M ’ I S S I S S I P P I S C W O M P R E H E N S I V E I L D L I F E C S O N S E R V A T I O N T R A T E G Y 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 5 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 M ’ I S S I S S I P P I S C O M P R E H E N S I V E W C I L D L I F E O N S E R V A T I O N S T R A T E G Y 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 5 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