APPENDIX 2.
MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND RESEARCH
Joint Venture Evaluation
Work Plan
The Pacific Coast Joint Venture (Joint Venture)
Monitoring and Evaluation Team will evaluate the
collective effectiveness of Joint Venture initiatives
in attaining population and habitat objectives of the
Joint Venture as derived from the Pacific Coast Joint
Venture Strategic Plan and the North American
Waterfowl Management Plan.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Team will coordinate activities with the Continental National Evaluation Team and:
•
assist in development of waterfowl and
other wetland-dependent population objectives by linking wildlife population goals
to habitat needs;
•
assist in the development of a data base to
track project (implementation and results;
The Monitoring and Evaluation Team responsibilities include:
Tracking - enumerating program accomplishments
Monitoring - measuring progress toward
population and habitat goals of the Joint
Venture
Biological assessment - measuring relative
benefits provided by specific practices or
programs in meeting Joint Venture population
and habitat goals
Research (directed studies) - developing of
new information or techniques to address data
gaps, biological and policy assumptions and
problems, and to improve habitat enhancement, management, and restoration in an
economically efficient manner
Tracking
•
identify and recommend priorities for research on population/habitat interactions;
•
provide technical assistance to identify the
most important wetland habitats and
population management needs and to assess
the best techniques to meet those needs;
•
make recommendations to the Management Board for any program modifications
indicated during; the evaluation process.
Tracking is the process of numerically tabulating
habitat and population management accomplishments. An international computer-based tracking
system for project accomplishments related to the
North American Waterfowl Management Plan is
used to track accomplishments of joint ventures
throughout the continent. Within the Joint Venture,
tracking will be conducted on the program areas
and specific project sites. Achievement of Joint
Venture objectives is ultimately accomplished by
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Monitoring
ally predictable relationship exists between the
number of ducks surveyed on the Pacific Coast
during the Midwinter Inventory and the total
number of ducks surveyed on the breeding
grounds. Habitat factors in the breeding grounds
for ducks can overwhelm improvements made on
the Pacific Coast habitats (except for locally
raised birds). Thus, data resulting from the existing Midwinter Inventory is of little value for
assessing attainment of continental North
American
Waterfowl
Management
Plan
objectives. As a result, monitoring of Joint
Venture duck population goals will not attempt to
relate winter numbers with North American
Waterfowl Management Plan goals.
Monitoring is the process of assimilating status
information on habitats and wildlife populations in
relation to established objectives. The monitoring
program will measure land use, wildlife populations, and success of program implementation.
Coastal monitoring of waterfowl numbers and land
use is required to measure success in attaining
population objectives. Duck population surveys may
be required more frequently than the current annual
Midwinter Inventory.
The Joint Venture has set habitat and waterfowl
population goals. Both the Flyway and the North
American Waterfowl Management Plan waterfowl
objectives are stated in terms of winter birds, so
existing special goose surveys and the annual Midwinter inventory will produce adequate data for
assessing attainment of Joint Venture and North
American Waterfowl Management Plan objectives
for geese, swans, and Brant.
The following objectives for a Joint Venture monitoring program have been developed:
the cumulative securement, enhancement, and restoration of many local areas.
Entry, maintenance, and annual reporting of Joint
Venture accomplishment will be a responsibility
of the Joint Venture Coordinators. Data will be
submitted annually to the Coordinators by Joint
Venture cooperators responsible for the various
projects. Categories of accomplishments in the
tracking system include securement, restoration,
enhancement, and wildlife population data. Other
data elements include sponsor (cooperator), size,
cost, dates, and geographic location.
For ducks, the situation is more complicated because
the Joint Venture has established objectives for desired winter populations of ducks. By comparison,
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
duck objectives are presented as breeding ground
population objectives. Unfortunately, no statisticA-6
•
Monitor overall changes in land use within
areas targeted by the Joint Venture.
•
Monitor the effects of direct projects in
promoting expanded areas of wetlands,
enhanced wetlands and agricultural lands,
acquired water and power systems, and
other conservation programs.
•
Monitor waterfowl and other wildlife
populations within targeted areas, in
relation to ongoing and developing Joint
Venture projects.
Monitoring will be accomplished with existing
Midwinter Inventory and special goose surveys to
measure population distribution of key species
(e.g., Brant, swans, and Snow Geese) relative to
distribution of various projects (restoration, enhancement, etc.). There may be a need for additional survey techniques, such as Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Breeding Bird Survey, and annual heron rookery
monitoring. Shorebird surveys have been developed to monitor population size and distribution.
Baseline data are being gathered to develop
shorebird trend information.
In some areas, habitat monitoring will be accomplished with National Wetlands Inventory Maps,
and satellite and high altitude imagery for input
into a geographical information system (GIS). The
goal is to monitor status of wetlands and agricultural lands by comparing pre-project conditions
with landscape patterns that evolve during the life
of the North American Waterfowl Management
Plan. Ultimately, habitat status and wildlife abundance and distribution will be monitored annually.
•
Are changes needed in the Joint Venture's
approach?
Assessment provides the mechanisms necessary to
guide management programs and ensure proper
implementation of the Joint Venture. Assessment
will aid in establishing priorities, guiding management decisions, evaluating progress in achieving
objectives, and identifying important informational
gaps that will require additional research. Major
assumptions are made during planning of habitat
management treatments and these assumptions
will be tested with the Biological Assessment
Program using field studies. A variety of aspects
will be assessed including population size and
density of key species, distribution of key species
relative to habitat improvement and development,
changes in waterfowl carrying capacity and wildlife diversity on restored wetlands, food production
on enhanced and restored wetlands, waterfowl use
rates of specific wetland and agricultural habitat
types, and response of non-waterfowl birds. The
highest priorities for assessment are for treatments
expected to cost the most or yield the greatest
wildlife benefits.
Biological Assessment
Reporting Responsibility
The following three basic questions will be addressed
to assess the progress and effectiveness of the Joint
Venture.
•
Is the Joint Venture meeting its stated
goals?
•
Is the Joint Venture employing the best
techniques and implementing the most effective programs?
Timetable of Products─The Joint Venture Coordinators consolidate all tracking data from specific
project sponsors and deliver the information to the
National Evaluation Team. Monitoring results are
obtained, at least annually, by the Joint Venture
Coordinator for the use of the monitoring and
Evaluation Team in Biological Assessment.
Results of directed studies and assessment field
work will need to be made available to the Monitor
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ing and Evaluation Team after completion of
field work and data analysis. Assessment activities
will be concurrent with project development, and a
list of directed studies topics will be maintained and
adjusted by the Joint Venture Coordinator for the
use of interested groups.
Responsibility of Evaluation and Reporting─
The Joint Venture Coordinators have ultimate responsibility for evaluation of Joint Venture
projects and reporting to the Continental Evaluation Team. The Monitoring and Evaluation Team,
including the Coordinators, will develop the
evaluation program and assist the Coordinators in
compiling and reporting results.
Responsibility for Funding─Existing funding
sources must be used to support some of the Joint
Venture evaluation programs. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1, Joint Venture project funds,
at the Regional Director's discretion, can be used
for evaluation. Other federal and provincial agencies will be approached or evaluation funding as
appropriate. State agencies and private cooperators will also be asked to contribute to evaluation
programs. Evaluation will be included in proposals
for the North American Wetlands Conservation
Fund. The Joint Venture Coordinators, members
of the Monitoring and Evaluation Team, project
sponsors, and others will be responsible for
obtaining funds for an adequate evaluation
program on selected categories of projects.
Research Needs (Directed Studies)
Waterfowl research on the wintering grounds is
emerging from its infancy. The extensive loss of
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wintering habitat, a growing awareness of crossseasonal influences, and the need for coordinated
management throughout the annual cycle have
stimulated more intensive research on waterfowl.
wintering ecology. The state and federal cooperative efforts necessary for habitat conservation
should be matched by parallel efforts in waterfowl and other wetland-oriented species research.
Joint Venture research needs will be defined in
an interagency forum, and coordinated efforts
among the state and federal sectors will be undertaken. Priority research areas include:
•
Estuarine restoration techniques.
•
Management techniques for moist soil
and cropland habitats.
•
Methods of assessing food availability
and carrying capacity of habitat types.
•
Effects of human disturbance on
waterfowl populations, with emphasis on
Brant, Snow Geese, and swans.
•
Effects of
habitats.
•
Control and/or eradication of Spartina
sp. in Pacific estuaries.
aquaculture
on
estuarine