Wildlife

The Wildlife Resource Value Team will address the effectiveness of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) at maintaining wildlife habitat and species across their natural ranges and over time in British Columbia.  Initial evaluations will focus on mechanisms within FRPA that address the conservation of wildlife habitat for species at risk and ungulate species including:

• Ungulate winter range; (UWR)
• Wildlife habitat areas; (WHA)
• Objectives for wildlife habitat areas; and
• General wildlife measures.

The priority Wildlife Resource Value evaluation question is:

Do ungulate winter ranges and wildlife habitat areas maintain the habitats, structures and functions necessary to meet the goals of the area and is the amount, quality and distribution of these areas contributing effectively with the surrounding land base (including protected areas and managed land base) to ensure the survival of the species now and over time?

Framework for Evaluating Wildlife Resource Values

The Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Wildlife Resource Values provides a prioritized and standardized approach for evaluating wildlife habitat practices under FRPA. This framework was developed because of the number and variety of species that must be addressed, the rare and elusive nature of these species, and the inherent complexity of monitoring wildlife.

• Framework for Evaluating Wildlife Resource Values (PDF, 783kb) September 2009NEW

Wildlife Resource Value Evaluation Approach

The Wildlife Resource Value Team follows a monitoring and evaluation approach consisting of the following steps:

1. Identify key monitoring objectives and questions
2. Develop conceptual model to select indicators
3. Develop draft monitoring protocol to measure the indicators
4. Pilot test and finalize monitoring protocol
5. Collect and analyze the data
6. Report results and make recommendations

A summary of the Wildlife Resource Value Team approach is available in the following document:

Effectiveness Evaluation for Wildlife in British Columbia under the Forest and Range Practices Act Abstract: The Wildlife Resource Value Team (WRVT) initiated the development of tools and approaches to effectiveness evaluation for wildlife using a selection of six species from among many potential wildlife candidates.  Next steps will include testing and implementing the work to date in pilot projects; expanding to other species and habitat elements; and considering how to address effectiveness evaluations for other management tools.

Progress (2010)

Projects advance through evaluation steps based on priority and available resources:

• Progress (2010) (PDF)

Priorities

Initial priorities for development of monitoring protocols and implementation of monitoring projects are determined by ranking species according to three criteria:

1. BC Conservation Framework priority (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/conservationframework/);
2. Number or hectares of implemented habitat tool (WHA/UWR); and
3. Importance of habitat management tool to species conservation
   (i.e., is it the only tool to address species habitat or one of several).

Species priorities are then considered in context of current resources, existing commitments as well as the feasibility, benefit, and urgency of the project.

Current priorities are Coastal Tailed Frog, Marbled Murrelet, "Queen Charlotte" Goshawk and completion of ongoing projects for Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog, Badger, Gopher Snake/Western Rattlesnake, Mountain Goat and Caribou.

Guidance Documents

A Guide to Wildlife Resource Value Effectiveness Evaluations
A provincial guide to the main steps involved in a WRV evaluation is currently under development.

Conceptual Models for Wildlife Effectiveness Evaluations
A review of conceptual models with recommendations for wildlife effectiveness evaluations will be available soon.

Effectiveness Project Reports

The following reports are organized by evaluation step (see Progress 2010 above).  These are provided for information and background to approved FREP Reports. The following reports are recommendations provided by consultants.

Question and Indicator Reports

Discussion papers on the selection of appropriate monitoring questions and indicators have been completed and will be used to develop monitoring protocols and pilot studies. The following discussion papers have been developed as recommendations by consultants:

• Monitoring the Effectiveness of Mountain Goat Habitat Management - 2005; (PDF, 578Kb)
• Development of questions and indicators for determining the effectiveness of wildlife habitat areas for Badgers; (PDF)
• Development of questions and indicators for determining the effectiveness of wildlife habitat areas established for the White-headed Woodpecker; (PDF, 406Kb)
• Development of questions and indicators for determining the effectiveness of wildlife habitat areas established for Rocky Mountain Tailed Frogs; (PDF)
• Indicators and Methods for Monitoring the Effectiveness of Gopher Snake Wildlife Habitat Areas; (PDF)

Protocols

The following documents, prepared by consultants, will form the basis of WRV protocols:

• Wildlife Habitat Area Effectiveness Evaluations Protocol for Monitoring the Effectiveness of Badger Wildlife Habitat Areas Version 1.4 March 31, 2007; (PDF)
• Preliminary Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog WHA Monitoring Protocol, March 2006 (DRAFT); (PDF)
• Draft Protocol for Monitoring the Effectiveness of Mountain Goat Winter Ranges, March 2009; (PDF)

Pilot Studies

• Preliminary results of a pilot routine evaluation for the Great Basin Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola); (PDF)
• Monitoring the Effectiveness of Ungulate Winter Ranges Established for Mountain Goats: Establishing Monitoring Protocols and Ecological Baselines; March 2006 (PDF, 5.8Mb)
• Mountain Goat Effectiveness Monitoring Project, 2007 (PDF)
• Effectiveness Evaluations for the Fir Mountain, Johnson Lake and Ta Ta Creek Airport South Badger Wildlife Habitat Areas in 2006; April 5, 2007 (PDF)
• Effectiveness Evaluations for the Lost Dog South, North Kikomun Creek, Sheep Creek, South McGinty Lake, Ta Ta Creek Airport North and West Yahk River Badger Wildlife Habitat Areas in 2007; November 2009 (PDF) NEW
• Effectiveness Monitoring of Badger Wildlife Habitat Areas: Summary of Current Areas and Recommendations for Developing and Applying Protocols; July 2009 PDF NEW

Strategic Evaluations

A strategic evaluation addresses the broader objective of maintaining sufficient well-distributed habitat. The following analyses have been developed as recommendations by consultants:

• Preliminary results of conservation analysis for the Great Basin Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola); (PDF, 1.9Mb)
• Preliminary results of conservation analysis for the Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog (Ascaphus montanus); (PDF).
• Pilot spatial tool for evaluating amount and distribution of Marbled Murrelet habitat on Vancouver Island
  ( External Site at mamu.littleearth.ca)

Validation Monitoring and Special Projects

The Wildlife Resource Value Framework recognizes the importance and value of addressing key knowledge gaps and validating predicted relationships in special research and validation projects.  In many cases, knowledge gaps impede WRV monitoring and evaluation efforts.  The Wildlife Resource Value Team is interested in encouraging research into these key knowledge gaps.  Some of the projects currently underway include:

Project	WRVT Contact
Dietary dependence of Williamson Sapsuckers on coarse woody debris-associated ants.	Melissa Todd
Identification and validation of terrestrial habitat indicators for adult and juvenile tailed frogs.	Melissa Todd
Thermal thresholds for tailed frog tadpoles and the influence of length of growing season (i.e., the number of days above critical stream temperature) on tailed frog tadpole productivity.	Kathy Paige / Melissa Todd
Potential use of road mortality as an index of Gopher Snake populations.	Kathy Paige
Relationship between range condition and presence and abundance of small mammals. (Monitoring impacts of burning on small mammal habitat.)	Cindy Haddow
Validating grassland nesting bird habitat requirements and monitoring nest cover and grassland cover using digital photography.	Cindy Haddow

Links

MoE Identified Wildlife Management Strategy Source of information on establishing wildlife habitat areas for species at risk and regionally important wildlife (formerly called Identified Wildlife).

MoE Ungulate Winter Range Source of information on ungulate winter ranges.

MOE BC Conservation Framework BC's new approach to conserving species and ecosystems.

MoE BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer Source of information on plants, animals, and ecological communities (ecosystems) in British Columbia.