draft strategic conservation plan introduction · draft strategic conservation plan introduction...

Draft Strategic Conservation PlanDraft Strategic Conservation Plan

IntroductionIntroduction

Presented by Ryan Bollinger Presented by Ryan Bollinger

June 27, 2012

Presentation OutlinePresentation Outline

• Acknowledgements• Request for Review• Plan Adoption Timeline • Brief Step through of Draft Plan Contents• Brief Step through of Draft Plan Contents• Highlights of Implementation Section• Next Steps

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

• Thank you to the Core Team!

• Thank you to the Advisory Committee!• Thank you to the Advisory Committee!

Request for ReviewRequest for Review

• Draft to be sent out this afternoon to Steering Committee and Working Group Chairs for

review

• Steering Committee Review Request• Steering Committee Review Request• Working Group Review Request

– Submission through WG Chair

• Review Due Date: Friday, July 20th

Plan Adoption TimelinePlan Adoption Timeline

• Steering Committee review by July 20th

• Core Team to develop second draft for Peer Review by early August

• Final Draft for Steering Committee Approval by mid-• Final Draft for Steering Committee Approval by mid-September

• Adoption of Plan at Fall Steering Committee Meeting

Contents of PlanContents of Plan

I. Introduction

II. NC Sandhills Landscape Description

III. Planning Process

IV. Conservation Targets and GoalsIV. Conservation Targets and Goals

V. Conservation Target Viability Assessment

VI. Threats to Conservation Targets

VII. Strategies and Objectives

VIII. Implementing the Strategic Conservation Plan

IX. Research Needs

X. Glossary

I. IntroductionI. Introduction

• Plan Purpose• The North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership

– Mission– Partners– Partners– Formal Documents– Working Groups

• Background Information– Partnership Accomplishments– Partnership 10 Year Review

II. Landscape DescriptionII. Landscape Description

• Introduction• Climate• Fire Ecology• Regional Ecology• Regional Ecology• Rare and Endangered Species of the Sandhills• Human Context

III. Planning ProcessIII. Planning Process

• Introduction to Open Standards• Open Standards Approach• Planning Process

Open Standards ApproachOpen Standards Approach

– Scope and Vision of the Partnership– Conservation Targets and Target

Goals

– Target Viability Assessment (highlight the current status of each

target and facilitate monitoring of target and facilitate monitoring of

the target health and status over

time) through identification of Key

Ecological Attributes and Indicators

– Threats to Conservation Targets including Direct Threats and Stresses

– Strategies and associated specific Activities to abate threats and

Objectives


• Introduction• Target Selection Process• Goal Selection Process• Target Summaries and Goals • Target Summaries and Goals

Target Target Selection Justification Nested Targets

Longleaf Pine Mosaic Longleaf community types encompass the primary source of biodiversity in the

Sandhills and have experienced great

losses in original habitat extent

Small patch communities, rare plants,

rare animals, matrix community types

(see p.x)

Streamhead Habitat for rare plants and animals, Canebrakes, Sandhills seeps,


Streamhead

Pocosins/Seeps

Habitat for rare plants and animals,

sensitive to diverse sets of

environmental factors

Canebrakes, Sandhills seeps,

Streamhead Atlantic white cedar,

Streamhead pocosins, rare plants, rare

animals, lepidoptera (see p.x)

Blackwater Streams Healthy aquatic systems that are newly threatened by increasing development

Beaver pond communities, floodplain

forests and rare species, aquatic

communities and rare species (see p.x)

Upland Depressional

Wetlands

Habitat for rare plants and animals,

sensitive to diverse sets of

environmental factors

Small depressional ponds, vernal pools,

rare herps, rare plants, small

depressional pocosins and swamps (see

p.x)

• For each Conservation Target:– Target Description– Nested Targets– Rare or Endangered Species


– Goals• What we need to know

V. Target Viability AssessmentV. Target Viability Assessment

• Introduction• Viability Assessment Process

– KEA Identification (Size, Condition, Landscape Context)– Indicators– Indicators

• Rating Scale

• Format

V. Target Viability AssessmentV. Target Viability Assessment

KEA: Fire regime - (timing, frequency, intensity, extent)

State of success: Appropriate fire regime implemented for all longleaf core areas connectors and buffers

− appropriate fire regime includes variable frequency,

intensity, and season based

% protected longleaf acres burned within

3 year period

Poor: 90%

% burn units with appropriate fire regime

(frequency/season)

Poor: 40%

# acres private lands burned each year Poor: 20k managed acres/year

VI. Threats to TargetsVI. Threats to Targets

• Introduction• Threats Analysis

– Assessment based on Scope, Severity, Irreversibility

• Direct Threat Descriptions• Direct Threat Descriptions• Threat Analysis Table• Stresses • Stress Definitions• Direct Threats, Stresses, and Targets Affected Table

VI. Threats to TargetsVI. Threats to TargetsDirect Threats/ Targets Longleaf Pine Mosaic

Upland Depressional

Wetlands

Streamhead

Pocosins/SeepsBlackwater Streams

Summary Threat

Rating

Fire Suppression

Sc.

High

Sc.

High

Sc.

High

Sc.

Low HighSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Invasive Species

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium MediumSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Surface Mining

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.


Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Incompatible Development

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

High

Sc.

Low MediumSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Incompatible forestry practices

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Low

Sc.

Low

Sc.


Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Transportation Planning and

Construction

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Medium

Sc.

Low MediumSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Unsustainable Surface Water

Withdrawals

Sc. Sc. Sc. Sc.

Medium LowSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Incompatible Agricultural

Production Practices

Sc. Sc.

Low

Sc.

Low

Sc.


Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Incompatible Pine Straw

Production

Sc.

Medium

Sc. Sc. Sc.

Low LowSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Conventional Golf course

Maintenance and Management

Sc. Sc. Sc.

Low

Sc.

Low LowSev. Sev. Sev. Sev.

Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Small dams on headwater

tributaries

Sc. Sc. Sc. Sc.


Irr. Irr. Irr. Irr.

Summary Target Ratings High Medium High Medium High

VI. Threats to TargetsVI. Threats to TargetsDirect Threat Stresses Target

Affected

Incompatible development Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, and Degradation

Altered Natural Fire Regime

Sedimentation

Contamination

All

BWS

Incompatible forestry

practices

Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, and Degradation


Sedimentation

LLP

BWS

Incompatible agricultural

production practices


Sedimentation

Nutrient Loading

Contamination

LLP

BWS & SPS

Contamination

Incompatible pine straw

production


Altered composition/structure


LLP

Fire Suppression Altered Natural Fire Regime

Altered composition/structure

Reduced primary productivity

All

BWS

Conventional Golf course

maintenance and

management

Nutrient Loading

Sedimentation

Contamination

BWS & SPS

Small dams on headwater

tributaries

Altered hydrologic regime


BWS & SPS

Surface mining Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, and Degradation

Sedimentation

Contamination

LLP

BWS

Unsustainable Surface

Water withdrawals

Altered hydrologic regime


BWS

Invasive species Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, and Degradation


All

VII. Strategies and ObjectivesVII. Strategies and Objectives

• Introduction• Strategy Selection Process• Objective Selection Process• Strategies and Objectives Tables• Strategies and Objectives Tables

VII. Strategies and ObjectivesVII. Strategies and Objectives

Surface Mining Objectives

Objective Details

Mining 1. Prevent New Mining in Reserve Design: By 2025, no new surface mining will occur in the Reserve Design connectors and buffers and BMPs put in place on all existing mines.

Mining 2. Expand Riparian Corridor Protection: By 2020 protect x # of miles of stream corridor within RD

Mining 3. Establish Land Use Plan Overlay Zones: By 2018, Sandhills counties' land use plans will incorporate mining overlay zones that exclude mining in connectors and buffers identified in the Reserve DesignReserve Design

Surface Mining Strategies

Strategy Objective Working Group Details

Expand Opportunities for land conservation Mining 2 FSC Earmarked funding for Acquisition from user taxesDiversify strategies beyond acquisition

Create Mining Overlay Zones in County Land Use Planning Mining 3 RDWG*, LPWG Moves Mining operations outside of Reserve Design and other sensitive areas

Create Targeted Education and Outreach Program On

Impacts Mining has on Natural Resources

Mining 1, Mining 2, Mining 3

CWG

Work with Mining Companies to Mitigate/Cease Activities in

buffers and connectors

Mining 1, Mining 2, Mining 3

SC, RDWG, LPWG*

Work to find agreement with mining companies to implement bmps in connectors and buffersEnforcement and Enhancement of BMPs for mining operations

• Strategy Implementation• Finance Subcommittee• Measuring Success• Annual State of the Sandhills Report

VIII. Implementing the PlanVIII. Implementing the Plan

• Annual State of the Sandhills Report


Strategy Implementation

• Strategies from Section VII designated as falling under the purview of one the 5 Working Groups

• Working Group Responsibilities– Decide how a strategy and associated activities are – Decide how a strategy and associated activities are

executed and will be responsible for documenting progress

– Identify and prioritize activities to implement selected strategies

– Delegate to Partners with approval– Report annually selected strategies and progress

Finance Subcommittee

• Finance Subcommittee Composition– Chair of each Working Group, Three Steering Committee members,

and Support from Partnership Coordinator

• Finance Subcommittee Charges


• Finance Subcommittee Charges– Overcome Financial Obstacles of Working Groups– Build Capacity for Monitoring & Applied Research

• Finance Subcommittee will meet as necessary and report to the Steering Committee

Measuring Success

• Partnership Monitoring– Working Groups and Subcommittees submit information to

Coordinator

– Coordinator will assemble progress metrics into an Annual Report


– Coordinator will assemble progress metrics into an Annual Report– Every 2 years, Working Groups review of strategies to assess impact of

meeting goals and evaluate monitoring efforts and research needs

– Coordinator will develop template for review– 5 Year review of Plan by future Subcommittee

• Biological Monitoring– KEAs and Indicators to be developed into Monitoring Plan– Work to be divided effectively among Partners and data managed by

Coordinator

Annual State of the Sandhills Report

• Annual outreach document for the public outlining accomplishments and issues facing the Partnership and

detailing how the NC Sandhills ecosystem is faring

• Report designed to increase the visibility and transparency


• Report designed to increase the visibility and transparency and gain public support for the Partnership’s mission

• Communications Working Group will take lead role

IX. Research NeedsIX. Research Needs

• Introduction• Monitoring Plan• Future Projects

Next StepsNext Steps

• Review Submissions by Friday, July 20th

• Core Team to send out second draft for Peer Review in early August

• Final draft for Adoption September Steering • Final draft for Adoption September Steering Committee Meeting