PROPOSED Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series Adopted under Section 44 of SARA Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in Canada Townsend’s Mole 2015 Recommended citation: Environment Canada. 2015. Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. 8 pp. + Annex. For copies of the recovery strategy, or for additional information on species at risk, including COSEWIC Status Reports, residence descriptions, action plans, and other related recovery documents, please visit the SAR Public Registry1. Cover illustration: Richard Forbes Également disponible en français sous le titre « Programme de rétablissement de la taupe de Townsend (Scapanus townsendii) au Canada [Proposition] » © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of the Environment, 2015. All rights reserved. ISBN Catalogue no. Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source. 1 http://sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=24F7211B-1 RECOVERY STRATEGY FOR THE TOWNSEND’S MOLE (Scapanus townsendii) IN CANADA 2015 Under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996), the federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed to work together on legislation, programs, and policies to protect wildlife species at risk throughout Canada. In the spirit of cooperation of the Accord, the Government of British Columbia has given permission to the Government of Canada to adopt the Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia (Part 2) under Section 44 of the Species at Risk Act. Environment Canada has included an addition which completes the SARA requirements for this recovery strategy. The federal Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in Canada consists of two parts: Part 1 – Federal addition to the Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in Canada, prepared by Environment Canada. Part 2 - Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia, prepared by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART 1 - Federal Addition to the Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia, prepared by Environment Canada PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... 2 ADDITIONS AND MODIFICATIONS TO THE ADOPTED DOCUMENT ........................... 3 1. Critical Habitat ......................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Identification of the Species’ Critical Habitat ................................................... 3 1.2 Examples of Activities Likely to Result in the Destruction of Critical Habitat ... 6 2. Statement on Action Plans ...................................................................................... 7 3. Effects on the Environment and Other Species ....................................................... 7 4. References .............................................................................................................. 8 PART 2 - Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia, prepared by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole in Canada 2015 PART 1: Federal Addition PART 1 - Federal Addition to the Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia, prepared by Environment Canada 1 Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole in Canada 2015 PART 1: Federal Addition PREFACE The federal, provincial, and territorial government signatories under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996)2 agreed to establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for effective protection of species at risk throughout Canada. Under the Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA), the federal competent ministers are responsible for the preparation of recovery strategies for listed Extirpated, Endangered, and Threatened species and are required to report on progress within five years. The Minister of the Environment is the competent minister for the recovery of the Townsend’s Mole and has prepared the federal component of this recovery strategy (Part 1), as per section 37 of SARA. It has been prepared in cooperation with the Province of British Columbia (B.C.). SARA section 44 allows the Minister to adopt all or part of an existing plan for the species if it meets the requirements under SARA for content (sub-sections 41(1) or (2)). The Province of British Columbia led the development of the attached recovery plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Part 2) in cooperation with Environment Canada. Success in the recovery of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this strategy and will not be achieved by Environment Canada, or any other jurisdiction alone. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing this strategy for the benefit of the Townsend’s Mole and Canadian society as a whole. This recovery strategy will be followed by one or more action plans that will provide information on recovery measures to be taken by Environment Canada and other jurisdictions and/or organizations involved in the conservation of the species. Implementation of this strategy is subject to appropriations, priorities, and budgetary constraints of the participating jurisdictions and organizations. 2 http://registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=en&n=6B319869-1#2 2 Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole in Canada 2015 PART 1: Federal Addition ADDITIONS AND MODIFICATIONS TO THE ADOPTED DOCUMENT The following sections have been included to address specific requirements of SARA that are not addressed in the “Recovery Plan for the Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii) in British Columbia” (Part 2 of this document, referred to henceforth as “the provincial recovery plan”) and to provide updated or additional information. Under SARA, there are specific requirements and processes set out regarding the protection of critical habitat. Therefore, statements in the provincial recovery plan referring to protection of survival/recovery habitat may not directly correspond to federal requirements, and are not being adopted by Environment Canada as part of the federal recovery strategy. Whether particular measures or actions will result in protection of critical habitat under SARA will be assessed following publication of the federal recovery strategy. 1. Critical Habitat 1.1 Identification of the Species’ Critical Habitat Environment Canada accepts the description of Survival/Recovery Habitat as stated in the provincial recovery plan as the basis for critical habitat identification in the federal recovery strategy. This section provides additional information and so replaces section 7.1 of the provincial recovery plan. Section 41 (1)(c) of SARA requires that recovery strategies include an identification of the species’ critical habitat, to the extent possible, as well as examples of activities that are likely to result in its destruction. The 2014 provincial recovery plan for this species does not identify critical habitat, but lists five survival habitat features for Townsend’s Mole. The provincial recovery plan recommends developing a habitat model to delimit and map survival habitat. This modelling was completed as part of process of preparing this federal recovery strategy and the results are presented here as the geographical description component of the identification of critical habitat for Townsend’s Mole in Canada. More precise boundaries may be mapped, and additional critical habitat may be added in the future if ongoing research (e.g. through work by the province, stewardship and recovery groups, university projects, or related federal Interdepartmental Recovery Fund projects) supports the inclusion of areas beyond those identified in this document. A primary consideration in the identification of critical habitat is the amount, quality, and locations of habitat needed to achieve the population and distribution objectives. Critical habitat is identified as the area occupied by known occurrences of Townsend’s Mole (which have a maximum location error of 100 m), plus an 800 m radius, i.e., the potential for above ground dispersal distances by young (Giger 1973), where biophysical attributes are present to support the species. The stated areas are estimated to encompass adequate habitat to support one or more adult territories and sufficient habitat for above ground dispersal by young from their natal nest. Within the described radius 3 Recovery Strategy for the Townsend’s Mole in Canada 2015 PART 1: Federal Addition (i.e., the critical function zone3), biophysical attributes that comprise critical habitat for Townsend’s Mole are as follows: 1. Medium textured, deep, silt-loam soils, i.e., the Marble Hill and Ryder soils described and mapped by Luttermerding (1980). These are well drained soils not prone to flooding that support high earthworm biomass. 2. Non-forested agricultural land or lawns with grass or pasture cover with minimal disturbance. Geospatial areas containing critical habitat were refined to exclude (1) parts of the critical function zone that contained neither Marble Hill nor Ryder soils, and (2) parts