Strategic Habitat Conservation Planning in Conservation Opportunity Areas

1. Strategic Habitat Conservation Planning in Conservation Opportunity Areas

2. Members of the original SHC/COA planning team, left to right – Dan Witter, Gregg Pitchford, Rick Hansen and Dennis Figg. Sara Pauley and Charlie Scott (not pictured).

3. SHC COA During our early planning effort, we decided we wereon the same page

4. A decision was made in that initial meeting (January, 2010) that a workshop would be valuable to introduce the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) planning process and show its application to specific issues in the Lower Grand River COA Teamwork

5. Missouri Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy Missouri’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy is an approach to conservation that uses ecologically-based assessments and existing Plansto integrate conservation action for all wildlife. Because it is not possible to conserve every plant and animal one at a time, the comprehensive strategy emphasizes functioning habitats, natural communities and healthy landscapes to best conserve wildlife

6. The primary purpose of Missouri’s strategy was to identify the best places in Missouri to go to work on all wildlifeand then develop guidance/plan for these areas. Thus, Conservation Opportunity Areas(COA’s) were identified as the best places.

7. Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) is: • A unified conservation approach for defining • and pursuing landscape and populationsustainability. • At the core of SHC is a structured science-based framework • founded on an adaptiveprocess of biological • planning, conservation design, conservation delivery, • monitoring, and research

8. The Columbia Missouri Field Office decided that the Lower Grand River COA would be the initial area to apply the SHC process. The natural resources were there in the northern Missouri setting

9. The Basic SHC Framework is an Iterative, 5-Element Adaptive Process • Priority Species • Population Objectives • Synthesis of science (models) Build the scientific foundation for Management Program Accomplishments Net progress toward Population objectives Biological Planning Assumption-based Research Outcome-based Monitoring Conservation Design Spatially-Explicit Models Habitat Objectives Program Priority Areas Population Impacts Conservation Delivery

10. Strategy and being adaptive Tom Woodward, “George Seek told me if we use diesel fuel, ditching dynamite, ammonium nitrate and a little luck, we could remove the logjam”. But don’t tell the COE!!

11. Watershed Approach The BIG watershed , Mississippi and Missouri Rivers The smaller more workable watershed including the Lower Grand River COA

12. RESOURCES ISSUES: • Trust Resources for the FWS - Endangered Species and Migratory Species • Habitat – Wetlands, Forested Habitat, Prairie, Streams • Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change • Water Quality • Flood Abatement • Landowner Education

13. Challenges: • Logjams • Intensive farming • Water budget issues and reservoirs • Channelization • Sedimentation • Successful restoration • Cooperation • Education • And others Locust Creek Channelized upstream of Highway 36

14. It is not just a government effort. Eventually, we will involve landowners and N.G.O.’s in the planning effort.

15. Education Black Helicopter seen over Pershing State Park. Code name “Operation Massassauga Drop”

17. FWS’s Climate Change Strategy

19. What the heck have I gotten myself into?! Regulatory issues – Section 404 permit of the CWA, Section 7 of the ESA and Section 109 of the SHPA

20. Proposed Milan Water Supply Lake East Fork Locust Creek • Issues: • Water budget downstream • Wildlife habitat – 1,684 acres • Alteration of stream – 29 miles of stream inundated • Alteration of existing wetlands – 291 acres • Endangered species – Indiana bat • Cultural resources

21. Birds of Conservation Concern

22. “Dick-Dick-Dickcissel” Grassland and prairie bird on the list of Birds of Conservation Concern

23. Agency Programs in LGRCOA and Watershed COA/SHC K.C. District’s Regulatory Program and Locust Creek Watershed Work DNR’s – LGR watershed NRCS’s MRBI and Farm Programs USEPA’s Healthy Watershed Initiative Funding and Engineering

24. Important Resources – GR COA

25. Endangered Species – Trust Resource Federally protected Indiana bat White-nose syndrome

26. Dr. Sybil Amelon surveying for Indiana bats along Yellow Creek south of Swan Lake NWR.

27. Pershing State Park Forested wetlands, wet prairies and interpretive trails

28. The FWS contributed $$ to help purchase land at PSP for the benefit of migratory and endangered species

31. Swan Lake NWR Partners 2011/12 First Friday’s Partners • Swan Lake Sportsman's Club • Grand River Audubon Chapter • Yellow Creek Ducks Unlimited Chapter • Chariton County Farm Bureau • Sumner American Legion Post 586 and Auxiliary • Agriservices of Brunswick • Mendon Lions Club • Brunswick Lions Club • Chariton County Tourism, Inc.

32. Swan Lake NWRProposed NAWCA ProjectProjected Impacts To Habitat and Infrastructure

33. Partners for Fish and Wildlife – Prairie Restoration Mystic Plains

34. Federally-listed species that may occur in the LGCOA Resources

35. Wetland and Stream Mitigation Banks (to mitigate for Section 404 permits) and Conservation Mitigation Banks to mitigate for impacts to Federally listed species

36. Proposed Wetland and Stream Mitigation Bank

37. Jeff Briggler(MDC) and Trish Crabill (FWS) surveying massassaugas at Swan Lake NWR

38. Recreational Activities in the LGR COA Hunting Fishing Wildlife observation and photography Rattler round-up (Massassauga surveys)

39. TEAMWORK FOR THE RESOURCES