Conservation Management Strategy for Mesquite and Acacia Woodlands in Clark County, Nevada
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CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR MESQUITE AND ACACIA WOODLANDS IN CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA Bureau of Land Management Las Vegas Field Office March 2006 Prepared by: Lisa Crampton, PhD, Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Jeri Krueger, MS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dennis Murphy, PhD, Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno Mesquite and Acacia Conservation Management Strategy TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................II LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................V LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... VI SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................VII INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE ...............................................................................1 BACKGROUND, INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT................................................5 A. Planning Area and Target Species .......................................................................5 B. Existing Information..............................................................................................7 1. Other Plans ........................................................................................................7 2. Literature Review.............................................................................................12 a) Ecology of mesquite and acacia.................................................................12 b) Ecology of desert mistletoe........................................................................20 c) Phainopepla ecology ..................................................................................26 d) Conservation biology theory: metapopulations and reserve design ..........27 3. Spatial Data .....................................................................................................29 a) Data acquisition..........................................................................................29 b) Data review and consolidation...................................................................31 C. Data Gaps .............................................................................................................33 1. Data Gaps Requiring Research and Monitoring ...........................................33 2. Data Gaps Requiring Surveying and GPS/GIS Work....................................36 D. Existing Environment..........................................................................................37 1. Distribution and Land Management Status of Woodlands ...........................37 2. General Habitat Conditions ............................................................................43 a) Historical/reference conditions ..................................................................43 b) Current conditions......................................................................................43 3. Associated Plants and Animals.......................................................................46 a) Plants..........................................................................................................46 b) Animals......................................................................................................48 4. General Human Uses ......................................................................................50 a) Mining........................................................................................................50 b) Livestock....................................................................................................51 c) Feral horses and burros ..............................................................................51 d) Rights-of-way ............................................................................................51 e) Woodcutting...............................................................................................52 f) Historical/anthropological resources ..........................................................52 g) Recreational resources ...............................................................................52 5. General Conservation Issues and Threats......................................................53 6. Major Woodland Regions and Metapatches in Clark County: Status and Threats....................................................................................................56 a) Pahranagat..................................................................................................56 b) Muddy Mountains......................................................................................60 c) Gold Butte ..................................................................................................63 d) Virgin River ...............................................................................................65 e) Las Vegas Valley .......................................................................................67 f) Eldorado .....................................................................................................69 ii Mesquite and Acacia Conservation Management Strategy g) Piute ...........................................................................................................71 h) Newberry ...................................................................................................73 i) Corn Creek..................................................................................................75 j) Pahrump......................................................................................................77 k) Mesquite Lake............................................................................................79 l) Small regions (Lucy Gray Mountains, Indian Springs, Red Rocks) ..........79 CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS...................................................81 A. Legal Framework.................................................................................................81 B. Desired Future Condition and General Conservation Goals...........................81 C. General Conservation Objectives.......................................................................82 D. General Conservation Actions............................................................................83 CONSERVATION STRATEGY...................................................................................93 A. Identification of Priority Woodland Metapatches............................................93 B. Specific Conservation Objectives and Actions for Priority Metapatches.......99 1. Muddy River.....................................................................................................99 2. Big Bend.........................................................................................................101 3. Piute Wash .....................................................................................................103 4. Hiko................................................................................................................104 5. Overton...........................................................................................................105 6. Grapevine.......................................................................................................106 7. North Las Vegas ............................................................................................107 8. Pahrump-Stump Springs and southeast Pahrump ......................................108 9. Arrow Canyon................................................................................................110 10. Gold Butte SW .............................................................................................111 11. Mormon Mesa E ..........................................................................................111 12. Bunkerville...................................................................................................112 13. Nelson ..........................................................................................................113 14. Corn Creek...................................................................................................114 C. Global Prioritization of Conservation Actions and Timeline for their Implementation..............................................................................................115 D. Adaptive Management and Performance Measures ......................................117 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ......................................................................................120 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................122 APPENDIX A. CHARACTERISTICS AND STATUS OF SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE CMS .................................................................................131 A.1. BIRDS ..............................................................................................................132 A.2. REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS..................................................................133 A.3. MAMMALS ....................................................................................................134 A.4. INSECTS .........................................................................................................135 A.5. PLANTS...........................................................................................................136