Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Conservation Strategies for Agricultural Landscapes: The Yolo Natural Heritage Program NCCP/ HCP Presented to the Seventh Annual Workshop on Habitat Conservation Planning From Tahoe to the Bay Daniel Airola Airola Environmental Consulting/SAIC November 18, 2009

Yolo Natural Heritage Program - Key Elem ents  County-wide HCP/ NCCP  654,000 acres  50 year permit  Goals • Conserve natural heritage • Support viability of the agricultural economy • Promote smart, sensible economic growth • Protect natural areas and features • Preserve open space areas and enhance recreation  A Conservation Plan, not just a mitigation plan

Yolo NHP Covered Activities  Wide range of Covered Activities addressed  Development under General Plans  only 3-5% of land area  Utilities, transportation, flood control, water supply, parks  new facilities  operations and maintenance  Agriculture  ongoing activities  limited conversion of natural habitats

Yolo County Agriculture  The County’s primary economic activity  Cultivated agric = 360,000 ac  56% of total land area  Highly diverse mix of agricultural crops  Farmlands provide important habitat value  21 of 65 covered species Engaging farmers is critical to the conservation strategy

Value of Crops to Covered Wildlife 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Natural Pasture Rice Grain and Alfalfa Seed Crops Orchard/ Truck Habitat Hay Vineyard crops

HCP Coverage Needs for Agriculture • Incidental mortality and injury to species • Habitat change • Marketing benefit of conservation (“Certified”)

Yolo Agricultural Landscape is Dynam ic  Shorter term changes  Annual condition changes - prepping, cultivating, growing, harvesting  Crop rotations among years  Water availability  Potential longer term changes:  Crop economics  Water sales  Development  Climate change

Process for Incorporating Agricultural Species Conservation into the NHP  Describe agricultural habitats  Describe species relationships to habitats  Identify habitat goals for species  Evaluate contributions to goals provided by agriculture  Integrate agricultural lands with natural communities

Agricultural Crop Groups Crop Type Acres Percent FIELD CROPS 99,284 27% GRAIN AND HAY CROP 74,139 20% TRUCK & BERRY CROPS 64,370 18% PASTURE 41,863 11% RICE 30,411 8% DECIDUOUS FRUITS AND NUTS 25,756 7% IDLE 15,862 4% VINEYARD 9,438 3% SEMIAGRICULTURAL & INCIDENTAL TO AGRICULTURE 3,339 1% CITRUS AND SUBTROPICAL 303 0% Total Acres of Agriculture 364,765 100% Total Acres in County 653,629

Yolo Agriculture Crops Field Crops Pasture Vineyard Cotton Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures Safflower Clover Citrus and Subtropical Sugar beets Mixed pasture Oranges Corn (field and sweet) Native pasture Olives Grain sorghum Miscellaneous grasses (grown for Kiwi Sudan seed) Eucalyptus Beans (dry) Turf farms Sunflowers Idle Grain and Hay Truck and Berry Crops Sem i-Agriculture Asparagus Rice Farmsteads Beans (green) Livestock Feed Lots Cole crops Deciduous Fruits & Nuts Poultry Farms Carrots Apples Melons, squash, and cucumbers Apricots Onions and garlic Cherries Tomatoes Peaches and nectarines Flowers, nursery, Christmas tree Pears farms Prunes Mixed (four or more) Figs Miscellaneous Miscellaneous Bush berries Almonds Strawberries Walnuts Peppers Pistachios Broccoli Cabbage

Rating Species Use of Crops: Habitat Suitability Model Approach  Review scientific literature  Input from knowledgeable species biologists  Model development  Identify Covered Species that use agricultural lands  Develop list of crops used by each species  Identify relative value of each crop - for different uses (foraging, breeding, resting, dispersal)  Key distance variables: to nesting habitat, water, etc  Prepare matrix of species-crop habitat values  Summarized in Species Accounts and Species Models

Yolo NHP Covered Agricultural Species  Giant garter snake  Burrowing owl  Western pond turtle  Long-eared owl  White-tailed kite  Short-eared owl  Bald eagle  Yellow-billed magpie  Northern harrier  Loggerhead shrike  Swainson’s hawk  Yellow-headed blackbird  Golden eagle  Tricolored blackbird  Peregrine falcon  Western red Bat  Prairie falcon  Townsend’s western big-eared bat  Mountain plover  Pallid bat  Black tern

Assign Habitat Values for Species Use of Each Agricultural Crop  Per-acre habitat suitability ratings of crops  Very High 1.0  High 0.75  Moderate 0.5  Low 0.25  Very low 0.1  None 0.0

Species-Crop Habitat Matrix

Determ ine Habitat Values of Each Agricultural Type  Calculate Ha bita t Units for Species  Habitat Units = [crop habitat suitability value] x [# acres of crop]  Creates a “common currency” for assessing the value of different combinations of crops

Determ ine Overall Habitat Value  Example: Long-billed Curlew Ag Habitat Type Value Acres Habitat Units Pasture Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures 0.75 * 33,549 = 25,162 Clover 0.5 * 61 = 31 Mixed pasture 0.5 * 4,037 = 2,019 Native pasture 0.75 * 2,371 = 1,778 Misc. grasses (grown for seed) 0.5 * 1,337 = 669 Turf farms 0.5 * 325 = 163 Grain and Hay 0.75 * 74,139 = 55,604 Rice 0.75 * 30,411 = 22,808 0 All other Ag Types 0 * 218,534 = 10 8 ,233 TOTAL HABITAT UNITS

Use of Agricultural Habitat Valuations  Describe existing values of agricultural lands  Evaluate future scenarios - changes in agricultural use  Incorporate with habitat values for other land cover types used by covered species (uplands, riparian, developed)  Assess goals achievement in Conservation Strategies and adjust  Serve as a basis for monitoring plan accomplishments  Use plan monitoring to improve habitat valuation models