Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

Summary and ConclusionsAs a result of the Secretary of Interior's directive, the Recovery Team consideredthe needs of other species associated with older forest ecosystems andassessed the benefits to others species from various recovery options. TheOther Species and Ecocystems Committee emphasized species that were listedfederally as threatened or endangered, candidates for federal listing, statesensitive or species of special concern, and those associated with older forests.We assembled a list of 364 species of plants and animals that meet the abovecriteria and occur within the range of the northern spotted owl. We alsoprovided descriptions of older forest and riparian ecosystems, unique foodwebs of older forests, the use of the spotted owl as an indicator species, andthe biology of spotted owl prey. In this section, we present an overview of thecommittee's work and accomplishments and how we were able to benefit otherspecies with the owl recovery plan: this section summarizes information inChapter V as well as this appendix.The list of 364 species is comprised of 23 species of birds, 18 mammals, 26amphibians and reptiles, 28 fish, 58 molluscs, 59 arthropods, 144 vascularplants, and 8 fungi and lichens. Five species are listed federally as threatenedor endangered (bald eagle, grizzly bear, gray wolf, Sacramento River winterchinook salmon, McDonald's rock cress), and the marbled murrelet andgoshawk have been proposed and petitioned for listing, respectively. A total of155 species was candidates for federal listing, and more than 100 species werelisted as threatened or endangered by one or more of the three states or weredesignated as sensitive or species of special concern. More than 100 speciesare narrowly or broadly endemic to the Pacific Northwest and 194 are associatedwith older forests. The large number of species on the list emphasizes therelevance of considering other species in the owl recovery plan.The committee's work has substantiated the role of riparian ecosystems inconiferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Of the 364 species that meet ourcriteria, approximately one third (132) are associated with riparian areasincluding 28 species of fish, 45 molluscs, 34 arthropods, 12 amphibians, sixvascular plants, four mammals, and three birds. The 28 species of fish includeapproximately 800 stocks that are considered at risk and may become candidatesfor listing in the future. The numerous riparian associated species plusthe number of fish stocks that are considered at risk stresses the importanceof riparian areas within the range of the northern owl. As a result, we haveprovided a brief synopsis of on the ecology and management of riparian ecosystems.In addition to assembling a list of species for consideration in the owl recoveryplan, the committee developed a short list of priority species. The short list ofpriority species was given the most emphasis in the recovery plan and includes18 species (bald eagle, marbled murrelet, goshawk, marten, fisher, gray wolf,grizzly bear, Oregon slender salamander, Siskiyou Mountain salamander,Larch Mountain salamander, Del Norte salamander, Olympic salamandersfourspecies, Pacific giant salamander, Cope's giant salamander, and tailedfrog); a large group of riparian associated species; and a small group of speciesthat are preyed upon by the owl (northern flying squirrel, dusky-footedwoodrat, bushy-tailed woodrat, deer mouse, western red-backed vole, and redtree vole). Of these species, the marbled murrelet and the numerous fishstocks that are considered at risk were assigned the highest priority. Wecompiled information on the distribution, biology, and habitat relationships ofthe priority species and on the ecology of riparian ecosystems. This informationwas used to influence the design and management of DCAs.397