Table of Contents: Chapter 2 1 Scientific Conceptual Foundation ...................................................................... 10 1.1 Definition and Purpose of a Scientific Conceptual Foundation ...................................10 1.2 Guiding Principles .......................................................................................................11 2 Wildlife Habitat ..................................................................................................... 20 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................20 2.1.1 Overview Related to Wildlife .................................................................................................20 2.1.2 Assessment Tools .................................................................................................................21 2.1.3 Interactive Biodiversity Information System ..........................................................................21 2.1.4 Washington GAP Analysis Program......................................................................................21 2.2 Wildlife Habitats...........................................................................................................21 2.3 Focal Wildlife Habitats.................................................................................................26 2.3.1 Habitat Selection and Rationale............................................................................................26 2.3.2 Montane Coniferous Wetlands..............................................................................................29 2.3.3 Ponderosa Pine/Oregon White Oak......................................................................................29 2.3.4 Shrub Steppe/Interior Grasslands.........................................................................................29 2.3.5 Interior Riparian Wetlands.....................................................................................................30 2.4 Changes in Focal Wildlife Habitat Quantity and Distribution .......................................30 3 Focal Wildlife Species ......................................................................................... 31 3.1 Selection and Rationale ..............................................................................................31 3.2 Focal Wildlife Species Selected ..................................................................................32 4 Focal Habitat and Focal Species Discussion .................................................... 36 4.1 Montane Coniferous Wetlands....................................................................................36 4.1.1 Historic...................................................................................................................................36 4.1.2 Current...................................................................................................................................36 4.1.3 Trends ...................................................................................................................................39 4.1.4 Key Attributes ........................................................................................................................40 4.2 Focal Species for the Montane Coniferous Wetlands .................................................40 4.2.1 Western Toad (Bufo boreas).................................................................................................40 4.2.2 Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) ........................................................................................45 4.2.3 Key Findings for Montane Coniferous Wetlands and Focal Species....................................53 4.3 Ponderosa Pine/Oregon White Oak............................................................................53 4.3.1 Historic...................................................................................................................................53 4.3.2 Current...................................................................................................................................53 4.3.3 Climax Vegetation .................................................................................................................56 4.3.4 Disturbance ...........................................................................................................................57 4.3.5 Status and Trends .................................................................................................................57 4.3.6 Recommended Future Conditions.........................................................................................58 4.4 Focal Species for Oregon White Oak/Ponderosa Pine Forest....................................59 4.4.1 White-Headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus).............................................................59 4.4.2 Lewis’ Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)................................................................................65 4.4.3 Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus)...............................................................................71 4.4.4 Key Findings for Ponderosa Pine/Oregon White Oak Habitat and Focal Species ...............77 4.5 Shrub Steppe/Interior Grasslands...............................................................................77 4.5.1 Historic...................................................................................................................................77 Chapter 2-1 4.5.2 Current...................................................................................................................................78 4.5.3 Key Findings for Shrub Steppe Habitat.................................................................................85 4.5.4 Ranking of Limiting Factors...................................................................................................86 4.6 Focal Species for Shrub Steppe..................................................................................88 4.6.1 Rocky Mountain Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) ............................................88 4.6.2 Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri) .....................................................................................93 4.6.3 Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) ..........................................................102 4.6.4 Key Findings of Shrub Steppe/Interior Grasslands Habitat and Focal Species..................109 4.7 Interior Riparian Wetlands.........................................................................................109 4.7.1 Historic.................................................................................................................................109 4.7.2 Current.................................................................................................................................113 4.8 Focal Species of Riparian Wetland Habitat...............................................................119 4.8.1 Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)..................................................................................119 4.8.2 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)..............................................................................................125 4.8.3 American Beaver (Castor canadensis) ...............................................................................132 4.8.4 Key Findings for Interior Riparian and Focal species..........................................................139 5 Aquatic-Terrestrial Ecosytem Linkages........................................................... 140 5.1 Salmonid Associations ..............................................................................................140 5.2 Ecological Processes and Functions.........................................................................142 6 Aquatic Focal Species and Habitat Assessment............................................. 144 6.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................144 6.2 General Approach to Plan Preparation: ....................................................................145 6.2.1 General Approach to Fisheries and Habitat Management..................................................146 6.2.2 Fish and Wildlife Management at the Columbia Basin Scale .............................................147 6.2.3 ESA listing documents ........................................................................................................148 6.2.4 Yakima Subbasin Specific Documents ...............................................................................148 6.3 Focal Fish Species....................................................................................................153 6.3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................153 6.3.2 Spring Chinook....................................................................................................................154 6.3.3 Fall Chinook.........................................................................................................................170 6.3.4 Steelhead ............................................................................................................................180 6.3.5 Bull Trout .............................................................................................................................194