Comprehensive Evaluation Report

More documents

Recommendations

Info

# Common Name Ranger District Habitat or Vegetation Type Plains Leopard Frog KRB Cottonwood-Willow Riparian Plains Leopard Frog BKMC Aquatic Lakes 28 Red-headed Woodpecker BKMC Mixed Hardwood Riparian Red-headed Woodpecker KRB Cottonwood-Willow Riparian 29 Rhena Crossline Skipper KRB Shortgrass Prairie 30 Rio Grande Turkey BKMC Mixed-grass Prairie Rio Grande Turkey BKMC Mixed Hardwood Riparian Rio Grande Turkey BKMC Shinnery Oak 31 Rocky Mountain Dagger KRB Caves-Cliffs-Rock Outcrops 32 Scaled Quail KRB Sandsage Scaled Quail KRB Shortgrass Prairie 33 Spellenberg’s Groundsel KRB Shortgrass Prairie Spellenberg’s Groundsel KRB Pinyon-Juniper 34 Suckermouth minnow KRB Rivers 35 Swift fox KRB Shortgrass Prairie 36 Zone-tailed Hawk KRB Pinyon-Juniper Summary of major findings Initially, 1,654 species with population or habitat concerns in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were considered for Grasslands Plan revision. This list was then narrowed down to just those species that occur on the Cibola National Grasslands and then screened further to a list of 36 species that includes only those that have known populations or habitat within the Plan area, have known population or habitat concerns, and may be affected by Forest Service management. These species were sorted according to the PNVT or unique habitat feature with which they are associated. Each of the PNVTs on the Grasslands, along with some unique habitat features (e.g., wetland or riverine), have adequate representation from species on the List of Species for Consideration in Plan Revision to warrant management consideration. 9 Ecosystem and Species Diversity Risk Assessments 10 The determination of ecological sustainability of the Grasslands is a culmination of assessing ecosystem characteristics (including PNVT, soil, water and air) departure from reference conditions and status of species diversity. Based on the ecosystem and species risk assessment findings described above, the Kiowa, Rita Blanca, Black Kettle and McClellan Creek National Grasslands contribute to the ecological sustainability within each resource analyzed in this report. Ecosystem characteristics for the Grasslands were analyzed to determine if the sustainability of these characteristics are at risk. This assessment was based on the ecosystem characteristics current condition, deviation away from reference conditions, and projected future trends. If the ecosystem characteristic is projected to move away from its reference condition, then the characteristic was determined to be at risk. If the characteristic is significantly departed from its reference condition and is stable (i.e., not trending further away or towards the reference condition) then it was determined to be at risk (this scenario was not found for any of the ecosystem characteristics on the Grasslands). If current management activities are resulting in the ecosystem characteristic trending towards its reference condition, the characteristic was 9 USDA 20011a Appendix B 10 Ibid. p. 57-69 18
determined not to be at risk. None of the ecosystem characteristics on the Grasslands is projected to trend away from reference conditions, therefore, it was determined that there are no risks to the ecosystem diversity on the Grasslands 11 . The Shinnery Oak PNVT is near reference condition, and the remaining six PNVTs (Mixed Grass Prairie, Pinyon-Juniper, Cottonwood-Willow, Mixed Hardwood Riparian, Shortgrass Prairie, and Sand sagebrush) are moving towards their reference conditions. The conditions of the unique habitat features found on the Grasslands (playa lakes, riverine and wetland associations on the Kiowa and Rita Blanca Grasslands and aquatic or riverine and wetland associated habitats on the Black Kettle Grasslands) have been dramatically improved, especially compared to the extremely degraded condition they were in during the 1940s and 1950s following the Dust Bowl era. Given these conditions, there are no risks to the ecosystem diversity on the Grasslands. A species risk assessment was conducted by processing each species on the list of Species for Further Consideration in Cibola Grasslands Plan Revision through an assessment of various habitat and population factors and threats 12 . Natural history and population information was gleaned from the references used in the screening process and from Cibola National Grasslands biologists; State of OK, TX, and NM biologists; and the US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists. The results of this process provided a numerical ranking of the risk to a species. Those species found to be at high risk were further assessed for their likelihood of being affected by four population and distribution scenarios. Of the species identified for further consideration in Plan Revision, lesser prairie-chicken, plains leopard frog, black-tailed prairie dog, mountain plover, and swift fox were assessed to be at high risk on shinnery oak, ponds and playa lakes, sand sagebrush, shortgrass prairie, and cottonwood/willow riparian PNVTs (respectively). The risks to these species were found to be the threats derived from fragmentation, disease, predation, and invasive species. Ecosystem Diversity Concern Areas Due to disruption from settlement and agriculture production on adjacent private lands, the vegetative characteristics found on the Grasslands are largely unique in comparison to the surrounding landscape. Because the Grasslands exist to provide for ecological diversity, it is critical that the ecosystem characteristics contained within them be restored and maintained. There are several areas of ecosystem diversity concern: o Four of the seven PNVTs (Shinnery Oak, Pinyon-Juniper, Mixed Hardwood Riparian, and Sand sagebrush) have a reduced range across the Section and Subsection. Therefore, management of these vegetation types on the Grassland units is important for the protection of their associated species. o Of the seven vegetation types found on the Grasslands, all depart to some degree from their respective reference condition structure and disturbance regime. The degree of this departure varies across each of the seven PNVTs. o The introduction, presence and spread of invasive species have the potential to significantly modify ecological systems and processes. o The potential effects of climate change are far-reaching: changes to vegetation structure and composition, soil condition, and water availability are reasonably foreseeable. 11 In some instances, an ecosystem characteristic (for example, ground water quantity) was identified as being outside of, and trending away from, its reference condition. However, the causes for this condition and trend were found to be outside of the Forest Service’s control (for example, due to aquifer drawdown). 12 To assess the habitat, population and threat factors for each species, the Forest Service’s Southwestern Regions’ Ecological Sustainability guidance was followed and tables were adapted to reflect assessment and ranking processes (Ecological Sustainability Version 5.1, 10/10/2006, Status of Species, Table 6, Table 7). 19
Page 1 and 2: United States Department of Agricul
Page 3 and 4: Executive Summary This Comprehensiv
Page 5 and 6: three percent of the land with the
Page 7 and 8: Historical Context Beginning about
Page 9 and 10: ural region would be substantially
Page 11 and 12: seven PNVTs found on the Grasslands
Page 13 and 14: Departure from Reference: The shinn
Page 15 and 16: making this an important ecosystem.
Page 17 and 18: conditions relationship to referenc
Page 19: # Common Name Ranger District Habit
Page 23 and 24: Hiking and Camping 13 Based on surv
Page 25 and 26: eplace facilities at the end of the
Page 27 and 28: o The revised plan should acknowled
Page 29 and 30: Livestock and Range Management 21 O
Page 31 and 32: tree removal practices are designed
Page 33 and 34: vital role in supporting social and
Page 35: USDA Forest Service. 2011b. Socio-E

Comprehensive Evaluation Report

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?