Appendix A Ecosystems Characteristics Appendix A Ecosystems Characteristics Region/ Ecosystem Class Habitat Characteristics • Standing body of water located in a topographic depression that is not directly connected to the sea • Distinguished by relatively still waters, no ocean derived salts, and an absence of perennial emergent vegetation • Includes lacustrine wetlands • Low rates of primary productivity Oligotrophic • Trophic State Index less than 40 • Moderate rates of primary productivity Mesotrophic • Trophic State Index between 40 and 50 • High rates of primary productivity Eutrophic • Trophic State Index greater than 50 Freshwater Lacustrine • Extends waterward from ordinary high water to a depth of 2 meters below low Littoral water or the extent of annual emergent vegetation • Deep water benthic habitat with no Profundal vegetation • Long, linear interconnected networks, comprised of patterns and processes that occur in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical dimensions • Unidirectional flows terminating at the confluence of a larger stream or river, marine ecosystem, or lake • Gradient typically decreases with longitudinal distance downstream • Structure and variability of in-channel habitat determined by topography • Energy sources, community composition, and behavioral adaptations vary with increasing distance downstream • Freshwater Riverine Includes riverine wetlands • Slopes less than 0.1 percent with sand and gravel substrates Low-gradient • Channels commonly have multiple valley threads • Sediment supply is generally greater than the river’s transport capacity. AUGUST 2014—Washington State Department of Natural Resources DRAFT Aquatics HCP A-1 Appendix A Ecosystems Characteristics Region/ Ecosystem Class Habitat Characteristics • Alternating sequences of pools, bars, and riffles with gradients of 0.1 to 2 percent • Sinuous channels with a high ratio of reach to valley length Riffle-pool • Pools typically created by scour; deposition occurs between pools in riffles, or adjacent to pools on bars • Substrate particle size comprised of gravel or cobble • Gradients between 2 and 4 percent Plane bed • Substrate particle size comprised of gravel or cobble • Gradients between 4 and 8 percent • Alternating sequences of relatively deep stream sections with flat, non-turbulent flow, and shallow, steep sections with turbulent flow Step-pool • Pools formed by large boulders that restrict the flow of water, resulting in a backwater upstream of the restriction and Riverine, continued Riverine, – a substantial drop in elevation downstream of the restriction • Gradients greater than 8 percent • Beds comprised of large boulders with Freshwater channels typically confined by valley Cascade walls • Movement of bed material is rare due to the large size of the dominant substrate and relatively shallow water depths • Depth less than 20 meters • Energy primarily derived from benthic vegetation and terrestrial sources • Benthic habitats within the photic zone • Vegetation has significant influence on species assemblages • Unconsolidated habitat dominates; Nearshore consolidated substrates found in Coastal scattered locations along the northern coast and rocky headlands in estuaries Saltwater • Unconsolidated habitat dominates; consolidated habitat most common Inland among the San Juan Islands and on rocky headlands in Puget Sound AUGUST 2014—Washington State Department of Natural Resources DRAFT Aquatics HCP A-2 Appendix A Ecosystems Characteristics Region/ Ecosystem Class Habitat Characteristics • Intertidal and shallow subtidal areas dominated by bedrock or boulder • Biota includes macroscopic red, green, and brown algae; kelp beds used by sea Consolidated otters; a variety of fish and invertebrate species; and benthic diatoms • Riparian area vegetated with overhanging shrubs and trees and adjacent herbaceous plants • Eelgrass meadows (approximately +0.3 meters to -10 meters—Mean Lower Low Water) used by a variety of fish and invertebrates for rearing, feeding and refuge • Flat areas of fine to coarse unconsolidated sediments near river and stream deltas and embayments not associated with freshwater systems • Biota includes drift seaweeds; infauna (worms, small crustaceans, and Unconsolidated bivalves); shorebirds; abundant juvenile and adult fish; and recreationally and commercially important stocks of clams • Sub-estuaries characterized by variable salinity concentrations, riparian habitat, dune habitat, tidal marshes, seaweed assemblages, eelgrass meadows, and limited rocky shore habitat • Riparian area vegetated with overhanging shrubs and trees and adjacent herbaceous plants • Greater than 10 meters above the bottom • Biota includes plankton (eggs, larvae, phytoplankton, and zooplankton), fish Water Column (herring, salmonids, smelt, spiny dogfish, sand lance, and rockfish), birds, and marine mammals • Depth greater than 20 meters • Benthic habitat below the photic zone • Energy production derived from communities of water column Offshore Saltwater phytoplankton • Dominated by unconsolidated sediments AUGUST 2014—Washington State Department of Natural Resources DRAFT Aquatics HCP A-3 Appendix A Ecosystems Characteristics Region/ Ecosystem Class Habitat Characteristics • Dominated by unconsolidated habitats; consolidated habitats are concentrated off the Olympic Peninsula coast, west and southwest of Willapa Bay, and off Coastal Cape Flattery • Unconsolidated habitats dominate; consolidated habitats are concentrated off the San Juan Islands the west coast of Whidbey Island and Admiralty Inlet, Inland and the Tacoma Narrows • Substrate is comprised of rocks larger than cobble (265 millimeters in diameter), bedrock, and consolidated clays • In high- to moderate-energy regimes, biota includes encrusting invertebrates Consolidated and plants, urchins, rockfish, gobies, lingcod, and sculpins; in low-energy regimes, biota includes glass sponges, serpulid polychaetes, planktivorous invertebrates, cup coral, rockfish, longfin sculpin, and gobies • Substrate consists of cobble, gravel, sand, mud and organic materials • In high-energy systems comprised of cobble and mixed-coarse substrates, biota includes mussels, barnacles, urchins, rock scallops, small bivalves, Unconsolidated amphipods, and polychaetes; in low- energy systems with mud substrates, biota includes sea pens and whips, polychaetes, bivalves, amphipods, anemones, sea stars, urchins, and sea cucumbers • Greater than 10 meters above the bottom • Biota includes plankton (eggs, larvae, phytoplankton, and zooplankton), fish Water Column (herring, salmonids, smelt, lamprey, spiny dogfish, cods, sand lance, and rockfish), birds, and marine mammals AUGUST 2014—Washington State Department of Natural Resources DRAFT Aquatics HCP A-4 Appendix B Species Considered Appendix B Species Considered Species Listing Natural Final Reasoning Status1 Heritage Recommendation 2 Group Name Rank Included in Species Reasoning5 Potential Designation4 Effects Analysis Screening3 Cascades frog FCo; G3,G4; No Watch Not state or Exclude Apparently secure; low (Rana cascadae) SM S3,S4 federally potential to affect; threatened or insufficient biological endangered; information apparently secure; low potential for use authorization s to affect species; insufficient s biological information Coastal tailed frog SM G4; S4 No Evaluation Not state or Exclude Apparently secure (Ascaphus truei) federally threatened or endangered; apparently Amphibians & Reptile secure 1 F = Federal (FE = Federal Endangered; FT = Federal Threatened; FCo = Federal Species of Concern; S = State (SE = State Endangered; ST = State Threatened; SC = State Candidate; SS = State Sensitive; SM = State Monitor; SX = possibly extinct or extirpated) 2 Natural Heritage program ranks: G = Global; S = State; B = Breeding populations; N = Non-breeding populations; 1 = Critically imperiled; 2 = Imperiled; 3 = Rare locally or with a restricted range; 4 = Apparently secure; 5 = Demonstrably secure; H = Possibly extirpated. GNR = globally not ranked; SNR = State not ranked 3Species was included in spatial-temporal screening of potential effect analysis (see Table 3-1 in Washington DNR Aquatic Resources Program Habitat Conservation Plan Potential Effects and Expected Outcomes Technical Paper. Washington DNR, Olympia WA. August 2007). See also Washington DNR Aquatic Resources Program Habitat Conservation Plan Covered Species Technical Paper (Washington DNR, Olympia WA. August 2007). 4Designation based on results of Potential Effects Analysis (Washington DNR Aquatic Resources Program Habitat Conservation Plan Potential Effects and Expected Outcomes Technical Paper. Washington DNR, Olympia WA. August 2007); or based on input from species experts. 5Reasoning may be based on results of Potential Effects Analysis alone; based on additional unrelated reasons; or a combination of the two. AUGUST 2014—Washington State Department of Natural Resources DRAFT Aquatics HCP B-1 Appendix B Species Considered Species Listing Natural Final Reasoning Status1 Heritage Recommendation 2 Group Name Rank Included in Species Reasoning5 Potential Designation4 Effects Analysis Screening3 Columbia spotted SC G4; S4 Yes Covered State Include Covered activities could frog (Rana candidate; have high potential luteiventris) high potential effect on species, to affect; additionally other similar covered amphibians habitat use similar habitat requirements to other species Leatherback sea FE; SE G2; SNR No Evaluation State and Exclude Unlikely that use turtle (Dermochelys federally