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On August 25, 2015 speaker Matt Germino presented on his work restoring sagebrush in the Great Basin. Shrubs are ecosystem foundation species in most of the Great Basin’s landscapes. Most of the species, including sagebrush, are poorly adapted to the changes in fire and invasive pressures that are compounded by climate change. This presentation gives an overview of challenges and opportunities regarding restoration of sagebrush and blackbrush, focusing on climate adaptation, selection of seeds and achieving seeding and planting success. Results from Great Basin LCC supported research on seed selection and planting techniques are presented.
The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet current management challenges. The tasks and actions identified in the Strategy address several broad topics related to management of the sagebrush ecosystem. This science plan is organized around these topics and specifically focuses on fire, invasive plant species and their effects on altering fire regimes, restoration,...
The distribution of the greater sage-grouse (hereafter sage-grouse; Centrocercus urophasianus) has declined to 56% of its pre-settlement distribution (Schroeder et al. 2004) and abundance of males attending leks has decreased substantially over the past 50 years throughout the species’ range (Garton et al. 2011, Garton et al. 2015, WAFWA 2015). Livestock grazing is a common land use within sage-grouse habitat, and livestock grazing has been implicated by some experts as one of numerous factors contributing to sage-grouse population declines (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Schroeder et al. 2004). However, there are also numerous mechanisms by which livestock grazing might benefit sage-grouse (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Crawford...
Knowing where a species is found or may be found in the future is critical to developing a successful habitat conservation plan. This quick guide reviews correlation-based and process-based species distribution models and their uses in the context of HCPs. It also addresses considerations for evaluating species distribution models, using multiple models, and working with model uncertainty. Examples are provided.
This presentation aired as part of the Great Basin LCC webinar series on October 11, 2017. Speakers included Erica Fleishman, U.C. Davis, and Jimi Gragg, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.Description: As the distribution and abundance of non-native cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the Great Basin has increased, the extent and frequency of fire in the region has increased by as much as 200%. These changes in fire regimes are associated with loss of the sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and native grasses and forbs in which many native animals, including Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), breed and feed. Managers have suggested changes in fire regimes, fuels treatments and post-fire restoration with...
With HCPs, reserves are created as one means of mitigating take. This means they are designed to provide a target level of benefits for a particular species or set of species. This quick guide reviews approaches for designing and implementing reserves that address climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and uncertainty. Examples are provided.
Incorporating climate change into conservation and resource management planning is rapidly becoming a standard of practice, both because of mandates from above (e.g. court cases) and because planners and managers want to do a good job and avoid nasty surprises. There is much of guidance out there for climate smart conservation and planning, both generic and sector-specific. This quick guide is not intended to replicate those, nor to provide everything you need to do a climate smart HCP. The intent is to help users to:1. Understand why it’s important to “ask the climate question” when it comes to HCPs.2. Make users informed consumers of climate change information and expertise. 3. Provide a logic users can follow...
The distribution of the greater sage-grouse (hereafter sage-grouse; Centrocercus urophasianus) has declined to 56% of its pre-settlement distribution (Schroeder et al. 2004) and abundance of males attending leks has decreased substantially over the past 50 years throughout the species’ range (Garton et al. 2011, Garton et al. 2015). Livestock grazing is a common land use in the sagebrush ecosystems that support sage-grouse, and livestock grazing has been implicated by some experts as one of numerous factors contributing to sage-grouse population declines (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Schroeder et al. 2004). However, there are also numerous mechanisms by which livestock grazing might benefit sage-grouse (Beck and Mitchell...
This document will assist Tribal and non-Tribal managers to guide water and water quality management. The ideas presented here are intended to help ensure that planned management activities are aligned with the priorities, goals, and needs of the Tribal community that depends upon the river system.
We took a commonly-used template for HCPs and annotated it section-by-section with key climate considerations. These considerations were based on conversations with HCP practitioners (both applicants and USFWS staff), review of relevant scientific literature and guidance on climate-informed natural resource management, and review of existing HCPs for how if at all they had addressed climate change.
This quick guide gives a very brief introduction to the uses of climate-related information in habitat conservation planning, the different types of information available, and how to use conceptual models to help identify what variables are important. It also addresses working with uncertainty, and deciding whether downscaled models are necessary.
This presentation aired as part of the Great Basin LCC webinar series on September 13, 2017. Speakers include Courtney Conway, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Paul Makela, Bureau of Land Management.Description: Greater Sage-grouse have declined since the mid-1960s, and grazing is the most extensive land use within sage-grouse habitat. The speakers will present progress on a 10-year project designed to document the effects of cattle grazing on: 1) demographic traits of Greater Sage-grouse; 2) sage-grouse habitat characteristics, 3) insect abundance, which is important prey for sage-grouse chicks, and 4) abundance of all other bird species. The research team works at five study sites in Idaho...
This web site houses the quick guides, worksheets, and templates developed as part of a project focused on helping practitioners integrate climate change into Habitat Conservation Planning under the Endangered Species Act. It also includes a spreadsheet with information on existing HCPs that have addressed climate change. All guides and worksheets are freely downloadable.
On June 25, 2015 Dr. John Boone of the Great Basin Bird Observatory presented on his work evaluating species management guidance and monitoring programs for the Great Basin.Species-based wildlife management in Nevada’s Great Basin is conducted by multiple agencies using a diverse array of guidelines, protocols and information sets, many of which are outdated, incomplete or inconsistent. The first step of this project is to review the basis for species management in Nevada–focusing on a core set of avian species—to identify where opportunities for improvement exist. We then develop an array of both generalized and species-specific recommendations for more consistent and effective species management. These recommendations...
There is increasing interest in climate change adaptation, yet many fish and wildlife field staff remain uncertain how to put adaptation into practice. Our goal with this project is to bridge the gap between high-level climate adaptation guidance and the field staff who carry out a specific regulatory process, Habitat Conservation Planning under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. Following best practices from the literature on linking science and management, we began with a focus on what people do and are bringing climate considerations into that practice. Phase I of the process involved exploring HCP practices in USFWS Region 8 (primarily CA and NV) and writing a Quick Guide for Climate Smart HCPs; a series...