Roaring Fork Watershed

Transcription

1 Roaring Fork Watershed Measures of Conservation Success T he Roaring Fork Watershed is an important tributary to the Colorado River. It supports large areas of intact riparian forests and wetlands, as well as sensitive aquatic species such as the boreal toads and Colorado River cutthroat trout. An area in need of habitat protection and restoration, the Roaring Fork Watershed has been identified by The Nature Conservancy and its partners as a priority landscape for conservation efforts. This document describes the work that these conservation partners are doing to conserve this important area. Our Conservation Vision The Roaring Fork Watershed is a spectacular landscape and outstanding biological jewel. In the future, it will continue to sustain healthy rivers and streams along with the natural processes that support them. The watershed s rivers and streams will continue to support populations of globally significant native plants and animals, including Colorado River cutthroat trout, boreal toad, black swift, and willow hawthorn. Roaring Fork residents, decision-makers, land managers, and visitors will take pride in and be inspired to work together to protect and, where needed, restore the rivers, streams, riparian communities, and associated species, thereby maintaining the many ecological services that the watershed provides.

2 Roaring Fork Watershed Project Area Ecoregions Map To Come Southern Rocky Mountains Utah High Plateau Colorado Plateau Science guides our work in the Roaring Fork Watershed. This document highlights several key features of the riparian and aquatic biodiversity in the Roaring Fork Watershed, the challenges to their successful conservation, and means of measuring the progress toward effective conservation. The project planning process used to generate this report was developed by The Nature Conservancy based on 50-years experience in conservation. To fulfill our long-term vision and achieve our goals, the Conservancy employs an integrated conservation process called Conservation by Design. This living process identifies the key places where conservation needs to occur (or will be most successful), develops strategies, involves taking action, and measures success of efforts and outcomes. This process is adaptable over time and uses the measures of success to stimulate continued thinking and actions for conservation. Conservation by Design Through Conservation by Design, a common vision is created to ensure the long-term survival of native species and natural communities. This process focuses attention on key issues including the biodiversity status, degree of threats and progress toward conservation success. Such information, when available, empowers people from all walks of life to discuss, interact, and consider alternative ways of acting on behalf of nature. Nothing could be more fundamental to fostering a high standard of sustainable living and successful conservation than having objective status information to inform individual and group decisions. The Nature Conservancy offers this informative report in the hope that it will inspire you to take a strong interest in the ecological health of the roaring Fork Watershed. Good decisions about the future will depend on it. Conservation Planning The Conservancy uses conservation plans to develop site-specific conservation strategies and prepare for taking action and measuring success. These plans follow what we call the 5-S Framework: SYSTEMS. The conservation planning team, which included experts from local, state, and federal agencies and private conservation organizations, identifies the species and natural communities that will be the focus of conservation for the area. To do so, biodiversity lists developed during the ecoregional assessment are modified to include site-specific priorities. Roaring Fork River Photo TBD CO060712_D053.jpg 2

3 STRESSES. The team determines how ecological systems are compromised; by habitat reduction or fragmentation, or by changes in the number or type of species, or by alteration of ecological processes such as fire and hydrology. SOURCES. The team will then identify and rank the causes, or sources, of stress for each ecological system or key species. The analysis of stresses and sources together make up the threat assessment. STRATEGIES. An important step in the process is finding practical cooperative ways to mitigate or eliminate the identified threats and enhance biodiversity. SUCCESS. Each plan outlines methods for assessing our effectiveness in reducing threats and improving biodiversity usually by monitoring progress toward established biological and programmatic goals. Using Results to Adapt and Improve Defining the Project Conservation Action Planning Developing Strategies and Measures SITUATION. An understanding of the cultural, political and economic situation behind the threats is essential for developing sound strategies. This human context is often referred to as the sixth S. Site Description The Roaring Fork Watershed is a large, relatively intact landscape, located in western Colorado. The Roaring Fork River is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Much of the headwaters is managed by the US Forest Service and supports several populations of rare aquatic species including boreal toads and Colorado River cutthroat trout. Extensive relatively intact riparian forests, shrublands and wetlands can be found along the rivers and streams within the Roaring Fork Watershed. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program and local biologists have identified numerous occurrences of rare plants, animals, and combinations of plants that occur in rare plant communities within this watershed. Historically, much of the area was in large private ranches. Recently, many private land areas are being rapidly developed, while others are being protected by local and national organizations. Key Conservation Targets RARE ANIMALS Colorado River cutthroat trout Boreal toad Black swift Bald eagle winter roosts Brown-capped rosy finch (in alpine) Canada lynx habitat RARE PLANTS Willow hawthorn Canyon bog orchid Hanging garden sullivantia Altai cottongrass RARE PLANT COMMUNITIES (Unique combinations of forbs, grasses, shrubs, and trees) Montane riparian forests Willow carrs Kettle ponds ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS Riparian system Aquatic system Implementing Strategies and Measures The high ranking sources of stress, or critical threats, are 1. Inbasin water diversions for agriculture and development 2. Nonnative fish and whirling disease impact cutthroat trout 3. Invasive plant species 4. Twin Lakes and Fry-Ark trans-mountain water diversions 5. Existing roads 6. Chytrid fungus disease of boreal toads 7. New sub-development 3

4 Long Term Ecological Goals Effectively conserve all existing conservation populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout and establish or improve additional populations such that a total of 15 self-sustaining populations exist. Conserve healthy aquatic communities as indicated by the presence of self-sustaining non-game native fish populations, such as flannelmouth and bluehead sucker. Conserve and, where possible, improve/restore at least five viable boreal toad populations. Ensure the persistence of all examples of rare and imperiled riparian plant and animal species, such as willow hawthorn and black swift (see Key Conservation Target list). Conserve and where warranted, improve all occurrences of rare and imperiled riparian plant communities, including rare willow carrs. Protect and, where needed, restore functional riparian connectivity by maintaining or restoring key areas of willows, cottonwoods, and other native riparian shrubs. Critical Threats The conservation targets found in the Roaring Fork watershed are threatened by multiple stresses, which can act together to effect the viability or integrity of each ecological system. Based on surveys, interviews with land managers, ecoregional assessment information and personal observations, we ranked the main sources of stress for each conservation target (see chart of Threats to Conservation Systems on page 9). The high ranking sources of stress, or critical threats, are 1. Inbasin water diversions for agriculture and development 2. Nonnative fish and whirling disease impact cutthroat trout 3. Invasive plant species 4. Twin Lakes and Fry-Ark trans-mountain water diversions 5. Existing roads 6. Chytrid fungus disease of boreal toads 7. New sub-development These threats have direct and indirect impacts on the integrity of riparian and aquatic ecological systems within the Roaring Fork Watershed. If not abated, the critical threats will result in fragmenting of habitat and loss of native species. Water diversions, both in-basin and trans-mountain, pose a serious threat to downstream biodiversity by altering the hydrologic regime. The native fish community and Colorado River cutthroat trout are adversely affected by whirling disease and the management of nonnative fish. Some invasive plant species affect riparian areas in the Roaring Fork Watershed including Canada thistle, absinth wormwood, Dalmatian toadflax, oxeye daisy, and tamarisk. These invasive species may have detrimental effects on native communities by increasing competition and changing community structure. In addition, some threats are localized in scope or only affect one species or group of species. Boreal toads are seriously impacted by a single disease, chytrid fungus. The operation of the dam along the Frying Pan River also impacts the hydrologic regime downstream on the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers. Conservation Objectives The conservation goals for the Roaring Fork Watershed are to enhance the viability or integrity of the riparian and aquatic species and systems and abate the threats. Objective 1: Through 2016, maintain or increase population size, extent, and purity of all existing cutthroat trout populations. Naturalist Workshop Photo TBD CO060831_D013.jpg Conservation Planning Participants: The Nature Conservancy Roaring Fork Conservancy US Forest Service Colorado Natural Heritage Program 4

5 Objective 2: By 2016, at least maintain existing boreal toad populations and, where possible, restore or expand populations. Objective 3: Through 2016, maintain and/or improve native fish communities. Objective 4: By 2016, eliminate or eradicate woody invasives from Roaring Fork riparian areas; keep all List A weed species and NZ mudsnail from establishing in the watershed; prevent the expansion of the extent and eliminate from some sub-watersheds key list B weed species; and prevent the expansion of list C species. Objective 5: By 2016, identify and protect most of the high quality rare riparian communities and areas with hawthorn, and 50% of common high quality riparian communities on private lands in the watershed, and restore high priority areas of riparian zone such that the riparian zone and aquatic system are functionally connected. Objective 6: By 2016, identify and provide adequate water flows to support targeted species and natural communities that depend on aquatic and riparian habitats in key places. Objective 7: Through 2016, identify and minimize impacts from land management activities, such as road and trail impacts, in riparian and uplands in high priority areas. Objective 8: By 2016, ensure that water quality throughout the watershed meets state standards for aquatic life. Conservation Strategies To achieve the aforementioned objectives, The Nature Conservancy and its partners will undertake the following strategic actions. Strategic Action 1 PROTECT KEY AREAS OF PRIVATE LANDS Place conservation easements or other permanent protection with effective conservation management on high quality rare riparian communities and species, focusing on Lower Frying Pan and Lower Crystal Rivers. Opportunistically protect common high quality riparian communities. Strategic Action 2 RESTORATION OF KEY AQUATIC SPECIES Create and implement cutthroat trout restoration and improvement plan for Roaring Fork Watershed that is integrated with the watershed plan Colorado River cutthroat trout multistate and federal agency conservation agreement Create and implement boreal toad recovery plan for Roaring Fork Watershed, consistent with boreal toad multi-state and federal agency conservation agreement Through further research and inventory, identify high priority reaches for protection and restoration of native fish communities. Strategic Action 3 MAINTAIN AND RESTORE AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN HABITAT Develop and implement the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan. Ensure that all key ditches have ditch BMP s in place and drought management plans. Ensure ecological flows in the Upper Frying Pan and Upper Roaring Fork Rivers through partnerships and possibly instream flow designations. Strategic Action 4 LAND MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS Support and build upon county and municipal weed control efforts, focusing attention on a coordinated weed effort that targets riparian areas as a high priority for the control or elimination of invasive species. Minimize the impacts of existing roads, by decreasing density, and employ best management practices for the use of road chemicals and maintenance. Establish adequate riparian setbacks which will buffer impacts to riparian and aquatic systems, especially in the lower portion of the watershed. Mule Deer Photo Bob Gress The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. 5

6 Measuring our Success Two fundamental questions facing any conservation project team are: How is the biodiversity doing? and Are the conservation actions we are taking having the intended impact? To answer these questions, we evaluate a number of indicators that gauge the status of biodiversity and critical threats. Tracking progress toward our goals and evaluating the effectiveness of our actions provides feedback we need to adjust our priorities and strategies. Measuring results closes the loop of our conservation approach. Overview of Priority Measures Framework for the Roaring Fork Watershed Conservation Area INDICATORS THREAT MONITORING 1. Water Quality Amount of degrading land uses Amount of impervious surface Amount of sediment in river Number of reaches not meeting state standards 2. Invasive Species Presence of invasive plants that significantly impact riparian areas Presence of native and nonnative fish Presence of whirling disease in potential cutthroat trout areas 3. Residential Development in Riparian Proportion of riparian areas secured against development 4. Water Flow Regime Fragmentation of system by dams and diversions Number of stream reaches not meeting minimum instream flow Timing and magnitude of flow regime compared to natural PROGRESS MONITORING 5. Policies that protect riparian areas County policies that eliminate development in riparian areas 6. Watershed plan Presence of a watershed plan and implementation structure VIABILITY MONITORING 7. Rare riparian plants, animals Presence and condition of rare plant, animal and plant and plant communities community occurrences Proportion of reaches with willow hawthorn 8. Colorado River cutthroat trout Occupied stream miles Purity of cutthroat trout populations 9. Boreal Toad Recruitment and multiple age classes of toads within each population 10. Riparian condition and connectivity Proportion of appropriate habitat with beaver Percent of stream miles with greater than one mile of contiguous riparian habitat on both stream banks Colorado River cutthroat trout Photo TBD BLM Utah Website 6

7 Biodiversity Viability or Integrity Ranking System The viability or integrity of the selected conservation elements were assigned a rank using a four-level scale. The viability or integrity ranking system uses simple categorical ranks, as follows: VERY. The factor is functioning at its ecologically desirable status and requires little human intervention.. The factor is functioning within its range of acceptable variation. However, it may require some human intervention to maintain this status.. The factor lies outside of its range of acceptable variation and requires human intervention. If unchecked, the target will be vulnerable to serious degradation. POOR. Allowing the factor to remain in this condition for an extended period will make restoration or preventing extirpation practically impossible. Integrity/Viability Criteria The assessment of viability or integrity is based on three criteria: SIZE. This is a measure of the area or abundance of the conservation target or element s occurrence. For ecological systems and communities, size is simply a measure of the occurrence geographic coverage. For species, size takes into account the area of occupancy and number of individuals. Minimum area needed to ensure survival or re-establishment after natural disturbance is another aspect of size. CONDITION. This is an integrated measure of the composition, structure, and biotic interactions that characterize the occurrence. This includes factors such as reproduction, age structure, biological composition (e.g., presence of native versus nonnative species, presence of characteristic patch types for ecological systems), structure (e.g., canopy, understory, and groundcover in a forested community), and biotic interactions (e.g., levels of competition, predation, and disease). LANDSCAPE CONTEXT. This is an integrated measure of two factors: connectivity and the dominant environmental regimes and processes that establish and maintain the occurrence. Dominant environmental regimes and processes include herbivory, hydrologic and water chemistry regimes (surface and groundwater), geomorphic processes, climactic regimes (temperature and precipitation), fire regimes and other kinds of natural disturbance. Connectivity includes such factors as species having access to habitats and resources needed for life cycle completion, fragmentation of ecological systems, and the ability to respond to environmental change through dispersal, migration, or re-colonization. Threat Ranking Guidelines Threats are composed of stresses and sources of stress (or sources ). A stress is defined as a process or event with direct negative consequences on the biodiversity (e.g., alteration of water flow into a marsh). The source of stress is the action or entity that produces a stress (e.g., channel building). The planning team must identify and rank the stresses and sources for each of the species and ecological systems. Guidelines for selection and ranking of stresses and sources are below. The stress ranks and source ranks: 1) help elucidate the factors influencing that species and ecological systems and subsequently, the necessary conservation strategies, and 2) contribute to the analysis of threats for the conservation area. The stress and source rankings are analyzed together via computer to provide threat ranks for the element. Stresses are ranked based on the severity and scope of damage expected within 10 years under the current circumstances. Sources of stress are ranked based on the expected contribution of the sources and the irreversibility of the impact. All these aspects are combined into an overall threat rank for a particular source (i.e., operation of dams) to all ecological systems. 7

8 Integrity Background Viability or Integrity Summary Assessing the current condition of the biodiversity is critical in the development of conservation strategies. Where viability and integrity are high, the strategy is to prevent degradation. On the other hand, if the integrity is poor, then restoration, reintroduction, or reclamation might be important actions to elevate the condition. Integrity ratings are made using the best science available and often with vigorous discussion. The planning team develops categories that define the relative condition in terms of size, ecological condition, and the landscape context. The team determines which category best reflects the current state at the project area. Clearly, in deciding how to allocate scarce conservation dollars, we should, where it is possible, focus conservation actions on the populations with the highest integrity or otherwise stated as the most likely to persist. Upper Frying Pan River & Rocky Fork Creek Upper/Middle Crystal River & Thompson Creek Middle Roaring Fork River Tribs (Snowmass Creek) Upper Roaring Fork River above Aspen & tribs Roaring Fork River Cattle Creek/4 mile/3 mile Lower Frying Pan River Lower Crystal River Site Biodiversity Rank VERY POOR LANDSCAPE VIABILITY/INTEGRITY CONTEXT CONDITION SIZE RANK POOR Functioning at its ecologically desirable status. Requires little human intervention. Functioning within its range of acceptable variation. May require human intervention to maintain this status. VERY Outside its range of acceptable variation. Requires human intervention. Vulnerable to serious degradation if left unchecked If condition remains for extended period, restoration or prevention of extirpation will be practically impossible. Collecting conservation data Peregrine falcon Photo J. Dale Swenarton Photo Janet Haas 8

9 Threats to Conservation Targets UPPER FRYING PAN RIVER & ROCKY FORK CREEK UPPER/MIDDLE MIDDLE UPPER CRYSTAL ROARING FORK ROARING FORK RIVER AND THOMPSON CREEK RIVER TRIBS (SNOWMASS CREEK) RIVER ABOVE ASPEN & TRIBS ROARING FORK RIVER CATTLE CREEK 4 MILE/ 3 MILE ER FRYING PAN RIVER ER CRYSTAL RIVER OVERALL THREAT RANK Inbasin diversions/development Nonnative fish Whirling Disease Inbasin diversions/agriculture Invasive plants New Subdevelopment Existing Roads Twin Lakes and Fry-Ark Transmountain Diversion Chytrid Fungus Grazing Practices Operation of dam Ski area expansion Potential logging Oil and Gas Development Recreational vehicles Mining Overall Threat Status VERY VERY VERY VERY Threat is likely to slightly impair the ecological system over a portion of the area. Threat is likely to moderately degrade the ecological system over some portion of the area. Threat is likely to seriously degrade the ecological system over much of the area. Threat is likely to destroy the ecological system over much of the area. Boreal toad Photo Geoff Hammerson(need permission) 9

10 Situation Analysis Process A good situation analysis diagram provides a team with a clear and common understanding of the context in which the project occurs. The model will show assumptions and potential obstacles as well as data gaps. The situation diagram process has proven useful and has lead to innovative and different strategies. The diagram seeks to demonstrate the complexity and interrelatedness of factors affecting biodiversity within the project area. Ecological systems, along with high priority dependent species nested targets are linked to ecological processes, and factors that directly impact the biodiversity and processes, resulting challenges, and key strategies. How the System Works: Roaring Fork Watershed The situation diagram illustrates the interactions among the species and systems within a sub-watershed, threats, and the underlying causes and factors that influence the biodiversity of the Roaring Fork Watershed. The sub-watersheds of the Roaring Fork contain riparian and aquatic ecological systems. The hydrologic regimes that maintain these areas are also important aspects of this landscape. This biodiversity is impacted by many factors including water diversion for agriculture and home development, invasive plant and animal species, and operation of dams. The following are examples of how to read this diagram. Aquatic and riparian biodiversity in the Lower Crystal River are impacted by in-basin diversions for municipal and agricultural uses. A key strategy, restoration of key aspects of the hydrologic regime, will address the impacts of the in-basin diversions. The Lower Crystal River riparian areas are also degraded by invasive species and incompatible livestock grazing. Two key strategies, restoration of priority riparian areas and protecting priority areas, will address these issues. Snowmass Creek Photo John Fielder 10

11 Conclusion The Nature Conservancy is proud to be working with public and private partners to achieve a common vision: to preserve the biodiversity of the Roaring Fork Watershed by protecting key parcels, creating incentives for compatible land management, and restoring ecological systems. This vision is achievable by leveraging our strengths to achieve tangible and lasting results. We believe that good science will be the cornerstone of our future success. Olive-sided flycatcher Photo Jim Bailey (need permission) 11

12 The Nature Conservancy 2424 Spruce Street Boulder, Colorado / nature.org/colorado 9/2007 MRCRMXXX PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Cover photograph TBD CO060909_F029.jpg