2018 Snake River Salmon Recovery Board Project Application

Transcription

1 2018 Snake River Salmon Recovery Board Project Application Pre-Application Section (This section must also must be included as part of the Draft and Final Applications if you don t submit a pre-application). Project Title (less than 50 characters including spaces, please create a title that accurately reflects the project): Beaver Management Using Reintroduction & Habitat Enhancement Submitting Organization: Pomeroy Conservation District in cooperation with WDFW and USFS Project Contact Information (Complete for each project contact) Mrs. Ms. Mr. First Name: Duane Last Name: Bartels Address: 910 Main Street City/Town: Pomeroy State: WA Zip: Telephone # (509) Cell # (509) address: pcdistrict@qwestoffice.net Project Location: The project will take place in Garfield County primarily in the Tucannon and Asotin watersheds. A key component of the project will be to identify 3-5 suitable locations to conduct trial beaver reintroductions. Sites will likely be chosen on State and Federal lands because these landowners 1) typically occupy the upper reaches of watersheds and 2) have a mandate to improve ecosystem function and provide benefits for ESA listed species. Locations that are critical areas for ESA listed species will be prioritized in the selection process. Maps: Attached is a map of Garfield County with landownership identified (Map 1). State and Federal lands will be targeted as reintroduction sites in the mid to upper watersheds of Pataha, Tucannon, and Asotin Creek. Locations with ESA listed steelhead and/or bull trout will also be targeted (Map 2). 1

2 Project Description The Pomeroy Conservation District is sponsoring the Beaver Reintroduction and Habitat Enhancement Project. This project is a restoration project that will use nuisance beaver in areas not suitable for beavers (i.e., causing damage to private property) to reintroduce into areas where beaver are not present or are in low densities. The project will consist of four phases. Phase 1 will be to develop a beaver management and reintroduction plan. The plan will identify a set of 3-5 suitable sites to reintroduction beaver. The sites will be selected prior to any reintroduction based on criteria developed by WDFW which would include sites with adequate food resources, water flow, material to build dams and lodges, and low risk to private property or infrastructure (i.e., roads). The beaver management plan will outline how beaver will be captured, transported, and reintroduced. The beaver management plan will also document how to deal with any problems that reintroduced beavers may cause and specific actions to take to correct problems. Sites for reintroduction with primarily be selected within Garfield County in Pataha, Tucannon, and Asotin Creeks on state and federal lands. The sites will likely be in mid-upper elevation areas with minimal risk to private property. Phase 2 of the project will be to build a series of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) at sites that were identified in the Beaver Management Plan as suitable for reintroduction. It is critical to build BDAs at the reintroduction site to ensuring the beavers have some deep water and hiding cover to protect them from predators until they become established. Phase 3 of the project will be to secure nuisance beaver for reintroduction and reintroduce them into sites with BDas already built. We will work with local WDFW staff to determine where to trap beaver. Phase 4 of the project will be to maintain the BDAs (if necessary) and monitor the reintroduction sites to determine the fate of the beavers. The maintenance Phase 4 will be accomplished with an agreement with PCD, WDFW, and USFS and recovery funds will not be used for monitoring. Recover funds will only be used for maintenance of the BDAs. The goals of this project are to 1) develop a beaver management plan with the support of the Pomeroy Conservation District, WDFW, and USFS, 2) provide demonstration sites for beaver reintroduction within southeast Washington that can be used to promote this restoration methods across the region, and 3) to begin the process of building climate change resilience within the project watersheds by improving groundwater recharge and riparian areas in mid-upper portions of the watersheds that will likely have downstream benefits. This type of project is critical in southeast Washington as climate and hydrologic modeling strongly suggest stream flows will be impaired in the future and stream temperatures will likely increase. Reintroduction of beavers if successful will likely lead to increased floodplain connection, instream habitat diversity, greater diversity of flows and temperatures (i.e., flow and temperature refugia), and increased riparian health and function. There is also some evidence that flows may be enhanced 2

3 downstream of reaches with increased beaver activity and dam building. These physical effects can lead to improvements in juvenile rearing and migration and adult spawning and migration. We expect that the sites chosen for beaver reintroduction will benefit steelhead and bull trout the most as these species tend to occur in mid-upper reaches of the target watersheds. The total number of BDAs that will be built or the extent of the area restored has yet to be determined but based on past experience we expect miles of stream to be restored in the first year at each site where beavers are relocated. Pre-Application Cost Estimate: Note: Please only use this section for the Pre-Application the Cost Estimate for the Draft and Final Applications must be more detailed and in a separate document required document. Note that the SRFB budget template must be used for the draft and final applications please contact LE Staff for examples. As of November 2017, the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board approved the SRFB funding guideline of a $400,000 SRFB request cap (15% minimum match per SRFB requirements) with a 50% match required for the amount of funding requested above $400,000, with a $750,000 maximum request. As an example, a $400,000 SRFB request would require a minimum 15% match, or $71,000 for a total project cost of $471,000 (note that he match percentage is calculated based upon the total project cost, not the SRFB request). A $600,000 project would require the $71,000 plus an additional $64,500 for a total match amount of $135,500 and the SRFB request being $464,500. List SRFB request, match, and total project costs. Budget Items SRFB Request Matching Funds Total Project Cost Phase 1 Beaver 15,000 2,250 17,250 Management Plan & Site Identification Phase 2 Build BDAs 30,000 4,500 34,500 Phase 3 Trap & relocate 7,500 1,125 8,625 beaver Phase 4 Maintenance/Problem Beaver Mgt 8,000 1,200 9,200 Total SRFB Request $60,500 Total Matching Funds $9,075 Total Project Cost $69,575 Restoration Project Preliminary Design Requirements Starting in 2013, the SRFB changed the requirement for design review of restoration projects which exceed $250,000 in SRFB requested funds. If your grant request from the SRFB will exceed $250,000 you will be required to submit a preliminary design or equivalent with the final application. Check the SRFB Manual18 (Appendix D) for information of the Design Requirements or contact LE Staff. Please check the appropriate box below as to whether the design requirement can be met. 3

4 I have preliminary designs completed and have cross walked them w/ SRFB requirements I am currently working on preliminary design and may be able to complete by final application deadline I do not have preliminary designs and will not have them by the final application Evidence that this project is part of the Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan: List the HWS project number and the title of the project as stated in the Snake river Salmon Recovery Region Provisional Work Plan If project is not directly stated in the Work Plan, list the general project category your project pertains to and describe the correlation. Work Plan Number(s): 35-Habitat Complexity Restoration and Floodplain Connectivity and Function Restoration (We do not have a specific work number available but this project pertains to habitat and flow enhancement in areas occupied by ESA listed steelhead and bull trout populations). Assessment and Monitoring Projects: The SRSRB has requested that a project sponsor first seek Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (CRSSE) funding (if eligible) before making a request for SRFB funds. Details on the CRSSE can be found here: WDFW develops project proposals for the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Recreational Anglers Board (CRSSRAB) to evaluate and rank. To determine project eligibility, please work with regional WDFW staff. If your project is eligible for CRSSE funding, please be advised that your project may not be funded or it may be funded only after receiving CRSSE funds. Is this project eligible for CRSSE funding (please provide relevant communications): Yes No This is the end of the PRE-APPLICATION When submitting your draft application, make sure to update the pre-application information where required as well as completing the following draft application. The preapplication will become part of the draft application to reduce redundant forms. 4

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