new england cottontail conservation efforts
DESCRIPTION
New England Cottontail Conservation Efforts. Anthony Tur US Fish and Wildlife Service New England Field Office Concord, New Hampshire. Obligate users. 1.0. New England cottontails. RELATIVE USE. 0.5. 0. 10. 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. 70. 80. 90. 100. AGE OF STAND. I- 293. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
New England Cottontail
Conservation Efforts
Anthony Tur
US Fish and Wildlife Service
New England Field Office
Concord, New Hampshire
Obligate usersR
ELAT
IVE
USE
0
1.0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
AGE OF STAND
New England cottontails
0.5
Habitat loss is the primary threat.
Hawthorne Drive 1998
Hawthorne Drive 2008
I- 293
Everett Turnpike
Route 3
Summary of Findings
– 86% Contraction in Range Since 1960.– NEC in 150 of 2,300 patches searched.– ~ 60% patches are considered habitat sinks.– EC is 5x more abundant.– Primary threat is habitat loss and fragmentation
Candidate Designation2006
Magnitude
Immediacy
Taxonomy
Priority
High
Imminent Non-imminent
Monotypic genus Species Subspecies/population Monotypic genus Species Subspecies/population
1 2* 3 4 5 6
Moderate to Low
Imminent Non-imminent
Monotypic genus Species Subspecies/population Monotypic genus Species Subspecies/population
7 8 9 10 11 12
State Wildlife Agencies have expressed a desire to preclude the need to list the NEC.
Candidate Conservation in the USFWS
Assess species status and assist in the development and facilitation of voluntary conservation tools, so that those species do not need the protection of the
Endangered Species Act.
Section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act states that the Service will take
’’* * * into account those efforts, if any, being made by any State or foreign nation, or any political subdivision of a State or foreign nation, to protect such species *”
when making listing decisions.
Listing Consideration
Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions
(PECE)
• policy is intended to facilitate voluntary development of conservation efforts with Partners.
• identifies criteria used to guide the Service when evaluating conservation efforts.
• policy does not establish standards for conservation efforts.
Basic Elements of PECE
In evaluating these efforts, the Service will need;–Certainty that the Conservation Effort
will be Implemented (9 elements)–Certainty that the Conservation Effort
will be Effective (6 elements)
Certainty of Implementation• Level of effort needed to address threats is
identified.• Authority for the actions is described.• Level of commitment to the effort by the
Parties is described, including funding.• Implementation schedule is provided.
Certainty of Effectiveness
• Threats are identified and addressed.• Adaptive management principles are
incorporated.
Adaptive Management Model
Conservation Design
• Identify Conservation Focus Areas.• Identify Goals and Objectives for each.• Compile Focal Area Plans into Rangewide Conservation
Strategy.
Conservation Goal
•Implement conservation actions, throughout the range, to establish:1 NEC focal area capable of supporting 2,500 or more individuals;5 focal areas each capable of supporting 1,000 or more individuals; and12 focal areas each capable of supporting 500 or more individuals;
Objectives• Avoid further loss and fragmentation of existing
populations;• Implement conservation actions that increase patch quality,
quantity, and connectivity;• Establish management agreements to ensure that large,
source populations remain viable and their habitats remain suitable;
• Evaluate the role of eastern cottontails as a non-native competitor and implement conservation actions that address this threat, as appropriate.
Green Infrastructure Model for
NEC Conservation
Focal AreaPatch
Dispers
al Corri
dor
Step 1. Identify focal areas.Step 2. Improve patch quality, quantity and connectivity.Step 3. Link focal areas through dispersal.
Identify Focal Areas and Rank Focal Areas
75257
2100
735
225
1575
Legend = Task
= Personnel
PLANNING
Focus Area Coordinator
Site Planner
Project Screening
Habitat Management
Delivery
Track Progress
Focus Area Conservation Team
Acquisition Partner
Easement &
Acquisition Standards
State Coordinator
Rangewide NEC Management Team
NEC Executive Board
Prioritize Actions
& Compliance
Screen
FOCUS AREA ORGANIZATION
AllocateResources
Biological
Planning
Identify AssumptionsNEC Research Team
DevelopConservation
Design
Outreach &Recruitment
EvaluateDesign
ADMINISTRATION
Assess Habitat
and Population Response
Develop Conservation
Agreement
Provide Technical Assistance
Prioritize Actions
ADAPTIVEMANAGEMENT
NEC Survey
Conduct Study
DesignStudy
Organizational Structure for Conservation
of the
New England Cottontail
CONSERVATION DELIVERY
Land Protection
MONITORING & REPORTING
ModifyDesign
Translocation
Business Model Framework
1 Research and Development• Investigate local opportunities and vulnerabilities
2 Marketing• Use analytical technology to identify and characterize landowners
(the “market”) that may be recruited to benefit a target resource
3 Advertising• Conduct outreach
4 Technical Sales• Employ technical sales expertise that is versed in land and natural
resource transactions and restoration concepts
5 Delivery• Develop efficient mechanisms to deliver conservation projects
6 Business Information System• Track real-time spatial information on the status of sales and
delivery to measure model approach
1. Assess focal area
2. Develop rangewide
plan.
3. Quantify needs.
4. Establish timeline.
Ranked Parcels to
Target Landowner Recruitment
• On-going research at UNH– Determine detection rates.– Develop population estimation tools.
• Spatial Patch Occupancy Model (SPOM)?
MONITORING
Hot Topics
• Formation of Executive Committee• NRCS Initiative
– ($6.8 million request for 5 years to deliver 2,500 acres of habitat on private land)
• Captive Breeding Efforts• Development of Inbound Marketing Tools• April Tech. Committee mtg. at the NEFWC.
Certainty of ImplementationLevel of effort needed to address threats is
identified.Authority for the actions is described.Level of commitment to the effort by the
Parties is described, including funding.Implementation schedule is provided.
Certainty of Effectiveness
Threats are identified and addressed.Adaptive management principles are
incorporated.
NEC as a barometer
• dispersal limited• year round resident• area sensitive• extreme habitat specialist
NEC Conservation is not sin
gle species management