FE Waren Air Force Base, threatened and endangered species

archived

The tasks to be performed under this agreement are as follows: The results provide a baseline for FEWAFB to address Colorado butterfly plant status as part of the RNA and RMP frameworks (Grunau et al. 2004), and as originally addressed in a Memorandum of Agreement between FEWAFB and the Service (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1982) that was created to facilitate the preservation, conservation, and management of Colorado butterfly plant. The fieldwork provides close scrutiny and a system for management dialogue. For example, on two separate occasions, a pocket of purple loose-strife (Lythrum salicaria) has been documented in occupied habitat. Likewise, a pocket of Russian knapweed (Centaurea repens) was documented adjoining occupied habitat. They were eradicated immediately and none of these highly invasive species have persisted on the Base. The fieldwork mapping also informed placement of new developments. It has been used to plan management actions that included goat grazing and biocontrol introductions. Consultation meetings and on-site visits have been initiated by FEWAFB in the past for WYNDD input. In addition to the monitoring conventions of previous years, we propose full monitoring replication to quantify error rate, update and produce multiple Population Viability Analyses (Wepprich 2008, Heidel et al. 2010), work to confirm the flea beetle herbivore vector, and publication of PVA/monitoring results. In addition, we look for potential use of the FEWAFB population as a springboard for introducing agencies to Colorado butterfly plant and recovering it and possibly framing other research tasks if they advance recovery.

High