Table Of Content

wii 88072054 Summary of the Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT QL 696 .$83 R42 1992b As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island Territories under U.S. administration. #: 15094367 1D $3072054 Summary of the Draft Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl April, 1992 Manuel Lujan Jr. Secretary of the Interior _ Donald R. Knowles Secretary’s Representative, Team Coordinator John Turner Director, Fish and Wildlife Service tases. | BLM Library Marvin Plenert Denver Federal Center Bidg. 50, OC-521 Regional Director, Pacific Region, and Team Leader P.O. Box 25047 Denver, CO 80225 Jonathan Bart, Chairman; Robert G. Anthony; Melvin Berg; John H. Beuter; Wayne Elmore; John Fay; R.J. Gutiérrez; H. Theodore Heintz, Jr.; Richard S. Holthausen; Kenneth Lathrop; Kent Mays; Richard Nafziger; Martha Pagel; Christine Sproul; Edward E. Starkey, John C. Tappeiner. Team Support: Charles Bruce; Philip Carroll; Susan Earnst; Catherine Elliott; Lawrence Finfer; Gordon Gould; Ann Hanus; David Hays; David Johnson; Linda Kucera; Cay Ogden; Josefa O'Malley; Craig Partridge; Nancy Pollot; Fred Seavey, Raul Tuazon. Illustrations: Allison Banks. This booklet is a summary of the Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT, and describes and summarizes in general terms the concepts, information, and recommendations presented in that document. The recovery plan outlines steps necessary to bring about recovery of the northern spotted owl. If you need the technical detail and maps that are in the complete plan, mail your request to: Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Team U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 911 NE 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97232-4181 Contents PERUUSCE TC Lite we ee ee Reese eee Ea scien vec oheeodnads ti ee Pe BES, erase bree test a | Why does the northern Petied OW MeCE A LCCOVERY DIAN Ce metecetetec irre cecaterscciast co trsttecccsies Wraveacoecenve reds 1 Py CAs PSN AG La Cee eee ets atte aac vec Sa ssmscuees scupous odeeeeraomeerercerstadouses rcusteneecacseatensbeesstscdeueneesePesnscieeDeoveees 2 WWhakicwine iOlbPICAMDaSIS fOly LIS DIAN? wseceacetet cee tartsete tee coe seen ee eaeet es is ce tee totbasse-duoldsve venders voatiecdosues 4 How dees thistplanbachieve a recovered Owl pOpulaliOIN ix... ciicisseecsctisecscedvsovdsseeotsrccsenssacecdscsrebavseterses a HMoWwAvere CCOMOMIE AllenSOCial CLICCLS CONSIGELER? Freres .atttsccs.eere reeacsd no<sscssnasetsetetsasaeniiintinceacssaaiheatven s 6 Wiidtiare ine UKeleelecrs OliLnis TECOVELYy. Plan? «.c.serseceese <accuaeeee cen seenate ss Ure cc heaseerretuvescieeetsarcseuenscued 6 Nevis, OPeie le teyi ce GIs (Ole l. aersien wacne ae eee eee eee eee ee ei ea tate ei eaP e th aei me 9 UCI SIV Bta cl ree ee ae ene ee Pee ees seen cacvcsdcnuserancarcesstacetoananevaardenaetwegsesgaedsesceancyrervavegsevecesere 9 PUI plerO Widens aise aie CU a LIOU MR eee Meme vncvce ns cinae scant san insietn thas otiess 415 ecatevsdeeonaversitalatsstarrsussaroe 10 Natural History.............. Pee Eecs Ai SO Paes me BP hd.Pa cisS eatac peng beers .13 TU EOCU CHORE ret cntn icc tr rics tent seen ater nises ccs cate va edited tiocs Hoa tsu seas aegeces nine tadsicceats oe etars desshaaestovdeciarters ess 13 PPA eee Metre ee totes ea tata catan shares sc eter cc esonetanadngeetatpamaitess sanegaseSeoskeu dus Retenelesteeehcadiouh speveusslabcdecests 13 MAINE CALIG C eer titer a nate nee e; Wenaeie ests set es ove nes Sussaveodseee duet sno aceles negtcumecetoreareeete sites sues ret kesddialtnveadditncets 15 ale Meer rn eet tee aca cnn ts coe ce cece rene rh er cs secs ar steak Mutdtaey asMerde tea tiwa sch aerndtilles Sadenersuuon dellwes ta Gvisbunssechnee 16 Nestine MOIS per sar AllG ULVEVOLSHIp mcr.ce ra cnes cies casn ote ee Mdtene sates. acaes stlces alanssaence ndbesutwach'svbutnay weemeuhe atone 16 POPIIAUIOIMIE LOLCCUIONS toc se teits acct eser tr ore sss oes Fre Eons Leman ewe eee ees Meat an ete see eee et adans Hobe emtmetate eed ttes 17 SSU NTEAITVANY ee eee eis oe mee ae en tat ea os ect ottinte rn teins« isint ientemtoulle th sleben Ue aoea es cFl Os beagle Smeae ee bas wasuenassih se daeslekd deonvens 18 Concepts: Behind the Plan..........:. 1 ese at erae eeN t es reuc cee? MA ERP ERP OUD ATR CHDALTEELe 19 Pel AMPERES PE CICS ACL WISENID car cavaissaxsomos vastcat ioneccueseaeustkraevsoeessvoandessascsowatisornndy sasa rseas svnscihns selnsor ess1 9 CVE SIPAleoIC COMCe PEs arene tert trite eres cern een etnias ca tee ra cssesetevertosavedascseesarensaqmeisetnerc sceaeb detreesg anevranye s 20 Reval MOmWMPICa OMe tise ere ence te eee cat xan cree cosst es seins oes ssnessehine sansa saesrwsovenwdes tab )iso neds ssc aatie os ewe 21 WSeV ECONOMIC ONCE DUS megan. herrea ener ta ceeerecnnts Ie sta ots via cecunes enue tyes scracncuarsderewhsentaei presen andreeeseiies eves sci 22 ASouUmMArY OL LaewRecovery Blan... to yess ecnnses-ss es gee BS, cae ils< < Pepe 25 PPLETOUUICCION sieee eee ee eer earns eerie Ree cen <seciticv cn iieiese saves Ghuhe staeceseaderesunesshesWhraberadiesesveecessecsens 25 DecinatediConsaeumO me nrc as GA Shere errno cacy sso sscarrs scenoeeescnetiws sovekeenas¥tanenatteeiascabistsesnseasashceees s 25 Mataeemients Wit naa)C Seem ree ee ete ane eee nieneate salslsahds ace sive ce snos acer ote dandeNewsaswtseianrdsidedeh savcatsaseaeesevevncess 26 Management on Mederaliancd Outside: DCAS oGiieuvcr.ceacncsvanssvosdosehusausaeverroceahscavenniendeesesssonetarsesescess af INGHicO Cra) baie ee eee rere ee eee eee cen awn oylacis usecase heme sydanes ements asapeds oseeaiecetiecsaeoaseesavecsents 27 TrplemCea nOr eerste te ere. aren sro tacen «colo calseoaevnnwusudashsecqeei'esuteadsuaaen e Fo 28 Momitoring and: Reseakc emer sete PR ccuecannsts vaeccdomnssakecag ers icedasttons BpCe OME Ss 5. caw adel caNs 29 What is the Recovery Peanweand what did it'do? ....0..5..0...0037o yp eoenss ereeeee stots ape | ICME COVETY SC ATE emer pee ee, ae ene taser an a iasin ds «te navnenssaccyeet opesawerenescnrtier PUDnCrVOlVeTICia ener eae ee errr eeu ccdiecen rs. tasncaresscsatoncrs very aenastwees en tsa RECOV OLY 11C al) WICMIDeh ammer rn ee eco es coin nae ne vaksrortasnsesacenystatseunecees y st Glossary Fawn lily (Erythronium revolutum). In a Nutshell... Why does the northern The listing launched a detailed effort to provide pro- tection for northern spotted owls and their remain- spotted owl need a ing habitat. Unfortunately, much of this habitat is the same remnant old-growth forest that the recovery plan? region’s timber industry planned to harvest in the near future. The ensuing debate has resulted in constantly changing forest management plans, ap- peals of plans, protests against timber sales, law- The Endangered Species Act, a federal law passed suits, short-term legislation, convening of the in 1973, requires that a recovery plan be. prepared cabinet-level Endangered Species Committee, and for any species that becomes federally listed as uncertainty in the timber industry about the con- “threatened” or “endangered.” Species are listed tinued availability of timber from federal lands. when evidence shows that existing conditions and trends in land use are leading them toward extinc- At the same time there has been a continuing loss tion. A recovery plan is written to guide actions of northern spotted owls and their habitat, and needed to get the species off the list, and return it planning for the owl has remained poorly coordi- to a condition where it no longer requires the spe- nated. The northern spotted owl recovery plan pro- cial protections of the law. The northern spotted vides a biologically sound method to recover the owl, owl was listed as a threatened species on June 26, remove the uncertainty about timber supply, and 1990, because the available evidence indicated that bring some stability to people who depend on the management of its habitat was leading it toward timber industry in this region. r extinction (see Figure 1). 7 z a 6 cq) I arr Og 12S ee rses 4 = yn Bats en ee = Ua £ = 2 FL ; 1 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 Figure 1: This graph shows the trend in northern spotted owl habitat in the Oregon Coast Range and western Oregon Cascades provinces, illustrating why the bird is threatened. These two Oregon provinces were chosen for the illustration because data for all ownerships were available. What is the plan’? 7. Mechanisms that implement the recovery plan, provide oversight and coordination, yet rely primarily on existing authorities and planning procedures. The Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, developed by the 18-member Recovery Team, has seven key elements: ae 1. A network of 196 designated conservation z a rf areas (DCAs), each protecting enough habitat a } So me q +a on federal forestlands to support a number of = eat n breeding pairs of owls. These areas are uni- - 5s sty Washington formly spaced in the western portions of Wash- ington and Oregon, and in northwestern Puss California, in a way that meets the owl’s bio- & - logical needs (see Figure 2). Approximately 7.5 i ‘Vo million acres of federal land are included in DCAs, about 2.1 million acres of which are 3 ty within wilderness areas or national parks. w is: ‘ 2. Guidelines for forest management and other oy yw % ay” re” activities on federal lands in the DCAs, includ- = £ ay = &,. ing prohibition of timber harvest in suitable S a of owl habitat. cy at. ety Oregon ae boat 3. Guidelines for forest management on fed- ry i eral lands outside the DCAs to support the <; DCA network where it is deficient and provide wy MnS r *f ; 4 dispersal habitat among DCAs. These guide- ia mec lines initially will add about 410,000 acres to the total protected acreage. b ;S uei y 4. A set of standards for judging when the northern spotted owl has reached recovery, de- 4 V4i ngete eat se fined as a self-sustaining population without yi need for further help under the Endangered ‘tt Species Act. The plan allows these standards to be applied to owl populations in each of the t,@ California 11 provinces independently or in groups (see so4 Figure 3). 5. Recommendations for contributions from nonfederal forestlands to support northern spotted owl populations. 6. A monitoring and research program that will seek new information about northern spotted owls and their habitat, and develop and test techniques for creating and maintaining Figure 3. The recovery plan’s network of owl habitat while allowing appropriate forest designated conservation areas (DCAs). management. Sivmolcieninsulas Western Washington Lowlands — — — — Western Washington Cascades — — — — revo ModsunanGct = YG WUa I TY Us aera Same nee cre Se ae re et (has virtually no northern spotted owl habitat; is not discussed as a province in this recovery plan). Eastern Oregon Cascades — — — — — J Western Oregon Cascades — — — — Oregon Klamidine-— eS Califiomnia,Cascades 9... Galiiomia Kiamath) == —— = sce CoulGlaiane Oa sl.) ee Figure 3. Provinces within the range of the northern spotted owl in the United States. What is the biological How does this plan basis for this plan? achieve a recovered owl population? Starting from information and strategies in the In- teragency Scientific Committee (ISC) report of 1990, the recovery plan is based on scientific field stud- The recovery plan starts with 7.5 million acres of ies of the habitat conditions northern spotted owls habitat protected in DCAs on federally managed use for nesting, feeding, resting, and traveling land (primarily U.S. Bureau of Land Management through the forest. It also is based on information [BLM] and U.S. Forest Service land, see Figure 4) about birth and survival rates and the movement and arranged in a way that will support local clus- patterns of owls. This information was analyzed ters of breeding northern spotted owls (see Figure according to the scientific concepts of conservation 2). Some additional blocks of habitat support owl biology. Theories and mathematical models of pairs, clusters of pairs, or individual owls on fed- population dynamics were used to determine the eral and some nonfederal land where the DCA net- appropriate size of northern spotted owl population work has inadequate suitable habitat. The recovery clusters, the habitat that must exist for owls to plan also recommends sufficient habitat of adequate | travel between cluster areas, and the overall owl condition on federal and nonfederal land outside population necessary to be self-sustaining. DCAs for the owls to travel between DCAs. This is called dispersal habitat. Studies of the growth and development of forests under natural conditions and under human man- The DCAs are a combination of existing suitable owl agement also were considered. Silvicultural mod- habitat and unsuitable habitat made up of younger els were used to study opportunities for promoting forests. These younger forest stands will be allowed, more rapid development of suitable owl habitat con- or encouraged through management, to mature into ditions by appropriately managing younger forests. suitable owl habitat. When the DCAs have developed into suitable habitat, they will support a total population of about 2,300 breeding pairs of northern spotted owls. In combination with the additional habitat blocks, dispersal habitat, and contributions from nonfederal land, this DCA network will provide an owl population that is sufficient in size and distribution throughout the owl’s range to survive and replenish itself despite natural threats such as fires, storms, and disease (see Fig- ure 3).