Draft RECOVERY PLAN
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Winkler cactus (Pediocactus winkleri) AND San Rafael cactus (Pediocactus despainii) Draft RECOVERY PLAN December 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado DISCLAIMER Recovery plans use the best available information to identify reasonable actions for protecting and recovering listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and are sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, or others. Attainment of recovery objectives and availability of funds are subject to budgetary and other constraints as well as the need to address other priorities. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement for any Federal agency to obligate or pay funds in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views, official position, or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in plan formulation other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They represent the official position of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only after they have been signed by the Regional Director. Approved plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. The literature citation for this document should read: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2015. Winkler cactus (Pediocactus winkleri) and San Rafael cactus (Pediocactus despainii) recovery plan. Technical/agency draft. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado. xii + 133 pp. Additional copies of the draft document can be obtained from: Utah Ecological Services Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2369 West Orton Circle, Suite 50 West Valley City, Utah 84119 Phone: 801-975-3330 / Fax: 801-975-3331 Recovery plans can be downloaded from http://www.fws.gov/endangered/recovery/index.html. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This recovery plan was prepared through the collaborative efforts of Tracey Switek (Contractor), Tova Spector (Botanist, USFWS Utah Ecological Services Field Office), Paul Abate (Supervisory Aquatics and Plant Biologist, USFWS Utah Ecological Services Field Office), and Laura Romin (Deputy Field Supervisor, USFWS Utah Ecological Services Field Office). In our efforts to move through the recovery planning process as efficiently as possible, the oversight, guidance, and review provided by Seth Willey (Acting Regional ESA Chief, USFWS Region 6) and Kevin Burgess (Fish & Wildlife Biologist, Region 6 Regional Office) has been vital. In our efforts to establish an effective recovery program for Winkler cactus and San Rafael cactus, the USFWS has benefited greatly from contributions of many individuals and agencies who participated in recovery meetings, provided information and review, and supported our efforts to draft and finalize this Plan. We would particularly like thank representatives from the BLM Richfield and Price Field Offices, the BLM State Office, and Capital Reef National Park as well as the following individuals for their participation and guidance: Ron Bolander, Sandra Borthwick, Deborah Clark, Tom Clark, Robert Fitts, Karl Ivory, Leigh Johnson, Jennifer Lewinsohn, Rita Reisor, Dustin Rooks, Daniela Roth, Vincent Tepedino, and Dana Truman. The Plan also benefitted from much appreciated contributions of photographs by Dustin Rooks, Daniela Roth, Tova Spector, and Dana Truman. Much-needed GIS support was provided by Brent Jorgensen. iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Species Status: Winkler cactus was listed as threatened in 1998 with a Recovery Priority Number of 11 (see Table 2) and San Rafael cactus was listed as endangered in 1987 with a Recovery Priority Number of 11C (see Table 2) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Winkler cactus (Pediocactus winkleri) and San Rafael cactus (Pediocactus despainii) occur in south-central Utah. The two species are closely related with a blending of morphological characteristics where their ranges meet. For management purposes those individuals found in Emery County are considered San Rafael cactus and those found in Wayne County or Sevier County are considered Winkler cactus. Distribution and Range: Both species occur primarily on federal lands, including lands managed by the Price and Richfield Field Offices (FO) of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and on Capitol Reef National Park (CRNP). Both species have also been found on land owned by the State of Utah and managed by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). Winkler cactus comprises four known populations (three in Wayne County and one in the southeast corner of Sevier County) and a total of 5,411 documented individuals (NatureServe 2004). San Rafael cactus comprises twenty-one known populations, all in Emery County and a total of 8,159 documented individuals. New populations of both species were identified as recently as 2013, suggesting that additional populations of both species may remain to be discovered. Many of the threats facing these species are the same, and actions required to manage the species and reduce threats are similar. Habitat Requirements: Winkler cactus is endemic to specific, fine textured soils derived from the Dakota formation and Morrison formation in the lower Fremont River in Wayne County and southeast Sevier Counties of south-central Utah. It is generally found at elevations between 1,500 - 2,130 meters (m) (4,900 - 7,000 feet (ft)) on rocky, alkaline hill tops and benches, and gentle slopes on barren, open sites in salt desert shrub communities. These communities are associated with species such as Indian rice grass (Achnatherum hymenoides), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), curly grass (Pleuraphis jamesii), alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), sand hill muhly (Muhlenbergia pungens), prickly pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha), Mormon tea (Ephedra torreyana), little-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus intricatus), shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), four-wing salt bush (Atriplex canescens var. canescens), phlox (Phlox spp.), locoweed (Astragalus spp.), halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus), snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), and viscid rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus). It is also found among piñon- juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus osteosperma) woodland stands (Clark 2008; Welsh et al. 2003). San Rafael cactus grows in a wide variety of soils, although it may favor fine textured mildly alkaline soils rich in calcium and derived from limestone substrates of the Carmel Formation and the Sinbad member of the Moenkopi formation. It has also been found on shale barrens of the Brushy Basin member of the Morrison, Carmel, Mancos and Dakota geologic formations and in areas of primarily alluvial and colluvium soils. The species most commonly occurs on benches, v hill tops, and gentle slopes, and most abundantly on sites with a south exposure at elevations of 1450-2080 m (4760-6820 ft). San Rafael cactus populations are a component of the vegetative community occurring at the lower elevations of a piñon-juniper woodland plant community and the upper elevations of a galleta three awn shrub-steppe community of the Canyonlands section of the Colorado Plateau Floristic Division. The vegetative community is characterized by open woodlands of scattered Utah juniper and piñon pine with an understory of shrubs and grasses within the Colorado Plateau (Clark 2008; Welsh et al. 2003). Factors Limiting Viability: We consider livestock grazing and climate change to be high-level threats to Winkler cactus. Moderate-level threats to Winkler cactus are off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related activities, illegal collection, and the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms. Low-level threats are native ungulate disturbance, invasive species, predation, and energy and mineral development. We consider off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related activities, livestock grazing, energy and mineral development, and climate change to be high-level threats to San Rafael cactus. Moderate-level threats to San Rafael cactus are illegal collection, and the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms. Low-level threats are native ungulate and wild horse disturbance, invasive species, predation, and energy and mineral development. Recovery Plan: This recovery plan includes Parts 1 through 5. Part 1 of this plan includes the biological and status information pertinent to recovering both cactus species. Part 2 presents a general strategy for achieving the species’ long-term recovery in the wild. Part 3 outlines the recovery goals, objectives, and criteria specific to each cactus and describes the action program for achieving recovery objectives. Part 4 provides a schedule for implementing each action. Part 5 provides the references used in compiling this document. Recovery of these species is in an early stage; thus, it should be anticipated that the recovery program will change over time as informed by new information and the outcomes of implementing recovery actions. The recovery plan will be revised when needed to reflect changes in information, strategies, and/or actions. Recovery Strategy: Recovery of Winkler cactus and San Rafael cactus will hinge on conserving extant populations, primarily by abating threats such as illegal collection, grazing impacts, OHV related disturbances and through demonstration of increasing trends within existing populations or additional populations to ensure long-term demographic and genetic viability. Recovery of the Winkler and San Rafael cactus will include: (1) the sustained and stable