BLM guide mineral terrestrial ecosystems and interconnected development in more sustainable ways. The Alaska Region and the NWB LCC watersheds. USFWS The NWB LCC is one of the nation’s Conservation challenges facing Alaska largest LCCs, spanning more than 330 The Yukon River Chinook salmon is demand a strategic, proactive and million acres of boreal forests, alpine prized as a subsistence and commercial collaborative approach that relies habitat, wetlands and rivers that range species and is a globally significant heavily on cross-program integration and from sea level to the highest point in resource; their management is guided partnerships with landowners, state and North America — Mount Denali. This by multinational treaty obligations. The local governments, tribes, federal agencies landscape features the region’s major species’ future depends upon the ability and conservation organizations. By metropolitan hubs and transportation of conservation partners to join forces standing shoulder to shoulder and using infrastructure, including the two and think large-scale. a landscape approach, stakeholders will largest cities in Alaska — Anchorage ensure that trust resources and the and Fairbanks — and the largest city Alaska’s refuges play an important role in communities they support can enjoy a in Canada’s Yukon — Whitehorse. maintaining the ecological connectivity of more certain future. the NWB landscapes. The Bureau of Land As a true international collaboration, Management’s Central Yukon Resource the NWB LCC is a growing partnership Management Planning effort encompasses CHARLA STERNE, Climate Change Coordinator, among more than 26 U.S. and Canadian more than 60 million acres, which includes Alaska Region, and MIKE SPINDLER, Kanuti National federal and provincial/territorial agencies, much of the intervening land between Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Region nongovernmental organizations, tribes/ seven national wildlife refuges, three first nations and institutions of higher education. Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 37 spotlight Islands of Shelterby Design Wildlife and people benefit from forward-looking landscape conservation vision for California’s Central Valley by SCOTT FLAHERTY For migrating birds, such as waterfowl, and other wildlife, the Service’s 10 refuges and six wildlife management areas in California’s Central Valley have served for decades as islands of shelter in a shifting sea of agricultural development. But for wildlife and managers of these refuges, the present and future reality looks increasingly grim. onsecutive years of severe drought This landscape, stretching more than Cand its associated problems have had a 450 miles from Shasta County in the north devastating impact on the land’s ability to to Kern County in the south, is highly support wildlife and people across a 42,000 vulnerable to continuing land-use changes, square-mile landscape nearly as large as invasive species, climate disruption, West Virginia. pervasive drought and other factors contributing to habitat loss and For partners in the California Landscape fragmentation. Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC), the Central Valley is a global biodiversity “It wasn’t that long ago when I would hotspot and a priority for conservation. hear about climate change and mentally It provides significant resting and acknowledge it as something we would nesting spots for tens of millions of birds deal with at refuges in the future,” says migrating along the Pacific Flyway and Dan Frisk, project leader at the 68,000- habitat for other wildlife, including dozens acre Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge of imperiled species. The valley is also the Complex. “Now climate change is right largest producer of fruits, vegetables and in my face, and I am managing a refuge other agricultural products in the nation. through consecutive years of severe drought. It’s a challenge.” 38 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight Dan Frisk is project leader at the 68,000- acre Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. USFWS The giant garter snake, a threatened species, can be found on agricultural and refuge wetlands and other waterways in California’s Central Valley. BRIAN HANSEN/USFWS Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 39 spotlight For Frisk and his colleagues, those It’s beneficial to hear To develop effective shared adaptation challenges mean being strategic about strategies and actions for these varying how, when and where to use available from new voices at the conditions, the partnership identified a surface water — both permanent and table. I am always learning shared list of habitats, groups of species temporary — to feed seasonal wetlands and individual species that can be used and other habitats for migratory birds something new or acquiring as indicators of a healthy, functioning and threatened and endangered species network of ecosystems in the valley. such as the giant garter snake, valley more depth of knowledge on Experts then assessed the vulnerability of elderberry longhorn beetle and vernal things I’ve learned from these priority habitats and species to the pool species. changes described in the future scenarios. others.” Frisk and other project leaders and refuge The partnership is moving forward to managers are not just changing the way Dan Frisk, project leader at Sacramento develop adaptation strategies and a set they manage their land; they’re expanding National Wildlife Refuge Complex of maps to guide climate-smart actions in the refuge’s traditional alliance of partners the future. and working with the CA LCC and its Central Valley Landscape Conservation Frisk believes the formal conservation Design (LCD) Project. “We benefit from our work with our design process will benefit the Sacramento traditional refuge partnerships, but the refuge complex into the future. “I In addition to refuge managers and LCD workshops really amp things up know that our management needs and biologists, there is strong participation by providing new models that are really challenges are going to be addressed from the Service’s Ecological Services making a difference to how we are because the refuge is at the table and and Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation managing on the ground,” Frisk says. part of the design process,” he says. programs and the Central Valley Joint “It’s beneficial to hear from new voices at Venture. the table. I am always learning something For Frisk, the future is now. With his new or acquiring more depth of knowledge staff, he’s working to manage his water The LCD Project engages resource on things I’ve learned from others.” allocation to ensure seasonal wetlands managers and scientists who have been are irrigated and “filled with groceries” working for decades on conservation in the The group began by identifying the most for the millions of migrating waterfowl Central Valley, including members of state, important factors affecting biodiversity and other wetland-dependent birds that federal and local agencies, nonprofits and in the Central Valley — water availability, descend on the refuge’s wetlands between existing partnerships. combined with a broad mix of human August and April. He knows that this activities that influence landscape year, refuges may be one of the few Together, they’re working to develop conditions. places in the valley with a welcome mat climate-smart adaptation strategies and out for the birds. actions using an adaptive-planning cycle Then, partners projected how varying that helps them identify impacts of climate changes to these drivers would affect “We typically see about 300,000 acres change and other stressors, and evaluate habitat conditions in the valley. The of post-harvest rice fields and other possible management responses. resulting Central Valley Future Scenarios agricultural land in the valley flooded document provides partners with a range and ready for migrating birds to feed on,” “We’re developing a shared vision for the of possible conditions to consider when Frisk says. “This year we’re expecting future of the Central Valley’s biodiversity, developing management actions over the somewhere between 75,000 and 100,000 identifying adaptation strategies that will 50-year planning horizon. acres. Our refuges may be the only help resource managers identify on-the- show in town, and we have to be ready.” ground actions that anticipate and address “The best case scenario we labeled future conditions,” says CA LCC Science California Dreamin.’ At the other end, SCOTT FLAHERTY, External Affairs, Pacific Coordinator Rebecca Fris. it was California Dust Bowl,” Frisk Southwest Region says, adding that all scenarios indicate Over the past year, partners held three increased demands for resources, For more information about the workshops to develop a shared landscape especially water. “At the end of the day Central Valley LCD Project, visit conservation design. I ask myself, ‘what can I do?’ and focus 40 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 spotlight The San Joaquin kit fox, an endangered species, is one of several Central Valley species that will be assessed for their vulnerability to a changing landscape over the next 50 years. SCOTT FLAHERTY/USFWS Seasonal wetlands at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge host millions of migrating waterfowl as well as provide habitat for rare species. CARLY SWEET/USFWS CARLY Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 41 curator’s corner MUSEUM Who We Are OBJECTS NCTC has a new poster in our Chronology series. This is a chronology COME TO of USFWS signs from 1903 until present. It is a 12-inch-by-18-inch poster and goes with our previous series of badge and patch chronologies. Email technical support and unfailing Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska, hurricane recovery from transitions advocacy for wetland conser- and later as the Acting Deputy Hurricanes Rita and Ike, and vation. Bill plans on spending his Assistant Regional Director more. What an opportunity and retirement fishing, managing his for the Federal Subsistence adventure. Headquarters forest in Massachusetts, road Program in Anchorage; had an biking, and most likely working incredible experience working in More importantly I will not on strengthening wetland Washington, DC, as the Branch forget all of the great people regulation and protection. Chief for Wildlife Management in our agency who believed in and later worked in all the me and helped me along the Pacific Coast states as a refuge way — too many to list all names Southeast supervisor. What a tour and and many are retired so I will what a challenge. not even try. But let me say this: My generation is leaving behind I think back on the numerous an incredible system of lands big issues I worked on: the and water bodies that represent compatibility lawsuit, the first numerous hard-fought battles Environmental Impact Statement to protect. It is now time to Bill Wilen, a career Service for the National Wildlife Refuge pass the baton to the next employee with nearly 40 years in System, creation of the Hanford generation. Be courageous, the National Wetlands Inventory Reach National Monument, take calculated risks, be (NWI) Program, has retired. restoration of the Salton Sea, persistent with your initiatives Bill started with the program Arctic Refuge oil and gas and think and implement your shortly after earning a Ph.D. in exploration and development, decisions tactfully. forestry from the University of federal management of subsis- Massachusetts and saw NWI Donald J. Voros, refuge manager tence hunting and fishing in God bless and goodwill to all! grow into a leadership role at Southwest Louisiana National on wetland conservation. Wildlife Refuge Complex, retired at the end of 2015 and shared a Bill was there in 1987 when few thoughts before he went. President George H. W. Bush declared “no net loss of As I sit here reflecting upon wetlands” and helped develop 41 years with the federal the Service’s decadal status government (38 with the Service and trends report of the nation’s and three with the military) and wetlands that measures the before I turn my computer off success or failure of achieving for the last time and celebrate that goal. Bill also participated unloading about 25 passwords in the beginning and completion from my brain, the first thing in 2014 of the Service’s 40-year that comes to mind is: WOW, effort to map all wetlands of what a journey! the lower 48 states thereby completing a major NWI The Fish and Wildlife Service milestone. Most recently, Bill gave me the opportunity of a helped develop, field test and in lifetime to travel and aid in the April 2015 overhaul the coding management of this country’s of the Wetland Classification natural resources all across DAN CLARK/USFWS System, which is the Federal America. I had the oppor- Still Going Strong Geographic Data Committee tunity to work throughout the At 64 years old, Wisdom the Laysan albatross is the world’s oldest known banded (FGDC) Standard for the country. Southeast Region on refuges in bird, and in November she and her mate returned to Midway Atoll National In 2014, the Department of the North Carolina, South Carolina, Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial. Wisdom has raised as Interior honored Bill with the Georgia, Florida and Louisiana many as 36 chicks and is sitting on another egg. Wisdom has nested at Midway Distinguished Service Award — as a refuge manager; worked Atoll each year since 2008. its highest honor — for his in Alaska as refuge manager at Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 43 our people local wildlife and curriculum honors connections in the classroom. Vollherbst is now working at Stone Lakes National Wildlife Pacific Southwest Refuge in California. She co-authored the Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide, and helps design and teach the schoolyard habitat program courses at the National Conservation Training Center. She also organizes annual training sessions and serves on the Pacific Southwest’s Connecting People with Nature team. The Service’s Schoolyard Habitat Program “is helping Midwest bridge the way to nature from the classroom,” says Karleen Vollherbst, the newest winner of MARA KOENIG/USFWS the Sense of Wonder Award. The award celebrates the legacy of We’re All Connected former Service employee and On November 20, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge started a conservationist Rachel Carson cooperative relationship with Chongqing Jinyunshan National Nature Reserve by recognizing excellence in the in Chongqing, China. The two sites are partnering to promote educational field of environmental education exchanges and practical cooperation in environmental education and protected and interpretation. area interpretation cross cultural experiences. Pictured here are Refuge Manager Tim Bodeen and Mou Weibin, director of the Chongqing Jinyunshan Vollherbst has completed 15 National Nature Reserve. Schoolyard Habitat projects in the Sacramento, California, The Prairie Science Class (PSC), area, involving more than an education partnership 3,000 students and their parents, between the Service’s Prairie 200 teachers, community Wetlands Learning Center and members and Youth Corps Fergus Falls Independent School service members. Schoolyard District 544, has been recog- Habitats are created by students nized by the North American for students, usually on school Association for Environmental grounds. They may include Education (NAAEE) with its wetlands, meadows, forests award for Outstanding Service and variations based on the to EE by an Organization local ecology. Many projects (Regional Level). Accepting the are started by one group of award were the Service’s Molly students and continued by future Stoddard (pictured, right) and classes, providing habitat for Monique Davis (pictured, left), a fourth-grade teacher in the Prairie Science Class. 44 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2016 our people The PSC mission is to explore The LEED gold-rated building members, and now,15 years the prairie pothole ecosystem features a 108 kW solar PV in memoriam later, numbers more than 2,000 and manage the Prairie system – the largest renewable retirees. Denny also continued Wetlands Learning Center. energy system on a building fully to teach courses at the National Teachers from the Fergus Falls occupied by the Service— as Southeast Conservation Training Center District are stationed at the well as aggressive recycling, and conduct oral histories. Learning Center, where they two pollinator gardens, Denny coordinate instructional activ- innovative HVAC systems, Holland Denny was involved with the ities with their teaching peers energy-efficient lighting, (pictured Service for 76 years, and at Cleveland Elementary School. low-flow fixtures, superinsu- with wife, the agency has been immea- The class also has the assis- lation and low-emitting materials Kathy) died surably enriched by his myriad tance of Student Conservation to provide a healthy work November contributions. Association interns as well as environment. Thanks to these 20 in Service environmental education multiple sustainable strategies, Eufaula, specialists from the Prairie the building effectively takes Alabama, Alaska Wetlands Learning Center. the greenhouse-gas emissions after a long struggle with of 75 cars off the road. A new cancer. He was 81. Denny Clay Hardy, a career Service “For more than four decades, plumbing system will save an embraced the U.S. Fish and employee who played a NAAEE has promoted excellence estimated 136,425 gallons of Wildlife Service mission as his pivotal role in the research and impact in environmental potable water annually. own when he was a small child that aided development of the education thanks to the tireless and his dad served as refuge Alaska National Interest Land efforts of our members, On the other side of the country, manager at Carolina Sandhills Conservation Act (ANILCA), supporters and affiliate organi- the other winning team designed National Wildlife Refuge in died October 7. zations,” says NAAEE Executive and constructed the Corn Creek South Carolina. His father Director Judy Braus. “Our Administrative Office and managed at several other He worked more than 30 years award winners represent bright Visitor Center at Desert National refuges, and Denny followed this with the Service. Those included spots across North America Wildlife Refuge in Las Vegas, conservation tradition by serving nearly a decade in Alaska, that show progress in our field Nevada. at refuges throughout the where he and his team scoured across multiple disciplines and Southeast Region, including the vast Alaskan landscape by approaches, from teaching The new high-performance LEED Santee National Wildlife Refuge, air, water and land to identify and community engagement Platinum-certified Visitor Center Cape Romain National Wildlife the best habitats to add to the to research and environmental at the Corn Creek Field Station Refuge, Holla Bend National National Wildlife Refuge System. justice.” is net-zero energy use with a Wildlife Refuge, Eufala National The information, so-called “d2 91.5 kW solar PV power system Wildlife Refuge, Back Bay studies,” was called for under and showcases state-of-the-art National Wildlife Refuge and the authority of the Alaska Service-wide sustainable design techniques Chincoteague National Wildlife Native Claims Settlement Act. and technologies including Refuge. During his more than 30 It added roughly 56 million Two Service teams were water-source heat pumps as well years of active service, Denny acres to the Refuge System. honored as winners of 2015 as heat-reflecting paint, a cool mentored both his staff and Federal Energy and Water roof, integrated daylighting and colleagues, and passed on the Hardy was among the people Management Awards for energy-efficient lighting, energy Service gene to a daughter who invited to the White House deploying cutting-edge recovery ventilation, and water works for the agency. on December 2, 1980, when practices that significantly conservation technologies. President Jimmy Carter signed reduce carbon pollution, protect Many building elements are In so-called retirement, Denny ANILCA. For the next eight the environment, reduce energy composed of recycled materials. was a founding member of years, Hardy filled several costs, and implement innovative the FWS National Heritage positions related to implemen- practices and technologies. Both winning projects showcase Committee — a nationwide tation of ANILCA and served efficiency features that can be steering committee for Service as the Service’s represen- One winning team rehabili- replicated and offer visitors the history work. He also was a tative on the Alaskan Land Use tated the Northeast Regional opportunity to learn from site founding member the FWS Council. Among his honors Office Building, in Hadley, displays. Retirees Association, a group was the Department of Interior Massachusetts, in conjunction that began with a dozen or so Meritorious Service Medal. with the GSA and the building owner. Winter 2016 Fish & Wildlife News / 45 STANDARD PRESORT Division of Marketing POSTAGE AND FEES Communications PAID U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service INTERIOR 5275 Leesburg Pike PERMIT G-77 Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 parting shot For Rails Service biologists teamed up with Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast in November to build floating nest platforms that will be used by federally endangered light-footed clapper rails in Ventura County this spring. ASHLEY SPRATT/USFWS Fish & Wildlife News Submit articles and photographs to: Submission deadline: Editor: Matthew Trott U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Spring 2016: by February 14 Assistant Editor: Jennifer Deschanel EA-Division of Marketing Communications Art director: Jane Pellicciotto, Allegro Design MS: EA 5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 703/358-2512 Fax: 703/358 1930 E-mail: [email protected] Printed on recycled paper