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Home , Gulf of Mexico

U.S. & Wildlife Service

Overview Next Steps for a Healthy of Watershed U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

staff representing all 31 states in the Gulf Introduction watershed, the Service has long provided The greater Gulf of Mexico ecosystem a combination of planning and on-the- contains a variety of habitats that support ground contributions to natural resource an amazing range of wildlife and provides protection and conservation. Americans with abundant seafood, valuable energy resources, extraordinary Countless stressors have been altering outdoor recreational activities, and a rich and degrading the Gulf ecosystem cultural heritage. for decades. The degradation of this monumentally important watershed was The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made even worse after the Deepwater The Gulf watershed is home (Service) has a deep and enduring Horizon in 2010. The Service commitment to the Gulf watershed. For developed and released its “Vision for to more than 500 federally example, starting with the establishment a Healthy Gulf of Mexico Watershed” of Breton Island National Wildlife Refuge (Vision) in 2013 in response to the listed species, of which more in 1904, the Service has been managing restoration challenges facing the Gulf than 350 are endangered. 45 national wildlife refuges along the Gulf following the Coast and an additional 190 in the rest disaster. Vision set the stage for a of the Gulf watershed for years. These restoration approach that considers not make up a Service-managed conservation only the Gulf Coast, but also the entire landscape of many million acres, with watershed that feeds the Gulf. The 2.15 million acres located along the Service’s “Next Steps for a Healthy Gulf Gulf Coast alone. The Service also has of Mexico Watershed” (Next Steps) is important responsibilities defined by the companion document to our Vision. legislation, treaty or similar authority Next Steps grows out of and refines for endangered and threatened species, themes and action items raised in the as well as for migratory birds, certain Vision. It reflects our commitment to marine mammals, and fish species that taking action in a deliberate way that move across boundaries of states and Many bird species call Breton Island home; builds upon existing and ongoing efforts credit: USFWS/Greg Thompson nations (“interjurisdictional fish”). With (e.g., Southeastern Aquatic Resources

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Partnership (SARP), Migratory Bird additions to the earlier document, such Joint Ventures and others). It is intended as two new focal areas in . The 18 to put on paper the perspectives, focal areas in Next Steps are: priorities and preferred courses of action held by the Service and partners for n Laguna Madre and Lower the restoration of the Gulf watershed Valley; and is founded on the key principles of n Coastal Bend; leveraging the power of partnerships and utilizing the best available science. n Mid-Coast; n Chenier Plain; Gulf restoration received a significant boost on April 4, 2016, through a n ; global legal settlement with BP and its subsidiaries, the parties primarily n Coastal responsible for the Deepwater Horizon and Barrier Islands; oil spill. The settlement adds $20.8 billion n Mississippi Alluvial Valley; to state and federal efforts over the next two decades to rehabilitate and improve n Central Gulf Lands; the natural resources of the Gulf . The Service believes the unprecedented n Central Gulf and amount of funding and the enormity Coast; of the challenge requires a level of n Florida Panhandle Lands; collaboration and coordination never before seen in an ecosystem restoration n Greater Apalachicola Basin; effort. By pooling our financial and human resources, expertise and experiences, we n Florida’s ; can find efficiencies, avoid duplication of n Tampa (new); efforts, meet larger landscape-scale goals and maximize outcomes. This is the time n Southwest Florida; to build upon existing efforts to address ongoing needs, reassess conservation and n (new); restoration needs, and generate fresh n Upper Watershed; ideas and innovative approaches for long- term restoration. n Rainwater Basin; and n Potholes. Focal Areas While focal areas are useful in continuing In the Vision, the Service articulated discussions with partners, the Service is overarching restoration and conservation transitioning to the use of more distinctly strategies for sustaining fish and wildlife delineated Biological Planning Units resources and thriving communities for in reference to restoration of the Gulf future generations. The Service also watershed. This is because explicit and identified geographically based high- quantitative biological objectives are priority focal areas and actions to help essential for making more strategic Young angler with her catch of the day; align the efforts of the Service with its credit: Robert Smith investments; likewise, clear geographic partners and other stakeholders. Vision boundaries are essential for calculating introduced 16 focal areas, sections of the these objectives. A team composed of Gulf watershed with indistinct boundaries individuals from across the Service in which the Service has a particular worked in concert with experts in interest with respect to Gulf restoration. Landscape Conservation Cooperatives Among the factors we considered in (LCCs), Migratory Bird Joint Ventures, choosing these focal areas were unique Fish Habitat Partnerships (e.g., SARP) ecological features, regional conditions and the U.S. Geological Survey in and trends, the Service’s and our describing both objectives and boundaries partners’ existing conservation and/or through the Biological Objectives Project restoration plans and collaborative efforts. in the Gulf states. All of our partners, Next Steps highlights more specific including state fish and wildlife agencies, courses of action for the development have influenced these efforts. Working and implementation of conservation from ongoing collaborative processes, and restoration initiatives in each of the the Biological Planning Unit boundaries original focal areas. It also reflects the rely upon lines already in use by these evolving Gulf conservation landscape by partners and others in planning efforts updating and including refinements and across the Gulf. 3 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Service’s Biological Planning Units are derived from partners’ existing planning Target Species boundaries. In Next Steps, the Service discusses target species for each focal area (i.e., migratory birds, species listed as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act, interjurisdictional fish, and certain marine mammals). These are species on which the Service is currently concentrating its science and on-the- ground restoration efforts due to their vulnerability and/or ability to act as indicators of improved habitat conditions on the landscape. These species were identified by collating the plans and priorities of a wide range of partners within each focal area. In the Gulf states, most of the species highlighted are based on the Biological Planning Units, but target species in the upper watershed were derived from other collaborative Kemp’s Ridley; credit: USFWS/Adrienne McCracken planning processes.

The Service believes that by identifying target species and biological objectives, it can more clearly connect restoration actions with desired outcomes on the landscape or in the watershed and also will benefit other species. Similarly, while these species are the focus of current Whooping crane; efforts and immediate next steps, there credit: USFWS/Diane Nunley 4 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

may be other species with conservation There is no need to reinvent the wheel. needs as issues evolve, landscape changes Many of the recommended actions occur and knowledge increases. The resemble or reinforce recommendations Service’s fundamental approach to from other efforts, initiatives or plans. Gulf restoration includes crosscutting These include Migratory Bird Joint awareness of collateral benefits, and Venture strategies, state-based Gulf strives to find restoration actions that restoration plans (e.g., the will help a wide range of species. For Coastal Master Plan), State Wildlife example, by promoting the conservation Action Plans, Comprehensive The Gulf watershed is home of freshwater inflow into coastal wetlands Conservation Plans for National of the Coastal Bend Focal Area to Wildlife Refuges, National Estuary to some of America’s beloved benefit endangered whooping cranes, Program Comprehensive Conservation and iconic species ­— from we highlight recommended actions that and Management Plans, and the will provide habitat for commercial and Deepwater Horizon NRDAR Trustees’ the West Indian , recreational species important to our Programmatic Damage Assessment partners such as the blue , and Restoration Plan/Programmatic an aquatic relative of the and speckled trout. Environmental Impact Statement to elephant, to the whooping name a few. Each of these efforts has Next Steps (Recommended Actions) specific planning processes, stakeholder crane, ’s The recommended actions for each engagement and implementing features focal area in Next Steps represent the that will determine lead agencies tallest bird. Service’s efforts to date to pull together and organizations for those efforts or the best information on the next steps initiatives. As a result, in many cases the needed to conserve, protect and restore Service will not be the lead, but will be important habitats. While conservation a partner in planning and implementing actions are expressed in terms of the the recommended actions listed in Next benefit they provide to the target species, Steps. we reference specific habitat features or conditions that are not only important to The “next steps” section of the document sustaining or increasing these species’ does not, of course, list everything that populations but are beneficial to other needs to be done. Rather, the objectives Manatee cow and calf; credit: USFWS/Keith Ramos species as well. identified and the recommendations are

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what the Service believes to be the most Common Restoration Themes compelling and should have the greatest Throughout the focal areas, there are, likelihood of success for its natural however, some common themes in “next resource responsibilities in that focal steps” recommendations. Examples area. The actions are not organized by include an emphasis on increasing habitat priority or sequence, but are offered as a connectivity for target species and package of proposals for consideration as management practices or techniques that we work with partners toward the long- ultimately provide habitat benefits for term restoration and sustainability of the target species and others. Gulf watershed. Water quality and quantity are central Just as there are differences in themes throughout the document. From topography and hydrology that shape the need to conserve existing wetlands for a particular landscape, there naturally the habitat they provide, to actions that are differences in the factors that led restore hydrology or provide sufficient to the formulation of the Service’s flow levels, as well as actions that store recommendations for action. These and filter water and provide downstream factors include the quantity and quality of benefits. Equally as far-ranging as the habitats and associated fish and wildlife “next steps” are across the landscape, populations, the ability to partner and the potential species expected to benefit leverage restoration capacity, and the from such a focus on water quality and immediacy of restoration actions needed quantity are widespread, including to address pending or immediate threats. migratory waterfowl, Gulf and Installing a wildlife crossing; The number, specificity and current level . credit: USFWS/Ryan Hagerty of completion of recommended actions for focal areas also differ due to such factors. Additionally, other habitat management techniques like the use of prescribed fire We relay a breadth of recommended and control of aquatic and terrestrial actions for addressing priority issues are prevalent throughout across the Gulf watershed landscape. all of the coastal focal areas. For example, From working with willing landowners the management of hydrilla, salvinia, through voluntary actions to conserve water hyacinth, Asian carp, feral hogs, priority habitats, to building river nutria, Brazilian pepper and Australian diversions that provide to pine are specifically named as essential rebuild coastal marshes and using to the restoration of the ecosystem of prescribed fire as a landscape-scale the Gulf watershed. Establishing and/ habitat management tool, we recognize or supporting cooperative teams to that Gulf restoration is not a “one size fits control invasive species is specifically all” effort. recommended in nine focal areas.

Giant salvinia infestation in a canal waterway; credit: USFWS/Ronald Paille Gulf sturgeon; credit: USFWS/Kayla Kimmel 6 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The use of prescribed fire, recommended in as many as ten focal areas along the Gulf coast, is a management tool utilized in multiple habitats (e.g., coastal marshes and , and systems) to not only control invasive plant species but also restore and/or maintain appropriate habitat conditions for target species such as the whooping crane, LeConte’s sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow and red-cockaded woodpecker.

For many focal areas, the Service emphasizes working with willing landowners, and state and local land conservation organizations, to establish wildlife corridors through a combination of conservation easements and agreements and voluntary fee title purchases. For example, the Service recommends managing key parcels for landscape connectivity in the Laguna Madre Focal Area in order to contribute towards ocelot and northern aplomado falcon recovery objectives; conserving Brown pelican; credit: USFWS/Woody Woodrow interconnected grassland corridors in Prescribed fire; credit: USFWS/John Maxwell the Coastal Bend Focal Area to allow for dispersal and genetic exchange among Attwater’s prairie chickens; and Conclusion applying the “Green Links” Landscape The Service is keenly aware that a The full text of “Next Steps Conservation Model in the Florida long-term, watershed-level approach to for a Healthy Gulf of Mexico Panhandle Focal Area to identify and restoration and conservation is important prioritize Panhandle Lands that provide if we are to achieve a healthy Gulf Watershed” can be found at: habitat connectivity and have the highest ecosystem. The Service is working on this ecological value for restoration and important restoration and contributing https://fws.gov/ conservation of 79 State-listed species for consideration Next Steps, which gulfrestoration/next-steps/ known to occur there. promotes a bold and visionary approach to achieving conservation results within Connectivity, however, isn’t limited to the Gulf watershed. The actions outlined terrestrial habitat. For example, the in Next Steps are not, of course, the Service encourages installing, replacing only options for conservation in the or enlarging undersized culverts and Gulf watershed. The Service is hopeful removing other structures acting as that by articulating its perspective, it barriers to aquatic species in several will open the door for conversations places. We believe taking these steps with all partners on the landscape and along the Florida Gulf coast would within the watershed that focus on not only enhance passage for the Gulf desirable collaborations; creative problem sturgeon and managed fishery species, solving; and increased transparency but also improve connectivity and water and coordination. Next Steps is a “living quality for other fish and wildlife species document” that we intend to amend as and adjacent habitat. conditions change and the results of choices taken become apparent. As such, it illustrates the Service’s iterative and adaptive approach to conservation and restoration.

With a plan, shared accountability and adherence to adaptability, together we can achieve a healthy Gulf of Mexico watershed.

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Cindy Dohner Regional Director, FWS 1875 Century Boulevard , GA 30345 404/679 4000 https://fws.gov/gulfrestoration/next-steps/

January 2017

Birds in coastal marsh; credit: USFWS/Woody Woodrow