Evaluating Flora and Fauna Diversity in the John Day/ Willow Creek Project for Special Status Species Protection

Project ID: W912HZ-16-2-0031

Federal Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Partner Institution: University of Washington

Fiscal Year: 2016

Initial Funding: $284,968

Total Funding: $494,918

Principal Investigator: Lawler, Joshua

Abstract: We will complete a comprehensive inventory of flora and fauna and delineate the ecological communities across the John Day/ Willow Creek Project area (referred to as Project lands hereafter), as defined by the Army Corps of Engineers. Our inventory will identify the presence, locations, coverage and habitat quality of terrestrial state and federal threatened and endangered species and invasive, nuisance and noxious species within delineated ecological communities. We will enter relevant data into a GIS database and generate a series of maps to show a detailed, scaled overview of ecological communities, species habitats, and general habitat conditions.
Specifically, we will accomplish the following objectives:
1) Apply scientifically rigorous surveys to inventory and identify terrestrial animal and plant species and their habitats. This inventory will include native and non-native and invasive, threatened and endangered, noxious and nuisance plants and wildlife on 13,600 acres of Project lands;
2) Delineate and identify dominant ecological communities, including abiotic components on the Project lands;
3) Assess the status, health, and viability of resident wildlife, plant populations, and their habitats, including special status species, as well as biological diversity, and environmental health of ecological communities on the Project lands;
4) Provide qualitative and quantitative information about the identity, location, and abundance of state and federal classified invasive and noxious species within dominant ecological communities;
5) Develop an integrated pest management plan.