northwest habitat/ biodiversity metrics:
DESCRIPTION
Northwest Habitat/ Biodiversity Metrics:. Oak Floodplain Sagebrush/Sage Grouse. Defenders of Wildlife. Metrics. Oak. Sagebrush/ Sage Grouse. Floodplain. Defenders of Wildlife. How habitats were selected. Conservation priorities Potential for regulation (sage grouse) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
• Conservation priorities • Potential for regulation (sage
grouse) • Priority for incentive programs
Defenders of Wildlife
How habitats were selected
• Adamus Resource Assessment
• Willamette Partnership facilitation
• Expert advisors met 3 times
• Field testing at 5+ sites • Extensive checking of
calculators• Development of user’s
guides
Defenders of Wildlife
Process for building metrics
American Bird Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
Willamette University
Heritage Seedlings
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
Zena Timber
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Lost Lagoon Farm
Yamhill Co. District Conservationist
Oregon Institute for Natural Resources
Kenagy Farm
Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
Columbia Land Trust
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Wildwood, Mahonia
McKenzie Land Trust
Greenbelt Land Trust
Polk County Conservationist
Oregon State University
Willamette Partnership
Defenders of Wildlife
Oak
Defenders of Wildlife
FloodplainAmerican Bird Conservancy
City of Yakima Washington
The Nature Conservancy
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
University of Oregon
Oregon Institute for Natural Resources
Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Wildwood, Mahonia
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Environmental Quality
Freshwater Trust
Greenbelt Land Trust
McKenzie Land Trust
Columbia Land Trust
Oregon State University
Willamette University
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Zena Timber
Lost Lagoon Farm
Kenagy Farm
Willamette Partnership
Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush/sage grouseEcotrust
The Nature Conservancy
U.S.D.A. Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Western Governors Association, Columbia Plateau Project
Ecosystem Management Research Institute
Oregon State University Extension Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Oregon State University Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management
Harney County Watershed Council
Bureau of Land Management
Environmental Defense Fund
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
Willamette Partnership
• Rapid assessments• Ecological
baseline• Impact of
development• Ecological
improvement• Measure outcomes• Mitigation
programs Defenders of Wildlife
How the metrics can be used
• Measuring Up categories–Context–Vegetation–Species–Abiotic–Practices–Risk
Defenders of Wildlife
What the metrics measure
Defenders of Wildlife
Vegetation• Amount of natural land cover
• Forest canopy
• Composition
• Invasive species
Defenders of Wildlife
Risk• Proximity to roads
• Influence of water diversions
• Structures and development
Defenders of Wildlife
• Consult with landowner• Research project site• Aerial image, map retrieval• Designation of project site boundaries
• Consult with landowner• Research project site• Aerial image, map retrieval• Designation of project site
boundaries
Sagebrush metric: In the office
• Gather transect data
• Revise answers as necessary
Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: At the project site
Defenders of Wildlife
Calculator• Excel workbook:
– Cover page– Data entry– Species
information– Field forms
• Scores automatically calculated
• Error checks• Score = % optimum
habitat quality
Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: Final scores
Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush final score vs.sage grouse final score
• Sage grouse indicator (leks) not in sagebrush score
• Sensitive species not in sage grouse score
• Provide detailed site-level biological inventories
• Support landscape-scale conservation planning decisions
Defenders of Wildlife
What the metrics do not do
• Collaborative, adaptive management
• Integrated team approach to calculator development
• Extensive review• More field testing• More time to
develop• Economies of
scale
Defenders of Wildlife
Lessons learned
• Consistent national framework?
• Organized by plant communities?
• Habitats, species, or both?
• Which habitats, species, why, and how many?
Defenders of Wildlife
What’s next?
Cost effectiveUniformityEasy to use
Consistent format, but flexible for different
habitats/speciesDefenders of Wildlife
Benefits of a metrics framework
• Who develops, manages suite of metrics?
• How to connect to broader scale priorities?
• How to apply across jurisdictions and ownerships?
• Flexibility for specific ecosystems, program needs?
• Initial and long term funding? Defenders of Wildlife
Challenges remain
• Partnership agreement • Reach agreement on overall
structure for habitat types• Assemble a team –
public/private partnership • Secure funding from multiple
sources • Identify a management
structure – outside government?
Defenders of Wildlife
Building a consistent framework
Conservation Registry: 7 state portals, 12 partner portals, 100,000 projects
www.conservationregistry.org
Conservation Registry:Home of the National Conservation Easement Database
nced.conservationregistry.org
Sara VickermanDefenders of Wildlife
www.conservationregsitry.org
Defenders of Wildlife
Sara VickermanDefenders of Wildlife
www.conservationregsitry.org
Defenders of Wildlife