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Partnership Conservation Efforts

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Title: Partnership Conservation Efforts


1
Partnership Conservation Efforts
  • To conserve the
  • Fluvial Arctic Grayling

Tim Griffiths- NRCS Biologist Bozeman, Montana
2
Purpose and Need
  • To conserve TWO potentially endangered species.

3
Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • Conserve Fluvial Arctic Grayling Habitat
    (Candidate Species).

4
Big Hole Valley Ranchers
  • Maintain sustainable agricultural operations in
    the Upper Big Hole Valley

5
Upper Big Hole Statistics
  • Big Hole Watershed is 1,785,600 acres
  • Project covers 382,200 acres of private land
  • 87 Miles of the Big Hole River
  • 292 non-federal landowners
  • 132 landowners with property adjacent to the Big
    Hole River or one of its tributaries

6
Fluvial Arctic Grayling Habitat
Historic Missouri River and Tributaries
(upstream of Great Falls)
Current upper Big Hole River 4 of the Historic
Range
7
Upper Big Hole Valley
  • High elevation (6200 feet valley bottom)
  • Cold climate (5-15 frost free days)
  • Irrigated using wild flood techniques.

8
Upper Big Hole ValleyMajor Land Uses
  • Irrigated Hay Land
  • Irrigated Pasture Land
  • Native Range Land

9
Grayling Life History
- Live 5-6 Years - Migrate Long Distances - Cold
Water - High Quality Pools - Aggressive Feeders
10
Reproduction
  • Spring/ Broadcast Spawners
  • Erosive/Depositional/Scoured gravels
  • Very Fragile
  • Access to Stream Margins
  • Fast Growth

11
Threats to the Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • Reduced Stream Flows

12
Threats to the Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • Degraded Riparian Areas

13
Threats to the Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • Entrainment in irrigation ditches

14
Threats to the Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • Migration Barriers

15
Add to the mix
  • EXTREME prolonged drought

Extreme Drought
WET DRY
16
A Coordinated Partnership was born
  • Partners have worked together to develop a
    strategy to enhance grayling habitat and support
    grayling recovery while maintaining the
    sustainability of the Big Hole Valley Ranches.

17
Conservation Partners
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
  • Montana Department of Natural Resources
    Conservation Service
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Local watershed council and River Foundation
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Big Hole Valley Landowners

18
Main Goals
  • Ensure survival and sustainability of Arctic
    Grayling
  • Ensure continued sustainable ranching community.
  • Provide assurances to landowners that ESA listing
    (if it occurs) will not add uncertainty to
    ranching operations.

19
Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances
  • for the Fluvial Arctic Grayling
  • in the upper Big Hole Valley

20
Purpose of the CCAA
  • To encourage non-federal landowners to
    voluntarily implement proactive conservation
    measures to benefit grayling
  • To secure and enhance populations of grayling
    within the upper Big Hole Valley
  • By providing landowners regulatory assurances
    that management activities will not be changed
    beyond the remedies identified in their
    site-specific plan should grayling become listed

21
Umbrella Agreement
  • Decrease workload and paperwork associated with
    writing individual CCAAs.
  • Increase efficiency of developing and
    implementing site-specific plans.
  • Decrease time needed for review (FWS).

22
Fish Wildlife Service (ESA)
CCAA Document
NRCS
MT Fish, Wildlife Parks (Enhancement of
Survival Permit)
Trout Unlimited
DNRC
Watershed and River Foundation
Landowners
site-specific plan
site-specific plan
Landowners (Certificate of Inclusion)
Landowners (Certificate of Inclusion)
23
Site Specific Plan
  • Minimum Landowner commitment is 10 years
  • Address all threats to grayling within the
    landowners control on enrolled property
  • These are really very detailed NRCS Resource
    Management System (RMS) plans.
  • Prescribed Grazing
  • Nutrient Management
  • Irrigation Water Management
  • Fish passage/entrainment

24
Landowners
  • Agree to implement site-specific plan.
  • Allows agency access for monitoring of fish
    populations, entrainment, and plan compliance.

25
NRCS
  • Develops RMS level program neutral Conservation
    plans for individual ranches outlining required
    management and facilitating practices.
  • Completes NEPA for each enrolled ranch.
  • Offers financial incentives through farm bill
    cost share programs.
  • Monitors riparian area health every 5 years.
  • Helps fund partnership through contribution
    agreements, CPI Grants, etc.

26
FWP
  • Administers Enhancement of Survival Permit and
    Certificates of Inclusions.
  • Conducts monitoring of fish populations
  • Conducts entrainment surveys.
  • Completes annual status reviews.

27
DNRC
  • Monitors river flows at each management
    segment.
  • Assists in negotiating water diversion
    reductions.
  • Monitors water right compliance.

28
CCAA and NASCAR?
Fuel and assurances
NRCS and DNRC are the Pit Crew
Driver Montana FWP and landowners
Sponsor Government Agencies
29
(No Transcript)
30
Expected Program Achievements
  • Elimination of Migration Barriers for the fluvial
    Arctic Grayling
  • Minimization of Entrainment
  • Sustainable Riparian Areas
  • Improved Stream flows
  • Sustainable Ranching

31
Expected Level of Participation
32
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
  • Special Initiative for the
  • fluvial Arctic Grayling

33
EQIP Assistance to Landowners
  • 500,000 set aside for upper Big Hole Valley
  • 50-75 Cost-Share Program
  • Contract term 13 months to 10 years

34
Priority 1 Migration Barriers Water Control
  • Diversion, Dam
  • Water Control Structures
  • Water Measuring Devices
  • Fish Passage

35
Priority 2 Alternate Water Sources
  • Well
  • Spring Development
  • Pipeline
  • Watering Facility
  • Animal Trails and Walkways

36
Priority 3 Riparian Health
  • Riparian Forest Buffer
  • Fence
  • Prescribed Grazing
  • Use Exclusion

37
Priority 4 Water Quality
  • Nutrient Management
  • Waste Utilization
  • Waste Treatment Strip
  • Waste Storage Facility
  • Fence
  • Watering Facility

38
Conclusions
  • You can relate just about anything to NASCAR.
  • Landowner buy-in is CRITICAL.
  • Complex issues require buy-in from Partners.
  • Quality technical assistance is imperative.
  • Financial incentives is needed to cost-share
    completed Conservation plans.

39
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