Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment August 2004 Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment – August 2004 Acknowledgements Pierce County Planning and Land Services Department-Advance Planning Division Katherine Brooks, Senior Planner Karen Trueman, GIS Specialist Chip Vincent, Principal Planner Pierce County Executive’s Office Debby Hyde, Special Projects Coordinator Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife John Jacobson, Senior GIS Analyst, Habitat Program Marc McCalmon, Landscape Conservation Analyst, Habitat Program Erik Neatherlin, Landscape Conservation Planner, Habitat Program Michelle Tirhi, Urban Biologist-South Puget Sound Region University of Washington, Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Unit Karen Dvornich, Public Education and Outreach Coordinator, NatureMapping Program and Washington GAP Analysis Project Assistant Chris Grue, Principal Investigator and Leader, WACFWRU Metro Parks Tacoma John Garner, Education Coordinator Tahoma Audubon Society Bryan Flint, Conservation Coordinator Puyallup River Watershed Council Dave Seabrook TerraLogic GIS Chris Hansen, Principal Levon Yengoyan, Principal Authors Katherine Brooks, Pierce County Planning and Land Services Karen Dvornich, University of Washington Michelle Tirhi, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Erik Neatherlin, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marc McCalmon, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife John Jacobson, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Reference Citation Brooks, K., K.M. Dvornich, M. Tirhi, E. Neatherlin, M. McCalmon, and J. Jacobson. 2004. Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment: August, 2004. Report to Pierce County Council, Pierce County, 146 pp. 2 Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment – August 2004 Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 6 Project Description.......................................................................................................................... 6 Findings........................................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose............................................................................................................................................ 6 Stakeholders .................................................................................................................................... 6 Implementation ............................................................................................................................... 7 Background................................................................................................................................................ 8 Overview of the Biodiversity Network...........................................................................................8 Geographic Information System (GIS) Review.............................................................................. 9 Predicted Habitat Field Assessment.............................................................................................. 10 Predicted Species .......................................................................................................................... 11 Ecoregional Assessments.............................................................................................................. 12 Biodiversity Management Areas and the Puget Trough Ecoregional Assessment....................... 13 Biodiversity Network Assessment.......................................................................................................... 41 Kitsap County BMA ..................................................................................................................... 41 North Bay BMA............................................................................................................................ 42 Gig Harbor BMA .......................................................................................................................... 44 Greenwater River BMA ................................................................................................................ 45 Lake Bay BMA ............................................................................................................................. 47 McNeil Island BMA...................................................................................................................... 48 Ketron Island BMA....................................................................................................................... 49 Upland BMA................................................................................................................................. 50 Norse Peak BMA .......................................................................................................................... 54 Nisqually Delta BMA ................................................................................................................... 55 Puyallup River BMA .................................................................................................................... 61 Shoreline BMA ............................................................................................................................. 62 Upper Nisqually River BMA ........................................................................................................ 63 Lewis County BMA ...................................................................................................................... 65 Rainier BMA................................................................................................................................. 66 White River BMA......................................................................................................................... 68 Lower White River BMA.............................................................................................................. 69 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................. 117 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 121 Policy and Programmatic Actions............................................................................................... 121 Long-Term Monitoring and Data Collection.............................................................................. 122 Public Education and Outreach................................................................................................... 122 Acquisition, Restoration and Other Conservation Efforts .......................................................... 123 3 Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment – August 2004 Tables 1. Primary Land Cover Codes and Definitions ........................................................................... 15 2a. Primary Driver Habitats for the Puget Trough Ecoregion ...................................................... 17 2b. Primary Driver Habitats for the Southwest Cascades Ecoregion............................................ 19 3. Amphibians Predicted to Occur in Each BMA....................................................................... 28 4. Birds Predicted to Occur in Each BMA.................................................................................. 29 5. Mammals Predicted to Occur in Each BMA........................................................................... 34 6. Reptiles Predicted to Occur in Each BMA ............................................................................. 36 7. Summary of Tables 3 through 6 by BMA............................................................................... 37 8. Predicted Species for the Kitsap BMA ................................................................................... 71 9. Predicted Species for the North Bay BMA............................................................................. 73 10. Predicted Species for the Gig Harbor BMA ........................................................................... 75 11. Predicted Species for the Greenwater River BMA ................................................................. 77 12. Predicted Species for the Lake Bay BMA .............................................................................. 80 13. Predicted Species for the McNeil Island BMA....................................................................... 82 14. Predicted Species for the Ketron Island BMA........................................................................ 84 15. Predicted Species for the Upland BMA.................................................................................. 86 16. Predicted Species for the Norse Peak BMA ........................................................................... 89 17. Predicted Species for the Nisqually Delta BMA .................................................................... 91 18. Predicted Species for the Puyallup River BMA...................................................................... 94 19. Predicted Species for the Shoreline BMA .............................................................................. 96 20. Predicted Species for the Upper Nisqually BMA ................................................................... 98 21. Predicted Species for the Lewis County BMA ....................................................................