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PANAMA CITY CRAYFISH MANAGEMENT PLAN Procambarus Econfinae

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PANAMA CITY CRAYFISH MANAGEMENT PLAN Procambarus Econfinae PANAMA CITY CRAYFISH MANAGEMENT PLAN Procambarus econfinae - Draft - February 2016 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 620 South Meridian Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 Visit us at MyFWC.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The 2015-2016 management plan team included David Cook, Justin Davis, Amy Raker, Melissa Tucker, Laura Barrett, Steve Shea, Tom Ostertag, and Angela Williams. Brie Ochoa provided editing expertise. Claire Sunquist Blunden served as stakeholder coordinator. Dr. Mark Barrett developed the PCC habitat model. Brian Beneke prepared the maps. Mike Hunter prepared the ditch illustration. The 2006-2010 management plan team, which developed the 2007 draft plan and laid the groundwork for this plan, included David Cook, Dr. John Himes, Capt. Kenneth Parramore, Lt. Col. Louie Roberson, and Gary Warren. The team sponsors were Tim Breault and Gil McRae, with Dr. Elsa Haubold as the sponsor representative. Dr. Terry Doonan was the stakeholder meeting facilitator. The expert panel included Richard Franz, University of Florida; Dr. Ed Keppner and Lisa Keppner, Keppner Biological, Panama City; Deron Lawrence, Biological Research Associates, Tallahassee; and Paul Moler, FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. In addition to the team members, other FWC staff contributed to this process; note that several components in the 2007 draft plan were not maintained in the 2015 draft. Elsa Haubold provided a final review of the 2007 draft plan. Terry Doonan moderated meetings among planning team members, and between the planning team and stakeholders, and provided valuable input to the plan, including drafting the Ecological Impacts section. Dan Sullivan provided guidance on the revised listing process and details on plan format and content. Judy Gillan drafted the Education, Outreach, and Training section. Officer Gary Tolbert contributed as a team member in Captain Parramore’s absence. Paul Moler provided biological expertise on the PCC. Brian Beneke drafted the subbasin “locations” and extent of occurrence figures. Kristen Slagle drafted the process map. Bill Hunter drafted the no-cost permit. Mary Ann Poole, Mary Scott Gilbert, and Sharon Lobello provided input on stakeholder outreach issues. Michael Yaun provided counsel on legal issues. Stan Kirkland addressed media and public issues. Shea Armstrong, Marvin Friel, and Wendy Bear recorded notes at stakeholder meetings. We greatly appreciate the participation of the stakeholder groups and representatives who contributed time, energy, and expertise to the planning process. Over the course of seven stakeholder advisory group meetings from September 2006 to April 2007, one public meeting held in December 2006 and an additional 7 stakeholder meetings and 1 workshop in 2015 the stakeholders contributed information, comments, questions, and discussion that helped guide and improve the plan. Recognition of these stakeholder groups and representatives (those for 2007 draft plan shown in Appendix 8) does not imply that they are directly responsible for, should be held accountable for, nor necessarily endorse all or part of the management plan. Cover photograph © Barry Mansell Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Panama City crayfish (Procambarus econfinae) (PCC) is a small freshwater crustacean found only in a small portion of Bay County in northwest Florida. The historical habitat of the PCC is wet pine flatwoods, but the majority of current populations exist in human-altered settings such as planted pine plantations, roadside ditches, and utility rights-of-way. Major threats to the species include habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation; subpopulation isolation; and direct mortality due to human activities. Recent and ongoing conservation efforts include rangewide surveys and habitat restoration on conservation easements. State listed as a Species of Special Concern (SSC) since 1987, the PCC underwent a Biological Status Review (BSR) in 2006. A panel was appointed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to conduct the review, and included FWC staff and independent scientists. In the BSR, the panel recommended that the PCC be reclassified as state Threatened, due to its limited geographic distribution and apparent continuing decline. A management plan was drafted and nearing finalization in December 2007, when FWC Commissioners directed staff to revise the state’s listing process and suspend listing action for the PCC until a new listing process was completed. The revised listing process, approved in November 2010, phases out the SSC status and considers all state-listed species as Threatened if they meet listing criteria. Based on the 2006 BSR, the PCC meets the revised criteria for listing as state Threatened and is still recommended to be listed as Threatened on Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species List. This management plan encompasses the work done in 2006 and 2007, and includes new information and updated conservation approaches consistent with FWC’s current imperiled species management system. Furthermore, it fulfills the requirement in Rule 68A-27.0012, Florida Administrative Code, that each species listed on Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species List shall have an approved management plan. This management plan was developed by FWC staff with the assistance of PCC experts and a stakeholder advisory group representing private landowners, public utilities, municipal governments, environmental consultants, environmental organizations, and state and federal agencies. The plan is intended to serve as a blueprint for recovery for the PCC. The conservation goal for the PCC is to ensure the long-term conservation of the PCC throughout its range so that it no longer warrants listing by the state of Florida. Two conservation objectives are proposed to achieve the goal. 1. Increase the total area of occupied PCC habitat to 2,000 acres: 1,500 acres in the eastern portion of its range consisting of parcels that are each 25 acres or greater and at least 5 parcels in the western portion of its range that are each 5 acres or greater. These management areas will be secure in long-term easements and managed in perpetuity. Transmitter Road serves as the dividing line between the eastern and western portions of the PCC range. 2. Develop and evaluate methods to accurately determine PCC densities and assess population status (age structure and sex ratios) to determine a minimum viable population size and to develop translocation guidelines. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sixteen conservation actions are proposed to help achieve these objectives. These include establishing partnerships among stakeholders, especially those based on agreements that set aside PCC conservation lands sufficient in size and number to ensure the species’ long-term survival. Another critical action is the development of a PCC Conservation Tool that provides clear guidance on alternatives available to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts to PCC or PCC habitat while providing maximum long-term benefit to the species. The tool will better quantify PCC impacts from projects and provide mitigation options for permit applicants when impacts cannot be avoided. Mitigation options may include conservation banking, establishment of conservation easements, and/or contribution to a PCC Conservation Fund dependent on the amount of impacts. The PCC Conservation Fund would be used to support continuing management actions. Another conservation action encourages stakeholders to follow voluntary conservation management practices (CMPs) in low-impact activities such as maintaining roadside swales, constructing residences, and conducting silviculture. The CMPs specific for PCC conservation were drafted and revised with the assistance of the stakeholder advisory group, and are presented in an appendix, and will be in the separate Panama City Crayfish Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines that are being developed. This management plan is the product of a proactive, collaborative effort between FWC staff and stakeholders. This effort, bolstered by partnerships and outreach, will continue through the plan’s implementation to ensure that we meet the conservation goal and ultimately secure this unique species within its range. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................. ix GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................
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