ODFW's mission is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present

1. ODFW's mission is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. Rinearson Coalition January 2011

2. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife the Oregon Conservation Strategy -healthy habitats for wildlife and people Introducing the Oregon Conservation trategy

3. What is the Oregon Conservation Strategy? A voluntary, proactive, prioritized approach to conservation Healthy habitats for fish, wildlife and people Linked to an unprecedented national effort Promotes strong economies and communities through local projects, large scale planning conservation education

4. Conservation Strategy Goals Maintain healthy fish and wildlife populations by: Maintaining and restoring functioning habitats Preventing declines of at-risk species Reversing any declines where possible Engage citizens in conservation Everyone has a role Increase awareness of issues Collaborative development and implementation

5. Habitat focus builds strong partnerships • All fish and wildlife benefit from habitat projects • Habitat is common ground • - Invasives, water quality, land-use, barriers • - Hunting, fishing & environmental groups, landowners, forest and farm industries, agencies, businesses, researchers are all partners

6. Oregon Conservation Strategy:What it is Not Not a substitute for existing planning or conservation efforts Not regulatory Not an ODFW management plan

7. A Tour of the Strategy Section A – summary of entire document 33 pgs; sets the tone, big-picture view Section B – main section – biological, social, technical 337 pages; 4 scales – statewide, ecoregional, habitat & species 6 Key Conservation Issues Voluntary conservation tools Outreach, education and recreation Monitoring and data gaps Section C - Appendices

8. Ecoregions • For each Ecoregion (8): • Characteristics (ecology & economy) • Strategy Species and Habitats • Key Conservation Issues • Recommended Conservation Actions • Conservation success stories • Conservation Opportunity Areas maps and profiles

9. Willamette Valley Ecoregion Priority Habitats • Wetlands and wet prairies • Grasslands • Oak woodlands • Riparian

10. Willamette Valley Ecoregion Priority Species (59) • California myotis (bat) • Western gray squirrel • Northern red-legged frog • Native turtles • Chinook salmon • Winter steelhead • Acorn woodpecker • Little willow flycatcher • Western bluebird • Yellow breasted chat

11. Habitats and Species Six Key Conservation Issues • Land use changes • Invasive species • Changes in fire, flood regimes • Water quality and quantity (declines in) • Barriers to fish and wildlife movement • Institutional barriers to voluntary conservation

12. Definition - Habitats adjacent to rivers and streams that are shaped by seasonal flooding, scour and soil deposition Includes bottomland hardwood forests and floodplains often with associated wetlands and off channel habitats Common plant associates: black cottonwood, Oregon ash, bigleaf maple, red alder, willow, western red cedar, variety of native shrubs, slough sedge Using the Strategy: A Habitat ApproachRiparian Habitat

13. Loss of habitat, floodplain function, habitat complexity and hydrological regimes Urban development & agriculture Construction of roads, dikes & dams Riprapping banks & channelizing Habitat degradation Loss of connectivity (dams) Water availability (diversions) Invasive species Riparian Habitat: Issues & Threats

14. Key Functions Mediation of solar energy Provision of nutrients Filtering of sediments & pollutants Provision of large wood Vital for healthy fish and wildlife Key life functions Movement corridors Riparian Habitat: Why Care?

15. Constrained Floodplains Exacerbate the Effects of Floods and Droughts Functional floodplains serve as a sponge, soaking up “flood waters” and releasing water slowly.

16. Retain remnant high-quality riparian areas Restore degraded riparian areas Control invasive plants Planting of native species Improve connectivity Remove barriers (dams, dikes) Provide snags and downed wood Riparian HabitatConservation Actions

17. Using the Strategy: A Species Approach Red-legged Frog • Special Needs: • Ponds and wetlands with still water • Emergent plants • Access to moist forested habitats • Limiting Factors: • Loss of quality egg-laying habitat • Loss and fragmentation of upland habitat • Invasive fish and bullfrogs • Chemical contaminants and disease • Dramatic water fluctuations

18. Red-legged Frog Conservation Actions • Maintain and protect wetland habitats (buffers) • Provide egg mass attachment sites • Protect and improve water quality • Provide moist microclimate features in adjacent forest • Control invasive species • Eliminate or minimize chemical contaminants

19. Invasive Species “Nonnative organisms that cause economic or environmental harm and are capable of spreading to new areas of the state. Invasive species does not include humans, domestic livestock or nonharmful exotic organisms.”

20. Invasive Species – What’s the Big Deal? • Changes to ecosystem functions • Loss of biodiversity • Reduction in habitat values • Direct competition • Direct mortality (e.g., predation) • Introduction of disease

21. As a technical reference For local conservation priorities and project planning Conservation issues / limiting factors Priority habitats and species Recommended actions COAs For data sharing Toolbox To build partnerships& leverage $ To measure success How to Use the Strategy

22. Benefits of Healthy Fish & Wildlife and Habitats • Nutrient cycling • Pollination • Germination • Seed dispersal • Soil generation • Habitat creation • Pest control • Excrete natural fertilizer • Wildfire reduction risk • Soil stabilization • Water quality & quantity

23. For more information: www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy Local ODFW Contact: Susan Barnes Northwest Region Conservation Biologist Email: susan.p.barnes@state.or.us Tel: 971-673-6010