Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT
Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT
Eastern Washington Cascades ProvinceProvince descriptionThe province is located on the east slope of the Cascade Range in Washington,from the Columbia River to the Canadian border. Approximately 162 northernspotted owl activity centers have been found in the province; most are onfederal land in the central and southern portion of the province. In the northernportion of the province, high mountains create naturally fragmentedhabitat with low potential for development of large clusters of spotted owls. Inthe southern portion of the province, the highest densities of owls appear to beon the Yakima Indian Reservation (recovery contributions provided by theYakima Nation are described in section II.C.8.).Table 3.9. Summary of acreage and owl pairs for designated conservation areas(DCAs) and for all lands in the eastern Washington Cascades province. (Moredetailed information, including projected owl pairs on nonfederal lands, is in AppendixJ, Table J.4.)AcreageOwl PairsDCA Percent NRF Current FutureIdent. Federal Habitat Known Owls 3 Projected ProjectedNumber Total Land 1 Federal 2 Federal Nonfed Federal 4 Federal 5WD-1N 34,525 99 25,640 6 0 8 8WD-5 88,136 61 33,240 9 2 11 14WD-6 92,263 93 54,520 12 1 16 24WD-7 112,052 91 58,960 7 1 15 28WD-12 64,439 97 29,280 8 0 8 16WD-14 11,305 100 3,520 2 0 2 2WD-15 52,167 97 33,400 2 0 9 13WD-16 60,639 74 31,640 8 6 9 11WD-20 26,668 93 9,120 3 0 3 5WD-21 24,572 71 4,680 6 0 6 5WD-22 11,107 68 1,680 2 0 2 2WD-23 13,222 85 6,440 1 0 2 3WD-24 68,544 100 37,760 5 0 10 18WD-33 55,176 96 5,600 2 0 6 10WD-37 16,935 97 1,400 1 0 2 2WD-38 23,878 100 3,040 3 0 3 4WD-39 11,480 100 1,920 1 0 1 1WD-40 20,104 100 4,880 1 0 2 2WD-41 12,803 100 3,480 1 0 1 2WD-42 26,245 100 11,200 3 0 3 5WD-44 9,962 100 3,000 1 0 1 1Totals: 836,222 90 364,400 84 10 120 176Totals for all lands in province: 798,394 121 36'Management of nonfederal lands within the perimeter of designated conservation areas is discussed in the narrative.2 NRF = nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for spotted owls Habitat information was not available for nonfederal3 lands.Numbers are pairs of spotted owls verified in a 5-year period either 1986 through 1990 or 1987 through 1991.4 This is an estimate of the number of pairs of owls that the DCA would be expected to support on federal lands if the population stabilized withcurrent habitat conditions. See Appendix J for further details.5 This is an estimate of the number of pairs of owls that the DCA might support in the future on federal lands if habitat were recovered. SeeAppendix J for further details158
ITable 3.10. Summary comments on the designated conservation area (DCA) networkin the eastern Washington Cascade province. (Section III.C.2. and Appendix Iprovide further information on the criteria and process used to delineate theseareas.)DesignatedConservationAreaWD-6, WD-7WD-1 N, WD-5, WD-1 2,WD-14 through WD-16,WD-20 through WD-24,WD-33, WD-37 throughWD-42, and WD-44CommentsThese are the category 1 DCAs in the province. They are currently estimatedto contain fewer than 20 pairs of owls, but each has the potential toincrease to 20 pairs.Because of natural habitat limitations and lowpopulation densities, these remaining DCAs are allcategory 2s. They have potential capabilities tosupport from 1 to 18 pairs of owls. They weredelineated in this area to address local demographic, distribution, andlinkage concerns.General threats to spotted owls in the province include loss of habitat, habitatfragmentation, lack of stable owl populations, and high risk of large-scale fireand insect damage (Appendix F). Historically, ground fuels were decreased byfrequent fires that occurred as low intensity underburns that burned withoutkilling overstory trees. A history of fire suppression has resulted in an accumulationof fuels, especially on national forest lands. This accumulationincreases the probability of stand-replacement fires that potentially couldeliminate northern spotted owl habitat from large-scale landscapes.Three areas of special management emphasis have been identified for recommendationson nonfederal lands; specific recommendations are provided tohelp alleviate threats to owls in these areas.Biological goals and implementation on federal landsIt is recommended that two category 1 DCAs, and 19 category 2 DCAs beestablished in this province (Tables 3.6 and 3.7). They vary in size from 9,900acres to more than 112,000 acres, and include a total of 94 owl pairs of which84 are located on federal lands. These represent 69 percent of the total knownowl pairs on federal lands (Table 3.9 and Figure 3.13). The DCAs contain 46percent of the nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat on federal land (Figure3.14).The DCA recommendations for the area north of Lake Chelan (north of DCAsWD-37 and WD-38) reflect low viability of owl populations that result fromnatural and human-caused habitat fragmentation. In this area, all knownactivity centers have been delineated as small DCAs. Any future activitycenters that are located also should be added to the DCA network. The longtermrecovery objective in this area is to develop small DCAs with owl clustersof two or more pairs, since category 1 DCAs are not possible.In addition to the DCA network, threats to the owls in the province requireareas of specific matrix management recommendations. The bulk of federalmatrix land is recommended for management prescription A (see III.C.2.), but159
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Eastern Washington Cascades ProvinceProvince descriptionThe province is located on <strong>the</strong> east slope of <strong>the</strong> Cascade Range in Washington,from <strong>the</strong> Columbia River to <strong>the</strong> Canadian border. Approximately 162 nor<strong>the</strong>rnspotted owl activity centers have been found in <strong>the</strong> province; most are onfederal land in <strong>the</strong> central and sou<strong>the</strong>rn portion of <strong>the</strong> province. In <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rnportion of <strong>the</strong> province, high mountains create naturally fragmentedhabitat with low potential <strong>for</strong> development of large clusters of spotted owls. In<strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn portion of <strong>the</strong> province, <strong>the</strong> highest densities of owls appear to beon <strong>the</strong> Yakima Indian Reservation (recovery contributions provided by <strong>the</strong>Yakima Nation are described in section II.C.8.).Table 3.9. Summary of acreage and owl pairs <strong>for</strong> designated conservation areas(DCAs) and <strong>for</strong> all lands in <strong>the</strong> eastern Washington Cascades province. (Moredetailed in<strong>for</strong>mation, including projected owl pairs on nonfederal lands, is in AppendixJ, Table J.4.)Acreage<strong>Owl</strong> PairsDCA Percent NRF Current FutureIdent. Federal Habitat Known <strong>Owl</strong>s 3 Projected ProjectedNumber Total Land 1 Federal 2 Federal Nonfed Federal 4 Federal 5WD-1N 34,525 99 25,640 6 0 8 8WD-5 88,136 61 33,240 9 2 11 14WD-6 92,263 93 54,520 12 1 16 24WD-7 112,052 91 58,960 7 1 15 28WD-12 64,439 97 29,280 8 0 8 16WD-14 11,305 100 3,520 2 0 2 2WD-15 52,167 97 33,400 2 0 9 13WD-16 60,639 74 31,640 8 6 9 11WD-20 26,668 93 9,120 3 0 3 5WD-21 24,572 71 4,680 6 0 6 5WD-22 11,107 68 1,680 2 0 2 2WD-23 13,222 85 6,440 1 0 2 3WD-24 68,544 100 37,760 5 0 10 18WD-33 55,176 96 5,600 2 0 6 10WD-37 16,935 97 1,400 1 0 2 2WD-38 23,878 100 3,040 3 0 3 4WD-39 11,480 100 1,920 1 0 1 1WD-40 20,104 100 4,880 1 0 2 2WD-41 12,803 100 3,480 1 0 1 2WD-42 26,245 100 11,200 3 0 3 5WD-44 9,962 100 3,000 1 0 1 1Totals: 836,222 90 364,400 84 10 120 176Totals <strong>for</strong> all lands in province: 798,394 121 36'Management of nonfederal lands within <strong>the</strong> perimeter of designated conservation areas is discussed in <strong>the</strong> narrative.2 NRF = nesting, roosting, and <strong>for</strong>aging habitat <strong>for</strong> spotted owls Habitat in<strong>for</strong>mation was not available <strong>for</strong> nonfederal3 lands.Numbers are pairs of spotted owls verified in a 5-year period ei<strong>the</strong>r 1986 through 1990 or 1987 through 1991.4 This is an estimate of <strong>the</strong> number of pairs of owls that <strong>the</strong> DCA would be expected to support on federal lands if <strong>the</strong> population stabilized withcurrent habitat conditions. See Appendix J <strong>for</strong> fur<strong>the</strong>r details.5 This is an estimate of <strong>the</strong> number of pairs of owls that <strong>the</strong> DCA might support in <strong>the</strong> future on federal lands if habitat were recovered. SeeAppendix J <strong>for</strong> fur<strong>the</strong>r details158
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