DOCSLIB.ORG

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT: Rare Plants and Rare Ecological

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT: Rare Plants and Rare Ecological KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT Rare Plants and Rare Ecological Communities (Condition 8) KXL1399-STCE-EN-RP-0002 Rev C January 2019 Prepared for: TransCanada Keystone Pipeline Limited Partnership A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines Limited Calgary, Alberta Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Ltd. Calgary, Alberta KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT RARE PLANTS AND RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES (CONDITION 8) Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... I ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... III 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1.1 2.0 SURVEY METHODS ..................................................................................................... 2.1 2.1 SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS SURVEYS ......................................................................... 2.1 2.1.1 Previous Rare Plants .................................................................................... 2.1 2.1.2 Previous Rare Ecological Communities ....................................................... 2.2 2.1.3 Other Data Sources ...................................................................................... 2.2 2.2 2017 SURVEYS ............................................................................................................. 2.2 2.2.1 Rare Plants ................................................................................................... 2.3 2.2.2 Rare Ecological Communities ...................................................................... 2.4 3.0 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 RARE PLANTS .............................................................................................................. 3.1 3.1.1 Alberta .......................................................................................................... 3.1 3.1.2 Saskatchewan .............................................................................................. 3.5 3.1.3 Mitigation Changes due to Updates in Provincial Species Ranks and Species Identification .................................................................................... 3.9 3.2 RARE PLANT POLYGONS ......................................................................................... 3.10 3.3 RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ........................................................................ 3.11 4.0 MITIGATION .................................................................................................................. 4.1 4.1 MITIGATION STRATEGIES .......................................................................................... 4.1 4.1.1 Avoidance of Effects on Rare Plants and Rare Ecological Communities ................................................................................................. 4.1 4.1.2 Reducing Effects on Rare Plants and Rare Ecological Communities .......... 4.1 4.1.3 Species-specific Mitigation Strategies .......................................................... 4.2 4.1.4 Mitigation Strategies for Rare Plants ............................................................ 4.2 4.1.5 Mitigation Strategies for Rare Ecological Communities ................................ 4.5 4.2 CONSTRUCTION MITIGATION MEASURES ............................................................... 4.5 4.2.1 Construction Mitigation for SARA-listed Plants ............................................ 4.6 4.2.2 Construction Mitigation for Provincially-listed Rare Plants ........................... 4.7 4.2.3 Construction Mitigation for Rare Ecological Communities ............................ 4.8 4.3 SUPPLEMENTAL MITIGATION FOR RARE PLANTS .................................................. 4.8 4.3.1 Rare Plants Associated with Uplands ........................................................... 4.8 4.3.2 Rare Plants Associated with Wetlands ......................................................... 4.9 4.3.3 Seed Collection and Transplantation Completed ....................................... 4.10 4.4 MITIGATION FOR RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES .......................................... 4.11 5.0 ASSESSING MITIGATION SUCCESS .......................................................................... 5.1 5.1 DETERMINING THE EXTENT OF NON-AVOIDABLE EFFECTS ................................. 5.1 5.2 POST-CONSTRUCTION MONITORING ....................................................................... 5.1 KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT RARE PLANTS AND RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES (CONDITION 8) 5.2.1 Rationale for Post-Construction Monitoring .................................................. 5.1 5.2.2 Scope of Post-Construction Environmental Monitoring ................................ 5.2 5.3 POST-CONSTRUCTION MONITORING SURVEY METHODS .................................... 5.3 5.3.1 Mitigation Area .............................................................................................. 5.3 5.3.2 Rare Plant Monitoring Survey Protocols ....................................................... 5.3 5.3.3 Rare Ecological Community Monitoring Survey Protocols ........................... 5.4 5.3.4 Qualifications of Monitoring Personnel ......................................................... 5.5 5.3.5 Monitoring Schedule ..................................................................................... 5.5 5.3.6 Controls ........................................................................................................ 5.6 5.4 ASSESSING RARE PLANT MITIGATION SUCCESS ................................................... 5.6 5.5 ASSESSING RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY MITIGATION SUCCESS ................ 5.7 5.6 PLANNING FOR THE PROVISION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF OFFSET MEASURES ................................................................................................................... 5.7 6.0 REGULATORY CONSULTATION ................................................................................ 6.1 7.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 7.1 7.1 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................................... 7.1 7.2 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS ................................................................................. 7.5 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1 Comparison of Rare Plant Survey Methods in the 2010 Condition 6 Filing vs. 2017 Survey Methods – Saskatchewan........................................................ 2.5 Table 3-1 Rare Plant Occurrences Identified in 2017 on or within 30 m of the Construction Footprint – Alberta ......................................................................... 3.3 Table 3-2 Rare Plant Occurrences Identified in 2017 on or within 30 m of the Construction Footprint – Saskatchewan ............................................................. 3.7 Table 3-3 Species Rank and Identification Changes .......................................................... 3.9 Table 3-4 Summary of Total Area for Each REC Identified in 2017 along the Project Construction Footprint ...................................................................................... 3.13 Table 4-1 Quarter Sections containing Occurrences within 300 m or Critical Habitat crossed by the Project Footprint ......................................................................... 4.6 Table 4-2 Supplementary Mitigation for Rare Plants Associated with Uplands .................. 4.9 Table 4-3 Supplementary Mitigation for Rare Plants Associated with Wetlands ................ 4.9 Table 4-4 Date of Seed Collection and Transplantation for Rare Plant Species .............. 4.11 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 Keystone XL Pipeline Route through Alberta and Saskatchewan ...................... 2.7 LIST OF APPENDICES DEFINITIONS SASKATCHEWAN FIELD QUALIFICATIONS REGULATORY CONSULTATION DOCUMENTATION KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT RARE PLANTS AND RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES (CONDITION 8) RARE PLANT RECORDS ON THE CONSTRUCTION FOOTPRINT RARE PLANT RECORDS WITHIN 30 M OF THE CONSTRUCTION FOOTPRINT RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION FOOTPRINT RARE PLANT AND RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY FIGURES PROJECT SPECIFIC MITIGATION DESCRIPTIONS OF RARE PLANT SPECIES WITHIN 30 M OF THE CONSTRUCTION FOOTPRINT KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PROJECT RARE PLANTS AND RARE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES (CONDITION 8) Executive Summary This report assesses potential effects of Project construction on rare plant species and communities. In accordance with the National Energy Board (NEB) OH-1-2009 Reasons for Decision, Certificate OC-56 Condition 8, for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project (the Project), this report has been prepared to provide: • Results of updated surveys done in 2017 for rare plants (including Species at Risk Act (SARA) listed plants), and rare ecological communities (RECs) • Updates to mitigation plans for rare plants and REC potentially affected by Project construction, including construction mitigation and measures for post-construction mitigation • Monitoring survey protocols for post-construction reclamation of rare plants and RECs The 2017 surveys are an update to the previous rare plant and REC data collected for the Project between 2008 and 2011 as part of the 2012 Condition 8 filing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • And Festuca Campestris Rydb (Foothills Rough Fescue) Response to Seed Mix Diversity and Mycorrhizae
    University of Alberta FESTUCA HALLII (VASEY) PIPER (PLAINS ROUGH FESCUE) AND FESTUCA CAMPESTRIS RYDB (FOOTHILLS ROUGH FESCUE) RESPONSE TO SEED MIX DIVERSITY AND MYCORRHIZAE by Darin Earl Sherritt A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Land Reclamation and Remediation Department of Renewable Resources ©Darin Earl Sherritt Fall 2012 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. DEDICATION This MSc thesis is dedicated to my grandfather, Fred A. Forster, who instilled in me a passion for always learning, and for always reminding me that if you’re going to do a job, do it right the first time. ABSTRACT Rough fescue (Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper (plains rough fescue) and Festuca campestris Rydb (foothills rough fescue) are long lived perennials that have been difficult to establish on disturbed sites. This research assessed the impact of seed mix diversity and suppression of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on fescue establishment.
    [Show full text]
  • City of Calgary Plant Lists Recommendations Based on Habitat Type and Desired Outcome to Inform Revegetation Work
    City of Calgary Plant Lists Recommendations based on habitat type and desired outcome to inform revegetation work 2019 Publication Information CITY OF CALGARY PLANT LISTS: Recommendations based on habitat type and desired outcome to inform revegetation work. INTENT: This document provides detailed information and recommendations to inform restoration plans as per the Habitat Restoration Project Framework (The City of Calgary Parks 2014) and provides necessary information and factors to consider during the plant selection phase of the project. PREPARED BY: The City of Calgary, Parks, Urban Conservation VERSION: 2019 Edition ADDITIONAL COPIES: To download an electronic copy: http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Construction/Park-development-guidelines.aspx INFORMATION: Corporate Call Centre: 3-1-1 (within Calgary) Copyright Copyright © The City of Calgary 2019 No part of this work may be reproduced by any means without written permission from The City of Calgary. Terms of Use City of Calgary Plant Lists must be used in conjunction with the document Habitat Restoration Project Framework (The City of Calgary Parks 2014), as referenced throughout, and is made available for use in The City of Calgary effective as of the date below. February 2020 The 2019 City of Calgary Plant Lists is presented as accurate and complete as of the date indicated above. Use of this document does not absolve any user from the obligation to exercise their professional judgment and to follow good practice. Nothing in this document is meant to relieve the user from complying with municipal, provincial and federal legislation. Should any user have questions as to the intent of any procedure found in this publication, the user is advised to seek clarification from the lead of Urban Conservation, Parks.
    [Show full text]
  • Vascular Flora of the Possum Walk Trail at the Infinity Science Center, Hancock County, Mississippi
    The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Honors Theses Honors College Spring 5-2016 Vascular Flora of the Possum Walk Trail at the Infinity Science Center, Hancock County, Mississippi Hanna M. Miller University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses Part of the Biodiversity Commons, and the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Miller, Hanna M., "Vascular Flora of the Possum Walk Trail at the Infinity Science Center, Hancock County, Mississippi" (2016). Honors Theses. 389. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/389 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi Vascular Flora of the Possum Walk Trail at the Infinity Science Center, Hancock County, Mississippi by Hanna Miller A Thesis Submitted to the Honors College of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in the Department of Biological Sciences May 2016 ii Approved by _________________________________ Mac H. Alford, Ph.D., Thesis Adviser Professor of Biological Sciences _________________________________ Shiao Y. Wang, Ph.D., Chair Department of Biological Sciences _________________________________ Ellen Weinauer, Ph.D., Dean Honors College iii Abstract The North American Coastal Plain contains some of the highest plant diversity in the temperate world. However, most of the region has remained unstudied, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the unique plant communities present there.
    [Show full text]
  • Botany Biological Evaluation
    APPENDIX I Botany Biological Evaluation Biological Evaluation for Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plants and Fungi Page 1 of 35 for the Upper Truckee River Sunset Stables Restoration Project November 2009 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – FOREST SERVICE LAKE TAHOE BASIN MANAGEMENT UNIT Upper Truckee River Sunset Stables Restoration Project El Dorado County, CA Biological Evaluation for Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plants and Fungi PREPARED BY: ENTRIX, Inc. DATE: November 2009 APPROVED BY: DATE: _____________ Name, Forest Botanist, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit SUMMARY OF EFFECTS DETERMINATION AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND/OR REQUIREMENTS One population of a special-status bryophyte, three-ranked hump-moss (Meesia triquetra), was observed in the survey area during surveys on June 30, 2008 and August 28, 2008. The proposed action will not affect the moss because the population is located outside the project area where no action is planned. The following species of invasive or noxious weeds were identified during surveys of the Project area: cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum); bullthistle (Cirsium vulgare); Klamathweed (Hypericum perforatum); oxe-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare); and common mullein (Verbascum Thapsus). The threat posed by these weed populations would not increase if the proposed action is implemented. An inventory and assessment of invasive and noxious weeds in the survey area is presented in the Noxious Weed Risk Assessment for the Upper Truckee River Sunset Stables Restoration Project (ENTRIX 2009). Based on the description of the proposed action and the evaluation contained herein, we have determined the following: There would be no significant effect to plant species listed as threatened, endangered, proposed for listing, or candidates under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), administered by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Alberta Wetland Classification System – June 1, 2015
    Alberta Wetland Classification System June 1, 2015 ISBN 978-1-4601-2257-0 (Print) ISBN: 978-1-4601-2258-7 (PDF) Title: Alberta Wetland Classification System Guide Number: ESRD, Water Conservation, 2015, No. 3 Program Name: Water Policy Branch Effective Date: June 1, 2015 This document was updated on: April 13, 2015 Citation: Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD). 2015. Alberta Wetland Classification System. Water Policy Branch, Policy and Planning Division, Edmonton, AB. Any comments, questions, or suggestions regarding the content of this document may be directed to: Water Policy Branch Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development 7th Floor, Oxbridge Place 9820 – 106th Street Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J6 Phone: 780-644-4959 Email: [email protected] Additional copies of this document may be obtained by contacting: Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Information Centre Main Floor, Great West Life Building 9920 108 Street Edmonton Alberta Canada T5K 2M4 Call Toll Free Alberta: 310-ESRD (3773) Toll Free: 1-877-944-0313 Fax: 780-427-4407 Email: [email protected] Website: http://esrd.alberta.ca Alberta Wetland Classification System Contributors: Matthew Wilson Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Thorsten Hebben Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Danielle Cobbaert Alberta Energy Regulator Linda Halsey Stantec Linda Kershaw Arctic and Alpine Environmental Consulting Nick Decarlo Stantec Environment and Sustainable Resource Development would also
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Redwood National Park
    Humboldt State University Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University Botanical Studies Open Educational Resources and Data 9-17-2018 Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Redwood National Park James P. Smith Jr Humboldt State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/botany_jps Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Smith, James P. Jr, "Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Redwood National Park" (2018). Botanical Studies. 85. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/botany_jps/85 This Flora of Northwest California-Checklists of Local Sites is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Educational Resources and Data at Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Botanical Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A CHECKLIST OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF THE REDWOOD NATIONAL & STATE PARKS James P. Smith, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Botany Department of Biological Sciences Humboldt State Univerity Arcata, California 14 September 2018 The Redwood National and State Parks are located in Del Norte and Humboldt counties in coastal northwestern California. The national park was F E R N S established in 1968. In 1994, a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Parks and Recreation added Del Norte Coast, Prairie Creek, Athyriaceae – Lady Fern Family and Jedediah Smith Redwoods state parks to form a single administrative Athyrium filix-femina var. cyclosporum • northwestern lady fern unit. Together they comprise about 133,000 acres (540 km2), including 37 miles of coast line. Almost half of the remaining old growth redwood forests Blechnaceae – Deer Fern Family are protected in these four parks.
    [Show full text]
  • Flora of Glacier National Park, Montana
    0K17S .37 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE United States National Herbarium Volume 22, Part 5 FLORA OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK MONTANA By PAUL C. STANDLEY WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1931 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE United States National Herbarium Volume 22, Part ^ FLORA OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK MONTANA By PAUL C. STANDLEY iiian)rv9 "IVDIWVJ.f>3 WASHINGTON \ GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1921 Si BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. PREFACE. Among the many thousands of persons who visit the national parks each year a large nmnber are deeply interested in the plant life, including not only the wealth of conspicuous flowering plants but the trees of the forest also. All the national parks offer excep- tional opportunity for the study and enjoyment of primeval vege- tation, and in this respect none of them perhaps is better provided with attractive and refreshing material than Glacier National Park, Montana. The present paper has been written for the purpose of ena- bling visitors to this park to become more familiar with its wild plants and to derive greater enjoyment from them. This publication will be useful not only in Glacier Park but elsewhere in the mountains of Idaho, Alberta, and British Columbia. Most of the common plants of Yellowstone National Park occur also in Glacier Park. The present flora will be found helpful therefore to travelers in the Yellowstone region. Frederick V. Coville, Curator of the United States Natiojial Herbarium. CONTENTS. Introduction 235 General features of the flora 236 Life 7.ones 238 Transition Zone 239 Canadian Zone 241 Hudsonian Zone 245 Arctic-Alpine Zone 247 Scope and plan of the flora 249 Earlier botanical exploration 251 Acknowledgments 253 Bibliography 253 Systematic treatment .
    [Show full text]
  • Ventura County Plant Species of Local Concern
    Checklist of Ventura County Rare Plants (Twenty-second Edition) CNPS, Rare Plant Program David L. Magney Checklist of Ventura County Rare Plants1 By David L. Magney California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program, Locally Rare Project Updated 4 January 2017 Ventura County is located in southern California, USA, along the east edge of the Pacific Ocean. The coastal portion occurs along the south and southwestern quarter of the County. Ventura County is bounded by Santa Barbara County on the west, Kern County on the north, Los Angeles County on the east, and the Pacific Ocean generally on the south (Figure 1, General Location Map of Ventura County). Ventura County extends north to 34.9014ºN latitude at the northwest corner of the County. The County extends westward at Rincon Creek to 119.47991ºW longitude, and eastward to 118.63233ºW longitude at the west end of the San Fernando Valley just north of Chatsworth Reservoir. The mainland portion of the County reaches southward to 34.04567ºN latitude between Solromar and Sequit Point west of Malibu. When including Anacapa and San Nicolas Islands, the southernmost extent of the County occurs at 33.21ºN latitude and the westernmost extent at 119.58ºW longitude, on the south side and west sides of San Nicolas Island, respectively. Ventura County occupies 480,996 hectares [ha] (1,188,562 acres [ac]) or 4,810 square kilometers [sq. km] (1,857 sq. miles [mi]), which includes Anacapa and San Nicolas Islands. The mainland portion of the county is 474,852 ha (1,173,380 ac), or 4,748 sq.
    [Show full text]
  • Survey and Analysis of Plant Community Types of Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park
    Survey and Analysis of Plant Community Types of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Survey and Analysis of Plant Community Types of Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park FINAL REPORT Prepared for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Resource Data Branch Edmonton, Alberta Prepared by Wildlands Ecological Consulting Ltd. #60 Neal Close, Red Deer, AB T4P 1N4 Office: (403) 346-1057 Fax: (403) 346-3257 March 29, 2004 ABSTRACT Identification and monitoring of biological diversity in Alberta is the primary mandate of Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre (ANHIC). A fundamental strategy in the preservation of functional ecosystems is to identify and preserve a full compliment of habitat types, which in return support a diversity of animals, plants, and other life forms. Vegetation is an integral component of habitat and provides a relatively easy means of inventory and monitoring of ecosystem health both spatially and temporally. The current study, in Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, focuses on the identification of unique riparian and coulee plant associations, or plant community type. The study area is situated approximately 8 km north of the USA border and 40 km east of the town of Milk River and occurs at the interface between the Mixedgrass and Dry Mixedgrass Natural Subregions. Priority research is currently required to address gaps in the identification, description and distribution of plant associations within the coulee and riparian zones of these Subregions. Many of these communities recur over the landscape but may occur as very small patches of 1m2 or less. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) Resource Data Division contracted Wildlands Ecological to complete an inventory of natural/semi-natural plant communities, statistically analyse the data, and describe potential plant community or association types.
    [Show full text]
  • Recovery Strategy for Multi-Species at Risk in Vernal Pools and Other Ephemeral Wet Areas Associated with Garry Oak Ecosystems in Canada
    Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series Recovery Strategy for Multi-Species at Risk in Vernal Pools and other Ephemeral Wet Areas Associated with Garry Oak Ecosystems in Canada Bog birds-foot trefoil Tall woolly-heads (Pacific population) Water plantain buttercup Kellogg’s rush Rosy owl clover Dwarf sandwort July 2006 About the Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series What is the Species at Risk Act (SARA)? SARA is the Act developed by the federal government as a key contribution to the common national effort to protect and conserve species at risk in Canada. SARA came into force in 2003 and one of its purposes is “to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity.” What is recovery? In the context of species at risk conservation, recovery is the process by which the decline of an endangered, threatened or extirpated species is arrested or reversed, and threats are removed or reduced to improve the likelihood of the species’ persistence in the wild. A species will be considered recovered when its long-term persistence in the wild has been secured. What is a recovery strategy? A recovery strategy is a planning document that identifies what needs to be done to arrest or reverse the decline of a species. It sets goals and objectives and identifies the main areas of activities to be undertaken. Detailed planning is done at the action plan stage. Recovery strategy development is a commitment of all provinces and territories and of three federal agencies — Environment Canada, Parks Canada Agency and Fisheries and Oceans Canada — under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk.
    [Show full text]
  • Flora of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona
    Flora of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona Elizabeth Makings School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Abstract—The flora of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) consists of 618 taxa from 92 families, including a new species of Eriogonum and four new State records. The vegetation communities include Chihuahuan Desertscrub, cottonwood-willow riparian cor- ridors, mesquite terraces, sacaton grasslands, rocky outcrops, and cienegas. Species richness is enhanced by factors such as perennial surface water, unregulated flood regimes, influences from surrounding floristic provinces, and variety in habitat types. The SPRNCA represents a fragile and rare ecosystem that is threatened by increasing demands on the regional aquifer. Addressing the driving forces causing groundwater loss in the region presents significant challenges for land managers. potential value of a species-level botanical inventory may not Introduction be realized until well into the future. Understanding biodiversity has the potential to serve a unifying role by (1) linking ecology, evolution, genetics and biogeography, (2) elucidating the role of disturbance regimes Study Site and habitat heterogeneity, and (3) providing a basis for effec- tive management and restoration initiatives (Ward and Tockner San Pedro Riparian National 2001). Clearly, we must understand the variety and interac- Conservation Area tion of the living and non-living components of ecosystems in order to deal with them effectively. Biological inventories In 1988 Congress designated the San Pedro Riparian are one of the first steps in advancing understanding of our National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) as a protected reposi- natural resources and providing a foundation of information tory of the disappearing riparian habitat of the arid Southwest.
    [Show full text]
  • National List of Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands
    ;>\ ....--'. PB89-169940 BIOLOGICAL REPORT 88(26.9) MAY 1988 NATIONAL LIST OF PLANT SPECIES THAT OCCUR IN WETLANDS: . NORTHWEST (REGION 9) " h d W"ldl"f S· In Cooperation with the National and FIS an I I e ervlce Regional Interagency Review Panels U.S. Department of the Interior REPR~EDBY u.s. DEPARTMENTOF COMMERCE NATIONAL TECHNICAL ItEORMATJON SERVICE SPRINGFIELD. VA 22161 S02n-'Ol RE?ORT DOCUMENTATION 11. REPORT NO. PAG, iBioloqical Report 88(26.9) 4. TItle arld SUbtitle National List of Plant Species That Occur in Wetiands: Northwe~t (Region 9). 7. Autllor(s) Porter B. Reed, Jr. 9. Perfonnlnc O,..nl.etton H..... • nd _ .... National Ecology Research Center U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 11. <:omncttC) or Gr.ntCG) No. Creekside One Bldg., 2627 Redwing Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80526-2899 CGl 12. SIlO....,.;n. O,..nlUtlon H_ .rld Acid.... 13. TYIMI of Repott & Period e-Nd Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Research and Development 14. Washington, DC 20240 The National list of Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands represents the combined efforts of many biologists over the last decade to define the wetland flora of the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially developed the list in order to provide an appendix to the Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (FWS/OBS 79/31) to assist in the field identification of wetlands. Plant species that occur in wetlands, as used in the National List, are defined as species that have demonstrated an ability to achieve maturity and reproduce in an environment where all or portions of the soil within the root zone become, periodically or continuously, saturated or inundated during the growing season.
    [Show full text]