U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Refuge Invasive Species Survey (back to Projects)

PROJECT TITLE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATORS PROBLEM STATEMENT OBJECTIVES Phase I Phase II METHODS Design Considerations Phase I Phase II PROPOSED PRODUCTS

Invasive species survey and report

PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATORS

• Thomas J. Stohlgren, Ph.D., USGS, Midcontinent Ecological Science Center, Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, telephone 970-491-1980, fax 970-491-1965, email: tom_stohlgren@usgs.gov
• Carl Korschgen, Ph.D. Columbia Environmental Research Center, 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201, telephone 573-876-1901, fax: 573-876-1896, email: carl_korschgen@brd.usgs.gov.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The global invasive species problem significantly impacts the natural resources, economy, and health of the United States. These impacts threaten the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System and decreases the ability of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to meet its goals and objectives for fish and wildlife conservation. Responsive and efficient action is needed to thwart invasive species impacts and relies on information that describes the location, extent, and progression of invasive species infestations. The National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses over 500 units covering nearly 93 million acres and represents every major ecosystem type in the nation, from marine and other aquatic environments to forested and tundra habitats. Updated information is needed on the extent of the invasive species problem affecting the Refuge System to better prevent and control invasive species within the constraints of limited management resources. Without adequate knowledge of the extent of the problem, management actions will be fragmented, inefficient, and generally unable to keep up with the annually increasing number of invasive species problems nationwide.

OBJECTIVES

Phase I. Scoping the Magnitude of the Problem (Year 1)

• Objective 1. Determine the completeness, accessibility, and format of existing data on invasive species (plants, animals, and diseases), their distribution, and ancillary data at each refuge.
  
• Objective 2. Develop and MSAccess database linked to ArcView to manage, store, and display information on invasive species, vegetation and soil characteristics, susceptible wildlife species, and various geographic data.
  
• Objective 3. Evaluate "gaps" in information by biome, taxonomic group, vegetation type, refuge type, etc.

Phase II. Rapid Assessment and Early Detection Program (Year 2;Protocol Design and Budget Planning)

• Objective 1. Design and test a "Level" 1 (minimal effort) rapid assessment in selected refuges.
• Objective 2. Design and test "Level 2" surveys at selected refuges
• Objective 3. Design and test Level 3 surveys and predictive spatial modeling for selected species at selected refuges (if funds available)

METHODOLOGY

Design Considerations:
This is designed as a truly interagency, inter-organizational, interdisciplinary effort with a single, important goal: to have knowledge of the extent of invasive species problems in all refuges in the US within 5 years. Extensive surveys, literature reviews, data mining, and the best subject experts, data management, and GIS techniques available will be the cornerstone of this program. This program also will require extensive involvement of scientists in many federal, state, and county agencies and non-government organizations. It is equally important to improve in-house (USFWS) capabilities to expand survey and monitoring efforts and greatly accelerate early detection, control, and restoration activities.

Phase I

1. Questionnaire Approach: An electronic survey will be designed and emailed to each refuge manager to scope the problem, assess available data, and identify information gaps. The survey will be designed to populate the MSAccess database. Information will include the following (partial list):

• Refuge information: Name, address, UTM coordinates, elevation range, contact information
• Basic RefugeResource Information: Are their species lists for plants, animals, and diseases? Known major invasive species at the refuge? Names of noxious, invasive plant species? Is there distribution information for any of the invasive species? Is there an electronic database on species or distributions? What format (arcview shapefiles?, software?, version?)? Are there geographic information system capabilities on or off site? Is there a vegetation type map? If so, how many types are recognized? What is the minimum mapping unit (smallest vegetation patch size delineated)? Soils map? What form are the data in, and are they accessible? Have there been control methods used on exotic species at the site? Mechanical? Chemical? Biological? What are the most important invasive species of concern at the refuge? Comments on data availability, completeness, data formats, and data accessibility. Comments on invasive species issues from adjacent lands. Are these source or sink populations? Where are the data gaps?
• Bibliographic Information: Citations of any studies of exotic plants, animals, and diseases in the area.

2. Information Synthesis Approach: Because questionnaire information may be incomplete in for many refuges, taxonomic groups of invasive species, or habitats, we will begin a synthesis of data from many external sources on invasive species distributions known or projected to occur in refuges and lands adjacent to the refuges. State-level, county-level, and local information of general patterns of invasive species is available from many independent sources to augment and complement information gained by the questionnaire approach. "

• Invasive Exotic Plants: Data will be gathered by Dr. Tom Stohlgren and staff from state, county, and local data (APHIS, Flora of North America Program, US Forest Service, National Park Service NPSpecies, USGS NBII, TNC, and others) to develop "probable invasive species lists" for each refuge. "
• Invasive Aquatic Species: Preliminary data have been synthesized by Dr. Pam Fuller, USGS South Florida Research Center - this program will be augmented with funds to develop "probable invasive species lists" for each refuge. "
• Invasive Animals: Preliminary data on birds and mammals will be synthesized by Dr. John Sauer and staff (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. We will investigate the most cost-efficient way to obtain reliable information on the distribution of invasive invertebrates to develop "probable invasive species lists" for each refuge. "
• Invasive Diseases: Preliminary data on diseases will be synthesized by the National Wildlife Health Center (perhaps Dr. Joshua Dein and staff) to obtain reliable information on the distribution of invasive animals to develop "probable invasive species lists" for each refuge. " Create a central clearing house of information: Stohlgren and Korschgen (and research assistants, and MESC) will work to develop the MSAccess and ArcView data management package containing all the information above.

Phase II

• Objective 1. Design and test a "Level 1" (minimal effort) rapid assessment in selected refuges where: (1) infestation is likely low and (2) habitat vulnerability to invasion is likely low over most of the refuge; or (3) information is near totally lacking. In this case a few rare/important habitats of special management concern are reconnaissanced with a trained botanist, wildlife biologist, and disease expert with notes taken at specific sites, sites are accurately located (GPS) and photographed (digital). Invasive species populations are mapped in the field on a palmtop computer (with GPS) for easy downloading to ArcView. A new recording of previously undetected noxious weeds or highly invasive animal species or disease gets reported to control entities immediately, and a "Level 2" survey may be requested.
  
• Objective 2. Design and test "Level 2" surveys at selected refuges where: (1) infestation is moderate overall, or high locally in important habitats; (2) where highly invasive or noxious species have the potential to greatly spread or cross boundaries; or (3) where more detailed survey information would greatly benefit control or restoration efforts. Level 2 surveys are considerably more expensive than Level 1 surveys. Remote sensing information (satellite scenes or aerial photographs) is used to stratify the refuge into common and rare habitat types and vulnerable (e.g., riparian zones, wetlands), and resistant (e.g., thick forests, tundra) habitat types; or into native species populations of species concern. A random subset of sample units in each stratum (habitat type) are selected for study. For invasive plants, for example, field crews establish a few vegetation plots to quantify patterns of native and exotic species richness and cover and soil characteristics (see Stohlgren et al. 1997, 1998, 1999 for details, though these methods may be modified to improve sampling efficiency). For exotic mammals, appropriate trapping techniques are used. For diseases, appropriate samples are collected and tested at a laboratory. Findings of several highly invasive species or many noxious species, or extensive outbreaks of any invasive species of management concern may require a "Level 3" survey.
  
• Objective 3. (If more funds become available): Design and test Level 3 surveys and predictive spatial modeling in selected species at selected refuges where: (1) several highly invasive species or many noxious species have invaded broadly or in sensitive/important habitats or wildlife populations; (2) extensive outbreaks of any invasive species have occurred and effects on native plants, wildlife, and ecosystem processes are a high-priority management concern; and (3) where the potential spread of the invasive species may cause even greater impacts and greatly increased control and restoration costs. Level 3 surveys are designed like Level 2 surveys, but they require more vegetation plots (augmented with cluster sampling design), wildlife research, and tests for diseases, combined with a spatial modeling component to better predict the potential spread of targeted invasive species in the refuge and adjacent lands. The predictive models can be used to extrapolate information from the 1% of the land that can affordably be surveyed to the 99% of the unsampled landscape or populations in most refuges. The models provide refuge managers and control entities with information on known infestations, probable infestations, locations of vulnerable habitats and populations, and levels of uncertainty in model projections.
  
• Objective 4. Develop a budget initiative to complete the appropriate level of surveys in all refuges. Part of the budget initiative will be to train USFWS staff to conduct future surveys (building in-house capabilities for systematic, unbiased invasive species surveys, data management, and predictive modeling). This will include workshops and training sessions throughout the nation. A second major component of the budget initiative is to fully develop basic resource information (inventories and high-resolution vegetation maps and wildlife population data for each refuge in the system.
  

PROPOSED PRODUCTS

The products will provide information needed for required Comprehensive Conservation Planning efforts on refuges nationwide and support national planning and budgeting efforts.

• Phase 1 Products: (1) The complete MSAccess-ArcView database will be made available on line. (2) An extensive report will evaluate the scope the problem, availability and accessibility of data, and the magnitude of information gaps. (3) A preliminary list of priority invasive species at each refuge and throughout the country, and an assessment of habitats in the country most vulnerable to exotic plant species invasion. (4) Begin developing a detailed budget initiative and study plan setting priorities to fill the information gaps in a systematic way: a rapid assessment and early detection program to determine the distribution of priority alien invasive species in the US Wildlife Refuge System.
• Phase 2 Products: (1) Draft, peer-reviewed protocols for level 1, 2, and 3 surveys; (2) Draft implementation plan and budget analysis for implementing a service wide inventory program for invasive species.