NROC DRAFT 10-YEAR SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Transcription

1 NROC DRAFT 10-YEAR SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) program seeks to conserve natural communities at the ecosystem level, taking a broad-based ecosystem approach to the protection and long-term management of biological diversity. Aligned with this goal, the NROC Strategic Plan calls for the organization to engage in the best and most important management-relevant science, and use science as the basis for adaptive management decisions. The ten-year, draft goals and objectives for science and land management outlined below were developed over an 18-month period that involved review of the documents governing implementation of the County of Orange Central and Coastal Subregion NCCP/HCP, review of NROC s existing science and project reports, countless interviews with scientists, land managers, and landowners presently or historically associated with the NCCP Program, independent assessment of the critical issues and threats facing the NCCP-Reserve by participants on the 2013 NROC Science Panel, discussions with the NROC Technical Advisory Committee, coordination on science priorities with other regional NCCP Programs, and critical review and comment by the Wildlife Agencies (California Department of Fish and Wildlife and US Fish and Wildlife Service). It is the expectation of NROC staff that the draft goals and objectives will continue to be refined in 2015 as NROC is currently engaged in a planning phase that involves enlisting area experts to develop priority, multiyear, science and land management initiatives supporting the long-term goals of the NCCP Program. Furthermore, a science integration meeting is being planned for late spring The purpose of the meeting is to have experts (representing a broad range of scientific and land management expertise) evaluate and prioritize the draft goals and objectives and the first tranche of proposed multi-year science and land management projects supporting the long-term goals and objectives, as well as identify gaps in planning and new opportunities for science integration, all based on the critical issues and threats facing the NCCP Habitat Reserve. DRAFT 10-YEAR SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS (ASSESSMENT): 1. Vegetation (+ Environmental) Monitoring 1.1. Work with conservation partners to provide defensible, objective measures of the extent and quality of coastal sage scrub and associated habitats within the NCCP-Reserve and adjacent conservation lands Accurately document and forecast long-term and large-scale changes to the extent and quality of vegetation occurring within the NCCP-Reserve Support the collection and dissemination of environmental data (such as local precipitation data) critical to effective land management and development of accurate habitat models. 2. Target Species Monitoring (+ Modeling) 2.1. Provide defensible, objective measures of the status and trends of the California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren across Central-Coastal OC and coastal southern California Use monitoring data to inform management through the identification of populations of concern and providing information on habitat associations and potential threats and stressors Contribute to the development or refinement of ecological models predicting the suitability of habitat and long-term viability of the California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren within the region. 3. Wildlife Monitoring

2 3.1. Identify wildlife species and systems of management concern or monitoring interest present within the NCCP-Reserve and/or adjacent conservation lands Develop and implement defensible monitoring methods for priority species and systems Use monitoring data to establish reliable baselines and future measures of wildlife occurrence, species diversity, genetic diversity, and trophic complexity and productivity for highest priority species and systems present within the NCCP-Reserve. 4. Recreation Monitoring (+ Valuation Studies) 4.1. Establish a reliable monitoring protocol for regularly measuring human-use of NCCP-enrolled lands by the public Complement measures of human-use with measurements of biotic and abiotic environmental variables useful in identifying potential recreation associated sources of environmental degradation within the NCCP-Reserve Support the use of human valuation studies for informing our understanding of carrying capacities of individual parks and adaptively managing recreational uses valued by the public and compatible with the conservation of the habitats and species protected by the NCCP. DRAFT 10-YEAR SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS (MANAGEMENT): 1. Wildland Fire Management 1.1. Coordinate and implement ignition reduction strategies, approaches to suppression, and postfire responses that limit the impact of repeat fire on the natural resources protected under the NCCP. 2. Habitat Restoration 2.1. Update the NCCP-Reserve s Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Plan to include new information on the long-term priorities, methodologies, and opportunities for habitat restoration within the NCCP-Reserve Advance planning in support of the launch of up to 1,000 acres of habitat restoration within the NCCP-Reserve over the next 10 to 15 years Couple invasive species management and post-fire response to landscape-level habitat restoration goals focused on the long-term persistence of target and sensitive wildlife species within the NCCP-Reserve Invest in adaptation strategies designed to facilitate effective and resilient landscape-level restoration in the face of a changing climate and wildfire frequency and severity. 3. Wildlife Management 3.1. Actively manage (through a number of direct and indirect measures, including the transport and propagation of wildlife, targeted habitat restoration, edge condition manipulation, and management of invasive wildlife, recreational activities, and fire) for the long-term viability of target and sensitive animal species, and habitats, inhabiting the NCCP-Reserve Give special attention to the manipulation of edge conditions to manage for improved wildlife connectivity (and thus long-term viability of meta-populations) both within the NCCP-Reserve and across the region. 4. Recreation Management 4.1. Work with landowners and managers on design and maintenance of an authorized, sustainable trail network that allows for both the enhancement of recreational opportunities for the public and the increased protection of biodiversity within the NCCP-Reserve Work with landowners and managers to identify and manage for the seasonal and annual carrying capacities for human use of the individual parks enrolled in the NCCP.

3 4.3. Support implementation of recreation programs consistent with the values of the public and long-term management of biodiversity within the NCCP-Reserve. DRAFT 10-YEAR SCIENCE AND LAND MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES: 1. Vegetation (+ Environmental) Monitoring 1.1. Provide defensible, objective measures of the extent and quality of habitat within the NCCP- Reserve and support measurement of these variables on adjacent Conservation Easements. This will involve development of a model of habitat quality that takes into account short and long-term environmental forecasts, measures of local productivity, land-use history (specifically grazing and agriculture), and fire history. Output from the model should inform how restoration and enhancement actions are applied Use plot-based data in combination with remote sensing data and aerial imagery to measure and predict changes in the resilience and demographic patterns of the coastal sage scrub community following wildfire at both the level of the plot and landscape Support development and implementation of a rare plant management and monitoring program that includes an inventory of the distribution of rare plants across the NCCP-Reserve and adjacent Conservation Easement Lands, selection of focal species of management and monitoring concern, and direction for future monitoring and management. As appropriate, management will be applied adaptively to support establishment of new populations and to protect existing populations from identified threats (e.g., competition with non-native invasive weeds) Support development of a County-wide oak woodland monitoring and management program; the program will focus on limiting the spread of problematic diseases and invasive species and include monitoring of the woodlands for drought and fire-related stress Review and implement key management initiatives identified in the Tecate Cypress Management Plan with a focus on maintaining the viability of Tecate Cypress in Orange County and minimizing the risk of fire ignitions in the northern Santa Ana Mountains. Application of the Management Plan will involve continued study, through modeling and experimentation, of the effect of different fire frequencies and management actions. 2. Habitat Restoration 2.1. Develop an over-arching, landscape-level habitat restoration plan that makes explicit the longterm opportunities and priorities for habitat restoration within the NCCP-Reserve; couple invasive species management and post-fire response to landscape-level habitat restoration goals (which include supporting the long-term persistence of target and sensitive wildlife species within the NCCP-Reserve) Invest in the development of adaptation strategies designed to facilitate effective and resilient landscape-level restoration in the face of a changing climate, including equipment and laborsharing pools, as well as access to environmental forecasting tools Support development of native seed banking and seed-bulking activities, a seed storage cooperative, and seed collection policy that provides guidelines on the collection and use of native seeds within the NCCP-Reserve Leverage existing funds and develop multi-agency partnerships to successfully scale-up restoration efforts across the NCCP-Reserve and launch 1,000 acres of new upland restoration over the next 10 to 15 years Support development of an over-arching habitat restoration plan for Upper Newport Bay and the adjacent lower stretch of San Diego Creek; plan would cover the restoration of both upland

4 and wetland resources, support the recovery of sensitive species like the western pond turtle, and represent a singular vision for restoration of the area by the five principal land-owners Develop and implement habitat restoration experimentation (and demonstration) projects supporting implementation of the landscape-level habitat restoration plan while also advancing the science of restoration and contributing to the development of a land manager training program for the NCCP-Reserve Support development of a prioritization scheme for the control of invasive plants and implementation and expansion of the State Park s Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) Program (both initiatives identified by the Back Country Council and now responsibilities of the NROC Land Management Committee) Support partners efforts to implement an effective, coordinated, science-based invasive plant control program; the program is to include long-term monitoring of the efficacy of control efforts prioritized based on their relationship to the NCCP-Reserve s habitat restoration plan. 3. Wildland Fire Management 3.1. Identify, coordinate, and support implementation of ignition reduction strategies within the Central-Coastal Subregion. Strategies for addressing specific identified threats could include, implementing policies governing access, construction and maintenance within wildlands during red flag conditions, road hardening, and fuel modification Coordinate the approach to suppression activities across the Central-Coastal Subregion to ensure activities are consistent with the strategy identified in the Wildfire Management Plan Plan for and coordinate the post-fire response within the NCCP-Reserve as it relates to habitat restoration, invasive plant control, and human use, including the creation of a contingency fund for managing targeted invasive plant species following wildfire that has specific tie-ins to the landscape-level restoration plan for the NCCP-Reserve Model fire behavior within the Subregion under different future climatic scenarios and fire frequencies; identify likelihood of changes in land cover values across the NCCP-Reserve and neighboring Conservation Easement Lands under different scenarios Experiment with different fuel modification strategies that provide for reduced fuel loads, but also minimize the short and long-term loss of habitat value within and adjacent to the areas undergoing modification. 4. Target Bird Species Monitoring 4.1. Provide defensible, objective measures of the status and trends of California Gnatcatchers and Cactus Wrens across Central-Coastal Orange County coordinating the collection of monitoring data with other conservation stakeholders in southern California to allow for comparison with regional population trends Use monitoring to inform management through the study of habitat associations, potential threats and stressors and by identifying populations of concern. Analyze and build upon existing datasets to determine drivers of survivorship, population persistence, and connectivity in the Cactus Wren, as well as develop monitoring and management standards and success criteria Contribute to the development of range-wide, spatially explicit population models for both the Cactus Wren and California Gnatcatcher that incorporate anticipated effects from fire and climate change Contribute to regional studies of short and long-term effects of fire on the recovery of the California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren. 5. Wildlife Monitoring & Management

5 5.1. For purposes of supporting assessment of the long-term performance of the NCCP in preserving and protecting healthy, functioning native ecological systems, establish a reliable baseline and future measures of wildlife occurrence within the NCCP-Reserve Actively manage (through a number of direct and indirect measures, including the transport and propagation of wildlife, targeted habitat restoration, edge condition manipulation, and management of invasive wildlife, recreational activities, and fire) for the long-term viability of target and sensitive animal species inhabiting the NCCP-Reserve Support development of recommendations to improve wildlife connectivity within the NCCP- Reserve and across the region, with particular emphasis on improving connectivity within the Coastal Subregion Fund management of invasive wildlife considered to be a serious threat to the long-term viability of individual species or systems within the NCCP-Reserve. 6. Recreation Monitoring and Management 6.1. Support development of a network of observation systems for use in establishing a reliable baseline (and future measures) of authorized and unauthorized use of NCCP-enrolled lands by the public Analyze human-use and wildlife activity data to identify recreation management strategies to minimize potential impacts of human-use Support implementation of valuation studies of the public to help identify carrying capacities for individual parks and to identify recreation and land management programs desired by the public Support planning efforts and management activities that contribute to the design and maintenance of a legal, compatible and sustainable trail network within the NCCP-Reserve Support implementation of recreation programs consistent with the values of the public and long-term maintenance of biodiversity within the NCCP-Reserve. 7. Land Manager Training 7.1. Support the training of land managers and conservation practitioners to facilitate sound adaptive management of conserved habitats and species within the NCCP-Reserve and adjoining conserved lands. Such training will include helping land managers to identify and prioritize opportunities for habitat restoration, and implement all stages of restoration including, site selection, site preparation, seeding and planting, and maintenance and monitoring Support the training of land managers and conservation practitioners in monitoring of recreation activities, assessment of environmental conditions (such as, invasive species, disease, and habitat quality), and presence of sensitive species. 8. Database Management/Bioinformatics 8.1. Support the organization and storage (i.e., archiving) of ecological data collected through the NCCP-Reserve s science and land management programs Support improved access and reporting of science and management activities for the benefit of land managers and researchers conducting activities within the NCCP-Reserve Invest in development of online reporting and archiving, data access, and planning tools. 9. Opportunity/Threat Funding 9.1. Establish through policies flexibility in current funds and look at new funding to respond to opportunities and threats related to the rapid management response following early detection of targeted invasive weed species as part of the Early Detection Rapid Response Program Establish through policies flexibility in current funds and look at new funding to respond to opportunities and threats to support the sustained management response to outbreaks of problematic invasive weed species following large-scale wildfire in the NCCP-Reserve.

6 10. Best Management Practices Support publication of best management practices for activities related to trail maintenance, trail closures, invasive plant control measures, the pruning of oak and sycamore woodlands, and breeding bird and rare plant surveys conducted as a precursor to planned management actions.