Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

egional conservation strategybiodiversity guideChapter 5 Fish and Wildlife of the RegionLand Use Planning for Salmon, Steelhead andTrout: A Land Use Planner’s Guide to SalmonidsHabitat Protection and RecoveryWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife.2009.http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00033NOAA Fisheries Pacific Eulachon/Smelt (Thaleichthyspacificus) web sitehttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/pacificeulachon.htmU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bull trout websitehttp://www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout/Index.cfmU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal CutthroatTrout Conservation Initiativehttp://www.fws.gov/columbiariver/cctinitiative.htmlU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific lampreywebsite http://www.fws.gov/pacific/Fisheries/sphabcon/Lamprey/index.cfmhttp://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/PacificLamprey/Lower Columbia River and Oregon Coast WhiteSturgeon Conservation PlanOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, OceanSalmon and Columbia River Program,Clackamas, OR. 2011.AmphibiansChar Corkran, herpetologist and consultant,and Laura Guderyahn, City of Greshamforests, ponds next to upland woods or prairies,and side channels of rivers lined with riparianhardwoods are examples of adjacent habitat pairsthat are important to amphibians in the region.Conservation Issues and Key Threats toAmphibiansAmphibians are facing unprecedented threatsat local, regional, and global levels. Worldwide,200 amphibian species may now be extinct, andone-third of the remaining amphibian species arethreatened. Of the 19 species found in the greaterPortland-Vancouver region, 12 are consideredfederal species of concern and/or are state listedas sensitive species in Oregon or Washington (seeAppendix E); it is likely that the Oregon spottedfrog has already been extirpated from the greaterPortland-Vancouver region.Research is linking global amphibian losses tohabitat destruction and fragmentation, diseases,non-native species, global climate change, pesticidesand other pollutants, and poaching for thepet trade. Amphibians in the greater Portland-Vancouver region are affected by most of thesefactors, but the most significant conservationissue is loss and degradation of habitat. Amongamphibian habitats in the region, wetlands havesuffered the most drastic losses in acreage andquality.The filling or draining of wetlands for residentialor industrial development and agriculture hasbeen a major issue for most amphibian species,but especially for western toads and Oregonspotted frogs. The introduction of non-nativeplants and animals into wetlands and open wateralso is implicated in the decline of amphibians.For example, introduced bass, other warmwaterfish, and American bullfrogs all prey onnative amphibian species. In addition, Americanbullfrogs are carriers of a fungal disease thathas caused amphibian declines and extinctionsthroughout the world. In urban areas, stormwaterrunoff has the seasonal pattern of water levels inmany of the remaining natural; this has been aprimary driver of native plant communities andassociated biota being replaced by invasiveIn stream systems, increased water temperaturescan be lethal to Cascade torrent salamanders,while siltation can prevent all stream-breedingamphibians from using sites for cover andegg laying. In some streams, introduced crayfishmay threaten rare native amphibian species. Inforested habitats, short harvest rotations preventthe recruitment of large logs that otherwise wouldprovide habitat for terrestrial salamanders andwinter refugia for some frogs.Predicted climate changes include warmingtemperatures, erratic weather patterns, and earliersummer drying of ponds and streams. Theseimpacts are likely to disrupt breeding cycles formany amphibians. Stream-breeding amphibiansand the Cascades frog, which is limited tohigh-elevation wetlands, may be the most sensitive,although the temperature requirements ofnorthern red-legged frog eggs make this speciesvulnerable, too. The limited mobility of amphibiansalso is a challenge because it makes it difficultfor them to shift their range in the face of climatechange.Conservation Strategy Species: Habitat Needs,Threats, and OpportunitiesThe Oregon Conservation Strategy identified 17amphibian species in Oregon that need attention,and Washington’s Comprehensive WildlifeConservation Strategy identified five amphibianspecies needing attention in that state. Of these,14 salamander species and five frog species nowlive in at least the edges of the greater Portland-Vancouver region; one other frog species, theOregon spotted frog, apparently has been extirpatedfrom the area.The 12 extant amphibian conservation strategyspecies in the region share habitat needs, facesimilar threats, and may have the same opportunitiesfor conservation and restoration (seeAppendix E). Most of the 12 species, includingpond-breeding northern red-legged frogs andterrestrially breeding clouded salamanders, needmature upland forest with abundant logs anddebris for at least some of their life. Four of thespecies, including the coastal tailed frog and thestreams in forests, and four other species occurat least seasonally along such streams. The LarchMountain salamander and three other speciesneed talus or forests with rocky soil. The specializedhabitat needs of these species and the isolationof appropriate habitat patches make localizedextirpations likely.Several amphibian species occur in the regiononly in its northeast corner; these include thestream species, the Cascades frog, and the LarchMountain salamander. Other important sectionsof the region for amphibians designated in theOregon and Washington conservation strategiesare Forest Park and the forested buttes that areadjacent to wetlands, such as Powell, Jenne, andGrant buttes. Finally, forested stream corridorswith adjacent floodplains, pocket wetlands, andstormwater ponds, such as Johnson Creek, theTualatin River, Multnomah Channel, La CenterBottoms, Ridgefield National Wildlife RefugeComplex, Green Lake Wetlands, and BurntBridge Creek, are important hiding and overwinteringplaces for amphibians in urban areas.Of the 36 amphibian species known to occur inOregon and Washington (34 of which are native),18 native amphibians and one non-native livein the greater Portland-Vancouver region (seeAppendixes E and G). We are now beginning tounderstand the important roles of frogs, toads,newts, and salamanders in energy and nutrientcycling. Their potential as indicators of environmentalhealth is a function of both their life historyand the permeability of their skin to toxins.Priority Conservation and Restoration StrategiesMost amphibian species have an aquatic larvaln Incorporate knowledge of amphibians’ needsstage before they metamorphose into a terrestrialinto planning efforts in the region. The presence,adult form, so they are closely tied to both waterhabitats, movements, and seasonal activity patternsof amphibians can be addressed in planningand land habitats. Streams surrounded by coniferspecies.Cascade torrent salamander, require cold, silt-free88 89