comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy

428 Pages·2012·11.77 MB·English

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VERSION 1

Coordinated by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife,
Fisheries and Parks on behalf of the State of Mississippi

October, 2005
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY

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VERSION 1.1

COORDINATED BY THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS
ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

NOVEMBER, 2005
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
Our Mission:

It is the mission of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries,

and Parks to conserve and enhance Mississippi’s natural resources, to
provide continuing outdoor recreational opportunities, to maintain the
ecological integrity and aesthetic quality of the resources and to
ensure socioeconomic and educational opportunities for present and
future generations.
For comments or queries regarding this strategy,

please contact:

Charles Knight
[email protected]

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
2148 Riverside Drive
Jackson, MS 39202

601-354-7303
www.mdwfp.com/cwcs

Credits:
Charles Knight and Elizabeth Barber, CWCS Coordinators
Photos by the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, except where noted.
Illustrations by Sam Beibers from Endangered Species of Mississippi.
Maps by Nick Winstead, MMNS

:
Suggested Citation Format
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. 2005. Mississippi’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson,
Mississippi.

The MDWFP is an equal opportunity employer and provider of programs and services. If anyone believes they have been
subjected to discrimination on the basis of political affiliation, race color, national origin, marital status, sex, religion, creed,
age or disability, they may file a complaint alleging discrimination with either the MDWFP, P. O. Box 451, Jackson, MS
39205-0451, or the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission, 1810 L. Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20507
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
FOREWORD

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks was created in 1932.
Since its inception, our state has seen its wild turkey and white-tailed deer populations
restored, the return of the American alligator and bald eagles, and 800,000 acres of
wildlife habitat have been conserved and protected through our 38 wildlife
management areas. Opportunities to hunt, fish, canoe, wildlife watch and camp have
expanded greatly thanks to the collective efforts of our agency staff, partners, other
agencies and organizations and our congressional, state and legislative leadership.
Funding for traditional programs is provided by hunting and fishing licenses and
through federal aid provided by the Pittman-Robertson Act, the Dingell-Johnson Act
and Wallop-Breaux Amendment.

Where we have devoted our attention, resources and applied our knowledge of wildlife and fisheries
management, many game species and their habitats have thrived. Yet the vast majority of our wildlife species
have not received sufficient management attention, and many have fallen through the cracks. Today we spend
most of our budget on 14 percent of the wildlife and fisheries species in our state, while the other 86 percent
receive almost no attention until they are in danger of extinction. Like all states, we face widespread declines
and losses across all species groups and ecosystems. In the U.S. over 1,200 animals and plants have been
federally listed as threatened or endangered. Over 90 more are proposed for listing and another 250 are
candidates. In Mississippi, 86 species are listed.

To prevent more species from becoming threatened or endangered, and to keep the common species common,
we as an agency, a state and a country must broaden our attention to the great diversity of wildlife and natural
communities as a whole. It is time for MDWFP to extend its efforts to truly be an “all wildlife agency”.

The good news is that we are receiving help and encouragement. Congress recognized that despite our best
efforts, many wildlife populations continue to decline, and that a new approach is needed. I am pleased to
introduce MDWFP’s new effort to serve as steward of ALL of our state’s wildlife resources: the Mississippi
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS). This CWCS has been developed in compliance with
a congressional mandate and will serve as Mississippi’s blueprint for fish and wildlife conservation statewide
for the next half century. This is not a plan for our agency, but rather a broad set of conservation strategies for
wildlife and fish species and their key habitats in greatest need of conservation. It was developed by a broad
team of wildlife and fisheries professionals in the state in partnership with conservation organizations,
agencies, individuals, academics and industries and with public input. It is a comprehensive, cost-effective,
pro-active and non-regulatory approach to conserving entire communities, and we hope that it will be widely
used by all Mississippians interested in protecting and restoring biodiversity in Mississippi. I want to thank all
those that worked over the past three years to develop this important and dynamic strategy. It is my hope that
this effort’s success will be measured by the cultivation of lasting conservation partnerships and the promise
of fish and wildlife resources for future Mississippians.

Sam Polles, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................1

Hurricane Katrina’s Impact ......................................................................................................11

Chapter I. Introduction and Purpose ......................................................................................13

Chapter II. Approach and Method ...........................................................................................17

1. Organizational Structure and Committees
2. Stakeholder and Public Input
3. Coordination with Other Agencies
4. Criteria for Selecting and Prioritizing Species of Greatest Conservation Need
5. Mississippi’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need
6. Classifying and Ranking Wildlife Habitats in Mississippi
7. Identifying Threats and Conservation Actions for Species and their Habitats
8. References for this Section

Chapter III. Mississippi’s Ecological Framework - Ecoregions of Mississippi .......................61

1. East Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion
2. Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Ecoregion
3. Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion
4. Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecoregion
5. References for this Section

Chapter IV. Wildlife Habitats for Mississippi’s SGCN,
Threats and Conservation Actions ..........................................................................................77

1. Introduction
2. A Guide to Using this Section
3. Habitat Types and Subtypes

1. Dry-Mesic Upland Forests/Woodlands. ....................................................87

1.1 Dry Hardwood Forests
1.2 Dry Longleaf Pine Forests
1.3 Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forests
1.4 Dry-Mesic Shortleaf/Loblolly Pine Forests
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
2. Agriculture Fields, Hay and Pasture Lands,
Old Fields, Prairies, Cedar Glades and Pine Plantations. .....................101

2.1 Northeast Prairie/Cedar Glades
2.2 Jackson Prairie
2.3 Hay and Pasture Lands
2.4 Pine Plantations
2.5 Old Fields and Young Hardwoods (Shrublands)
2.6 Agriculture Fields (Row Crops)

3. Mesic Upland Forests ...............................................................................119

3.1 Beech/Magnolia Forests
3.2 Mesic Longleaf Pine Savanna/Forests
3.3 Loess Hardwood Forests
3.4 Lower Slope/High Terrace Hardwood Forests

4. Bottomland Hardwood Forests ..............................................................133

4.1 Bottomland Hardwood Forests

5. Riverfront Forests/Herblands/Sandbars .................................................139

5.1 Cottonwood/Black Willow/River Birch Woodlands
5.2 Sandbars

6. Wet Pine Savannas ..................................................................................147

6.1 Wet Pine Savannas
6.2 Slash Pine Flatwoods

7. Spring Seeps .............................................................................................155

7.1 Hardwood Seeps
7.2 Pine Seeps

8. Bogs ...........................................................................................................163

8.1 Pitcher Plant Flat/Bogs

9. Inland Freshwater Marshes .....................................................................167

9.1 Freshwater Marshes

10. Swamp Forests ........................................................................................171

10.1 Bald Cypress/Gum Swamp Forests
10.2 Small Stream Swamp Forests

11. Lacustrine (Lentic) Communities .........................................................179

11.1 Oxbow Lakes
11.2 Reservoirs
11.3 Artificial Ponds
11.4 Ephemeral (Temporary) Ponds
11.5 Beaver Ponds
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
12. Streams (Lotic Communities) ................................................................193

12.1 Mississippi River
12.2 Northeast Hills , Tennessee River Drainage
12.3 Tombigbee Drainage
12.4 Lower Mississippi North Drainage (LMND) Hatchie And Wolf Systems
12.5 Upper Coastal Plain, Yazoo Drainage
12.6 Big Black River Drainage
12.7 Upper Coastal Plain, Pearl River Drainage
12.8 Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP)
12.9 Lower Coastal Plain, Pearl Drainage
12.10 Pascagoula Drainage
12.11 Coastal Rivers Drainage
12.12 Lake Ponchartrain Drainage
12.13 Lower Mississippi South Drainage

13. Upland Maritime and Estuarine Fringe .................................................233

13.1 Barrier Island Uplands
13.2 Man-Made Beaches
13.3 Barrier Island Wetlands
13.4 Mainland Beaches
13.5 Barrier Island Beaches
13.6 Shell Middens and Estuarine Shrublands
13.7 Maritime Woodlands

14. Estuary and Mississippi Sound
(Inside or Associated with Barrier Islands). ...........................................253

14.1 Estuarine Bays, Lakes and Tidal Streams
14.2 Mississippi Sound
14.3 Estuarine Marshes
14.4 Barrier Island Passes
14.5 Salt Pannes
14.6 Seagrass Beds
14.7 Mollusk Reefs

15. Marine Habitats (Outside Barrier Islands) ...........................................275

15.1 Marine Habitats (Smooth Bottoms)
15.2 Hard Bottoms and Oceanic Reefs
15.3 Artificial Reefs

16. Urban and Suburban Lands .....................................................................283

16.1 Urban And Suburban Lands
16.2 Buildings, Bridges, Overpasses, Etc.

17. Rock Outcrops and Caves ......................................................................289

17.1 Rock Outcrops
17.2 Caves

4. References for this Section
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
Chapter V. Status and Trend Monitoring and Survey and Research Needs ...................303

Chapter VI. Review and Revision of Mississippi’s CWCS ...................................................313

Glossary ....................................................................................................................................315

Supporting References ...........................................................................................................319

Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................329

Appendices

I. IAFWA Guiding Principles ............................................................................335

II. CWCS Committees .......................................................................................339

III. Copy of Survey, Evaluation of Species of Greatest
Conservation Need in Mississippi ............................................................347

IV. Presentations and Meetings Regarding Mississippi’s CWCS .....................353

V. Mississippi’s CWCS Promotional Brochure ................................................357

VI. Articles about Mississippi’s CWCS ...............................................................361

VII. Wildlife Habitat Types and Subtypes by Ecoregion ...................................371

VIII. Mississippi Species of Greatest Conservation Need by Ecoregion ............375

IX. Pelagic and Migratory Bird Species of Concern Included as Groups in
Mississippi’s Wildlife Habitat Subtypes ..................................................381

X. Value of Habitats to SGCN ...........................................................................383

XI. Crosswalk of CWCS Habitat Types and Subtypes with
Ecological Community Types .................................................................391

XII. Interpreting NatureServe Conservation Status Ranks ..............................395

XIII. Survey and Research Needs .........................................................................399
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
MISSISSIPPI’S COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION STRATEGY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction
Mississippi's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) is part of a national collaborative
effort among natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, corporations and private landowners
to address habitat needs of declining wildlife species. These strategies mark the first time in U.S. history
that state wildlife agencies and the broader conservation community have cooperated to design a
conservation blueprint for all wildlife species.

Since the early 1990s, the 3,000-member nationwide Teaming
with Wildlife Coalition has worked to secure funding for state
fish and wildlife agencies to take preventative actions, keeping
rare species from becoming endangered and common species
abundant. In 2001, Congress responded to this need by
creating the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program and from
2001 - 2005, over $300 million has been allocated to state
wildlife agencies.

In order to make the best use of the State Wildlife Grants
(SWG) program, Congress charged each state and territory
with developing a CWCS. Over the past three years, the
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
(MDWFP) has coordinated this effort on behalf of the state of
Mississippi to meet congressional requirements and to
provide a "conservation blueprint" for agencies, organizations,
industries, private landowners and academics across the state to advance sound management of all of our
fish and wildlife resources in the future. The overarching goal of this planning effort is to provide a
guide to effective and efficient long-term conservation of Mississippi's biological diversity.

This document represents the summary of a conservation planning effort that officially began in
response to the congressional mandate, but which actually builds upon many years of research and data
accumulated by the MDWFP staff through the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) and
many other organizations, agencies and individuals. To meet our overarching goal and to fulfill
congressional requirements, we enlisted the help of several individuals, organizations, agencies and
academia. Two CWCS Coordinators, Charles Knight and Elizabeth Barber, organized all aspects of the
development of this strategy in conjunction with a Technical Committee composed of MDWFP
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1