NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership

Ten years of collaborative conservation

NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership

SCP is a partnership between 10 state, federal, and non-profit partners. Its formation was motivated by the endangered RCW and the challenges it presented to military training here in the Sandhills. But its mission took on the larger goal of developing and implementing conservation strategies for not only the RCW (though it remains a major driver), but also for the longleaf pine ecosystem as a whole and the other native wildlife and natural communities that exist in the Sandhills.

1NC Sandhills Conservation PartnershipThe mission of the NCSCP is to coordinate the development and implementation of conservation strategies for the red-cockaded woodpecker, other native biota, longleaf pine, and other ecosystems in the Sandhills of North Carolina.To support this mission, a Steering Committee (SC) and several Working Groups (WGs) were formed.2Identify the most important areas to conserve from a biological perspective.Identify buffers to adequately conserve the resources and ecological processes of protected areas.Identify connections between important areas that promote gene flow and wildlife movement. Provide this information to other working groups for implementation. Synthesize biological information and create a vision to guide long-term conservation of native Sandhills ecosystems. Reserve Design Working GroupOne of those WGs was the Reserve Design Working Group (RDWG), and its goal was (and still is) to synthesize available biological information into a vision that would guide long-term conservation of native flora and fauna.

And the main way this group has been developing this vision has been to collect, develop, update, and refine available spatial data to represent (on a map) areas with the greatest biological value and also those areas that serve as buffers for, or corridors between, these high value areas. Then the idea was to provide this information to other WGs that were charged with land protection and resource management activities.

Click: But heres where we fell down a little. Although, all along we were collecting, refining, and updating data, we never really were doing a good job of sharing that with our partners and discussing with them how it might help them with their work.

Click: And also, we havent been tapping into the knowledge that our on-the-ground folks have to get better information that we can plug into the design or to ask what other information all of you might like to see in the design.

So thats essentially why were here today. Were trying to get back on track with sharing our information, talking with partners about how the design can help inform decisions and relative priorities for land acquisition, management, etc., and bolstering the information we have with your on-the-ground expertise.

Are there any questions so far? Ill get into the components of the Reserve Design next. 3Reserve Design: Current and Potential UsesGreen Growth Toolbox ImplementationAnalysis of Conservation EffortsLand Acquisition Planning/Priority-settingRestoration Planning/Priority-settingTargeting Private Landowners & Private Lands Incentive ProgramsImplementing CCA and CCAA for Federal and State at-risk species

RCW Recovery StrategyManage two populations (east and west) independentlyImprove spatial distribution of the two populationsState Agencies agree to manage at Recovery StandardIncrease RCW #s on public and other conservation landsSecure protection and management of habitat for connective corridors and buffer core areas of populations

Maintain demographic linkage between east and west populations5

Tier 2 Resources Wildlife Habitat Landscapes

Tend to be larger in size e.g. wildlife corridors, habitat management areasIn general, less detailed knowledge about resources

Reserve Design Data Layers Tier 1 Resources Sensitive Wildlife and Natural Resource Areas

Tend to be smaller in size e.g. rare species habitat areasIn general, more detailed knowledge about resources

Now that weve gotten through an overview of the Sandhills GGT dataset, lets take a look at these layers in more depth. To do so, weve provided a base map with transparencies of each of the data layers so that as we talk about each, you can look at them in more detail in your seat.

You have a piece of foam board with pipe cleaners to keep a base map in place. And as we go through, Ill instruct you to overlay different transparencies.

6

Table 1. Terrestrial and Aquatic Focal Species within the Sandhills Region of North Carolina (animals only). Common NameScientific NameMajor GroupFederal StatusState StatusState RankPopulation DeclineMajor Habitat Groupings (or River Basins for Aquatics) - as identified in the NCWAPCarolina Gopher Frog Rana capitoAmphibian--TS2xMesic Forest, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine Savanna, Small Wetland CommunityEastern Tiger SalamanderAmbystoma tigrinum tigrinumAmphibian--TS2xDry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine Savanna, Small Wetland CommunityOak ToadBufo quercicusAmphibian--SRS3Dry Longleaf Pine, Pocosin, Wet Pine Savanna, Small Wetland CommunityPine Barrens Treefrog Hyla andersoniiAmphibian----S3S4xDry Longleaf Pine, Pocosin, Wet Pine Savanna, Small Wetland CommunitySandhills SalamanderEurycea sp. 1Amphibian----S3?Floodplain Forest, Riverine Aquatic CommunityAmerican KestrelFalco sparveriusBird----S3B, S5NEarly Successional Habitats, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine SavannaBachman's SparrowAimophila aestivalisBirdFSCSCS3B, S2NxEarly Successional Habitats, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine SavannaBrown-headed NuthatchSitta pusillaBird------xDry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine Savanna Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensisBird------xOak Forest, Early Successional Habitats, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf PineNorthern Bobwhite Colinus virginianusBird------xEarly Successional Habitats, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine SavannaRed-cockaded WoodpeckerPicoides borealisBirdFEES2xDry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Pocosin, Wet Pine SavannaRed-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusBird------xOak Forest, Mesic Forest, Dry Coniferous, Dry Longleaf Pine, Pocosin, Wet Pine Savanna, Floodplain ForestSwainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsoniiBird----S3B, SZNxMesic Forest, Pocosin, Floodplain ForestEastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus nigerMammal--SRS3xOak Forest, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf PineRafinesque's Big-eared Bat Corynorhinus rafinesquiiMammalFSCTS3xFloodplain ForestSoutheastern Bat Myotis austroripariusMammalFSCSCS2?xFloodplain ForestEastern Chicken TurtleDeirochelys reticulariaReptile--SRS3xLakes and Reservoirs, Riverine Aquatic Community, Small Wetland CommunityEastern Coachwhip Masticophis flagellumReptile--SRS3xEarly Successional Habitats, Dry Longleaf PineNorthern Pinesnake Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucusReptileFSCSCS3xEarly Successional Habitats, Dry Longleaf PinePygmy Rattlesnake Sistrurus miliariusReptile--SCS3xDry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Wet Pine SavannaSouthern Hog-nosed Snake Heterodon simusReptileFSCSCS2xDry Longleaf PineTimber (Canebrake) Rattlesnake Crotalus horridusReptile--SCS3xOak Forest, Mesic Forest, Dry Coniferous Woodlands, Dry Longleaf Pine, Floodplain ForestDotted SkipperHesperia attalus slossonaeInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPDusky Roadside-SkipperAmblyscirtes alternataInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPEdwards' HairstreakSatyrium edwardsiiInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPFrosted ElfinCallophrys irusInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPHessel's HairstreakCallophrys hesseliInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPMeske's SkipperHesperia meskeiInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPNorthern Oak HairstreakSatyrium favonius ontarioInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPReversed Roadside-SkipperAmblyscirtes reversaInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPSt Francis' SatyrNeonympha mitchellii francisciInsectFEES1Not identified in the NCWAPTwo-spotted SkipperEuphyes bimaculaInsect--SRNot identified in the NCWAPPinewoods Darter Etheostoma mariaeFishFSCSCS3xLumberSandhills Chub Semotilus lumbeeFishFSCSCS3xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberThinlip Chub Cyprinella sp. (cf. zanema)Fish--SCS2xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberSandhills Spiny Crayfish Cambarus hystricosusCrayfish--SRS2Cape FearAlewife Floater Anodonta implicataMollusk--TS1xYadkin-PeeDeeCape Fear SpikeElliptio marsupiobesa Mollusk--SCSUxCape Fear, LumberCarolina Creekshell Villosa vaughanianaMolluskFSCES2xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape FearCreeper Strophitus undulatus Mollusk--TS2S3xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape FearEastern Creekshell Villosa delumbisMollusk--SRS3xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberEastern Lampmussel Lampsilis radiata Mollusk--TS1S2xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberNotched Rainbow Villosa constricta Mollusk--SCS3xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape FearPod Lance Elliptio folliculataMollusk--SCS1xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberRoanoke Slabshell Elliptio roanokensis Mollusk--TS1xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape Fear, LumberTriangle Floater Alasmidonta undulataMollusk--TS2xYadkin-PeeDee, Cape FearYellow Lampmussel Lampsilis cariosa MolluskFSCES1xCape Fear, Lumber

Uneven-Aged Longleaf Stand With Diverse Ground Cover

Vernal Pools/Seeps

Top left: Tiger SalamanderBottom right: Gopher Frog11Blackwater Rivers and Streams

Top left: Sandhills chub Middle left: Pinewoods darterBottom left: Chicken turtleBottom right: Sandhills salamander12Streamhead Communities

Left: Swainsons warblerRight: Pine Barrens Treefrog13

Species Data

Potential Targets for CCA/CCAAsTop left: BachmansTop right: N. Pine SnakeBottom left: Gopher frogBottom right: Southern hog-nose15