Union Slough NWR Habitat Management Plan January 2016
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Union Slough NWR Habitat Management Plan January 2016 Habitat Management Plans provide long-term guidance for management decisions, set goals, objectives and strategies needed to accomplish refuge purposes, and identify the Fish and Wildlife Service’s best estimate of future needs. These plans detail program planning levels that are sometimes substantially above current budget allocations and as such, are primarily for Service strategic planning and program prioritization purposes. The plans do not constitute a commitment for staffing increases, operational and maintenance increases, or funding for future land acquisition. The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world's premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and habitats. Since the designation of the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the System has grown to encompass more than 150 million acres, 550 national wildlife refuges and other units of the Refuge System, plus 38 wetland management districts. Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Management Plan i Executive Summary Located in north-central Iowa in the southeast corner of the Prairie Pothole Region, Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) provides critical habitat for native prairie and wetland wildlife in a landscape dominated by intensive agriculture. Union Slough NWR, which includes seven adjacent Union Slough Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), contains a diverse mixture of habitats including marshes, river bottomlands, and prairies/grasslands. Together, these areas total approximately 3,334 acres that follow a nine-mile stretch of Union Slough, a relict pre-glacial riverbed. The habitats of the Refuge function as a regionally significant nesting and stopover site for migratory waterfowl and birds and support unique assemblages of resident plants and wildlife. The Refuge’s Resources of Concern (ROC) were identified by reviewing the species known to occur within Union Slough NWR, as well as those identified in local and regional conservation plans, and analyzing their relation to the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health (BIDEH) of the habitats present on the Refuge. Based on this analysis, the Refuge identified 36 priority ROCs, which includes several birds, a plant, two insects, and a natural community. Focal ROCs serve as indicators and representatives for other species and groups that may utilize similar habitats. As part of the ROC identification process, habitats were also prioritized for future management. Marsh and prairie/ grassland habitats are the two highest priority habitats because they help to meet the Refuge’s designated purpose for migratory waterfowl. This prioritization was also balanced with the Refuge’s overall strategy of implementing management on one quarter of the Refuge annually on a rotating basis. The three most important issues that impact the ecological integrity of the Refuge and influence Refuge management are: • Invasive plant species reduce native plant diversity and vegetative structure and threaten the federally-threatened prairie bush clover (Lespedeza leptostachya). • Increased tile drainage in the agriculturally-dominated watersheds increases the frequency of flooding on the Refuge and reduces the ability to provide suitable habitats for some waterfowl and waterbirds. • Sediments, nutrients and chemicals from surrounding agricultural land uses accumulate on the refuge to the detriment of refuge habitats and wildlife. Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Management Plan iii Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... iii Acronyms ................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1. ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Scope and Rationale......................................................................................... 2 1.2 Legal Mandates ................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Relation to Service Policy ................................................................................. 4 1.4 Relation to Other Plans ..................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2. ..................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Refuge Location and Description .................................................................... 12 2.2 Management Units .......................................................................................... 16 2.3 Physical/Geographic Setting and Historic Condition ........................................ 17 2.4 Current Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances ........................................... 22 2.5 Current Refuge Conditions and Resources ..................................................... 24 Chapter 3. ..................................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Identification of Refuge Resources of Concern ............................................... 31 3.3 Biological Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental Health ................................. 33 3.4 Priority Refuge Resources of Concern ............................................................ 39 3.5 Priority Habitat Types and Associated Priority Species ................................... 52 3.6 Conflicting Habitat Needs ................................................................................ 53 3.7 Adaptive Management .................................................................................... 53 Chapter 4. ..................................................................................................................... 54 4.1 Background ..................................................................................................... 55 4.2 Habitat Goals and Objectives .......................................................................... 57 Chapter 5. ..................................................................................................................... 67 5.1 Development of Management Strategies and Prescriptions ............................ 68 5.2 Annual Management Decision Making and Prioritization ................................. 68 5.3 Management Strategies by Habitat Objective .................................................. 69 References .................................................................................................................... 75 Appendix A .................................................................................................................... 83 Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Management Plan iv Appendix B .................................................................................................................... 91 Appendix C ................................................................................................................... 92 Appendix D ................................................................................................................... 94 Figures Figure 1-1 Union Slough NWR within BCR 11 and PIF 40 Figure 2-1 Location of Union Slough NWR Figure 2-2 Union Slough NWR within major watersheds Figure 2-3 Union Slough NWR and Nearby WPAs Figure 2-4 Prairie Pothole Region of North America Figure 2-5 Presettlement Vegetation in the Vicinity of Union Slough NWR Figure 2-6 Union Slough NWR within the Plains and Prairie Potholes LCC Figure 2-7 1992 Vegetation in the Vicinity of Union Slough NWR Figure 4-1 Union Slough NWR Management Units/Subunits Tables Table 3-1 Summary of Habitats that Represent Existing BIDEH on Union Slough NWR Table 3-2 Habitat Requirements for Union Slough Priority ROCs Table 3-3 Priority ROCs and Other Benefitting Species on Union Slough NWR Table 3-4 Priority Habitats and their Limiting Factors on Union Slough NWR Table 4-1 Union Slough NWR Unit/Subunit Management Treatment Schedule Table 5-1 Distribution of Refuge Habitats Across Management Units at Union Slough NWR Appendices Appendix A Potential Resources of Concern Appendix B ROCSTAR Scoring Evaluations Appendix C HMP Development Team Appendix D Grazing/Haying Program Management Plan Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Management Plan v Acronyms AHWP Annual Habitat Work Plan BCR Bird Conservation Region BIDEH Biological Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental Health CCP Comprehensive Conservation Plan CFA Cooperative Farming Agreement CMP Comprehensive Management Plan DNR Department of Natural Resources GMGT Genetically-modified, Glyphosate-tolerant HMP Habitat Management Plan LCC Landscape Conservation Cooperative MSIM Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring NAWMP North American Waterfowl Management Plan NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NVCS National Vegetation Classification System NWR National Wildlife Refuge NWRS National Wildlife Refuge System PIF Partners In Flight PPJV Prairie Pothole Joint Venture PPR Prairie Pothole Region PUP Pesticide Use Proposal ROC Resources of Concern SUP Special Use Permit USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S.