ANNUAL REPORT SHILLAPOO WILDLIFE AREA BPA Project #:

Transcription

1 ANNUAL REPORT SHILLAPOO WILDLIFE AREA BPA Project #: Prepared for: Joe Deherrera Bonneville Power Administration Prepared by: Brian Calkins Wildlife Area Manager Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

2 Cover Photo: A portion of McBride pasture replanted in two stages in North McBride wetland basin is in the background.

3 INTRODUCTION: This report summarizes accomplishments, challenges and successes on WDFW s Shillapoo Wildlife Area funded under Bonneville Power Administration s (BPA) Wildlife Mitigation Program (BPA project # ) during the Fiscal Year 08 contract period October 1, September 30, The information presented here is intended to supplement that contained in BPA s PISCES contract development and reporting system. The organization below is by broad categories of work but references are made to individual work elements in the PISCES Statement of Work as appropriate. Significant progress was realized in almost all major work types. Of particular note was progress made in tree plantings and pasture rehabilitation efforts. This year s tree planting effort included five sites detailed below and in terms of the number of plants was certainly the largest effort on the wildlife area to date in one season. The planting itself took a significant amount of time, which was anticipated. However, installation of mats and tubes took much longer than expected which impacted planned fence projects in particular. Survival of the plantings appears to be good. Improvement to the quality of waterfowl pasture habitats is evident on a number of sites due to replanting and weed control efforts. Continuing long-term weed control efforts will be key in improving this particular type of habitat. A prolonged cold, wet spring and a number of equipment breakdowns presented stumbling blocks that impacted schedules and ultimately progress on planned activities. The unusual spring weather delayed fieldwork on pasture planting projects as well as weed control and slowed the process of maintaining trees and shrubs. This time lag also caused the continued deferral of some of our fencing projects. The large brush hog mower had the driveline break twice and the smaller tractor had an engine failure that caused it to be down for over a month. We have modified our budget plan for next year to include a temporary employee that will work primarily on tree maintenance and fencing projects to make sure that we make progress in these areas and we will be investigating whether a heavier duty driveline can be obtained for the mower. WETLAND MANAGEMENT: A multi stemmed approach is being used to improve wetland plant communties and conditions in the wildlife area. Disking is used as a management tool to break up matted reed canary grass root systems, expose them and ultimately dry and kill them. This also exposes the natural native seed bank that has been dormant in the soil for many years. Water management is also critical to the success by flooding the basins to a sufficient depth into early summer to give the beneficial plants a competitive advantage over the canary grass. Where disking is not being employed in any given year the canary grass stands are typically mowed to remove the rank growth and allow for short regrowth that provides suitable feeding habitat for some target species (Canada Geese, Mallards and other dabbling ducks in particular).

4 During this contract period, we applied disking treatments (Work Element G) to approximately 8 acres in three wetland basins. This acreage was less than planned due primarily to the wet spring conditions and higher than normal water table, which kept the areas too wet to work in until extremely late in the season. The ultimate results of these treatments will depend upon water management during the FY 09 contract period, which is at least partially dependent upon climate conditions and resulting river and ground water levels. North McBride Wetland Basin: Although still present reed canary grass has been reduced on this site through a program of disking and management of water levels. The improved South Unit pump station was fully utilized and resulted in improvements to wetland conditions on the unit. The increased reliability of water levels to control reed canary grass will lead to long-term improvements in overall wetland habitat quality. The prevalence of beneficial plants increased in at least three wetland basins this year due in part to the improvements to the pump station. The South Cell, which includes the southern end of the Shillapoo Lakebed came fully on line this year as a wetland management basin. This was the first major step toward reestablishing native wetland plant communities in the lakebed that was drained in the 1950 s for agricultural production and has been the largest enhancement focus for the wildlife area for many years. The new wetland cell is approximately 120 acres in size and water levels are managed utilizing a flashboard riser system. We currently rely on surface runoff and groundwater to manage water levels in this basin. The extended wet spring had this cell at levels that would actually be considered over-full but the end result was good control of Reed Canary grass and an obvious increase in beneficial wetland plants. Cattail became quite prevalent in a portion of the wetland, which may become a future concern if the trend continues. Improved water management has caused a dramatic increase in cover of smartweed and other beneficial wetland plants in the South Cell. Almost all permits are now in hand for the Shillapoo Lakebed North Unit wetland project in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers. This project would provide the ability to reestablish and manage for native plant communities in most of the remaining portions of the lakebed currently under WDFW ownership in a similar fashion to the South Cell referenced above.

5 Ducks Unlimited received a grant to initiate the permitting process for the project referred to as North Basin Enhancement in previous contracts. As the project proceeds through permitting, we will be working with DU to identify the most appropriate means of funding the construction, which may include BPA funds. GOOSE FORAGE MANAGEMENT: In addition to activities to improve wetland habitat, ongoing management and improvement of winter forage habitat for Canada Geese is an important focus for this wildlife area. These activities also benefit Sandhill Cranes, a state endangered species. Both Sandhill Cranes and Dusky Canada Geese are listed as Species of Management Interest in the Lower Columbia River Subbasin Plan. Efforts to maintain and enhance these forage habitats have been supplemented by additional labor funded by State Migratory Bird Stamp funds and the work of volunteer organizations such as The Washington Waterfowl Association. In addition to agricultural and grazing programs under cooperative agreements with local farmers, management activities to maintain and improve these areas include pasture mowing, reseeding pasture, and cover crops (Work Elements D and E). The acreage of pasture to be planted was reduced, fertilization of pasture was dropped this year as an activity and it was noted that cover crops would only be planted if other sources of funds were available for materials due to a reduction in the project funding level by BPA during this contract period. Weed control is another important aspect of this management but is addressed separately later in this report. Mowing is conducted to reduce vegetative height and provide for new growth a condition necessary to provide for waterfowl use and suitable forage condition. Each year these activities begin in the spring and continue through late fall. Approximately 400 acres are managed with mowing as the primary management tool. Over time as enhancements are completed the need for mowing will be reduced. All significant waterfowl pasture areas were mowed and in good condition for waterfowl use going into the 07/08 winter. We expect this to be the case again this fall even though a number of equipment problems were encountered that impacted the schedule. Approximately 50 acres at three sites that had been prepared for planting under the previous contract were planted in October. Two of the sites established well but the third was severely impacted by the grazing of geese due to the late planting date. Had the planting been done earlier the plants would have been better rooted and may have survived better. We worked with BPA s environmental staff in getting an alternative approval process approved that should prevent similar delays in planting seed in the future, which worked well this year. Approximately 38 additional acres were tilled in two locations most of which were planted in the spring. The cover photo of this report depicts one of the pasture planting sites. Due to prolonged wet conditions in the spring, a portion of one site was planted in late summer. One of the spring plantings has done extremely well but the second is effected by an unexpected weed problem (teasel). This

6 second site also did not germinate very well and we are still evaluating options, which could include replanting, to make sure that the site is successful. TREE AND SHRUB PLANTINGS: Tree plantings planned for this contract period (Work Elements F and N through R) went relatively well and plant survival at this time is considered good. The North Unit old ag site received its first planting of trees and a small portion of the Buckmire Slough site was also planted for the first time. Other sites planted included the Lake River riparian zone, and old rookery site. A portion of the Lake River Riparian Planting. Blue tree tubes are used to reduce rodent damage and reduce the need for watering. The Lake River planting received 875 bare root plants including Oregon white oak, Oregon Ash, red elderberry, black hawthorn, serviceberry, crabapple, black cottonwood and red-osier dogwood. Approximately 2,000 willow, 1200 cottonwood and 200 red osier dogwood cuttings were also installed, primarily near the waters edge at this site. Plant survival of the bare-root stock was better this year with better implementation of the special planting technique. The McBride Oak Site received 150 bare root plants including Oregon white oak, Oregon Ash, red elderberry, black hawthorn, serviceberry, crabapple, black cottonwood. Plant survival at this site remains excellent. Rose and snowberry were not planted as planned due to planting of other species and related maintenance at this and other locations proceeding more slowly than anticipated. Five hundred bare-root cottonwood seedlings were planted in the old rookery site. The objective of this planting is to rehabilitate a forested wetland stand in hopes to maintain it as an alternative nest site for great blue herons in the future. The site once had a rookery of over 300 nests but was gradually abandoned as the post mature trees died and fell. Planting is focused on openings in the canopy over a 40-acre area. The North Unit old ag site received a planting of 600 rooted trees including Oregon white oak, Oregon ash and black hawthorn. The planting occurred on the highest portions of the site. A great deal more planting effort in future years will be needed at this location to achieve the desired objectives. Two hundred twenty-five rooted trees were planted at the southern portion of the Buckmire Slough riparian zone including Oregon white oak, Oregon Ash, red elderberry, black hawthorn, serviceberry, crabapple, black cottonwood and red-osier dogwood. Most

7 of this effort focused on the area lying between the twin ponds wetland basin and the slough. Maintenance activities in these plantings continued periodically through the end of the contract period. Mowing was done to reduce plant competition, and rodent damage. Three foot by three-foot commercial tree mats and 18 tree tubes were placed around most trees to retain soil moisture and minimize rodent damage. Tree mats in particular, seem to be a benefit in improving initial establishment of the plants. INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT: Almost all field aspects of this project involve management of invasive plants. Efforts to control reed canary grass and foster reestablishment of native plant communities in wetlands are discussed above. Other plants of particular emphasis in the project area include Himalayan blackberry, poison hemlock, purple loosestrife and Canada thistle (Work Element H). Other weeds of concern include tansy ragwort, milk thistle, English ivy, meadow knapweed, water speedwell, and slender flowered thistle. A new weed, Yellow toadflax was noted in at least two locations this year and will be more closely monitored for in the future. Tansy ragwort is common in western Washington and tends to cycle with biocontrols that were introduced many years ago. This year the biological control moths were at a low population level which led to a large increase in the weeds prevalence. This is probably not a long-term concern. Some of the other weeds mentioned above are recent invaders of the site and are a high priority for control when they are found due to potential impacts to habitat and long-term goals should they spread significantly. Control of Himalayan Blackberry has been a major focus of effort over the past three years with significant progress made. This activity is conducted to improve wintering waterfowl habitat and also to prepare sites for future enhancement activities such as riparian plantings (Work Elements I and J). Canada geese in particular rely on long sight distances to avoid predators and shy away from small field areas. Increasing the line of sight distances generally improves use by waterfowl and in some cases affords the opportunity to increase forage availability by replanting the areas once occupied by blackberry thickets. This year s effort was reduced due to the contract funding reduction. Work focused largely on several large thickets in the Vancouver Lake unit and an area near the shoreline of the lake where the vines have been threatening to overtake native vegetation. This was our first focused large-scale control effort in this part of the wildlife area. After the initial clearing, much of which is done by hand, diligent maintenance (spraying and mowing) is required for several years to assure long-term removal of the stands and the establishment of desirable vegetation. Other clearing occurred on the south unit and included one fence line in preparation for repair work. Poison Hemlock Control has long been a major focus on this Wildlife Area. Large stands once were rather common both on WDFW lands and in the surrounding area, which was of particular concern due to the plant s toxicity. Again this year we believe we were able

8 to treat all major stands and the plant is now almost hard to find in most of the wildlife area. Three years ago a dramatic increase in the occurrence of purple loosestrife was noted in areas of the Shillapoo Lakebed in both the North and South Units and last year we became concerned with increases of the weed around Vancouver Lake both on and off the wildlife area. A marked decrease in the prevalence of the plant was noted in both areas this year. This is due, at least in part, to our focus on getting the weed under control but the decrease seen this year may also be due to the water year and higher water levels that delayed the growth of the plants. We also partnered with Clark County Weed Management on a release of Galerucella, a biological control organism, on the Vancouver Lake Unit. Because the decrease may be attributed to a short-term variation in climatic conditions we still plan to continue intensive monitoring and control where necessary. The wet spring weather and equipment breakdowns hampered weed spraying efforts. As a result, weeds increased in some areas. This was most evident in the Vancouver Lake Unit where Canada thistle increased dramatically. This influenced plans for work in the unit in We will not be replanting pasture areas and instead will be putting a focus on weed control prior to initiation of new upland plantings as the high level of weed incidence would make the success of plantings questionable at this time. Mowing was delayed in some areas by equipment down time, which probably increased weed seed production in some areas. INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT: Administrative issues over a period of several years created a significant backlog of fencing projects that we made some progress on this year but not to the degree we had anticipated. Fall and winter is the time of year when Wildlife Area staff has time available for fencing projects and pasture planting deferred from FY07 as well as tree planting and related maintenance, which took more time than anticipated, consumed much of this time period. Some of these projects are intended to improve grazing management and facilitate future enhancement while others are routine maintenance or necessary to control abuses such as offroad driving by the public. During the contract period we were able to complete the major repair of just over ½ mile of fence along the Northwestern boundary of the South Unit, which included replacing posts as needed and complete replacement A portion of all of wire. fence repaired this year. Minor clearing of limbs or brush was done as necessary along interior administrative maintenance travel routes. Additional boulders were placed near a parking lot on the

9 Vancouver Lake unit to discourage off road driving that could cause damage to habitat and water management facilities. MONITORING: Monitoring efforts planned for this year included continued development of a photo-point monitoring program and implementation of a wetland vegetation monitoring system. Seven new photo points illustrating wetland habitat were established in the South Unit. This included recording GPS coordinates for the photo taking location and description of the center target to frame the screen. We have determined that the September/October timeframe is the most appropriate for taking the photos, as this seems to be the period that best illustrates the plant community present. We plan to retake the Vancouver Lake Unit photos in October and will continue to establish new photo points during the coming contract period. We began implementation of sampling wetland vegetation using a method that is intended solely to track changes over time and will be related to treatments applied, and water regimes. This will be used to determine treatment effectiveness and hopefully will provide information that can be used to develop specific guidelines for each individual wetland basin in the future and predicting maintenance activities that will be required. A brief report summarizing the results of sampling three wetland basins in December 2007 was prepared. Two wetland basins were sampled in September 2008 and this effort will continue into October before the second report is prepared. Because it was evident in at least one case that the sampling results may not have been truly indicative of actual conditions we may consider modifying the sampling procedure to a uniform, rather than random, method of locating the transects. However, this may increase the time required to complete sampling and possibly limit the number of wetlands sampled in a given year. ADMINISTRATIVE, PLANNING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES: A substantial amount of the manager s time was spent on administrative activities. These include project planning and coordination, contracting and reporting, procuring supplies, and planning. Coordination of archaeological surveys, which had been cumbersome in the past, went much more smoothly this contract period. The manager convened one meeting of the wildlife area s advisory group. The annual management plan update was discussed and input on a number issues was discussed. The planned storage building is now on hold due to a floodplain-permitting requirement that dramatically increased the estimated cost of the project. The manager has submitted a request for the additional funds that would be needed for construction. Funding issues within WDFW s watchable wildlife program have also delayed the construction of the access/wildlife-viewing site adjacent to the building site with state funds. A grant application was submitted to develop a parking area on the North Unit. However, it appears that the project did not score within the funding limits for the grant source.