Webinar Series on State Wildlife Action Plan Revision

Transcription

1 Webinar Series on State Wildlife Action Plan Revision For audio: Dial: Passcode: # :30pm

2 Tools for Prioritizing Bird Species & Habitats Agenda 1:00pm Welcome (Mary Pfaffko, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies) 1:03pm Tools from Partners in Flight & Avian Knowledge Network (John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory) 1:15pm Case Study: Ranking bird species for the Alabama Wildlife Action Plan (Eric Soehren, Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources) 1:30pm Case Study: Developing an ebird Citizen Science Portal to Implement the Washington Wildlife Action Plan (Eric Gardner, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife) 1:50pm The Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Approach to Prioritizing Bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need (Mitch Hartley, US Fish & Wildlife Service) 2:05pm Wrap-up of bird tools (John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory) 2:15pm Questions

3 1:03pm - 1:15pm Partners in Flight (PIF) & Avian Knowledge Network (AKN) (John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory)

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13 (Rich et al. 2004)

14 (Blancher et al. 2007;Panjabi et al. 2012)

15 Bird are a Shared Responsibility (Berlanga et al. 2010)

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18 Regional Conservation Plans

19 (Ralph et al. 1993, NABCI 2007)

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22 Who Contributes to ebird 195 million observations 14.5 million checklists 2.1 million locations Every country in the world 10,006 species (97% of all species) 14,592,923 hours in the field Over 6,500 data requests in 18 months 120 peer-reviewed publications Where Birding, Science, & Conservation Meet

23 Prioritizing Bird Species & Habitats Case Study: Ranking species using PIF and other tools for the Alabama Wildlife Action Plan Presented by: Eric Soehren Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources State Lands Division Wehle Land Conservation Center 4819 Pleasant Hill Road Midway, AL Bear Den Hollow, Jackson County, AL

24 Alabama Nongame Wildlife Conference Conference convenes every 10- years to update status ranks for Alabama Wildlife Action Plan revision/update using the most available information Evaluates status for all vertebrate taxa and select invertebrate taxa Taxa groups led by committee Each committee has a chair and invites taxa authorities/experts to participate In 2012, over 160 biologists (State, Federal, NGO), academia, private consultants, land stewards, and interested public provided input

25 Criteria Used for Ranking Henslow s Sparrow (P1), Mobile County, AL (E. Soehren) Species ranked on four vulnerability parameters Rarity Distribution Threats to Habitat Population Trend Ranks range from Priority 1 (highest conservation concern) to 5 (lowest conservation concern) Species ranked Priority 1 or 2 are assigned Greatest Conservation Need (GCN) status in Alabama and incorporated in Wildlife Action Plan.

26 Tools Used for Evaluation Partners in Flight - Landbirds Population Estimates Database (2007) Species Assessment Database USGS Breeding Bird Survey Trends AL long and short-term trends Alabama Breeding Bird Atlas Data North American Bird Conservation Initiatives (NABCI) N.A. Landbird Conservation Plan N.A. Waterbird Conservation Plan U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan N.A. Waterfowl Management Plan Waterfowl Population Status Reports Christmas Bird Count Trend Data Reports from targeted species monitoring surveys Published literature in peer-review journals

27 Species Considered for Ranking 255 of 446 bird species evaluated for ranking (official Alabama checklist deemed by the Bird Records Committee of the Alabama Ornithological Society) Species ranked included those that regularly breed, winter, or occur year-around (resident), requiring habitats within Alabama to fulfill important aspects of their life history cycle. Remaining 191 species not ranked because they were considered either introduced, pelagic, accidental, or temporary migrants in AL. Swallow-tailed Kite (P2), Baldwin County, AL (B. Summerour)

28 Loggerhead Shrike AL BBS Trend Data : -6.0 (-6.9, -5.0; 95% CI) : -5.0 (-8.2, -1.6); R.A.: 2.1 (Index) PIF-Global Population PIF-Alabama Population 4.2 Million 69,000 (1.7%)

29 Swainson s Warbler (GCN Priority 2) AL BBS Trend Data : 4.0 (2.3, 5.7; 95% CI) : 4.5 (1.8, 8.3); R.A.: 0.1 (Index) PIF-Global Population PIF-Alabama Population 84,000 10,000 (11.7%) PIF Watch List Species of Continental Importance in the Eastern Avifaunal Biome; Planning & Responsibility

30 Eastern Meadowlark AL BBS Trend Data : -4.5 (-4.9, -4.0; 95% CI) : -4.9 (-6.1, -3.7); R.A.: 25.0 (Index) PIF-Global Population PIF-Alabama Population 10 Million 210,000 (2.0%)

31 Yellow Rail (GCN Priority 2) ASY. Mobile County, 15 March 2011 (Soehren). NAWCP-Global Pop. Alabama Population 10,000 25,000? NAWCP High Conservation Concern (showing population declines and other risks. Recent Winter Survey efforts have yielded birds in coastal high marsh and pitcher plant bogs/wet pine savannah. Winter biology poorly known. AL, Mobile County: 8 Detections (2011)/1 Detection (2012) MS, Jackson County: 14 Dectections (2011)/? Detections (2012) radio-telemetry efforts

32 Rusty Blackbird Lee County, AL (G. Hill). Global populations have plummeted over the past 40 years, with estimates ranging from 85-95% declines Global Population Est. 5 million (PIF) Among the sharpest declining bird species in North America Reasons are unclear, but wetland destruction, deterioration, blackbird control, and acid rain may be culprits.

33 Tying it Together Wildlife Action Plan - Eight Required Elements Species of Greatest Conservation Need Key Habitats Threats Conservation Actions (prioritized) Monitoring, measuring effectiveness, adaptive management Plans for future revision and review of WAP Coordination with Partners Public Participation Utilizing available tools updated and improved Alabama s prioritization method identifying species of Greatest Conservation Need

34 Eric Gardner Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Diversity Division State Wildlife Action Plan Webinar August 21, 2014 ebird Northwest - A Citizen Science Portal to Implement Washington s Wildlife Action Plan

35 A Decade of Action Plan Implementation So much success! (please celebrate) So many challenges remaining Public awareness and support Political support Funding! Cannot do it all alone Lost sight of Keeping Common Species Common Many partners not actively implementing the plan

36 Guiding Principles for Washington s 2015 SWAP and Planning Process Guide WDFW actions and facilitate conservation outcomes Facilitate opportunities for conservation partners to contribute towards priority actions. Inform the public and decision makers Create a document that is concise, readable, informative and available to a wide range of publics and stakeholders. Engage conservation partners Engage conservation partners in identifying priority conservation actions, and encourage collaborative approaches to implementation.

37 ebird Northwest Why we need it What it is Connections to SWAP

38 Why a Portal? It s all about the data Rapidly changing landscape Climate change State/Federal efforts not sufficient or responsive A need for more and timely data

39 WHY DATA? Informs Us Drives Implementation Drives Decisions Creates Policy

40 WHY PARTNERSHIPS? Pathway to shared conservation values Strengthens community awareness We can t do it alone Establishes a nexus for conservation accountability It is already happening (with or without us)!

41 Personal Investment Creates Value Financial - struggle to find funding mechanism Data has incredible value if you use it! Expectations if they invest, they expect results Support Political Regulatory Financial

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44 Fig. 1. ebird Growth. The number of observations and checklists submitted monthly since Note within-year fluctuations, with contributions dropping in summer and increasing through May.

45 Barn Swallow Migration

46 WDFW 2005 SWAP & Revision

47 Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, WDFW Observations

48 What the.?

49 Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, WDFW Observations Still nothing!

50 Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, ebird Observations

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53 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution Delineation, WDFW Observations

54 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution Delineation, HUC 10

55 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution Delineation, HUC 12

56 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution Delineation, with WDFW data only

57 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution with WDFW / ebird Data

58 Burrowing Owl Range and Distribution with WDFW / ebird Data

59 Revisit Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, WDFW Observations

60 Revisiting Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, ebird Observations

61 Revisiting Pygmy Nuthatch Range and Distribution Delineation, ebird data

62 Yeah, SO WHAT? Invokes Growth Management Act planning regulations Distinguishes and prioritizes conservation actions Survey and monitoring vs. exploration Direction to citizens and bios on where to look for new records Detect changes over time (Climate Change)

63 WDFW Data Needs 46 Listed Species Status Assessments (12 Birds) Brown Pelican Greater Sage-grouse Marbled Murrelet Snowy Plover Spotted Owl Streaked Horned Lark Bald Eagle Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Common Loon White Pelican Peregrine Falcon Ferruginous Hawk

64 ebird Northwest - a Developing Partnership Klamath Bird Observatory Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Oregon State University NGOs Seattle Audubon Portland Audubon WA Ornithological Society PNW Birders!

65 Developing a broad regional and state partnership around ebird Northwest to: 1) Increase the public s connection to our SWAP by engaging the birding community 2) Implement portions of our State Wildlife Action Plan using citizen science efforts 3) Manage and conserve our natural resources using real data 4) Build public expectations for state management 5) Create social, political, and financial support!

66 Regional Information

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69 Where Birding Meets Science

70 WDFW/Audubon Sagebrush Songbird Surveys

71 Back to our SWAP Describing in SWAP how occurrence data translates to ACTION Calling out priority WDFW Actions Identifying partner & public conservation opportunities Asking ebirders to help implement our plan!

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73 + The Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Approach to Prioritizing Avian Species of Greatest Conservation Need Mitch Hartley Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, US Fish & Wildlife Service

74 + Vision for Bird Conservation Planning in the ACJV All Bird Conservation All Habitats At Ecoregional Scale

75 + Integrating Major Bird Initiatives North American Waterfowl Management Plan Partners in Flight Shorebird Conservation Plans Waterbird Conservation Plan Upland Game Bird Initiatives

76 NAWMP PIF USSCP NAWCP

77 + North American Bird Conservation Initiative

78 + Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs)

79 + ACJV Goal for Bird Prioritization All native species treated similarly Continental & regional assessment stepped down to BCR scale Objective criteria used to determine conservation status

80 + Full Annual Life Cycle Focus Birds need different habitats throughout the year Breeding Migration / Stopover Winter

81 + Drivers of Prioritization Global Extinction Risk Regional Responsibility Regional Status/Trend

82 + Drivers of Prioritization Global Population Size/Trend Degree of Endemism Regional Threats

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85 + Initial Assumption Accept approach of each bird initiative Plans used as default inputs into decision rules

86 + Expert Review Experts from each initiative reviewed input data From across jurisdictions

87 + Expert Review Examine input data & modify when default values not accurate for BCR Role is not to say if priority tier is appropriate

88 Regional Decision Rules Priority Tier Continental Concern BCR Responsibility BCR Concern Rule Highest HIGH HIGH or MOD HIGH a MODERATE HIGH or MOD HIGH b High HIGH HIGH or MOD MODERATE c MODERATE HIGH MODERATE d HIGH or MOD LOW HIGH e Medium LOW HIGH or MOD HIGH f HIGH LOW MODERATE g MODERATE MODERATE MODERATE h LOW HIGH MODERATE i HIGH HIGH or MOD LOW j MODERATE HIGH LOW k LOW HIGH LOW l

89 + Decision Rule Example (BCR 13) Species Cont. Priority BCR Respon. BCR Concern Priority Rule Goldenwinged Warbler Wood Thrush Rusty Blackbird HIGH MODERATE HIGH HIGHEST a HIGH MODERATE MODERATE HIGH c HIGH LOW MODERATE MEDIUM g

90 + Decision Rule Example (BCR 13) Species Cont. Priority BCR Respon. BCR Concern Priority Rule American Black Duck HIGH MOD HIGH HIGH HIGHEST a Mallard HIGH* MOD HIGH HIGH* (LOW- MOD) MEDIUM d * Default values changed to reflect expanded range, introduction, and conflicts with American Black Duck

91 + Discussion Consistent with Best Management Practice of operational conservation triage

92 + Discussion Optimizes resources across multiple states Avoids over-emphasis of local diversity versus global diversity

93 + Discussion Goal is not to conserve all native species in all places Trade-off between locally rare populations & global impact of efforts

94 + Discussion BCR decision rules being proposed as a unified approach across bird conservation community

95 + Discussion Each BCR s lists could be same: Across Joint Ventures, States USFWS Birds Conservation Concern North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants

96 + Conclusion Conservation triage suggests optimizing limited resources State boundaries result in a conflict between local & global biodiversity Regional prioritization can be simple & objective State Wildlife Action Plans focused on BCR priorities match up with other conservation plans

97 2:05pm - 2:15pm Wrap-up of bird tools (John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory)

98 Bird Conservation Science Applied Multi-species Assess conservation needs Set measurable objectives Design management Measuring effectiveness Science-based tools Species assessment database Standard monitoring techniques Conservation plans Conservation design process (Alexander 2011, PhD Dissertation; Stephens et al. 2011, USFWS BTP)

99 The State of the Birds 2011 Public Lands and Waters Nation's first assessment of the distribution of birds on public lands and waters

100 Who Contributes to ebird

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103 Zac Denning Focal Species Conservation Objectives Habitat attributes of healthy functioning ecosystem (Alexander et al. 2007; Chase and Geupel 2005)

104 Oregon Strategy: Key Conservation Issues Grasslands Altered fire regimes: o Lincoln Sparrow wet meadow Invasive species: o Western Meadowlark large grassland patches o Oregon Vesper Sparrow scattered bunchgrass o Grasshopper Sparrow moderate grass height with little to no bare ground

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107 Modeling changes in bird distribution and abundance White-breasted Nuthatch (c) Peter LaTourrette

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109 (Veloz et al. 2013)

110 Bird Conservation Hotspots (Zonation) Conifer species Grassland species Oak woodland species Riparian species (Veloz et al. 2013)

111 Forest Restoration Priorities

112 Forest Restoration Priorities

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114 Focal Species Habitat Objectives (Altman and Alexander 2012)

115 Focal Species Habitat Objectives (Altman and Alexander 2012)

116 Focal Species Conservation Objectives Habitat attributes of healthy functioning ecosystem (Altman and Alexander 2012)

117 Forest Management Habitat Models Broadleaf-conifer mix Bushtit Lazuli Bunting Spotted Towhee Black-headed Grosbeak *Black-thr. Gray Warbler Nashville Warbler High volume conifer Golden-crowned Kinglet Townsend's Solitaire *Brown Creeper *Hermit Warbler *Pacific-slope Flycatcher *Winter Wren Conifer generalists Red-breasted Nuthatch Yellow-rumped Warbler Chapparal and Oak woodland Bewick's Wren Bullock's Oriole California Towhee Lesser Goldfinch Western Scrub-Jay Western Wood-pewee White-breasted Nuthatch Low volume conifer Mountain Chickadee Green-tailed Towhee * Oregon-Washington PIF Focal Species (Western Coniferous Forests) (Betts et al. 2010; Seavy and Alexander 2011; Altman and Alexander 2012)

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119 ontacts & resources resenters ohn Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory, ric Soehren, Alabama Dept of Conservation & Natural Resources, ric Gardner, Washington Fish & Wildlife Dept, itch Hartley, US Fish & Wildlife Service, eaming With Wildlife website ttp://teaming.com/element-1-species Partners in Flight Avian Knowledge Network Birds of Conservation Concern