Interagency Special Status /
Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP)
Conservation Planning Tools
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 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 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.
Some of our FS and BLM Sensitive and Strategic species may have had research conducted and science published by the U.S. Forest Service Research and Development. Publications and products can be found on the Pacific Northwest Research Station Publications and Products page, https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/index.shtml. In order to find publications or products, the site offers the Treesearch system, https://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/. Treesearch is an online system for sharing free, full text publications by Research and Development scientists in the U.S. Forest Service. Included in Treesearch are scholarly works published by the agency as well as those published by others, including papers appearing in journals, conference proceedings, or books. All publications appearing in Treesearch are based on peer reviewed research to make sure they provide the best scientific information possible. This science may also help with assessing effects to Sensitive species.
Page Contents
- Vertebrates
- Invertebrates
- General Botany
- Fungi
- Vascular Plants
- Bryophytes
- Lichens
- Species Distribution Maps
Vertebrates
General
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife includes vertebrate conservation planning tools within their 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The SWAP can be accessed on the following website, http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/cwcs/. Included on this website are species facts sheets (Appendix A) and range and potential habitat distribution Maps (Appendix B) for specific mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes (Appendix B).
Washington's SWAP is a comprehensive plan for conserving the state's fish and wildlife and the natural habitats on which they depend. It is part of a nationwide effort by all 50 states and 5 U.S. territories to develop conservation action plans and participate in the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program. The purpose of the SWG Program is to support state actions that broadly benefit wildlife and habitats, but particularly "Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)" as identified by each individual state.
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.
- Wildlife Conservation in the Willamette Valley’s Remnant Prairie and Oak Habitats: A Research Synthesis, January 2010 - Adobe .pdf File - 651K
Amphibians
- General
- Literature review of grazing effects on amphibians - 2020 (External Link)
- Rana lutieventris, Columbia spotted frog
- Improving and Creating Columbia Spotted Frog Habitat - 2008 - Word .doc file - 101K
- Timing of Habitat Improvement Projects - Word .doc file - 112K
- Grazing Effects White Paper and Management Recommendations, 2008 - Word .doc file - 73K
- Rana pretiosa, Oregon Spotted frog
- Annotated Bibliography of Field Studies on the Overwintering Habitat - 2011 - Word .doc File - 1.3M
Fish
- Catostomus microps, Modoc sucker
- Post-delisting Monitoring Plan - 2015 - Adobe .pdf File - 1.4M
- Entosphenus tridentatus, Pacific lamprey
- Barriers to Adult Pacific Lamprey at Road Crossing: Guidelines for Evaluating and Providing Passage - 2020 - Adobe .pdf File - 9.5M
- Best Management Guidelines for Native Lampreys During In-water Work Living Document – 2020 - Adobe .pdf File - 6.7M
- Oregonichthys crameri, Oregon chub
- Post-delisting Monitoring Plan - 2014 - Adobe .pdf File - 1.2M
- Rhinichthys osculus ssp, Foskett speckled dace
- Final Post-delisting Monitoring Plan - 2019 - Adobe .pdf File - 615K
Mammals
Bats
Conservation and Land Management
- Acceptable Management Practices for Bat Control Activities in Structures - 2015 - Adobe .pdf File - 321K
- Acceptable Management Practices for Bat Species Inhabiting Transportation Infrastructure - 2018 - Adobe .pdf File - 4.6M
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Bat Conservation Plan, State of Washington - June 2013 - Adobe .pdf File - 6.5M
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Living with Wildlife
- Bat Conservation and Management home page
- Bat Conservation International home page
- Managing Abandoned Mines for Bats - 2009
- Forest Management and Bats - 2006
- Bats in American Bridges - 1999
- Water for Wildlife, A Handbook for Ranchers and Range Managers
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) main website
- WNS National Response Plan
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Guidance, Wind Energy Development
- Western Bat Working Group, Papers of Interest on Bat Conservation
Wildlife Explorer, Wildlife Viewer, Oregon
This is an interactive tool for the state of Oregon. You will need to select the Order, Bats-Chiroptera, and then the Family Vespertilionidae, and then the species. What results are maps of historic and current distribution and potential habitat, and other information on status, habitat, food, threats, etc. http://oe.oregonexplorer.info/Wildlife/wildlifeviewer/?SciName=Mammalia&TaxLevel=order
Contacts for Bat cave gate installation:
Jason Ringenberg
AML Closure Specialist, Eng. Equip. Operator
R4, Sawtooth NF, Ketchum, ID
208-420-3911
jringenberg@fs.fed.us
Jeff Gabardi
Mining Engineer
R4, RO, Bio-Physical Resources
Twin Falls, ID
208-737-3205
jgarbardi@fs.fed.us
These employees primarily do closure work on Abandoned Mine Lands (AML), but can also do cave gating on Forest Service and BLM lands in Oregon and Washington, but will need a job code. To reduce the costs of the cave closure, try to coordinate your cave gate proposal with their AML work that may be in the same vicinity. They do have an agreement with BLM Oregon in the Jackson County area and could probably do a similar arrangement elsewhere, but the AML work has priority.
Reptiles
- Guidance for Conserving Oregon's Native Turtles including Best Management Practices, ODFW – 2015 - Adobe .pdf File - 2.4M
Invertebrates
- Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)
- Polites mardon, Mardon skipper
Clams, Oysters & Mussels (Class Bivalvia)
- Best Management Practices Protecting Native Western Freshwater Mussels during Aquatic and Riparian Restoration, Construction, and Land Management Projects and Activities - 2018 - Adobe .pdf File - 5.0M
- Freshwater Mussel Relocation Guidelines, September 2009 - Adobe .pdf File - 73K
- Guide to the Essential Steps for Protecting Freshwater Mussels in Aquatic and Riparian Restoration, Construction, and Land Management Projects and Activities - 2019 - Adobe .pdf File - 1.3M
Snails and Slugs (Class Gastropoda)
- Effects of Forest Land Management on Terrestrial Mollusks - 2012 - Word .doc file - 258K
General Botany
- Botanical Implementation and Validation Monitoring of Project Buffer, First Year Report - Adobe .pdf File - 665K
- Botanical Implementation and Validation Monitoring of Project Buffers, Second Year Report - Adobe .pdf File - 1.9M
- Botanical Implementation and Validation Monitoring of Project Buffers, Third Year Report - Adobe .pdf File - 2.4M
Fungi
Fungi Effects Tools
- National Environmental Policy Act Fungi Template - 2014 - Word .docx File - 27K
- Annotated Bibliography of Information Potentially Pertaining to Management of Rare Fungi on the Special Status Species list for California, Oregon, and Washington - Word .docx File - 323K
- Attachment 1: Potential Impacts to Fungi – 2020 - Excel .xlsx File - 29K
- Attachment 2: Alphabetical index of fungi effects references – 2020 - Excel .xlsx File - 57K
General Information
- Listed Fungi in the PNW –Sensitive Species - 2020 - Word .docx File - 42K
- Listed Fungi in the PNW –Survey and Manage - 2020 - Word .docx File - 75K
- Fungi Work Group Information Sheet - 2011 - Adobe .pdf File - 76K
- Mycologist Request - 2011 - Word .doc File - 217K
Vascular Plants
- General
- Habitat Modeling of Fire, Associated Vascular Plant Species of Conservation Concern - 2020 - Adobe .pdf File - 1.1M
- Pogogyne floribunda
- Conservation Status and Natural History of POFL in Oregon - September 2006 - Adobe .pdf File - 2.0M
Bryophytes
- General
- Sensitive and Survey and Manage Bryophytes in the PNW – 2019 - Word .docx File - 50K
Lichens
- Sensitive and Survey and Manage Lichens of OR/WA – 2019- Word .docx File - 39K
Species Distribution Maps