DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments DRAFT Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments for the National Forests in Northeastern Washington William L. Gaines, Barbara C. Wales, Lowell H. Suring, James S. Begley, Kim Mellen-McLean, and Shawne Mohoric March 2012 i DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. i DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments Abstract We developed a process to address terrestrial wildlife species for which management for ecosystem diversity may be inadequate for providing ecological conditions capable of sustaining viable populations. The process includes: (1) identification of species of conservation concern, (2) description of source habitats, and other important ecological factors, (3) organizing species into groups, (4) selection of focal species for each group, (5) development of focal species assessment models, (6) application of the focal species assessment models to evaluate current and historical conditions (7) development of conservation strategies, and (8) designing monitoring and adaptive management. Following the application of our species screening criteria we identified 209 of 700 species as species of concern on National Forest System lands east of the Cascade Range in Washington State. We aggregated the 209 species of conservation concern into 10 families and 28 groups based primarily on their habitat associations (these are not phylogenetic families). We selected 36 primary focal species (78 percent birds, 17 percent mammals, 5 percent amphibians) for application in northeastern Washington State, based on risk factors and ecological characteristics. Our assessment documented reductions in habitat capability across the assessment area compared to historical conditions. We combined conservation strategies in individual species with other focal species to make multi-species strategies that can be used to inform land management planning efforts currently underway on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Colville National Forests in northeastern Washington. i DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments Summary Regulations and directives associated with enabling legislation for management of national forests require maintenance of viable populations of native and desired non-native wildlife species. Broad-scale assessments that address ecosystem diversity may cover assessment of viability for most, but not all, species. We developed a process to address those species for which management for ecosystem diversity may be inadequate for providing ecological conditions capable of sustaining viable populations. The process includes, (1) identification of species of conservation concern, (2) description of source habitats, and other important ecological factors, (3) organizing species into groups, (4) selection of focal species for each group, (5) development of focal species assessment models, (6) application of the focal species assessment models to evaluate current and historical conditions, (7) development of conservation strategies, and (8) designing monitoring and adaptive management. Following the application of our species screening criteria we identified 209 of 700 species as species of concern on National Forest System lands east of the Cascade Range in Washington State. We aggregated the 209 species of conservation concern into 10 families and 28 groups based primarily on their habitat associations (these are not phylogenetic families). We selected 36 primary focal species (78 percent birds, 17 percent mammals, 5 percent amphibians) for application in northeastern Washington State, based on risk factors and ecological characteristics. Our assessment documented reductions in the viability outcomes for all focal species compared to historical conditions. The species for which current viability outcomes are most similar to historical viability outcomes include the golden eagle, harlequin duck, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, and Wilson’s snipe. Species for which current viability outcomes have departed the most from historical viability outcomes and are of greatest concern included ii DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments the eared grebe, fox sparrow, sage thrasher, western bluebird, and white-headed woodpecker. To address such changes, we developed conservation strategies for each focal species that included habitat protection and restoration, and amelioration of risk factors. We combined conservation strategies in individual species with other focal species and with management proposals for other resources (e.g., recreation, fire, and fuels management) to develop a multi- species, multi-resource management strategy. The information generated from our approach can be directly translated into land management planning through development of desired conditions, objectives, and standards and guidelines to improve the probability that desired population outcomes will be achieved. However, it should be noted by practitioners that a conservation planning process such as ours cannot remove all uncertainty and risk to species viability, warranting an adaptive management approach. iii DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments Contents PART 1 - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments: Process and Overall Results Introduction Terrestrial Species Viability Assessment Process Identification of Species of Conservation Concern Definition of Source Habitats Grouping Species of Conservation Concern Identification of the Ecological Relationships of Species of Conservation Concern Risk Factors Fine Scale Habitats Home Range and Dispersal Information Species Range across the Assessment Area Selection of Focal Species Development of Focal Species Assessment Models Reference Conditions for Source Habitats Reference Conditions of Forested Source Habitats Reference Conditions of Post-fire Source Habitats Reference Conditions for species associated with non-forested source habitats Reference Conditions for Wetland and Riparian Source Habitats Reference Conditions for Stream-side Riparian, and Cliff Source Habitats Factors That Influenced Habitat Quality Risk Factors Viability Outcomes Weighted Watershed Index Calculation Habitat Distribution Index Dispersal Habitat Suitability Viability Outcomes for Focal Species Habitat Conditions for Conservation Planning Overall Results of the Focal Species Assessments Focal Species Assessment Model Evaluation PART 2 – Individual Focal Species Assessments American marten (Martes Americana) iv DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments Bald eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis) Black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) Cassin’s finch (Carpodacus cassini) Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) Eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) Fox sparrow (Passerella Iliaca) Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) Larch mountain salamander (Plethodon larselli) Lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) Lewis’s woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) MacGillivray’s warbler (Oporornis tolmiei) Marsh wren (Cistothorus Palustris) Northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis) Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Northern harrier (Circus cyanus) Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) Pileated woodpecker (Dyrocopus pileatus) Sage thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) Tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) Tiger salamander (Abystoma tigrinum) Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) Various bat species Western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) White-headed woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata) Wolverine (Gulo gulo) Wood duck (Aix sponsa) Part 3 - Multi-Species Conservation Strategies v DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments Conservation Strategies Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy Forested Habitats Conservation Strategy Human Access Management Integration of Conservation Strategies with Forest Planning PART 4 - Monitoring and Adaptive Management Focal Species Monitoring Priorities Based on Viability Outcomes Literature Cited vi DRAFT NE Washington Zone Plan Revision - - - - - - - - - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments PART 1 - Terrestrial Species Viability Assessments: Process and Overall