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• Connectivity Group collaboration• Focus areas of work
• Identifying linkages (scales, current and climate change)• Developing GIS tools, and broadly sharing• Supporting/including research to validate models• Communications to build support for connectivity conservation• Collaboration with Western Governors’ Association Columbia Plateau Pilot
Project, and Arid Lands Initiative
• Focus questions pertaining to landscape conservation• Collaboration/integration of new & ongoing efforts• Strategic focus of resources towards landscape condition or priority• How the GNLCC can/is supporting this effort, and the value towards
achieving collective vision among diverse agencies and organizations
“Promoting the long‐term viability of wildlife populations in Washington State through a science‐based, collaborative approach that identifies opportunities and priorities to conserve and restore habitat connectivity.’’
• Public‐private partnership• Science‐based• Participation from conservation organizations, state and federal agencies,
universities, tribes, and others
Identifying habitat linkages at statewide and ecoregional scales (current conditions and climate change)
Scale of analysis WA statewide analysis WA Columbia Plateau analysis Climate connectivity
Creates statewide data layers Emphasizes wildlife Habitat
Concentration and Core Areas Identifies areas important for statewide
connectivity Establishes statewide context to inform
finer-scale analyses
Focuses on particular habitat types Includes wildlife species with smaller
geographic ranges Increases resolution regarding wildlife
Habitat Concentration and Core Areas and connection patterns
Includes species with small ranges or local significance Can be accomplished by
local organizations Provides sufficient detail for
project-scale action
Ecoregion LocalStatewide and Surrounding
Landscapes
www.waconnected.orgIn addition:•GIS linkage mapper and hca toolkits•GIS files and metadata•By fall: Searchable layers
(Executive Summaries)
16 Focal Species + Landscape IntegrityFocal Species Vancouverian
ForestsRocky Mt.
ForestsSemi-desert
HabitatsAlpine
HabitatsSubalpine
ForestsBlack Bear X X * *Elk X X * * *Northern Flying Squirrel X XWestern Toad X X * XAmerican Marten X * XBighorn Sheep X *Western Gray Squirrel * XMule Deer X X * *Sharp-tailed Grouse XGreater Sage-grouse XAmerican Badger XBlack-tailed Jackrabbit XWhite-tailed Jackrabbit XMountain Goat * * X XWolverine X XLynx X
Primary species for class XSpecies also occurs here *
Areas of highest landscape integrity have the lowest human footprint (e.g., natural land-covers, low housing density, and minimum roads).
Composite landscape integrity linkage map which combines four sensitivity models. Cost values indicate relative ease of movement within each linkage.
TYP
H
CE
UR
LEC
A
LETO
TATA
LYC
A
GU
GU
OR
AM U
RA
M
GLS
A
MA
AM A
NB
O
CE
EL
OD
HE
LI_L
CC
OV
CA
SC
GR
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
Cluster Dendrogram
Hei
ght
Shrub-Steppe Montane Generalist/edge
Shrub-Steppe AssociatesTYPH Sharp-tailed GrouseCEUR Sage GrouseLECA Black-tailed JackrabbitLETO White-tailed JackrabbitTATA Badger
Montane AssociatesLYCA Lynx
GUGU WolverineORAM Mountain GoatURAM Black BearGLSA Flying Squirrel
MAAM Marten
Habitat Generalists & Edge Spp.ANBO Western ToadCEEL ElkODHE Mule DeerOVCA Bighorn SheepSCGR Western Grey Squirrel
Figure 4.2. Cost-weighted distance map for elk. Even though box 1 spans a larger distance, the higher permeability of habitat means the length of this box is predicted to be easier and safer for elk to traverse than box 2, which spans a fracture zone.
Columbia Plateau Connectivity Analysis
• Higher resolution data• Regional data, expertise, and communications
• Energy development• Climate change
Columbia Plateau Focal Species
Taxon Common Name Scientific NameShrub‐ steppe
Grass‐ land
Cliff, Canyon, Talus
Riparian Wetland Dunes
Bird Sharp‐tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus X X * X *
Bird Greater Sage‐grouse Centrocercus urophasianus X X * * *
Mammal Black‐tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus X * *
Mammal White‐tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii X X *
Mammal Townsend's Ground Squirrel Spermophilus townsendii X X *
Mammal Washington Ground Squirrel Spermophilus washingtoni X X *
Mammal Least Chipmunk Tamias minimus X *
Mammal Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus X X * * * *
Reptile Western Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus * * X * * *
Mammal Beaver Castor canadensis X X
Amphibian Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum * * * * X
Columbia Plateau connectivity analysis focal species. X = primary habitats species is chosen to represent; * = additional habitats where species occurs. Dunes connectivity will be modeled through a systems approach; no species were chosen specifically to represent this vegetation class.
Identify opportunities for conserving and restoring habitat connectivity
ARID LANDS INITIATIVE
Develop, coordinate and implement conservation
strategies
Implementation
Nunez et al. in prep
Developing needed GIS tools for our work, and broadly sharing these tools
Habitat concentration and core areas Resistance surface Linkage mapper
FUTURE: Climate mapper
Bighorn sheep, photo by Mike Schroeder.
1. Core area mapping automated with the HCA TOOLKIT
2. Resistance layer mapping automated soon with new ArcGIS tools
Spatial data
The precedent: California had just finished their statewide analysis.
It required painstaking ID of which core area pairs to connect.
Linkage Mapper
After that, corridor mapping took months and tens of thousands of dollars in analyst time.
Linkage Modeling:The Linkage Mapper toolkit
Linkage Mapper automatically decides where to map linkages
Sharp-tailed Grouse
3
5
4
6
117
8
9
LandscapeResistance
Low
High
It then creates corridor maps connecting networks of core areas
3
5
4
6
11
78
9
Connectivity value
Low
High
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Supporting/including research to validate models and scientific assumptions (Sage Grouse, Cascades Carnivores)
Shirk et. al. 2010.
Cascades Carnivore Connectivity Project: Evaluating Habitat Connectivity for Carnivores in Washington's Cascade
Mountains
Update for WWHCWG—February, 24, 2011
Robert Long, Paula MacKay, James BegleyWestern Transportation Institute, Montana State University
William Gaines, Okanogan/Wenatchee National Forest
Roger Christophersen, North Cascades National Park Service Complex
• Use WWHCWG linkage models as cost‐surface for testing;
• Compare degree of correspondence between WWHCWG models and genetically derived models;
• Evaluate how well occurrence data matches predicted HCA and linkage habitat from WWHCWG models.
Validation Approaches
Greater Sage-Grouse
Model Validation
Leslie RobbMike SchroederAndrew Shirk
Movement pattern
Lek persistence
Genetic variation
Integration
Patterns of movement relative to model assumptions and predictions
Patterns of lek persistence relative to model predictions
Genetic variation relative to movement, lek persistence, and model predictions
Model Validation Approaches
Communications to build support for connectivity conservation
The goal of the communications and implementation subgroup:
“to provide complementary products to our scientific analysis that will inform and guide communications and implementation of our work, while facilitating effective internal and external communications.”
3. How the GNLCC can/is supporting this effort, and the value towards achieving collective vision among diverse agencies and organizations• Big picture needs: consistent data sets, collaboration sites
such as data portel, GIS tools, communicating and sharing across state and national borders
• Connectivity group includes ambitious work plan, we seek to accomplish this work in ways that can be shared with and by the GNLCC. • Capacity and funding for all aspects of work very
challenging .• GNLCC funding is hugely important for the group’s
work
Find information about the analyses, data availability, and GIS tools at:
www.waconnected.org
Contacts:
WHCWG Co‐lead‐‐‐Joanne Schuett‐Hames ‐ Joanne.Schuett‐
Lead GIS Analyst‐‐‐Brian Cosentino – [email protected]
Communications‐‐‐Jen Watkins – [email protected]
