ECOREGIONAL PLANNING IN THE NORTHERN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE PREPARED BY Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregional Planning Team May 29, 1998 ______________________ This document may be cited as follows: The Nature Conservancy, Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregional Planning Team. 1998. Ecoregional planning in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie ecoregion. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Regional Office, Minneapolis, MN, USA. 208 pp.+ iv. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................i LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES ............................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .........................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1: ECOREGIONAL PLANNING AND THE NORTHERN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE.........................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background..............................................................................................................................3 1.1.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................3 1.1.2 The Structure of Ecoregional Planning.....................................................................4 1.2 The Northern Tallgrass Prairie .............................................................................................5 1.2.1 The Northern Tallgrass Prairie Conservation Goal ..................................................5 1.2.2 Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion Units..............................................................5 1.2.3 An Ecological Description of the Ecoregion ............................................................5 1.3 Historical Factors Impacting the Biodiversity of the Ecoregion........................................7 1.3.1 Terrestrial Systems....................................................................................................7 1.3.2 Aquatic Systems......................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 2: ECOREGIONAL ASSESSMENT .................................................................................11 2.1 Background Information......................................................................................................13 2.1.1 Team History............................................................................................................13 2.2 The Assessment Process: Approach and Rationale ...........................................................13 2.3 Critical Assessment Products...............................................................................................14 2.3.1 Element Occurrence Data Base for Ecoregional Targets .......................................15 2.3.2 Conservation Targets ..............................................................................................15 2.3.3 Viability Guidelines................................................................................................17 2.3.4 Ecoregion Conservation Goals................................................................................19 2.3.5 Site Identification....................................................................................................21 2.3.6 Managed Area Identification ..................................................................................23 2.3.7 Data Gap Documentation........................................................................................25 ECOREGIONAL PLANNING - PAGE i CHAPTER 3: THE ECOREGIONAL PORTFOLIO DESIGN..........................................................27 3.1 Background............................................................................................................................29 3.1.1 Team History...........................................................................................................29 3.2 Assembling the Portfolio of Sites.........................................................................................29 3.2.1 The Assembly Framework ......................................................................................30 3.2.2 Assembly Sequence and Rationale .........................................................................31 3.2.3 Meeting the Conservancy’s Guidelines ..................................................................33 3.3 The Resulting Portfolio Design............................................................................................35 3.3.1 Meeting Target Conservation Goals .......................................................................35 3.3.2 Conservation Area Size and Ecological Context ....................................................36 3.3.3 Efficiency of Design ...............................................................................................43 CHAPTER 4: FROM ASSEMBLY TO IMPLEMENTATION..........................................................45 4.1 Portfolio Threats Assessment...............................................................................................47 4.1.1 Frequency of Occurrence........................................................................................47 4.1.2 Severity of Threat....................................................................................................47 4.2 Multi-Site Strategies for the Abatement of Threats ..........................................................49 4.3 Feasibility Assessment ..........................................................................................................49 4.4 Site Prioritization for Conservation Action........................................................................49 4.4.1 The Prioritization Matrix ........................................................................................50 4.4.2 Results: Conservation Priorities for the Northern Tallgrass Prairie .......................52 4.5 Managed Areas Assessment .................................................................................................53 4.6 Data Gaps ..............................................................................................................................59 4.6.1 Geographical Data Gaps .........................................................................................60 4.6.2 Conservation Target Data Gaps ..............................................................................61 4.6.3 Ecoregional Planning Process Information Gaps....................................................61 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND THE ECOREGIONAL ACTION PLAN ..............................63 5.1 Project Expenses ...................................................................................................................65 5.2 Lessons Learned....................................................................................................................65 5.3 An Action Plan for the Northern Tallgrass Prairie ...........................................................68 LITERATURE CITED.............................................................................................................................71 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................................................75 ECOREGIONAL PLANNING - PAGE ii TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES TABLES Table 1: A First Approximation of Ecoregional Terrestrial Community Conservation Goals.......20 Table 2: Selected Target Occurrences Relative to Landscapes ......................................................42 Table 3: Northern Tallgrass Prairie Portfolio Threats Analysis .....................................................48 Table 4: Managed Areas Classification ..........................................................................................54 Table 5: Conservation Areas and Total Area Under Management by Management Agency.........57 Table 6: Conservancy Preserves Currently not in the Ecoregional Design ....................................59 FIGURES Figure 1: Ecoregional Planning ..........................................................................................................4 Figure 2: Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion Planning Unit..........................................................6 Figure 3: Changes in the Prairie Ecosystem: Presettlement to Present Day ......................................9 Figure 4: Ecoregional Assessment ...................................................................................................14 Figure 5: Potential Conservation Sites in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie ........................................22 Figure 6: Managed Areas in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie ............................................................24 Figure 7: Portfolio Assembly Sequence ...........................................................................................32 Figure 8: Northern Tallgrass Prairie Portfolio Design .....................................................................37 Figure 9: Conservation Goal Status for Select Communities...........................................................39 Figure 10: Conservation Goal Status for Select Communities...........................................................40 Figure 11: Conservation Goal Status for Select Species....................................................................41