Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

ITable 3.14. Summary comments on the designated conservation area (DCA)network in the western Oregon Cascades province. (Section III.C.2.a. and AppendixI provide further information on the criteria and process used to delineatethese areas.)DesignatedConservationAreaOD-5, OD-7, OD-8OD-9, OD-l1, 01-12,OD-13 and OD-14OD17 and OD-18OD-1, OD-3, OD-4OD-6, OD-10, OD-15and OD-19OD-40OD-39, OD-56, OD-57,CommentsThese category 1 DCAs each currently support20 or more pairs of owls.These category 1 DCAs each currently support 20 or more pairs of owlsbut require both federal and nonfederal land to do so. In the future, theywill be able to support 20 pairs solely on nonfederal lands.These category 1 DCAs are currently estimated to containfewer than 20 pairs of owls. Each DCA has the potential to increaseup to 20 pairs.This DCA is recommended to provide population connectivity to theCalifornia Cascades province. It is estimated to support 14 pairs of owlsin the future.These DCAs provide an important linkage between the western OregonCascades province and the Oregon Coast Range province.- --..... --...- ...- ........ .111.11.111,'ll" ,,..... ...,.. I - Iextremely expensive and depend on legal restrictions. In checkerboard ownershipareas where a federal nexus exists, designating the land as critical habitatmight provide additional protection.Some state lands do not lie within the areas of special management emphasis,but are contributing to more general recovery goals in the province. Thesouthern portion of Oregon's Santiam State Forest lies between DCAs OD-4and OD-6. This state land is managed in trust for the fiduciary benefit of thelocal counties and currently is managed to provide for owl dispersal betweenthese DCAs. Voluntary contributions by the state's Sustainable ForestryProgram and private landowners could provide additional benefits. Silver FallsState Park is another parcel of state land which contributes to recovery byproviding nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat.The recovery plan should be used to help guide compliance with Oregon'sEndangered Species Act programs on state lands and provide an incentive forconservation planning. To the extent that the recovery plan and the stateEndangered Species Act programs can be made consistent, coordinationbetween them will be improved.Eastern Oregon Cascades ProvinceProvince descriptionThe eastern Oregon Cascades province extends from the Columbia River to theCalifornia border but occupies only a narrow area between Highway 97 and the170