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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)
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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) • Priority for incentive programs Defenders of Wildlife
Process for building metrics • 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
Level of involvement Capture everything Precision Practicality Speed Cost Defenders of Wildlife
Our Partners Defenders of Wildlife
Oak 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
Floodplain • American 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 grouse • Ecotrust • 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 Defenders of Wildlife
How the metrics can be used • Rapid assessments • Ecological baseline • Impact of development • Ecological improvement • Measure outcomes • Mitigation programs Defenders of Wildlife
What the metrics measure • Measuring Up categories • Context • Vegetation • Species • Abiotic • Practices • Risk Defenders of Wildlife
Context • Priority conservation area • Connectivity • Compatible neighbors Defenders of Wildlife
Vegetation • Amount of natural land cover • Forest canopy • Composition • Invasive species Defenders of Wildlife
Special status animal & plant species Defenders of Wildlife
Abiotic • Proximity to water • Area of site flooded Defenders of Wildlife
Practices • Feasibility of burning • Adaptive management Defenders of Wildlife
Risk • Proximity to roads • Influence of water diversions • Structures and development Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush/Sage Grouse Habitat Metric Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: In the office • Consult with landowner • Research project site • Aerial image, map retrieval • Designation of project site boundaries Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: At the project site • Gather transect data • Revise answers as necessary Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: Back at the office Transfer field data to calculator Defenders of Wildlife
Calculator • Excel workbook: • Cover page • Data entry • Species information • Field forms Defenders of Wildlife
Sagebrush metric: Final scores • 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 Defenders of Wildlife
What the metrics do not do • Provide detailed site-level biological inventories • Support landscape-scale conservation planning decisions Defenders of Wildlife
Lessons learned • Collaborative, adaptive management • Integrated team approach to calculator development • Extensive review • More field testing • More time to develop • Economies of scale Defenders of Wildlife
What’s next? • Consistent national framework? • Organized by plant communities? • Habitats, species, or both? • Which habitats, species, why, and how many? Defenders of Wildlife
Benefits of a metrics framework Cost effective Uniformity Easy to use Consistent format, but flexible for different habitats/species Defenders of Wildlife
Challenges remain • 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
Building a consistent framework • 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
Marketplace for Nature: New portal in theConservation Registry Defenders of Wildlife
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
Conservation Registry:Showing projects relative to priorities nced.conservationregistry.org
Marketplace for Nature portal marketplace.conservationregistry.org
Search terms: Biodiversity, Wetlands, Pollinators, Carbon
Project detail pages: targeted ecosystem services, credit summary
Questions? Defenders of Wildlife
Sara Vickerman Defenders of Wildlife 503-697-3222 svickerman@defenders.org www.conservationregsitry.org Defenders of Wildlife
Questions? Defenders of Wildlife
Sara Vickerman Defenders of Wildlife 503-697-3222 svickerman@defenders.org www.conservationregsitry.org Defenders of Wildlife