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Characterization of Sensitive Species and Habitats Affected by the Operation of USACE Water Resource Development Projects

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Characterization of Sensitive Species and Habitats Affected by the Operation of USACE Water Resource Development Projects ERDCTN-EMRRP-SI-10 April 2000 Characterization of Sensitive Species and Habitats Affected by the Operation of USACE Water Resource Development Projects PURPOSE: This technical note is a product of the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (EMRRP) work unit titled "Reservoir Operations - Impacts on Target Species." Current knowledge regarding the occurrence of sensitive species that have been identified as a management concern in the operation of Corps projects is reviewed. The status and management of these species are examined, and species of management concern are arranged into groups based on similarities in life history characteristics and habitat requirements. These groups are further examined to identify opportunities for habitat and ecosystem-level management of sensitive species on Corps lands. Turtles and their habitats are excluded because they were addressed in a previous technical note by Dickerson, Reine, and Herrmann (1999). BACKGROUND: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates approximately 460 multipurpose water resource development projects in 42 states. These projects contain nearly 12 million acres of land and water resources managed for specified project purposes that can include flood control, navigation, hydropower, water supply, fish and wildlife, and recreation. Corps projects typically involve water-level management and other activities that can affect biotic communities and associated plant and animal species. Some of the plants and animals affected by project operations are considered to be sensitive species.1 As used here, sensitive species include those with Federal or state legal protection status, as well as species for which there is growing concern but no current legal protection. These species are generally declining in part or all of their ranges and may be increasingly vulnerable to disturbances and habitat changes associated with land-use activities. METHODS: Data for this study were acquired from two mail surveys of Corps projects. One was a survey of natural resource managers on Corps projects conducted under the Natural Resources Research Program (NRRP) in 1996. The NRRP survey was mailed to a stratified random sample of 66 Corps project management offices. Sixty-two completed questionnaires were received, a response rate of 94 percent. This survey contained a section that solicited information primarily about Federal- and state-listed species on Corps projects. Results were reported in Kasul, Martin, and Jackson (1998). Data from this study were reexamined to obtain more detailed information about the occurrence and distribution of these species on Corps projects and about the role of sensitive species management in project operations. Species affected by the operation of Corps projects were more specifically addressed in an EMRRP survey mailed to 454 projects in 1998. The questionnaire asked each project to list all Federal- and state-listed endangered or threatened species that were of concern to project operations and management. Responses were received from 278 projects, a response rate of 61 percent. Responses were used to enumerate species by taxonomic and geographic groups. Based on these results, species were arranged into eight broad groups based on life history characteristics and habitat requirements. Scientific names of species mentioned in the text are given in Appendix A. Wm QUALITY IESPECEBD 4 20000608 126 ERDCTN-EMRRP-SI-10 April 2000 The Institute for Water Resources (IWR) conducted an investigation of Federally listed threatened and endangered species for which the Corps has recovery responsibilities as specified in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recovery plans (Allred 1996). This study also summarized infor- mation on threatened and endangered species reported for Corps projects throughout the United States. Species data presented in Allred (1996) were used to supplement information obtained in the NRRP and EMRRP surveys. SURVEY RESULTS Incidence of Sensitive Species on Corps Projects. The NRRP survey indicated that approximately 73 percent of Corps projects support one or more sensitive species. Allred (1996) similarly estimated that 312 of 456 (68 percent) Corps projects were likely to have one or more Federally listed endangered or threatened species. Based on the NRRP survey, birds were the most frequently reported group of sensitive species (96 per- cent of projects having sensitive species). Other taxa were reported by a substantially smaller proportion of projects. These included invertebrates (16 percent), fishes (13 percent), plants (13 per- cent), mammals (7 percent), and reptiles and amphibians, hereafter referred to as herptiles (7 per- cent). Of 50 Federally listed species found on 62 surveyed projects, only the bald eagle1 (61 percent of projects) and the peregrine falcon2 (11 percent) occurred widely on Corps projects. Other listed species were typically found within a more limited geographic range and, thus, were reported on few projects. Current State of Knowledge. Sixty-one percent of projects responding to the NRRP survey had initiated formal efforts to identify sensitive species. These surveys were 80 percent or more complete on only 13 percent of projects. According to the survey, only 19 percent of the projects are expected to complete 80 percent of sensitive species inventories in the next 10 years. Efforts to identify sensitive species on Corps projects were unevenly allocated among different status categories of sensitive species. All the projects that had initiated sensitive species surveys included Federally listed species, and about three-fourths (76 percent) included Federal candidate species. Fewer projects targeted state-listed species (54 percent) or candidates for state listing (38 percent). Efforts to identify sensitive species on Corps projects were also unevenly allocated among different taxonomic groups. Of projects that have initiated surveys for Federally listed species, approxi- mately 83 percent included birds, but only 43-57 percent included other taxonomic groups (i.e., fishes (57 percent), invertebrates (52 percent), plants (50 percent), herptiles (45 percent), and mammals (43 percent)). Species Identified as a Concern to Project Operations. Our surveys indicated that 38 per- cent (NRRP survey) to 40 percent (EMRRP survey) of Corps projects supporting sensitive species had management concerns related to project operations. Approximately 27 percent of projects with ' The bald eagle was officially proposed for clelislin» by (he USFWS on 6 July 1999. The peregrine falcon was officially delisted on 25 August 1999. ERDCTN-EMRRP-SI-10 April 2000 listed species reported concerns in regard to flood control, navigation, or hydropower operations. Twenty-four percent reported conflicts with visitor recreation, and thirteen percent had potential conflicts between sensitive species management and other natural resource management activities. The EMRRP survey identified 70 species that affected Corps project activities (Table 1). Fifty-two (73 percent) of these were Federally listed species. The remaining 19 (27 percent) were state-listed endangered, threatened, or species of concern. Species most often identified were the bald eagle (51 projects), least tern (20), piping plover (13), osprey (9), chinook salmon (7), black-capped vireo (6), peregrine falcon (6), and Indiana bat (6). Sixty-three other species were also reported. More than half (54 percent) were reported by only 1 project. In addition, the companion survey conducted by Dickerson, Riene, and Herrman (1999) identified 25 sensitive turtle species that could potentially occur on Corps projects. These included 3 Federally listed species, 4 species proposed for Federal listing, and 18 species occurring on one or more state protection lists. Sensitive species identified in the EMRRP survey consisted of flowering plants (15 species), birds (15), fishes (13), mussels (10), mammals (6), insects (5), herptiles (less turtles) (4), and arachnids (2). In general, a greater number of sensitive species of birds, mammals, and mussels were reported to occur on Corps projects and to influence project operations than would be anticipated from their proportional occurrence on the USFWS listing of threatened and endangered species (Table 2). This probably reflects the high proportion of riparian habitats associated with Corps projects. From a geographic perspective, the number of species reported to affect project operations was greatest in the Southwest Division (22); followed by Northwest, and Great Lakes and Ohio River (18 each); South Atlantic (12); Mississippi Valley (10); North Atlantic (9); and South Pacific (5) Divisions (Table 3). The bald eagle was the most frequently reported species in four Divisions and the second-most-frequently reported species in two others. The osprey was the most frequently reported species in two Divisions. STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF SENSITIVE SPECIES: Approximately 79 percent of species identified as a concern in project operational activities were Federally listed species. The predominance of Federally listed species was anticipated because their protection is mandated under Federal law. However, approximately 21 percent of the species reported to affect project activities are not Federally protected. These species appear to be about equally divided between those with state protection and those of special concern that lack formal legal protection, either state or Federal. Two state-listed species, the osprey (reported by nine projects)
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