Using the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) to Reduce the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Recovery Goal at MCB Camp Lejeune

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Hester Stevenson
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1 Using the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) to Reduce the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Recovery Goal at MCB Camp Lejeune N M F W A CONFERENCE

2 Current Coastal NC Primary Core (CNCPC) Population Property Recovery Goal # active clusters Current # active clusters (year) MCBCL (2011) Croatan NF (2010) Holly Shelter (2010) TOTAL

Military Readiness at MCB Camp Lejeune Planned future range maintenance, training enhancements,and supporting facilities could inhibit meeting recovery goals (aka jeopardy ) under current strategies

3 Military Readiness at MCB Camp Lejeune Planned future range maintenance, training enhancements,and supporting facilities could inhibit meeting recovery goals (aka jeopardy ) under current strategies Potential RCW Clusters Current RCW Clusters Current and Potential RCW Clusters at MCB Camp Lejeune Reconfiguring recovery strategy on-base would cause significant encroachment on other mission areas, if even possible Off-base strategy can meet both recovery goals and training needs of the base

4 Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI): 10 U.S.C. 2684a Provides oversight for and helps fund military installations compatible land use partnerships and projects Supports cooperative agreements with partners to acquire key conservation easements, water rights, and other interests in land from willing sellers Limits incompatible development and helps preserve high-value habitat REPI has protected over 174,000 acres outside of 59 locations in 23 states with a better than 1-to-1 partner contribution ratio.

5 MCB Camp Lejeune Recovery and Sustainment Program (RASP) Objectives: Protect RCW habitat on off-base properties to contribute to the recovery goal of the entire CNCPC population (380 active clusters) Contribution to the CNCPC population recovery goal will decrease the on-base recovery goal, thus providing a broader landscape in which to balance training and species needs Actions: Currently developing a Programmatic Biological Assessment (PBA) to establish agreed upon methodologies for determining biological function of off-base properties and defining assurances for property management Working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish funding strategy for in perpetuity management

6 RASP Methodology from the PBA Phase 1: Information Gathering and Preliminary Analyses of Landscape; Phase 2: Analysis of the Biological Function of an Identified Property; Phase 3: USFWS Notification and Determination of Property Functionality in the CNCPC Population; Phase 4: Formulation of Agreements to Protect RCW Habitat in Perpetuity (between MCB Camp Lejeune and the landowner [e.g., the State of North Carolina, and non-federal property owner]); and Phase 5: USFWS Final Approval of Reduction in Recovery Goal for MCB Camp Lejeune.

physical conditions + Wildland Urban Interface data High

Layer 1 + Potential Vegetation RCW Habitat Analysis Layer 3 =

Bight 200 acre parcels USGS Southeastern GAP database LANDFIRE

historic RCW Cluster Data Wildland/urban Interface Properties

7 Phase 1: Information Gathering and Preliminary Analyses of Landscape Analysis Layer 1 = existing vegetation and current physical conditions + Wildland Urban Interface data High density understory Low density understory Analysis Layer 2 = Layer 1 + Potential Vegetation RCW Habitat Analysis Layer 3 = Layer 2 + Species Guild Richness Layer (BaSIC 2008) Onslow Bight 200 acre parcels USGS Southeastern GAP database LANDFIRE data Pre-settlement vegetation data LiDAR data Current and historic RCW Cluster Data Wildland/urban Interface Properties Aerial photography Soils data Contour data NC Wetland Data Forest Inventory Data

8 Current and Potential RCW Habitat Analyses Potential RCW Clusters (Partitions)

9 Phase 2: Analysis of the Biological Function of an Identified Property Models predict how many RCW clusters a property can support if all current and potential RCW habitat is restored and/or protected Decision Support System (DSS) (Walters et al. 2011) Preliminary understanding of population growth, persistence, function and connectivity to MCB Camp Lejeune, Holly Shelter, and Croatan National Forest. If DSS predicts property will contribute to biological function, it will then be evaluated with the more rigorous model, the LEA/POM. Landscape Equivalency Analysis/Pattern-oriented Modeling (LEA/POM) (Bruggeman et al. 2005) Essentially combines six different spatially explicit population models Predicts RCW abundance, genetic drift, local extinction, and migration shifts in a dynamic and fragmented landscape

10 Biological Function and Agreements Phase 3: USFWS Notification and Determination of Functionality Thorough analysis of population models, history of RCWs on property, proximity to clusters on other properties, potential for RCW translocation, etc. Phase 4: Formulation of Agreements to Protect RCW Habitat in Perpetuity (between MCB Camp Lejeune and the State and non- Federal property owner) Conservation easement Fee title acquisition State Property Dedication Endowment Fund for unexpected expenses and adaptive management needs

11 Reduction of Recovery Goal Phase 5: USFWS Final Approval of Reduction in Recovery Goal for MCB Camp Lejeune. USFWS will complete Biological Opinion of RASP PBA MCB Camp Lejeune s RCW recovery goal will reduce by the number of potentially biologically functioning RCW clusters that can be protected on the off-base property All proposed actions that involve take will require a separate BA and BO and credits from RASP will be evaluated in take scenario Allows the base to maintain military readiness in training operations

12 Questions? William Rogers (910) Meredith Malone, John Ouellette, (757)

Landscape Change in the South Atlantic

Landscape Change in the South Atlantic Bradley A. Pickens North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University November 12, 2015 South