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Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo Natural Heritage Program NCCP/HCP

Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo Natural Heritage Program NCCP/HCP. Presented to the Seventh Annual Workshop on Habitat Conservation Planning From Tahoe to the Bay Daniel Airola Airola Environmental Consulting/SAIC November 18, 2009.

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Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo Natural Heritage Program NCCP/HCP

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  1. Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo Natural Heritage Program NCCP/HCP Presented to the Seventh Annual Workshop on Habitat Conservation Planning From Tahoe to the Bay Daniel Airola Airola Environmental Consulting/SAIC November 18, 2009

  2. Yolo Natural Heritage Program- Key Elements • County-wide HCP/NCCP • 654,000 acres • 50 year permit • Goals • Conserve natural heritage • Support viability of the agricultural economy • Promote smart, sensible economic growth • Protect natural areas and features • Preserve open space areas and enhance recreation • A Conservation Plan, not just a mitigation plan

  3. Yolo NHP Covered Activities • Wide range of Covered Activities addressed • Development under General Plans • only 3-5% of land area • Utilities, transportation, flood control, water supply, parks • new facilities • operations and maintenance • Agriculture • ongoing activities • limited conversion of natural habitats

  4. Yolo County Agriculture • The County’s primary economic activity • Cultivated agric = 360,000 ac • 56% of total land area • Highly diverse mix of agricultural crops • Farmlands provide important habitat value • 21 of 65 covered species • Engaging farmers is critical • to the conservation strategy

  5. Value of Crops to Covered Wildlife

  6. HCP Coverage Needs for Agriculture • Incidental mortality and injury to species • Habitat change • Marketing benefit of conservation (“Certified”)

  7. Yolo Agricultural Landscape is Dynamic • Shorter term changes • Annual condition changes - prepping, cultivating, growing, harvesting • Crop rotations among years • Water availability • Potential longer term changes: • Crop economics • Water sales • Development • Climate change

  8. Process for Incorporating Agricultural Species Conservation into the NHP • Describe agricultural habitats • Describe species relationships to habitats • Identify habitat goals for species • Evaluate contributions to goals provided by agriculture • Integrate agricultural lands with natural communities

  9. Agricultural Crop Groups

  10. Yolo Agriculture Crops

  11. Rating Species Use of Crops: Habitat Suitability Model Approach • Review scientific literature • Input from knowledgeable species biologists • Model development • Identify Covered Species that use agricultural lands • Develop list of crops used by each species • Identify relative value of each crop - for different uses (foraging, breeding, resting, dispersal) • Key distance variables: to nesting habitat, water, etc • Prepare matrix of species-crop habitat values • Summarized in Species Accounts and Species Models

  12. Yolo NHP Covered Agricultural Species • Giant garter snake • Western pond turtle • White-tailed kite • Bald eagle • Northern harrier • Swainson’s hawk • Golden eagle • Peregrine falcon • Prairie falcon • Mountain plover • Black tern • Burrowing owl • Long-eared owl • Short-eared owl • Yellow-billed magpie • Loggerhead shrike • Yellow-headed blackbird • Tricolored blackbird • Western red Bat • Townsend’s western big-eared bat • Pallid bat

  13. Assign Habitat Values for Species Use of Each Agricultural Crop • Per-acre habitat suitability ratings of crops • Very High 1.0 • High 0.75 • Moderate 0.5 • Low 0.25 • Very low 0.1 • None 0.0

  14. Species-Crop Habitat Matrix

  15. Determine Habitat Values of Each Agricultural Type • Calculate Habitat Units for Species • Habitat Units = [crop habitat suitability value] x [# acres of crop] • Creates a “common currency” for assessing the value of different combinations of crops

  16. Determine Overall Habitat Value • Example: Long-billed Curlew

  17. Use of Agricultural Habitat Valuations • Describe existing values of agricultural lands • Evaluate future scenarios - changes in agricultural use • Incorporate with habitat values for other land cover types used by covered species (uplands, riparian, developed) • Assess goals achievement in Conservation Strategies and adjust • Serve as a basis for monitoring plan accomplishments • Use plan monitoring to improve habitat valuation models

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