Interagency Special Status /
Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP)

Conservation Planning Tools

[ Photograph ] Usnea Longissima Lichen Management for sensitive species follows Forest Service Region 6 Sensitive Species Policy as identified in Forest Service Manual (FSM) Section 2670. Management of Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Special Status Species follows agency policy documented in the BLM Manual Section 6840.

Under Forest Service policy, agency botanists and biologists review programs and activities, through a Biological Evaluation, as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process, to determine potential effects on sensitive species. Proposed management actions “must not result in a loss of species viability or create significant trends toward Federal listing” (FSM 2670.32).

Under BLM policy, BLM Districts are responsible to assess, review and document the effects of a proposed action on Bureau Sensitive and/or Bureau Assessment species. The effects of Bureau proposed actions are documented through a systematic, interdisciplinary evaluation following the decision making process as described in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. BLM Districts will also determine and document that District decisions would not contribute to the need to list Bureau Sensitive and Assessment species under the Endangered Species Act.

In order to conduct these evaluations, agency personnel need to know species habitat requirements and distribution, assess likelihood of species occurrence, and assess the risk of impacts. This section provides “tools” that biologists and botanists can use (but are not required to use) to assist in determining what level of analysis should be completed in order to make an assessment of potential impacts from proposed management actions.

Vertebrates

General

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife posts vertebrate conservation planning tools from the Gap Analysis Program on their website: http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/gap/dataprod.htm. Included on this website are maps of potential habitat and distribution for key mammals, birds, and amphibians and reptiles. For each species listed, there is a distribution model and a predicted distribution that may be downloaded.

The Oregon Explorer website, by Oregon State University, has an expansive wildlife portal that allows users to find out about the Oregon Conservation Strategy and access to a broad range of wildlife information for areas around the state. The “Oregon Wildlife Explorer” portal, http://www.oregonexplorer.info/wildlife, provides a single point of access for current and historic wildlife distribution maps, wildlife photos, local wildlife plans and other information. As an example, if you go the link, scroll down to Wildlife in Your Area (middle bottom), click on Launch the Wildlife Viewer. Click on the Species tab and type in any species. This brings up general information as well as a current and historic distribution map. Clicking either of the maps will enlarge them, but by copying them to a file and then opening the map with Microsoft photo editor (or similar) you can enlarge the picture to the general area you are interested in.