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Western Painted Turtle Assessment

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Western Painted Turtle Assessment Conservation Assessment For The Western Painted Turtle In Oregon (Chrysemys picta bellii) Version 1.0 August 2009 Sponsored by: U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service U.S.D.A. Forest Service Region 6 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife City of Portland Metro _________________ Jennifer Gervais and Daniel Rosenberg Oregon Wildlife Institute Susan Barnes Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Claire Puchy City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Science, Fish and Wildlife Program Elaine Stewart Metro Jennifer Gervais and Daniel Rosenberg are Ecologists with the Oregon Wildlife Institute, and faculty members in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University. Susan Barnes is the Northwest Region Wildlife Diversity Biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Claire Puchy is the Terrestrial Ecology Enhancement Strategy Program Coordinator, Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Portland Elaine Stewart is a Senior Natural Resources Scientist with Metro Table of Contents DATA DISCLAIMER.............................................................................................4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................5 I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................8 Goal................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Scope.............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Management Status...................................................................................................................................... 9 II. CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION..........................................................9 Systematics.................................................................................................................................................... 9 Species Description..................................................................................................................................... 10 Comparison with sympatric turtles— ...................................................................................................... 10 III. BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY...........................................................................12 Habitat......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Aquatic—................................................................................................................................................. 12 Basking— ................................................................................................................................................ 13 Terrestrial—............................................................................................................................................. 13 Diet............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Movements .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Aquatic movements— ............................................................................................................................. 15 Terrestrial movements ............................................................................................................................. 15 Strength of inference and gaps in understanding..................................................................................... 16 Breeding Biology......................................................................................................................................... 17 Demography................................................................................................................................................ 19 Reproductive output—............................................................................................................................. 19 Survival and recruitment—...................................................................................................................... 21 Population structure—............................................................................................................................. 22 Population Modeling .................................................................................................................................. 24 1 IV. RANGE, DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND POPULATION TRENDS ...26 Range and Distribution.............................................................................................................................. 26 Surveys Conducted..................................................................................................................................... 27 Eastern Oregon and the Columbia Gorge ................................................................................................ 29 Western Oregon....................................................................................................................................... 29 Population Trends ...................................................................................................................................... 31 V. CONSERVATION...........................................................................................33 Threats......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Reduced Nest Site Availability................................................................................................................ 33 Elevated Nest and Hatchling Predation ................................................................................................... 33 Road Mortality......................................................................................................................................... 34 Introductions and Collection.................................................................................................................... 34 Recreation Disturbance............................................................................................................................ 35 Other Threats ........................................................................................................................................... 36 Conservation Status.................................................................................................................................... 38 Known Management Approaches............................................................................................................. 38 Management Considerations..................................................................................................................... 39 Reduced Nest Site Availability................................................................................................................ 39 Elevated Nest and Hatchling Predation ................................................................................................... 39 Road Mortality......................................................................................................................................... 39 Introductions and Collection.................................................................................................................... 40 Other Threats ........................................................................................................................................... 40 VI. INVENTORY, MONITORING, AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES ...........42 Data and Information Gaps....................................................................................................................... 42 Inventory and Monitoring ......................................................................................................................... 42 Research Priorities ..................................................................................................................................... 43 VII. CASE STUDIES ...........................................................................................45 VIII. DEFINITIONS.............................................................................................49 IX. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................49 X. REFERENCES...............................................................................................50 2 XI. FIGURES .....................................................................................................56 Figure 1. Distribution of painted turtle observations among ecoregions in Oregon............................ 56 Figure 2. Distribution of painted turtle observations among public and private lands in Oregon. ... 57 Figure 3. Distribution of western painted turtle observations in the primary cluster of records in Oregon......................................................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 4. Distribution of western
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