Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for Multiple At-Risk Species in North Florida Camp Blanding Joint Training Center Clay County, FL © Kevin Enge © Peter Canavan © FWC © Andy Wraithmell Prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Armory Board, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in cooperation with the Army National Guard March 28, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 470 Federal candidate species and other at-risk species ranging from narrow endemics to wide-ranging mammals and birds. Given the number and diversity of these species, it is clear that a monumental effort is needed for their conservation. Approaching such a task with a single-species mindset would be both ineffective and inefficient. The need to develop Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances that cover large geographic areas and address the needs of multiple species was emphasized in the Southeast Region’s Ecological Services Work Plan for fiscal year 2013 and beyond (Service 2013). To further the Work Plan’s “Desired Future Condition of At-Risk Species Conservation,” this Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances is designed to deliver conservation at the habitat scale. The premise of this strategy is that most candidate and at-risk species face threats associated with loss and/or degradation of habitat (a description of the substantive habitats addressed in this CCAA is discussed in the Description of the Enrolled Lands section below). Through this Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, the State of Florida Armory Board will implement conservation actions on portions of the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center to effectively protect, restore, and manage the candidate and at-risk species’ (Covered Species) habitat so as to eliminate or reduce threats to a level that precludes or removes the need to list a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.). Three conservation objectives and multiple conservation actions are presented in this Agreement to accomplish this goal. Where threats other than habitat loss and degradation are known, this Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances addresses specific actions to reduce or eliminate them. This Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances is unique in that the Covered Species are Federal candidates and/or species that are listed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Commission) as State-threatened species or species of special concern. Through this Agreement and the associated Enhancement of Survival Permit, the Armory Board will receive regulatory assurances from the Service in the event a Covered Species is Federally-listed in the future as well as from the Commission for the Covered Species that are State-listed as of the effective date of this Agreement. ii Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for Multiple At-Risk Species in North Florida Camp Blanding Joint Training Center Clay County, FL Agreement Number 1448-XXX-XXX Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ v 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 2.0 AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE .......................................................................................... 4 3.0 THREATS TO THE COVERED SPECIES ........................................................................ 7 4.0 EXPECTED BENEFITS AND CONSERVATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........... 8 4.1 Expected Benefits ............................................................................................................. 8 4.2 Conservation Goals and Objectives ................................................................................. 8 5.0 EXISTING CHARACTERISTICS ON AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ENROLLED LANDS ........................................................................................................................................... 9 5.1 Flatwoods ....................................................................................................................... 10 5.2 Sandhill........................................................................................................................... 11 5.3 Scrub............................................................................................................................... 12 5.4 Ephemeral Wetlands ...................................................................................................... 12 5.5 Forested Wetlands .......................................................................................................... 12 5.6 Surface Waters ............................................................................................................... 13 6.0 CONSERVATION ACTIONS .......................................................................................... 13 6.1 Flatwoods ....................................................................................................................... 13 6.2 Sandhill........................................................................................................................... 15 6.3 Scrub............................................................................................................................... 17 6.4 Ephemeral Wetlands ...................................................................................................... 19 6.5 Forested Wetlands .......................................................................................................... 20 6.6 Surface Waters ............................................................................................................... 21 iii 7.0 MONITORING, REPORTING AND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS .............................. 22 7.1 Flatwoods ....................................................................................................................... 22 7.2 Sandhill........................................................................................................................... 23 7.3 Scrub............................................................................................................................... 23 7.4 Ephemeral Wetlands, Forested Wetlands and Surface Waters ..................................... 24 8.0 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIES ........................................................................ 25 8.1 State of Florida Armory Board....................................................................................... 25 8.2 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission .................................................... 25 8.3 Army National Guard ..................................................................................................... 26 8.4 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service ...................................................................................... 26 9.0 FUNDING FOR THE AGREEMENT .............................................................................. 27 10.0 REGULATORY ASSURANCES TO THE LANDOWNER............................................ 27 The Service’s Assurances to the Armory Board ....................................................................... 27 The FWC’s Assurances to the Armory Board .......................................................................... 28 11.0 INCIDENTAL TAKE AUTHORIZATION ...................................................................... 28 NOTIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 29 12.0 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................... 30 13.0 EMERGENCY SITUATIONS .......................................................................................... 31 14.0 Modifications .............................................................................................................. 31 15.0 TERMINATION ........................................................................................................ 31 16.0 ADDITIONAL CONESRVATION ACTIONS ......................................................... 32 17.0 SUCCESSION AND TRANSFER ............................................................................. 32 18.0 PERMIT REVOCATION .................................................................................................. 33 19.0 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS .................................................................................. 33 20.0 NOTIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................. 34 21.0 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) COMPLIANCE .................. 36 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................. 37 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 – List of Habitat Types by Acreage Comprising the Enrolled Lands on Camp Blanding Joint Training Center…………………………………………………………………… 4 Table 2 – List of Covered Species and their associated Habitats on Camp Blanding