Download Jan_2011_Rinearson_Coalition_OCS_pres

ODFW's mission is to protect and
enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife
and their habitats for use and
enjoyment by present and future
generations.
Rinearson Coalition
January 2011
the Oregon Conservation Strategy healthy habitats for wildlife and people
Introducing the
Oregon
Conservation
trategy
Oregon
Department
of Fish and
Wildlife
What is the Oregon
Conservation Strategy?
• A voluntary, proactive, prioritized approach to
conservation
• Healthy habitats for fish, wildlife and people
• Linked to an unprecedented national effort
• Promotes strong economies and communities
through local projects, large scale planning
conservation education
Conservation Strategy
Goals
• Maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations by:
– Maintaining and restoring functioning habitats
– Preventing declines of at-risk species
– Reversing any declines where possible
• Engage citizens in conservation
– Everyone has a role
– Increase awareness of issues
• Collaborative development and implementation
Habitat focus builds
strong partnerships
• All fish and wildlife benefit from habitat projects
• Habitat is common ground
- Invasives, water quality, land-use, barriers
- Hunting, fishing & environmental groups, landowners,
forest and farm industries, agencies, businesses,
researchers are all partners
Oregon Conservation Strategy:
What it is Not
• Not a substitute for
existing planning or
conservation efforts
• Not regulatory
• Not an ODFW
management plan
A Tour of the Strategy
Section A – summary of entire document
• 33 pgs; sets the tone, big-picture view
Section B – main section – biological, social,
technical
• 337 pages; 4 scales – statewide, ecoregional, habitat &
species
• 6 Key Conservation Issues
• Voluntary conservation tools
• Outreach, education and recreation
• Monitoring and data gaps
Section C - Appendices
Ecoregions
For each Ecoregion (8):
• Characteristics (ecology & economy)
• Strategy Species and Habitats
• Key Conservation Issues
• Recommended Conservation Actions
• Conservation success stories
• Conservation Opportunity Areas maps and profiles
Willamette Valley Ecoregion
Priority Habitats
• Wetlands and wet prairies
• Grasslands
• Oak woodlands
• Riparian
Willamette Valley Ecoregion
Priority Species (59)
• California myotis (bat)
• Western gray squirrel
• Northern red-legged frog
• Native turtles
• Chinook salmon
• Winter steelhead
• Acorn woodpecker
• Little willow flycatcher
• Western bluebird
• Yellow breasted chat
Habitats
and Species
Six Key
Conservation
Issues
•
•
•
•
•
Land use changes
Invasive species
Changes in fire, flood regimes
Water quality and quantity (declines in)
Barriers to fish and wildlife
movement
• Institutional barriers to voluntary
conservation
Using the Strategy:
A Habitat Approach
Riparian Habitat
• Definition - Habitats adjacent to rivers and streams that are
shaped by seasonal flooding, scour and soil deposition
• Includes bottomland hardwood forests and
floodplains
– often with associated wetlands and off channel habitats
• Common plant associates:
– black cottonwood, Oregon ash, bigleaf maple, red alder,
willow, western red cedar, variety of native shrubs, slough
sedge
Riparian Habitat: Issues & Threats
• Loss of habitat, floodplain function, habitat
complexity and hydrological regimes
– Urban development & agriculture
– Construction of roads, dikes & dams
– Riprapping banks & channelizing
•
•
•
•
Habitat degradation
Loss of connectivity (dams)
Water availability (diversions)
Invasive species
Riparian Habitat: Why Care?
• Key Functions
–
–
–
–
–
Mediation of solar energy
Provision of nutrients
Filtering of sediments & pollutants
Provision of large wood
Vital for healthy fish and wildlife
• Key life functions
• Movement corridors
Constrained Floodplains Exacerbate the
Effects of Floods and Droughts
Functional floodplains serve as a sponge, soaking up “flood
waters” and releasing water slowly.
Riparian Habitat
Conservation Actions
• Retain remnant high-quality riparian areas
• Restore degraded riparian areas
– Control invasive plants
– Planting of native species
• Improve connectivity
– Remove barriers (dams, dikes)
• Provide snags and downed wood
Using the Strategy:
A Species Approach
Red-legged Frog
• Special Needs:
– Ponds and wetlands with still water
– Emergent plants
– Access to moist forested habitats
• Limiting Factors:
–
–
–
–
–
Loss of quality egg-laying habitat
Loss and fragmentation of upland habitat
Invasive fish and bullfrogs
Chemical contaminants and disease
Dramatic water fluctuations
Red-legged Frog
Conservation Actions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Maintain and protect wetland habitats (buffers)
Provide egg mass attachment sites
Protect and improve water quality
Provide moist microclimate features in adjacent forest
Control invasive species
Eliminate or minimize chemical contaminants
Invasive Species
“Nonnative organisms that cause economic or
environmental harm and are capable of
spreading to new areas of the state. Invasive
species does not include humans, domestic
livestock or nonharmful exotic organisms.”
Invasive Species – What’s the Big Deal?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Changes to ecosystem functions
Loss of biodiversity
Reduction in habitat values
Direct competition
Direct mortality (e.g., predation)
Introduction of disease
How to Use the Strategy
• As a technical reference
• For local conservation priorities and project planning
–
–
–
–
Conservation issues / limiting factors
Priority habitats and species
Recommended actions
COAs
• For data sharing
– Toolbox
• To build partnerships & leverage $
• To measure success
Benefits of Healthy Fish & Wildlife
and Habitats
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nutrient cycling
Pollination
Germination
Seed dispersal
Soil generation
Habitat creation
Pest control
Excrete natural fertilizer
Wildfire reduction risk
Soil stabilization
Water quality & quantity
For more information:
www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy
Local ODFW Contact:
Susan Barnes
Northwest Region Conservation Biologist
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 971-673-6010