Principal Authors: Mark Petrie, Josh Vest, Dave Smith
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Chapter Four Waterfowl Principal Authors: Mark Petrie, Josh Vest, Dave Smith Photo by USFWS Inside this Chapter Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4.2 Non-Breeding Waterfowl ...................................................................................................... 4.4 • Structure of Non-Breeding Waterfowl Plan ........................................................................ 4.4 • Biological Planning .......................................................................................................... 4.4 • Conservation Design ........................................................................................................ 4.6 • Habitat Delivery ............................................................................................................... 4.6 Waterfowl Southern Oregon & Northeastern California (SONEC) .......................................................... 4.7 • Biological Planning .......................................................................................................... 4.7 • Conservation Design ...................................................................................................... 4.14 • Habitat Objectives for SONEC: Spring ............................................................................ 4.24 Great Salt Lake ................................................................................................................... 4.25 • Biological Planning ........................................................................................................ 4.25 • Conservation Design ...................................................................................................... 4.30 Columbia Basin ................................................................................................................... 4.37 • Biological Planning ........................................................................................................ 4.37 • Conservation Design ...................................................................................................... 4.42 Breeding Waterfowl ............................................................................................................ 4.53 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................. 4.55 Appendix A. Waterfowl Science Team Members ................................................................. 4.58 The Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) Intermountain wetlands are often highly productive contains eight areas of continental significance that but often set in predominantly xeric landscapes and are recognized in the North American Waterfowl hence are reliant on annual variation of snow-pack Management Plan (NAWMP 2004), including the for water supplies. Particularly within the Great Klamath Basin, Malheur Basin, Carson Sink, Ruby Basin, marshes and wetlands are of higher value to Lake, Great Salt Lake and marshes, Yellowstone- waterfowl than are many areas in wetter regions; Intermountain region, Columbia Basin, and Bitterroot the very rarity of marshes in a dry region adds to Intermountain. The IWJV also is the only US habitat their inherent value. At upper elevations, lakes Joint Venture sharing boundaries with both Canada of glacial origin and wet meadows often provide and Mexico. Wetlands of the Intermountain West substantial benefit as breeding habitat but generally thus provide habitat throughout the annual cycle of minimal value in migration or winter periods. Lower waterfowl–breeding, migration, and wintering. Winter elevation marsh and lake complexes in valley floors conditions in much of the Intermountain West tend to thus provide the majority of migration habitat for be relatively severe, and many species of waterfowl waterfowl in the Intermountain West. migrate out of the Intermountain West for winter. Although the IWJV partnership has been successful at However, some waterfowl species such as Canada wetland conservation in the Intermountain West, this geese, Mallards, Redheads, Common Goldeneye, and has occurred without explicit linkages to NAWMP the Rocky Mountain Population of Trumpeter Swans goals. The NAWMP (2004) is predicated on the rely on lake and river systems during winter. Overall, premise that cumulative effects of many targeted the primary contribution of the Intermountain West local-scale management actions will ultimately to continental populations of waterfowl lies mainly benefit continental waterfowl populations through within the breeding and migratory periods of the improvements in recruitment and survival. A primary annual cycle. NAWMP objective is to provide sufficient habitat to 4.2 Intermountain West Joint Venture | Conserving Habitat Through Partnerships | www.iwjv.org INTRODUCTION Photo by USFWS maintain continental waterfowl populations at goal levels lacking to establish breeding habitat objectives linked to during periods characterized by “average environmental demographic parameters at meaningful scales. Breeding conditions.” This IWJV Waterfowl Implementation Plan waterfowl planning in the IWJV will evolve in future Update is an initial effort to link local and regional habitat planning iterations. objectives to continental population goals set forth in Habitat objectives for non-breeding waterfowl were NAWMP. generated based on available information regarding life This initial planning effort focuses on three regions that history requirements for selected waterfowl species, and are recognized as continentally significant by NAWMP these objectives are directly linked to regional population and also expected to host the greatest concentrations objectives. The intent in this plan is to establish explicit of waterfowl in the Intermountain West during the regional population and habitat goals and also to assemble nonbreeding period. These include the Columbia Basin recent research results to increase planning effectiveness. of Washington and Oregon, southern Oregon and A science-based process was used in the planning northeastern California (SONEC) which includes Klamath process for setting objectives, a process that identified and Malheur basins, and the Great Salt Lake (GSL) assumptions that requiring testing to improve subsequent marshes of Utah; all areas have been identified in the iterations of the plan. Although the document was written NAWMP (2004, 2012). Although the IWJV maintains with goals expressed over a 15-year time horizon, the plan significant importance to breeding waterfowl (indeed the is dynamic and will be refined as knowledge of regional IWJV was established based largely on its importance to waterfowl conservation improves and new spatial data can breeding waterfowl), sufficient information is currently be incorporated. 4.3 Intermountain West Joint Venture | Conserving Habitat Through Partnerships | www.iwjv.org NON-BREEDING WATERFOWL Structure of Non-Breeding Waterfowl Plan In 2005 NAWMP underwent the first assessment in Ecoregional Planning Unit its 20-year history, an assessment focused on Joint Ventures and their collective efforts to meet the needs of waterfowl in North America. The NAWMP Assessment steering committee identified several characteristics Biological Planning Conservation Design Habitat Delivery believed important to Joint Venture success, and these traits were incorporated into a matrix describing desired characteristics of a Joint Venture implementation plan. Landscape Spatial Program Characterization Concurrently the USFWS introduced its Strategic Habitat Planning Unit Objectives and Assessment Conservation framework or SHC (National Ecological Assessment Team 2006). The SHC framework promotes a more strategic approach to habitat conservation, where Population Conservation Objectives and Goals and the traditional emphasis on more – more protection, more Priority Species Objectives restoration – gives way to the science of “how much more” and “where?” SHC relies on an iterative cycle of Biological planning, Conservation Design, Habitat Special-Habitat Decision Models Support Tools Delivery, and Monitoring and Research to achieve landscapes that meet a predetermined goal – e.g. support bird populations at some desired and sustainable level. Figure 1 Organizational structure of the nonbreeding waterfowl section. Habitat Delivery can be found The Joint Venture matrix and SHC share the same principles in the separate Habitat Delivery chapter of the for developing effective conservation programs. Moreover, 2012 Implementation Plan Update. all elements of the Joint Venture matrix can be nested under one of SHC’s four major components. The structure of the Biological Planning IWJV plan (hereafter “JV”) reflects this integration. This Within the Biological Planning section for each plan is structured and organized around three important ecoregion the JV waterfowl spatial planning units are ecoregions to waterfowl within the IWJV: 1) Columbia generally defined and the seasonal importance of these Basin, Washington, 2) SONEC, and 3) the GSL. Within units to waterfowl is described. This section provides a each ecoregion, planning is organized by SHC’s major general description of each planning unit and defines its components. Biological Planning and Conservation Design geographic location within the IWJV. Historic and current serve as primary headings in the plan, while elements of habitat conditions in