Using Landscape Analysis Metrics to Manage Aquatic Invasive Species and Targeted Transboundary Species in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem

Transcription

1 Using Landscape Analysis Metrics to Manage Aquatic Invasive Species and Targeted Transboundary Species in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Project Coordinator: Erin Seton, Crown Managers Partnership (CMP), Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana; (406) ; AIS Co-Coordinators: Caryn Miske, Crown Managers Partnership (CMP), Flathead Basin Commission; (406) ; Cindy Sawchuk, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (403) ; Principal Investigators: Greg McDermid, Department of Geography, University of Calgary; (403) ; Erik Hanson, Flathead AIS Work Group; (406) ; ; Kate Wilson, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development; (780) ; Project Partners: Crown Managers Partnership [Alberta Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta Parks Tourism and Recreation, Parks Canada, British Columbia Ministry of Natural Resource Operations, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, US Forest Service, National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Inventory and Monitoring Network, US Geological Survey, MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Flathead Basin Commission, University of Calgary, University of Montana, Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park], Roundtable for the Crown of the Continent Project Summary: The Crown Managers Partnership (CMP) proposes to utilize our Landscape Analysis data, corresponding geospatial ecological metrics, and our collaborative management constituency to address invasive species, land use change, and subsequent impacts to targeted transboundary species within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) 1. In the coming year, we propose to take a crucial step with our 1 The CMP Landscape Analysis encompasses three phases of work; Phase I (complete) focused on the assembly, assessment and dissemination of eisting ecological geospatial datasets across the transboundary CCE. We anticipate completion of Phase II in with the delivery of high-level knowledge products regarding occupancy modeling for targeted transboundary species. Also in , we will focus on Phase III, conducting the trend analysis across the CCE, and incorporating and AIS strategy into the Landscape Analysis.

2 Landscape Analysis and utilize the synthesized geo-spatial data for two distinct objectives; i) Develop coordinated cross-jurisdictional management outcomes for a suite of transboundary species using occupancy and abundance models for grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), wolverine (Gulo gulo), cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and ii) Develop and implement a management strategy for aquatic invasive species (AIS) across the CCE 2. Both of these objectives aim to deliver science and information products to our network of managers, enabling coordinated management for conservation of targeted transboundary species and providing a management and monitoring framework for containment and prevention of AIS. These objectives are targeted strategies of the overall CMP Strategic Plan 3, while advancing the Great Northern LCC s objectives for invasive species and management of targeted species in the Rocky Mountain Ecotypic Area. Need: The Crown Managers Partnership is coordinating and promoting large landscape conservation at the scale of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem through the development of multi-jurisdictional management partnerships that both encompass, and etend beyond the boundary of the CCE. The Crown of the Continent is a transboundary focal landscape, encompassing the area of highest jurisdictional compleity within the Rocky Mountain ecotypic area of the Great Northern LCC (Figure 1). Ecosystem functioning across the CCE portion of the Great Northern LCC is under pressure from climate change, energy development, land-use conversions related to increasing levels of human activity, and the spread of invasives, including aquatic invasive species (AIS). AIS are one of the greatest stressors of native species and effective management is needed at a broad landscape level to protect the aquatic ecosystem across jurisdictional boundaries. This project offers alignment with the goals of the Great Northern LCC in the following ways; 1) Improving coordination across jurisdictions through engagement of agency partners encompassed within and beyond the CCE, 2) Effecting coordination across CCE jurisdictions for the specific objectives of addressing large scale land-use changes, and utilizing Figure 1: The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. 2 CMP agencies will manage the AIS prevention effort based on their individual Federal, State, Provincial and Tribal mandates. Ultimately, we envision the development of a MOU to facilitate on-the-ground implementation. 3 The CMP Ecological Health Project is a strategic priority of the CMP, and has identified the Landscape Analysis and Invasive Species as priority Indicators of ecological integrity at the scale of the CCE.

3 geomatics tools to evaluate and monitor resource condition at a landscape-scale, and, 3) Delivering the results of landscape-scale geospatial analysis to a network of committed international managers to achieve coordinated management action with respect to AIS and shared transboundary carnivore and native trout populations. The science and information products from this project are relevant beyond the CMP, and collaborative partners and end-users include: The NPS Rocky Mountain Inventory and Monitoring Network, NPScapes, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), the Alberta Foothills Research Institute Grizzly Bear Research Program, the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, the State of Montana, Province of Alberta, Province of British Columbia, the Roundtable for the Crown of the Continent, and America s Great Outdoors. This project is important because it leverages an established management network, and committed funding, to address two priority landscape stressors shared by the CMP and the GNLCC; invasive species and the impacts of large-scale land-use change on targeted conservation species. The CMP is well-positioned to advance the following objectives, due to its eisting cross-jurisdictional partnerships and consensus across jurisdictions that the transboundary targeted species, and AIS, are priorities for collaborative management action. Additionally, the CMP recognizes that to be effective, conservation delivery at the large landscape scale requires complementary, coordinated, or integrated management across jurisdictions. Objectives: We will address the following objectives in FY : Objective I Utilize the CMP Landscape Analysis metrics to develop CCE-wide models of occupancy and abundance for targeted transboundary conservation species; including wolverine, bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. We will use our the seamless geospatial data sets assembled in previous years of the project to develop spatially eplicit occupancy models. A pilot for this objective was initiated for grizzly bears in 2012, using location data to achieve the following; (i) Test the suitability of assembled data layers and model projections for various sub-populations of bears across the CCE, and Figure 2: Estimated grizzly bear density in the Crown of the Continent

4 (ii) Permit the evaluation of alternate hypotheses of top-down (fragmentation, human development) and bottom-up (vegetation, phenology) controls on grizzly bear distribution. (iii) Test the interface of our landscape-level data metrics with fine-scale species and habitat data at the sub-regional scale, in order to provide an integrated (both fine- and coarse-scale) assessment of resource vulnerability to landscape stressors. These models are nearly complete and provide a template for parallel work with additional focal transboundary species in the CCE (Figure 2). Objective II - Utilize the Landscape Analysis metrics as a framework to develop decision support tools/systems for Aquatic Invasive Species. We will build baseline and monitoring metrics for presence/absence and identification of pathways of introduction for AIS. This data provides the initial step in developing a prevention and containment strategy, incorporating complementary and coordinated management actions and identification of jurisdictional and programmatic barriers to comprehensive management. Objective II a - Evaluate effectiveness of AIS management. Effectiveness of the project will be measured by the following; i) Incorporation of AIS prevention and response actions into eisting natural resource management frameworks within the jurisdictions of the CCE, ii) The development of an AIS Strategic Plan and prioritized Work Plan that functions both jurisdictionally and regionally, and iii) The development of decision support tools, including incorporation of AIS data into the eisting Landscape Analysis geospatial database in order to establish a baseline, prioritize un-surveyed water bodies and facilitate effective monitoring, and iv) Coordination and integration of this effort with parallel and over-lapping initiatives, including the LCC s, America s Great Outdoors Invasive Species Action Item and provincial, tribal/first Nations, state and federal management strategies. Objective III - Conduct broad-scale landscape trend monitoring. The Landscape Analysis geospatial database and ecological metrics provide the framework for conducting an inventory of resource conditions and trends over time, across the CCE. Epected outcomes of the overall program are centered on developing our capacity to provide information and planning tools to managers and collaborators regarding transboundary indicators of ecological integrity. In particular, we wish to assess the vulnerability of terrestrial and aquatic resources within the CCE to landscape-level stressors associated with invasive species, an epanding human-use footprint and climate change. Objective IV - Communicate project outcomes within and beyond the GNLCC. The CMP Landscape Analysis/Ecological Indicators Project will be featured at the 2013 Annual Forum of the Crown Mangers Partnership, providing an opportunity for education and discussion with managers and public stakeholders. In 2011 and 2012, the CMP hosted strategic workshops for the targeted transboundary species work. The CMP is collaborating with America s Great Outdoors to implement the Invasive Species Action Item, and is hosting a workshop on coordination and technical alignment in the Spring of We will continue this process with follow-up workshops with managers, citizens and stakeholders around the CCE for dialogue regarding jurisdictional implications of setting regional targets and thresholds. Our personnel held a GNLCC webinar in September of 2011

5 ( We will seek additional creative opportunities to communicate project results. In addition to the core project objectives described above, we will continue promoting consistent methodologies across jurisdictional boundaries and advocating for data-sharing and dissemination across jurisdictions, designed to permit the un-restrained distribution of project data and outcomes. These include both technical efforts made by our data manager to distribute our products to CMP managers and collaborators through our project web site ( delivering data to LCMap and to our secure data server ( as well as advocacy activities designed to clarify and rela data-ownership issues associated with certain Canadian data sets. Both of these efforts are assisted tremendously through our partnerships with managers within the CMP. Methods: An overview of the tasks required to complete the major objectives of this project are outlined below: Task 1: Develop CCE-wide occupancy models In 2012 we developed a preliminary occupancy model for grizzly bears using the following methods: a) synthesis of multijurisdictional presence/absence data across the CCE, b) formulation of hypotheses about co-variate surrogates of habitat and predictions for species density, and c) built models of occupancy and abundance across the CCE by combining the Landscape Analysis ecological metric data with site-specific species detection data provided by our partners in British Columbia, Montana and Alberta. In 2013, we will use a parallel process for our additional targeted transboundary species of conservation concern; wolverines, cutthroat trout, and bull trout. We are working at the moderate spatial scale (i.e. grain size in the 250m to 1km range) to represent landscape-level occupancy patterns across the entire study area. Task 2: Conduct trend analysis across the CCE a) Develop formal work flows and algorithms designed to support landscape-level monitoring activities, b) Conduct semiautomated detection of changes in CCE base map, and c) develop software tools designed to permit the turn-key generation of updated occupancy, abundance and connectivity models. Task 3: Utilize the Landscape Analysis metrics as a framework to develop decision support tools/systems for Aquatic Invasive Species. We will undertake the following: a) Build on eisting data to inventory AIS distribution for presence/absence for high priority AIS across the CCE. b) Incorporate the AIS distribution and survey data into the Landscape Analysis database and geospatial analysis, compile and translate into science and information products for delivery to managers and collaborative stakeholders. c) Identify high risk and critical aquatic habitats for monitoring using a risk factors matri, and develop standardized monitoring and survey protocols. d) Develop a Strategic Plan and Annual Work Plan with timeframes and benchmarks to facilitate a coordinated approach to AIS prevention in the Crown of the Continent. This task will identify and develop management actions to: (1) address pathways of introduction; (2) protect high value species and habitats and, (3) address regulatory, jurisdictional and program gaps and

6 needs especially those which limit our abilities to work effectively across jurisdictional boundaries. e) Produce and disseminate final report. Task 4: Share data, communicate and disseminate geospatial data sets, methods, and science products The CMP and GNLCC networks will be leveraged to share data, methodologies, tools and results developed from this project. An interactive website linked to the eisting CMP website has been developed, and will receive continued enhancements to showcase natural habitat and habitat connectivity issues within the CCE. In addition, this project will be featured at the 2013 Annual CMP Forum, providing an opportunity for education and discussion with managers and public stakeholders. Follow-up workshops will be organized with managers, citizens and stakeholders around the CCE for dialogue regarding jurisdictional implications of setting targets and thresholds. Deliverables Synthesized transboundary databases for targeted carnivore species, trout species and AIS Occupancy models and spatially eplicit data layers for grizzly bears (nearly complete), wolverine, cutthroat trout, and bull trout Report on grizzly bear occupancy and connectivity analysis at the scale of the CCE, submitted to an appropriate peer-reviewed journal Standardized AIS monitoring protocols AIS Strategic Plan and Annual Work Plan (3-year period) Upload of meta-data and high-level products, data sharing within the GNLCC and other partners CMP Workshops (in collaboration with other partners) CMP Annual Forum Multiple peer-reviewed publications arising from project outcomes Final report summarizing findings Statement of Compliance: The CMP Landscapes Analysis Team (Project Coordinator, Principal Investigator, Data Manager and GIS Specialist) have read the Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative Information Management, Delivery and Sharing Standards and agree to comply with those standards if the proposal is selected

7 Schedule Task End 2013 Mid 2014 End 2014 Mid Develop CCE-wide occupancy models a. Synthesis of multi-jurisdictional data for native trout species and wolverine in the CCE b. Hypothesis formulation and global model building c. Build local models and conduct comparative analysis of predictors of occupancy and abundance across the CCE d. Report and peer-reviewed publications 2. Conduct trend analysis across the CCE a. Develop formal workflows and algorithms b. Conduct semi-automated change detection c. Develop software for automated generation of updated models 3. Develop decision support tools for AIS a. Inventory baseline condition and identify critical habitat/species b. Build data into the Landscape Analysis database and develop information products c. Review and survey monitoring protocols and develop standardized protocols d. Develop Strategic Plan and Annual Work Plan e. Produce and disseminate final report f. Evaluate effectiveness of AIS management (ongoing) 4. Data-sharing, communication and dissemination a. Data upload to LCMap (on-going) b. CMP Annual Forum c. Contribution to regional initiatives (GNLCC, AGO, Crown Roundtable)