DEVELOPING COMMON PLATFORMS DATA & INFORMATION SHARING: INVENTORY, MAPPING & EVALUATION
5th Annual State of the Prairie Conference Challenges in Conservation & Restoration Session Bill Bartush & Cynthia Edwards Gulf Coast Prairie LCC May 31, 2014 www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
The GCP LCC • Established in 2001 • Parts of 5 States and
portions of Mexico • Sound Science • Coordination of partner efforts • Adding value to those efforts
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
GCP LCC Steering Committee • Federal Agencies • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • U.S. Geological Survey • National Park Service • Natural Resource Conservation
Service • Department of Commerce (NOAA) • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• State Agencies • Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department • Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries • Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation • Other Organizations • The Conservation Fund • Ducks Unlimited • The Nature Conservancy • Joint Ventures of the NAWMP • Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
LCC GCPLCC: Geographic Boundaries: Where The Place
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
• Edwards Plateau • Oaks & Prairies • Tamaulipan Brushlands • Gulf Coastal Prairie
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Diverse Grassland Types that include: • Texas Blackland Tallgrass Prairie • Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie • South Texas Sand Sheet • Central Mixed Grass Prairie • Tamaulipan Savanna Grassland
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Strategic Habitat Conservation • Steering Committee
direction • Grassland habitats essential for many species our partners work to conserve – and the Focal Species agreed to in the LCC Partnership www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
2012 Science Forum • Development of GCP LCC geo-database depicting priority
habitats/species range, soils, threats • Habitat management- restoration/re-vegetation
(grasslands, fire and burn effects, bottomland hardwoods, riparian hardwoods, Chenier forests, etc.) • Led to the OK Ecological Systems Mapping effort o Principle Investigator: Allan Janus, ODWC
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Ongoing Efforts • Multi-State High Resolution Land Cover: o Oklahoma Ecological Systems Mapping o Principal Investigator: Allan Janus, ODWC • Conservation Planning Atlas o Data Storage o Mapping Products • Inventory Tools (GMIT) o Developed with the Joint Venture partners
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
2013 Prairie Partners Meeting • Needs identified: • Decision Support Tools (DST) to enable well informed
decisions o Common elements as a basis o Flexible so partners can focus on their priorities – education,
species, diversity, working lands, connectivity…
• Opportunities to come together to come up with novel
solutions to different priorities
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
2013 Prairie Partners Meeting • ACTION ITEM: partners need to provide
recommendations to the organizers on where this team needs to go next • Led to the Development of the GCP LCC Project:
Grassland Decision Support Tool
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Project: Grassland Decision Support Tool • Initiated in 2013 • Dave Diamond (MoRAP) & Pat Comer (NatureServe) • Goals: 1) identify landscapes of importance at appropriate scale for further work 2) develop GIS data and decisions support tools to facility further conservation efforts
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Grassland Partner Workshops • Solicit partner input on: o Grassland types of interest: o Where are they? o Stressors?
o Types of grassland decisions that need to be made o Who is making them? o Identifying potential pilot project sites
• Partner Workshops held in: o Oklahoma City – May 7th o Austin – May 8th o Kingsville – May 13th o Lafayette – May 15th www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Oklahoma City Workshop • Grassland Types: o Savannas & native remnants o Grassland in poor condition that can be improved • Grassland Decisions: o Link to NRCS funding opportunities o Determining if management practices are working o Cross Timbers: better information on who is working there • Pilot Project areas: OPJV priority area (Southern OK), Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Austin Workshop • Grassland Types: o Size/structure/species – all important factors o All grasslands important & all under stress • Grassland Decisions: o Where to direct funding & how much o Impact on Focal/Priority bird species o Receptive community – landowners • Pilot Project areas: Southern Priority area for OPJV GRIP
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
South OPJV East Focus Area: Washington, Austin, Fayette, Colorado and Lavaca Counties
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Kingsville Workshop • Grassland Types: o Coastal sand plain o Tamaulipan Grassland Bird Habitat o Ingleside Sand Sheet • Grassland Decisions: o Enhancing connectivity o Where best to provide incentives – willingness & efficiency o Outreach & demonstration locations • Pilot Project areas: South Texas Plains west of Highway
#77
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Lafayette Workshop • Grassland Types: o The mosaic of pasture, rangeland, improved pasture • Grassland Decisions: o Where to acquire, restore and manage • Pilot Project areas: Chenier Plain – Calcasieu and
Cameron Parishes – possibly moving into Jefferson & Chambers Parishes
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Next Steps: Grassland DST • Establish overall workplan based on the feedback • Determine Pilot Project areas • Map current locations of priority grassland types • Spatial Analysis • Develop the Decision Support Toolkit • Project completion in Summer 2015
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
The LCC adding value • Catalyst to bring partners together • Ability to store and provide access to data & mapping
products • Multiple Partners: Strategic Habitat Conservation • Getting land managers to contribute to SHC objectives • AND enabling them to continue to make a living from that land
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Conservation on the Landscape Seeking Better Ways to Live
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
The LCC adding value • Moving into Human Dimensions Science – Barriers to the
Use of Prescribed Fire Case Study • Special Session at the upcoming GCP LCC Steering Committee • Sociologists and economists – studies to identify and then address
barriers to uptake of conservation programs
Source: TPWD www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Montague County Texas
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Oklahoma Ozark Glades
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Oklahoma Ozark Prairie
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Questions?
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
Texas prairies - GCJV File Photo
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org
www.gulfcoastprairielcc.org