Cumberland HCP Biological Goals and Objectives. The Path from Covered Species to Conservation Approach Select Covered Species Group species by habitat.

Cumberland HCP

Biological Goals and Objectives

The Path from Covered Species to Conservation Approach

Select Covered Species

Group species by habitat category/type

Set Biological Goals

Determine Objectives

Define Conservation Approach

Group Species by Key Limiting Factors/ Select Umbrella Species

What ARE Biological Goals and Objectives?

Biological Goals are BROAD statements

Objectives are SPECIFIC statements

that…

identify specified expected outcomes with full

implementation of the HCP for the covered species and

habitat types.

Key Limiting Factors

KLF’s are those factors that most influence the habitats of the covered species and thus, population viability.

KLFs form the basis for the development of the1. Objectives 2. Take Models3. Conservation Measures

Substrate (gravel, boulder, bedrock)

Less than 25% embeddness

Greater than 6 ppm dissolved O2

Spotfin Chub KLFs

. What the BGOs do

The provision of our habitats and KLFs

threatens the habitats and KLFs

of the covered species

The BGOs lead us to ways to protect and conserve the

habitats and KLFs of the

covered species

While encouraging Economic Growth,

ImprovedQuality of Life,

and Pride in

Community

THE

CUMBERLAND HCP

BIOLOGICAL GOALS

• The protection and conservation of

viable populations of the covered species

Biological Goal #1

Biological Goal # 2

• The conservation and restoration of those habitats and ecological processes essential to the life

history requirements of

the covered species

Steps 3 and 4:_____________________

Group species by habitatcategory/type and by KLFs.

Select Umbrella species

3 Habitat Categories and 7 Habitat Types

AQUATIC (1 type)

SEMI-AQUATIC (2 types)

TERRESTRIAL (3 types)

Species with closely similar KLFs within the same habitat type were

grouped under an umbrella species

AN UMBRELLA SPECIES IS A SURROGATE FOR OTHER SPECIES

SHARING THE SAME HABITAT, SUCH THAT PRACTICES FOR

CONSERVING THE UMBRELLA SPECIES SHOULD BE EFFECTIVE AT

CONSERVING ALL OTHER SPECIES WITHIN THE SAME HABITAT

UMBRELLA SPECIES

Aquatic Habitat

Type

Covered Species:Pristine crayfishSpotfin chubObey crayfishHellbenderSickle darterPurple beanTennessee pondweed

Perennial Stream

Semi-Aquatic Habitat Types

Intermittently Flooded Bedrock/boulder/cobble/gravel bed

Covered Species:

Cumberland dusky salamander

Cumberland rosemary

Large-flowered Barbara’s buttons

Virginia spiraea

Cumberland sandgrass

Seepage Wetland/Riparian ForestWhite fringeless orchidCumberland dusky salamander

Semi-Aquatic Habitat Types

Terrestrial Habitat Types

Early Successional/Woodland

Golden-winged warbler

Loggerhead shrike

Riparian Forest/Caves

Indiana batGray batEastern small-footed batNorthern long-eared bat

Terrestrial Habitat Types

Interior Mature Forest

Cerulean warbler

Swainson’s warbler

Timber rattlesnake

Terrestrial Habitat Types

Steps 5 and 6_____________________

Define Objectives and Determine Conservation

Approach

Aquatic Habitat Objectives

1.Conserve and restore normal water chemistry, water clarity, and substrate integrity to maintain aquatic habitats and support viable populations of the

covered species

2. Conserve and restore the

necessary distribution and

abundance of high quality

aquatic habitat that supports

viable populations of the covered species

Aquatic Habitat Objectives

3. Conserve and restore aquatic corridors that allow free movement/passage of covered aquatic species.

Aquatic Habitat Objectives

4.Conserve and restore natural flow regimes to support and maintain instream habitat heterogeneity needed by populations of the covered species.

5. Discourage the spread of

invasive species that could

compete with or degrade

the habitat of covered

aquatic species. Rusty

rusty crayfish

Semi-Aquatic Biological Objectives

1. Conserve and restore normal water chemistry, water clarity, and substrate integrity to maintain aquatic habitats and support viable populations of the covered species

2. Conserve the necessary distribution and abundance of high quality semi-aquatic habitat that supports viable populations of the covered species

3. Conserve and restore habitat corridors to allow free movement/passage of the covered species

Semi-Aquatic Biological Objectives

4. Conserve the natural, undisturbed flow regime to maintain the necessary semi-aquatic habitats

Semi-Aquatic Biological Objectives

5. Discourage the spread of invasive species that could

dominate the habitat and

out-compete the covered species for life requirements.

Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Conservation Approach

• Protect riparian zones, streams, and wetlands by establishing buffer and revegetation requirements.

• Maintain and restore

habitat connectivity.

Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Conservation Approach

• Facilitate low-impact development (LID), the most effective E&S control methods, and pollutant-removal/volume-based stormwater management methods for all new development and re-development projects

Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Conservation Approach

• Promote the implementation of Best Available Technology and maintenance for domestic wastewater treatment and disposal systems

• Ensure the strict implementation of conservation measures through appropriate planning and inspection

Benefits

• This approach will benefit the umbrella species and all covered species by protecting the clean water, shaded streams, sediment-free natural substrates, natural hydrologic regimes, and vegetated riparian zones that these species require.

Benefits

• The removal of and reduction in development-related impacts to the streams is anticipated to result in passive restoration of stream banks and substrates over time.

• In some highly impacted areas,

active stream restoration will be

necessary and should be

encouraged for private-public

partnership conservation projects

and as mitigation for unavoidable

impacts under permitted activities.

Benefits

• This approach will benefit all of the covered species in the semi-aquatic and aquatic habitats by avoiding or minimizing water quality degradation and hydrologic alterations, and the loss of vegetated riparian habitats, seepage wetlands, and corridors.

Benefits

• This conservation approach will have the additional benefit of protecting species in the terrestrial habitats by preserving corridors for movement and dispersal, and protecting foraging/ roosting habitat for the bat species.

Terrestrial Biological Objectives

1. Conserve the necessary distribution, abundance, areal extent, and diversity of terrestrial habitat to support viable

a populations of covered

species.

2. Conserve habitat corridors to allow free movement/passage of the covered species.

Terrestrial Biological Objectives

3. Conserve key ecological features within terrestrial habitats (e.g., rock outcrops).

• 4. Discourage the spread of invasive species that could dominate the habitat and out-compete the covered species for life requirements

Terrestrial Conservation Approach

• Ensure the strict implementation of conservation measures through appropriate planning and inspection

Next Step: Conservation Measures

The Conservation Measures will be based on the Objectives and

Conservation Approaches

Comments / Questions?