Webinar Series on State Wildlife Action Plan Revision
For audio:
Dial: 712-432-1500
Passcode: 882578#
4.17.14
1-2:30pm
Best Practice for State Wildlife Action Plans:
Working together towards common terminology
Agenda
1:00pm Welcome & Purpose
Mary Pfaffko, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
1:03pm Best Practice for SWAPs—why create consistency?
Cathy Haffner, Pennsylvania Game Commission
1:10pm Case Study: Northeast Regional Products
• Northeast Synthesis & Regional SGCN (Karen Terwilliger, Terwilliger Consulting, Inc.)
• Northeast Lexicon (Elizabeth Crisfield, Terwilliger Consulting, Inc.)
• Delaware Database (Jonathan Mawdsley, Society for Conservation Biology)
2:10pm Case Study: USGS Species Conservation Analysis Tool (“the SGCN tool”)
Abby Benson, US Geological Survey
2:20pm Questions
4.17.14
A Common Language for Species,
Habitats, Threats and Conservation
Actions in State Wildlife Action Plans
Best Practices from Chapters 2 & 3
Why create consistency?
CATHY HAFFNER
Conservation Planning Coordinator
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Wildlife Diversity Division
Acknowledgements
Best Practices Subgroup 2 Team (Species and Habitats)
Jimi Gragg, UT (Lead)
Jon Ambrose, GA
Rita Dixon, ID
Kristal Stoner, NE
Best Practices Subgroup 3 Team (Threats and Conservation Actions)
Danna Baxley, KY (Lead)
Katy Reeder, IA
Sunni Carr, KY
Leslie Hawkins, SC
Austin Kane, National Wildlife Federation
Presentation
Mary Pfaffko, AFWA
Jimi Gragg, UT
Elizabeth Crisfield, Terwilliger Consulting Inc.
Hal Korber
Will your (or does your) revised State
Wildlife Action Plan use standard
terminology* for species, habitats,
threats or conservation actions?
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
Enter your state or territory
name and your answer in the
chat pod in the bottom right
corner of your screen.
Example: PA - Yes
*Refers to well-accepted or official classifications for these categories (e.g., American
Ornithologists’ Union checklist for bird names, NatureServe’s Terrestrial Ecological
Systems for habitat , Salafsky et al. 2008 for threats and conservation actions, etc.).
If ‘Yes’ or ‘Don’t know’, for which
required element(s) are you using, or
would you consider using, standard
terminology*?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Element 1 – Species
Element 2 – Habitats
Element 3 – Threats
Element 4 – Actions
All of the above
Still not sure
Enter your state or territory
name and your answer in the
chat pod in the bottom right
corner of your screen.
Example: PA – 5; UT – 2, 3, 4
*Refers to well-accepted or official classifications for these categories (e.g., American
Ornithologists’ Union checklist for bird names, NatureServe’s Terrestrial Ecological
Systems for habitat , Salafsky et al. 2008 for threats and conservation actions, etc.).
Overview
• Genesis for Best Practices
document
• Why create consistency in
State Wildlife Action Plans?
• Utah example
• Highlights of Best Practices
chapters 2 & 3
2011 survey of Wildlife Diversity Program
Managers, State Wildlife Action Plan
Coordinators and partners
What’s working? What’s not?
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
8 required elements (similar content)
Inconsistencies make them hard to use
by national groups
Some standardized terms (e.g.,
species of greatest conservation
need)
Difficult to use for large landscape
planning; need better communication
among states
All states and territories have one
Plans have not been institutionalized
and have not led to agency change;
actions not incorporated into agency
work plans
Nationally sanctioned platform for
conservation discussion
Overwhelming response was that plans should be more consistent.
Voluntary practices to enhance
conservation and consistency across plans.
con·sis·ten·cy
noun \kən-ˈsis-tən(t)-sē\
agreement or harmony of
parts or features to one
another or a whole
Merriam-Webster
“…our hope [is] that we can and
should achieve greater consistency
and standardization across our plans.”
- Carter Smith (TX), Teaming With Wildlife Chair, Best
Practices foreword
Why create consistency?
Improve Communication - Enhance Coordination
Affect Conservation
It can work! Utah example (thanks Jimi!)
Count of Species Common Name
Agricultural and Forestry Effluents
Air-borne pollutants
Annual and Perennial Non-timber Crops
Commercial and Industrial Areas
Dams and Water Management / Use
Excess energy
Fire and Fire Suppression
Habitat Shifting and Alteration
Household Sewage and Urban Wastewater
Hunting and Collecting Terrestrial Animals
Industrial and military effluents
Invasive Non-native / Alien Species
Livestock Farming and Ranching
Logging and Wood Harvesting
Marine and Freshwater Aquaculture
Mining and Quarrying
Oil and gas drilling
Other ecosystem modifications
Problematic Native Species
Recreational Activities
Renewable Energy
Roads and Railroads
Tourism and Recreational Areas
Utility and Service Lines
Work and Other Activities
Grand Total
Very High High Medium Low No data Unknown Grand Total
2
8 15
25
1
4
1
1
7
5
5
7
2
9
15 60
44 51
2
172
4
4
8
8 13
7 32
7
67
4
3
10
1
18
1
4
6
11
1
2 22
25
2
2
45 29
35 49
158
12
6 46
64
2
2
9
13
7
5
12
1 14
28
43
7
2
9
18
3
8 23
34
19 30
20 15
2
86
2
12 108
1
123
2
4 28
34
13
5 48
1
67
10
10
7 38
45
5
5
92 202
184 567
1
15
1061
Categorized
threats for all
species in Utah
following a
standard
classification
system (Salafsky et al.
2008).
Sidebar: Consistent terms allow for
communicating information in different ways.
200
180
160
Total Count
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Very High
High
Medium
Low
No data
Unknown
Utah example… continued
Which taxonomic group or groups is most impacted?
Count of Species Common Name
Row Labels
Very High
High Medium
No data
Low Unknown
amphibian
5
13
15
78
bird
1
13
36
96
fish
79
149
118
invertebrate
16
37
4
mammal
reptile
Grand Total
1
Data Gap
1
Grand Total
5
117
19
165
208
14
20
589
27
34
1
115
230
16
28
135
17
200
16
18
5
103
11
153
121
246
229
187
1454
1
654
16
Fish are facing the greatest number of threats in Utah. Dams are
primary issue, but hard to do anything about. Second highest
threat – non-natives: FISH STOCKING!
Utah threats assessment Result
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will be
switching all non-native sport fish production
to sterile hybrids to reduce this threat.
Mike Cline/Wikimedia Commons
Make State Wildlife Action Plans the
best they can be!
Selected Best Practices (Chapters 2 & 3)
 Use accepted or official taxonomic
standards for species of greatest
conservation need (p. 10)
- Note: The American Fisheries Society Special Publication 34 is the
recommended list of common and scientific names of fishes from the
US, Canada, and Mexico (Nelson et al. 2013)
 Use common habitat classifications that
align with ecological boundaries (p. 8)
 Use standard terms for threats and
conservation actions (p. 12 & 14)
Thank you!
CATHY HAFFNER
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Wildlife Diversity Division
chaffner@pa.gov
570. 275. 3934
Conservation Made More Efficient And Effective
Karen Terwilliger, Elizabeth Crisfield, and TCI Team
for the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee
 States have similar information needs
 Habitat and species conservation crosses state lines
 Cost-effective conservation requires coordinated action.
 The committee has addressed their shared needs
through the Regional Conservation Needs Grant
Program (RCN)
 The NEFWDTC prioritize projects that meet their documented needs
 Results are shared on the RCN website
 50 + RCN projects
 Synthesis Report
 Lexicon Report
 Culture of Coordination
 NE lead and recognition
Advantages:
Challenge:
 Use shared resources to
 Tracking project progress
address shared needs
 Prevent redundancy
 Provide needed data to
all states
 Disseminating information to
all state staff who can use it
 Translating products for
states
 Reviewed ALL 50+ RCN
projects (along with SWG
and NALCC)
 Organized results by SWAP
element, year, topic
 TOC and index – easy to
find
 ALSO Reviewed State SGCN to
develop a set of Regional SGCN
(RSGCN) for inclusion in
SWAP revisions
 Incomplete for invertebrates
 Time intensive for taxa teams
 Broader Applications
 RCN habitat ,
 Threats and climate change
 geospatial projects are of use across state
agencies
 Synthesis Report helps translate these powerful
products in context
 States Ranked factors
last year at NEAFWA
(development, connectivity, etc)
 Shows condition,
threats, opportunities
 For ALL species
 Conservation Assessment
 Aquatic Connectivity
 Data, maps and tools
• Climate Change
Projects
• NWF- Habitat
Vulnerability
• NatureServe- Species
Vulnerability
• Resiliency project
Chapter 1—Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need.............................................................. 18
Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need ................................................................................................... 18
Mammals ............................................................................................................................................................ 33
Birds ................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Reptiles and Amphibians .................................................................................................................................... 45
Fishes .................................................................................................................................................................. 49
Invertebrates ....................................................................................................................................................... 55
Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need ................................................................................................... 65
RSGCN Species Selection Criteria and Methods .................................................................................................... 66
Ongoing Development of Future RSGCN Screening Methods .......................................................................... 68
Data Describing the Distribution of RSGCN ..................................................................................................... 69
Data Access and Delivery to States .................................................................................................................... 75
Chapter 2—Regional Habitat Description and Condition .................................................................... 88
Northeast Habitat Condition and Connectivity ........................................................................................................ 89
Conservation Status Assessment ............................................................................................................................. 90
Eastern Forests ................................................................................................................................................... 90
Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................. 91
Unique Habitats of the Northeast ....................................................................................................................... 91
Lakes and Ponds ................................................................................................................................................. 92
Rivers and Streams ............................................................................................................................................. 93
Geospatial Condition Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 94
Metrics Used by the Geospatial Condition Analysis to Describe Habitat Condition ......................................... 95
Permeable Landscapes for Species of Conservation Need .................................................................................... 102
Integrity of Ecological Systems ............................................................................................................................. 103
Resilient Sites for Species Conservation in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic ........................................................ 104
Northeast Habitat Classification Systems .............................................................................................................. 104
Terrestrial and Aquatic Habitat Maps .................................................................................................................... 105
Chapter 3—Threats to Northeast Fish, Wildlife, and Their Habitats ............................................... 118
Threats in the Northeast: Common Conservation Concerns .................................................................................. 118
Threats Facing Regionally Significant Habitats and Selected Species Groups ..................................................... 120
Habitat Loss and Degradation in the Northeast ................................................................................................ 121
Threats to Northeast Forests ............................................................................................................................. 123
Threats to Northeast Wetlands ......................................................................................................................... 123
Threats to Northeast Lakes and Ponds.............................................................................................................. 124
Threats to Northeast Rivers and Streams .......................................................................................................... 124
Threats to Unique Habitats of the Northeast .................................................................................................... 125
Threats to Selected Species of Greatest Conservation Need ............................................................................ 126
Threats to Terrestrial Habitats: Results of the Geospatial Condition Analysis ...................................................... 126
Threats Identified in RCN Collaborative Projects ................................................................................................. 128
Climate Change ................................................................................................................................................ 128
Threats to Aquatic Systems .............................................................................................................................. 134
Invasive Species Threats in the Northeast ........................................................................................................ 137
Wildlife Disease ............................................................................................................................................... 137
New Energy Developments .............................................................................................................................. 138
Threat Guidance in the Northeast Lexicon and IUCN-coded RCN Grants Project Summary ......................... 139
Additional Threats Identified by the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee................. 139
Chapter 4—Conservation Actions in the Northeast ...................................................................... 142
RCN Grant Project Case Studies .............................................................................................................................145
The Staying Connected Initative ........................................................................................................................146
New England Cottontail Conservation Planning to Address Priority Needs .....................................................147
Integrated Monitoring to Inform Conservation and Management .....................................................................148
RCN Projects Identify Actions to Address Priority Threats ...................................................................................149
Addressing Climate Change in the Northeast ....................................................................................................149
Efforts to Address Water Quality, Quantity and Connectivity in the Northeast ................................................152
Addressing Invasive Species ..............................................................................................................................154
Addressing Wildlife Diseases ............................................................................................................................154
Analyzing New Energy Developments ..............................................................................................................155
Decision Support Tools to Address Key Threats in the Northeast ....................................................................156
Tools to Design Sustainable and Permeable Landscapes ..................................................................................157
Tools to Address Aquatic Habitats and Threats in North Atlantic Watersheds and Estuaries ..........................158
Conservation Actions Guidance in the Northeast Lexicon and IUCN-coded RCN Grants Project Summary ..159
Additional Regional Actions Identified ..................................................................................................................159
Chapter 5—Monitoring of RSGCN Species and Key Habitats in the Northeast and Evaluation of the Effectiveness
of Conservation Actions.......................................................................................................................... 161
The Monitoring and Performance Reporting Framework...................................................................................... 162
State Wildlife Grants Effectiveness Measures Project .......................................................................................... 166
Wildlife TRACS .................................................................................................................................................... 166
Northeast Lexicon for Common Planning and State Wildlife Action Plan Database ............................................ 167
Region-wide Taxa-specific Surveys and Monitoring ............................................................................................ 168
Regional Monitoring Protocols and Databases ...................................................................................................... 168
Conservation Status of Northeast Fish, Wildlife, and Natural Habitats ................................................................ 169
Table 1.1 RSGCN Species by Major Taxonomic Group.
Taxonomic Group
Mammals
Number of
RSGCN Species
45
Birds
110
Reptiles
29
Amphibians
36
Fish
102
Tiger Beetles
11
Freshwater Mussels
23
Other Federally Listed
Invertebrates
11
Total
367
 Follow-up on Synthesis and Lexicon
recommendations
 Synthesis and Lexicon updating- project progress
 SWAP revision support- how to use it
 Keeping the coordination system up and running to
help with emerging needs.
 Regional threats assessment
 Maintain synthesis as a dynamic document
 Regional landscape conservation design
 Work with NE Climate Change Working Group
 Work with NE Information & Education
 States need to advance and review of the RSGCN
list and process because it is based on state data
and expertise
 Continue work toward a regional web-accessible
database of SWAPs
 Work with NE Conservation Information &
Education Association to support
implementation of Elements 7&8
 The Synthesis is being updated as new RCN projects
are completed
 As SWAP coordinators use both documents,
corrections and improvements are needed
 As the Lexicon is applied during SWAP revision,
improvements or better solutions are suggested and
resolved
 Coordinated efforts to
support communication
plans
 A website to share tips and
tricks is available to support
SWAP revision
 Holding monthly conference calls and 3 meetings
 System for coordination is kept in place to be invoked
quickly when needed
 NEFWDTC members know they are part of a team of
people that is ready, willing, and able to help
Delaware Wildlife Action Plan:
Database Development
& Web-Enabling
Jonathan Mawdsley
Society for Conservation Biology
Role of Database in Delaware Wildlife
Action Plan Revision
• Capture and store data collected during plan
revision about the major plan elements
• Support development and refinement of Species
of Greatest Conservation Need list
• Support comparisons with legacy data from first
edition of plan
• Support queries that combine multiple plan
elements (e.g. species and habitats, threats and
actions)
• Support web-enabling (Web GIS, data
visualization tools)
Software Considerations
• Cost
• Easily accessible and easily
used by biologists, state
agency staff
• Meets Delaware state
information technology
specifications
• Support for complex
queries, analyses
• Support for web-enabling
Existing Microsoft Access Database
• Developed for first edition
of Delaware Wildlife
Action Plan
• Main function was to
support development of
the list of Species of
Greatest Conservation
Need for Delaware
• Included basic information
about other elements
(threats, habitats, actions)
Other Species Lists
Biotics Species List
for Delaware
Other Species Lists
Threats and Actions
Habitat Associations
Database Development
• Used existing database architecture as starting
point
• Normalized tables and relationships for
habitats, threats, and actions
• Added fields from the Northeast Lexicon for
species, habitats, threats, and actions
• Added logical relationships between tables
using links on common fields
New Features
• Added tables for storing elements of results
chains
• Added tables for storing full data from the
NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index
• Added fields for both TRACS and IUCN Threats
and Action classifications
• Added Northeast Terrestrial & Aquatic Habitat
Classifications
• Added tables for information about performance
measures, monitoring programs
Other Lists of Priority Species
CCVI
Species List from Biotics
Terrestrial Habitats
Aquatic Habitats
Actions Module
Threats Module
Results Chain
Module
Effectiveness Measures
And Monitoring Module
Capturing Data from the CCVI
• CCVI = NatureServe Climate Change
Vulnerability Index v. 2.1
• Could just capture the overall index
value (Extremely, Highly,
Moderately, Not Vulnerable, etc.)
• BUT, much richness in the data that
contribute to calculating this value!
SOLUTION: Table that includes index
value PLUS all of the data that go
into calculating the index value for
a species
Capturing Data from Results Chains
• Results Chains are useful
tools for showing
relationships between the
basic plan elements
SOLUTION: Table that includes
key elements of results
chains: actions, outcomes,
threats, species/habitats,
indicators of effects
Next Steps in Delaware
• Migration to SQL Server
and cloud hosting
• Populating database as
revision moves forward
• Development of open
source web GIS
platform for geospatial
data
• Development of data
visualization tools
Database Template for States
• MS Access file available from Kevin Kalasz (DE)
or Jonathan Mawdsley (SCB)
• Pre-loaded with US Endangered Species Act
listings, IUCN Red List, Northeast regional
species of concern list, Northeast Terrestrial
and Aquatic Habitat Classifications
• Incorporates fields from the Northeast Lexicon
• Basic table designs for required elements and
for the relationships between tables
SPECIES CONSERVATION
ANALYSIS TOOL
A national look at Species of Greatest
Conservation Need reported in the State
Wildlife Action Plans
Abby Benson, Biologist, US Geological Survey
Painter? Catamount?
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
• Authoritative taxonomic
information
• Taxonomic serial numbers
• Marginaria polypodiodes = 15
articles
• Add in Pleopeltis polypodiodes,
Polypodium polypodiodes
(synonyms) = 814 articles
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 1.0
• Compiled after original SWAPs were completed
• Lists pulled from pdfs (labor intensive, error prone)
• Discovered 1,000 SGCN not represented in ITIS and ITIS
added them over the following year
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 2.0
• Excel spreadsheet
• Fields:
• Scientific Name,
• Common Name,
• Scientific Name
•
•
•
•
Source*,
Taxonomy Group,
Ecoregion/Habitat*,
Reference used for
Ecoregion/Habitat*,
Listed in Previous
SWAP?
• Taxonomic match
using ITIS
• Future tools
* If applicable
http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 2.0
http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 2.0
http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 2.0
http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
Species Conservation Analysis Tool 2.0
http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
Contact Information
Abby Benson
Biologist
US Geological Survey
albenson@usgs.gov
contacts & resources
Presenters
Cathy Haffner, PA Game Commission chaffner@pa.gov
Karen Terwilliger, Terwilliger Consulting, Inc. kttci@verizon.net
Elizabeth Crisfield, Terwilliger Consulting, Inc. crisfield.pawap@gmail.com
Jonathan Mawdsley, Society for Conservation Biology jonathan.mawdsley@hotmail.com
Abby Benson, US Geological Survey, albenson@usgs.gov
Links
Northeast Lexicon: http://www.teaming.com/toolkit/Publications
SGCN Tool: http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_systems/csas/swap/sgcn/
4.17.14