South of the Divide Conserva2on Ac2on Program Inc. Tom Harrison March 3, 2015

Transcription

1 South of the Divide Conserva2on Ac2on Program Inc. Tom Harrison March 3, 2015

2 Board and Structure Managed by Board of directors Agricultural Producers Environmental NGOs Industry Local Government Current Board Saskatchewan CaNlemen s Associa2on Saskatchewan StockGrowers Associa2on Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc. Nature Conservancy of Canada Sask Associa2on of Rural Municipali2es SaskPower Crescent Point Energy Environment Canada/Sask Ministry of Environment (Non- Vo2ng)

3 Vision Na#ve prairie and complementary habitat in the South of the Divide region of south- western Saskatchewan is managed and conserved as part of the province s history and iden#ty. Through our collabora#on we enable species at risk within the South of the Divide to thrive on working landscapes, providing environmental and economic benefits for all.

4 Mission The S.O.D. Conserva#on Ac#on Program will champion partnerships for coordinated and innova#ve land management prac#ces that sustain and recover mul#ple species at risk and their habitats in the South of the Divide region of south- west Saskatchewan, in balance with sustainable land and resource use.

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6 Milk River Watershed Land Cover Classification of SPOT 5 imagery Native Grassland 52.5% Perennial cropland and pasture 13.4% Annual cropland 23.7% Native Grass Perennial cropland and pasture Annual cropland Shrub Tree Wetland Riparian area Bare soil Human feature Permanent water Intermittent water Unclassified Kilometers Ü Data Source: To support the southwest Saskatchewan multi-species-at-risk project, Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service, Prairie and Northern Region) and the province of Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Environment) purchased SPOT 5 10m multispectural orthoimagery for the project area in 2009 and the the SPOT imagery was classified using Definiens Developer 7.0. Date Produced: Feb 9, 2015

7 Ac2on Plan for Mul2 Species at Risk in Southwestern Saskatchewan: South of the Divide S2ll in DraX Cri2cal Habitat Threats Recovery Measures SODCAP Inc. HSP/GRSG agreements to implement Support from SaskPower & Crescent Point

8 Cri2cal and Important Habitat Ü Greater Sage-Grouse EPO, CH and IH for the species in the SOD CH = Black-footed Ferret, Burrowing Owl, Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer, Greater Sage-Grouse, Prairie Loggerhead Shrike, Mormon Metalmark, Mountain Plover, Sprague's Pipit and Swift Fox IH = Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Long-billed Curlew, McCown's Longspur and Northern Leopard Frog PIAPOT Rural Municipality Potential EPO (east) Potential EPO (west) Highways MAPLE CREEK Roads Urban Municipalities ARLINGTON CH and IH WISE CREEK AUVERGNE Eastend GRASSY CREEK WHITE VALLEY Consul RENO GLEN MCPHERSON VAL MARIE Val Marie Frontier Climax Bracken FRONTIER LONE TREE WAVERLEY MANKOTA OLD POST Any clarification needed to identify if land areas/land owners are affected by the GRSG EPO should be directed to: Mark Wayland, Canadian Wildlife Service Environmental Stewardship Branch Prairie & Northern Region Environment Canada :325, Kilometers Projection: UTM Zone 13 N Datum: NAD83 Date Produced: Jan. 30, 2015

9 Cri2cal and Important Habitat 1 Million Hectares for 13 species iden2fied

10 Threats 30 threats to SAR iden2fies Loss of na2ve grasslands Complete loss, fragmenta2on, degrada2on From Ag, Industry, Roads Development Collisions Infrastructure Noise

11 Recovery Measures >60 Recovery Measures iden2fied 17 of interest to SODCAP

12 Results Based Conserva2on Agreements Develop and implement results- based stewardship approaches that appropriately recognize and support deliberate management by producers to provide quality habitat for species at risk.

13 Breeding (pre- laying, nes2ng and early brood- rearing) habitat life requisites, indicators and suitability categories for site- scale habitat descrip2ons. Life requisite Habitat indicator Suitable levels Cover Sagebrush Canopy Cover (%) 15 to 25 Sagebrush Height (cm) Mesic Site2 Arid Site Sagebrush Shape 40 to to 80 Spreading Herbaceous Height (cm) > 18 Perennial Grass Cover (%) Mesic2 Arid Cover & Food Forb Canopy Cover (%) Mesic2 Arid > 15 > 10 > 10 >5 Food Preferred Forb Availability1 Preferred forbs are common with several species present

14 Industrial Ac2vi2es Industrial Engagement Iden2fy na2ve habitat at high risk of being lost or degraded due to changes in land use. Conduct systema2c informa2on gathering and mapping of industrial ac2vi2es. Promo2on of BMPS Mi2ga2on/Conserva2on banking

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16 Future Planning Oil & Gas Linear developments Gravel Roads

17 Well Abandonment/Reclama2on

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19 Communica2on and Engagement Communica2ons Strategy Importance of na2ve prairie Conserva2on programs, BMPs and regulatory requirements for species at risk Need for avoiding direct disturbance to SAR

20 Land use planning Develop land use plans that consider species at risk by engaging appropriate levels of government to coordinate ac2vi2es within the SoD area so that any disturbance to species at risk and their habitat is minimized and does not affect their survival and recovery.

21 Current Funding EC Support Agreement ($50,000) Habitat Stewardship Program ($271,000) EC MOE RSAI(NFWF, SBIDF) SaskPower Greater Sage Grouse Agreement ($250,000) Crescent Point Energy

22 Poten2al Funding Habitat Stewardship Program Water Security Agency Agri Environmental Group Planning

23 Ques2ons??? Contact: Tom Harrison