Fen and the Art of Mitchell’s Satyr Maintenance A DRAFT of the FEN COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN With special reference to MICHIGAN & INDIANA DRAFT Rev. March 29, 2010 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 2. Overview of Prairie Fens in Michigan and Indiana .................................................2 2.1 What is a fen? ...........................................................................................................2 2.2 Landscape Context ...................................................................................................3 2.3 Physical Features .....................................................................................................4 2.3.1 Geology and hydrology ............................................................................................4 2.3.2 Regional climate ......................................................................................................5 2.3.3 Microclimate ............................................................................................................5 2.3.4 Microtopography ..............................................................................................................5 2.4 Ecological Processes ................................................................................................5 2.4.1 Wildfi re and aboriginal burning ...............................................................................6 2.4.2 Beaver fl oodings ......................................................................................................6 2.4.3 Grazing and browsing ..............................................................................................7 2.4.4 Insect/disease outbreak ..........................................................................................13 2.5 Biological Diversity ...............................................................................................13 2.5.1 Vegetation ..............................................................................................................13 2.5.2 Animals ..................................................................................................................14 2.5.3 Fungi, protists, bacteria and viruses .......................................................................14 3. Threats to Prairie Fens in Michigan & Indiana ......................................................14 3.1 Loss of Landscape Integrity ...................................................................................14 3.1.1 Social attitudes and land use changes ....................................................................15 3.1.2 Habitat loss and fragmentation .....................................................................................15 3.1.3 Climate change .......................................................................................................16 3.2 Loss of Ecological Processes .................................................................................18 3.2.1 Altered fl ow of ground water and water quality ....................................................18 3.2.2 Altered fi re regimes ................................................................................................20 3.2.3 Altered grazing and browsing regimes .................................................................21 3.3 Loss of Biological Diversity ..................................................................................22 3.3.1 Invasive species .....................................................................................................22 3.3.2 Incompatible recreational activities .......................................................................27 3.3.3 Extinction and extirpation ......................................................................................29 4. Goals and Objectives .............................................................................................29 4.1. Maintain and Restore Fen Distribution and Context ............................................29 4.2 Restore or Mimic Natural Processes .....................................................................29 4.3 Maintain or Restore Native Biological Diversity ................................................30 5. Conservation Strategies .........................................................................................30 5.1 Protect Prairie Fens, Associated Upland Habitats, and Landscape Connections ...30 5.2 Increase Public Awareness and Understanding of Prairie Fens and Associated Conservation Issues. ..............................................................................................32 5.3 Incorporate predicted climate change into conservation planning for prairie fens .........................................................................................................................32 * ii * Table of Contents 5.3.1 Adjust management actions to address predicted effects of climate change on fens ...................................................................................................................32 5.4 Protect and restore natural surface and ground water fl ow and fl ooding regime. ..34 5.5 Minimize adverse changes to water quality. ..........................................................35 5.6 Use Fire as a Management Tool to Restore or Maintain Fens and Landscape. ....37 5.7 Limit grazing and browsing, except in already damaged fens ...............................38 5.8 Manage invasive species. .......................................................................................48 5.9 Minimize Adverse Impacts of Recreational Activities. .........................................50 5.10 Reintroduce Missing Prairie Fen Components. ....................................................50 6. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Adaptive Management .............................................51 6.1 Continue Mapping and Monitoring to Assess Status and Health of Fens ..............51 6.2 Conduct Active Research to Support Science-based Prairie Fen Conservation. ...52 6.3 Adaptive Management ...........................................................................................52 7. Implementation ......................................................................................................53 7.1 Partner Participation ...............................................................................................53 7.2 Public Involvement ................................................................................................53 8. Literature Cited ......................................................................................................53 Appendix A: Two-State Habitat Conservation Plan for the Mitchell’s Satyr Butterfl y .. A-1 A1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... A-1 A1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................ A-1 A1.2 Background ......................................................................................................... A-2 A1.3 Permit Duration ................................................................................................... A-3 A1.4 Regulatory/Legal Framework ............................................................................. A-3 A1.5 Area To Be Covered by Permit ........................................................................... A-3 A1.6 Species To Be Covered by Permit ....................................................................... A-4 A2. Mitchell’s Satyr Biology and Status ................................................................... A-4 A2.1 Physical Description ........................................................................................... A-4 A2.2 Habitat ................................................................................................................. A-4 A2.3 Food Habits ......................................................................................................... A-5 A2.4 Life Cycle ............................................................................................................ A-5 A2.5 Dispersal ............................................................................................................. A-5 A2.6 Distribution and Abundance ............................................................................... A-6 A3. Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................... A-6 A3.1 Property Acquisition ........................................................................................... A-6 A3.2 Maintain existing processes and connectivity ..................................................... A-9 A3.3 Restore degraded processes and connectivity .................................................. A-10 A3.4 Restore for reintroduction ................................................................................. A-11 A4. Project Description and Activities Covered under Permit ................................ A-12 A4.1 Project Description ............................................................................................ A-12 A4.2 Activities Covered by Permit ............................................................................ A-12 * iii * Table of Contents A4.2.1 Restore Hydrology ...........................................................................................