SPECIES DETECTION SURVEY PROTOCOLS RARE PRAIRIE PLANT SURVEYS Fish and Wildlife Branch Technical Report No. 2015-20 May 2015 www.environment.gov.sk.ca/ RARE PRAIRIE PLANT SURVEY PROTOCOL First Edition 2015 PUBLISHED BY: Fish and Wildlife Branch Ministry of Environment 3211 Albert Street Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 5W6 [email protected] SUGGESTED CITATION FOR THIS MANUAL Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. 2015. Rare Prairie Plant Survey Protocol. Fish and Wildlife Branch Technical Report No. 2015-20. 3211 Albert Street, Regina, Saskatchewan. 8pp. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Alberta’s Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Ministry, the Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC) and the Canadian Wildlife Service are gratefully acknowledged for provision of their rare prairie plant survey guidelines. Sensitive Species Inventory Guidelines April 2013 (AB ESRD); Guidelines for Rare Vascular Plant Surveys in Alberta (ANPC 2012) and Occupancy Survey Guidelines Prairie Plant Species at Risk (Henderson 2009) provided a base reference and content source for personnel conducting respective species surveys in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Rare Prairie Plant Survey Protocol acknowledgements: Sue McAdam and Sarah Vinge-Mazer have compiled much of the respective Saskatchewan species-specific survey protocol parameters and lead edits of the Saskatchewan protocol versions based on the Alberta Sensitive Species Inventory Guidelines April 2013 document. The Research Permit Process Renewal working group (Karyn Scalise, Sue McAdam, Ben Sawa, Sarah Vinge-Mazer, Andrea Benville, and Ed Beveridge) has also contributed to reviews of the Saskatchewan protocol along with additional ministry-external reviewers. COVER PHOTO CREDITS Candace Elchuk, Rare Plant Rescue CONTACT [email protected] COPYRIGHT Brand and product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of brand names does not constitute an endorsement. Except as noted, all illustrations are copyright 2015, Ministry of Environment. ii 20.0 RARE PRAIRIE PLANT SURVEY PROTOCOL 20.1 INTRODUCTION This survey protocol provides instructions on survey techniques and data collection for the occupancy (presence/not detected) of rare vascular prairie plants. 20.1.1 Inventory Group This protocol is designed to assist with surveys for prairie plants that are considered rare in Saskatchewan. Rare prairie plants include: 1) those listed as S1 to S3 by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC); 2) those included on the SKCDC tracking list; 3) those listed under the Wild Species at Risk Regulations, and; 4) those listed under the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA). This survey protocol is suitable for detecting numerous other rare and potentially at-risk vascular prairie plant species reported in the Annotated Catalogue of Saskatchewan Vascular Plants and in the Flora of Saskatchewan fascicles; many of which have not yet been assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). 20.1.3 Status and Distribution For further information on the status of prairie plants in Saskatchewan, please visit the SKCDC. Additional information may be provided in COSEWIC Status Reports and in the SARA Registry documents. 20.1.4 Biology Plants vary widely in distribution, taxonomy, ecology, and habitat. As of 2013, most listed prairie plants were vascular plants. Identification characteristics and habitat affiliations for listed plant species are available from references including Moss 1983; Kershaw and colleagues 2001; Flora of Saskatchewan, Virtual Herbarium of Plants at Risk in Saskatchewan, and Flora of North America 2012. 20.2. SURVEY STANDARDS The standards provide instructions on the areal extent of surveys to be conducted. They also provide information on experience, capabilities, minimum equipment needs, survey conditions, and permit requirements. 20.2.1 Survey Area Extent Surveys must be conducted in areas with SKCDC observations as well as in any areas that provide suitable habitat for rare species. The proposed project area, plus the appropriate setback distances must be assessed. All suitable habitat within this area must be surveyed. Remnant areas that are within the survey area extent must be surveyed. Some rare species, such as Water Hyssop (Bacopa rotundifoliia) are found in remnant habitats within cultivated fields. Dwarf Woollyheads (Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus) and other species can emerge from the seedbank within the area of cultivation. These plants, and other rare species often have few other occurrences in Saskatchewan, and illustrate the importance of small remnant sites to biodiversity conservation. May 2015 Fish & Wildlife Branch Rare Prairie Plant Survey Protocol Page 1 of 8 Setback distances for rare prairie plants found in Activity Set-back Distance Guidelines for Prairie Plant Species at Risk (Henderson 2009) and the Saskatchewan Activity Restriction Guidelines (2015) must be used as a minimum standard. The Henderson (2009) setback distances are based on the level of disturbance associated with the project and have been adopted in the Saskatchewan Activity Restriction Guidelines (2013). The setback distances are to be used for all species in the Inventory Group described in Section 20.1.1 of this document. 20.2.2 Personnel Due to the large diversity of prairie plants and the variation between regions, identification requires rigorous training. Henderson (2009) and Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC) (2012) emphasize the importance in using personnel with significant experience with local flora and this cannot be overstated. Personnel should have at least 120 days of taxonomic field experience (ANPC 2012). Some rare plant species and groups like bryophytes, lichens, and some more taxonomically complex vascular plant groups, require considerably more than several months’ experience to correctly search for, locate and identify them (ANPC 2012). Thus qualifications of survey personnel must be appropriate for the target species. Teams of personnel, rather than individuals, are most efficient for maximizing detectability of endangered or threatened plants. The team lead should have at least a decade of experience with local flora (Henderson 2009). Personnel must have specific training in plant anatomy terminology, plant taxonomy and be competent in the use of floras to distinguish plants (ANPC 2012). Personnel must be able to identify target plant species, identify suitable habitat as presently known, and be familiar with the survey methodology. They must also have the ability to estimate the approximate number of plants in each plant population. Personnel must know the best time of year to survey for the target plants. Personnel must have a well-developed search image for rare prairie plants and be able to distinguish between similar species. Some species may be confusingly similar and considerable study is required to correctly identify them. For example, Kelsey’s Cryptanthe may be mistaken for Tiny Cryptanthe with inadequate botanical experience. Plants must be identified to the lowest accepted taxonomic level (e.g., variety or subspecies in some cases) and according to the most recently accepted taxonomic treatment (current taxon and synonymy lists can be found on the SKCDC website). Field personnel may not be able to identify all taxa in the field due to the diagnostic character size, location or other features that are difficult to distinguish, and that require dissection under a microscope. Specimen collection, where appropriate, will enable further study in a lab, or examination by a taxon specialist. See the Permit Requirements 20.2.8.1 section for instructions on collecting voucher specimens. 20.2.4 Time of Year Rare plant associations may have species in different developmental stages. Surveys must be carried out when the plants are in flower and/or fruit. Some plants germinate only when specific environmental conditions are suitable. Table 20.2 provides examples of flowering and fruiting periods for select plants when they are most detectable. The SKCDC is actively collecting data on phenology in order to be able to provide more accurate and more precise flowering and fruiting times. Section 20.2.5 provides a schedule of specific calendar dates for conducting surveys. May 2015 Fish & Wildlife Branch Rare Prairie Plant Survey Protocol Page 2 of 8 Table 20.1. Flowering and fruiting times for vascular plant Species at Risk in Saskatchewan. Seasonal Timing Species Flowering Fruiting Slender Mouse-eared cress (Transberingia bursifolia ssp. Late May-June May-June virgata) Soapweed (Yucca) (Yucca glauca) June-July Year-round Western Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis var. Late Jun-July July occidentalis) Smooth Goosefoot (Chenopodium subglabrum) Late June-July Aug.-Sept. Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) Late June-July July-Sept. Small-flowered sand verbena (Tripterocalyx micranthus) June-July July Hairy Prairie-clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) July-Aug. Aug.-Sept. Tiny Cryptanthe (Cryptantha minima) June-July July-Aug. Dwarf Woolly-heads (Psilocarphus brevissimus var. July July-Aug. brevissimus) 20.2.5 Search Effort At least two, but preferably three surveys, must be completed at each sample site within the survey area extent (see Section 20.2.1) during the growing season. Separate surveys must be timed to maximize the detectability of as many potential rare species at the site as possible. More than two visits may be required for dry grasslands and early or