Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

and the number of invertebrate animals is believed to be large, but cannot beestimated accurately because many of the arthropods (Lattin pers. comm.) andmolluscs (Frest and Johannes 1991) have not been surveyed or describedadequately. The biota of coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest is extremelyrich in numbers of species and possesses numerous species that occuronly in the region (endemic) and are unique among their taxonomic relatives(see Appendix D).Species considered for incorporation into the recovery plan for the owl include361 species of plants and animals (Table 5. 1). Of those, five are listed federallyas threatened or endangered, 155 are candidates for listing, and approximately100 are species of special concern in one or more of the three states. Approximately100 of the species are narrowly or broadly endemic to the PacificNorthwest, and 194 are associated with older forests. In addition, the 28 fishspecies include approximately 766 stocks that are considered at risk (Nehlsenet al. 199 1), and many of these may become candidates for federal listing in thefuture. The large number of candidates for federal listing, species of specialconcern, endemic species, and older forest associates (Table 5. 1) in the PacificNorthwest emphasizes the importance of considering other species in the owlrecovery plan. The large number of species associated with rivers, creeks,ponds, and marshes and their associated vegetation (riparian areas) plus thenumber of fish stocks at risk, are indicative of the importance of consideringriparian ecosystems. Most riparian ecosystems west of the crest of the CascadeMountains in Oregon, Washington, and in northwest California areassociated with coniferous forests, used by northern spotted owls for nesting orforaging (see Appendix D), and influenced by land use practices. The individualspecies considered by the committee, plus their status and associationwith riparian areas and older forests, are listed in Appendix D, Tables D. 1through D.8.From the large list of species, the committee identified 18 priority species(marbled murrelet, bald eagle, goshawk, marten, fisher, grizzly bear, gray wolf,Oregon slender salamander, Siskiyou Mountain salamander, Larch MountainTable 5.1. Summary of 361 plants and animals considered in the recoveprocess for the northern spotted owl (from Appendix D: Tables D.1-D.83.planningFederally Candidate State Species Endemica Older RiparianListed for Listing Listed of Special Forest AssociateConcernAssociateBirds (23) 1 2 4 8 4 20 3Mammals (18) 2 2 3 9 8 12 4Amphibiansb (23) 0 7 3 16 20 12 12Fish (28) 1 7 3 25 N/A N/A 28Molluscs (58) 0 10 1 29 47 43 45Insects (59) 0 34 0 ? ? 23 34Vascular Plants (146) 1 93 16 42 23 76 6Fungi and Lichens (8) 0 0 ? 2 ? 8 0Total (N=361) 5 155 30 131 102 194 132aLocally or broadly endemic.blncludes two reptiles, the sharptail snake and western pond turtle.N/A = not applicable? = unknown, undetermined/222