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The High Divide
Conservation of Continental
Connectivity through Community
Based Collaboration
Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative Connectivity Workshop Bozeman, MT April, 2015 Heart of the Rockies Initiative WHERE WE WORK-­‐-­‐LANDSCAPES Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (2003) Crown of the Continent/Upper Columbia (2005) High Divide (2010) Central Idaho Wilderness Buffer (future work) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Conservation Accomplishments 2004 2004-­‐2013 194,483 acres 119 projects Oct. 9, 2014 HAMILTON, MONTANA 1.2 million acres 806 projects Increasing the Pace of Conservation through . . Science Delivery Collaborative Conservation Planning Capacity Building Development of Project Capital Outreach to Share and Celebrate the Conservation Story The High Divide Idaho and Montana The High Divide connects large core protected areas in the U.S. Rocky Mountains—Yellowstone National Park, the Crown of the Continent, and Central Idaho’s vast Wilderness Areas. The High Divide Landscape Continentally Significant Connectivity Courtesy Rowan Nyman, fishonphoto.com Wolverine Metapopulation Connectivity Model Generalized Movements Grizzly Movements Sage Grouse, Mule Deer & Pronghorn Migrations Elk Migrations Courtesy WCS Pronghorn—Long distance Migration
The High Divide Landscape Courtesy Rowan Nyman, fishonphoto.com High Divide—Idaho and Montana LANDSCAPE FEATURES HEALTHY WILDLIFE POPULATIONS whose long-­‐term persistence depends upon ecological linkage between large protected core areas Courtesy Rowan Nyman, fishonphoto.com Courtesy Jeff Burrell, WCS High Divide—Idaho and Montana LANDSCAPE FEATURES CULTURAL LEGACY of Native American lands, trails and traditional uses Photos Courtesy Big Hole National Battlefield, NPS High Divide—Idaho and Montana LANDSCAPE FEATURES WORKING RANCHLANDS that are central to the region’s economy and communities Courtesy Trust for Public Land High Divide—Idaho and Montana LANDSCAPE FEATURES RECREATION nationally important dispersed recreation land and waterways Courtesy Terry R Thomas, IDF&G Courtesy Gallatin Valley Land Trust Courtesy RMEF Courtesy Prickly Pear Land Trust High Divide—Idaho and Montana LANDSCAPE FEATURES HEADWATERS for sensitive fish and quality water for human uses Courtesy Lemhi Regional Land Trust Courtesy PJ Johnson cc High Divide—Idaho and Montana SOCIAL, POLITICAL CONTEXT
Ø  Rural, small populations
Ø  All-lands approach to agriculture
Ø  High percentage of public lands
Ø  Strong economic and recreational connections to public lands
Ø  Mistrust of federal government and outside interests
High Divide Conservation through Local Initiatives Community Based conservation in the Madison Valley, Upper Henry’s Fork, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead Valley, Big Hole Valley, Salmon-­‐
Lemhi, Idaho’s Lost Rivers, Pioneers Alliance, Sawtooth NRA. Over the past 25 years . . . •  754,323 acres protected •  $437.5 million invested in conservation easements & fee title acquisitions • 
Restoration: 152,560 acres, 775 river miles $18.7 million • 
Need now to secure past investments by protecting and restoring remaining landscape connections MONTANA
T h e H i g h D i v i d e C o l l a b o r a t i v e L a n d s c a p e Salmon Dillon Land & Water Conservation Fund Conservation Landscape Project Centennial Mtns Island Park Pioneer
Mtns Conserved Properties Yellowstone NP Frank Church
River of No
Return
Wilderness HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING COLLABORATION Community Engagement
Collaboration requires local community engagement •  Invite all stakeholders to the table •  Learn their needs •  Incorporate into goals Ø Platform for Trust Ø Safe Place for Risk-­‐takers Ø Results matter HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING COLLABORATION
USDA Forest Service Region 1 – Missoula, MT Beaverhead-­‐Deerlodge National Forest Gallatin National Forest USDA Forest Service, Region 4 -­‐-­‐ Ogden, UT Caribou-­‐Targhee National Forest Salmon-­‐Challis National Forest Sawtooth National Recreation Area USDI Bureau of Land Management -­‐ Idaho Upper Snake Field Office Salmon Field Office Challis Field Office Shoshone Field Office USDI Bureau of Land Management -­‐ Montana Dillon Field Office USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland, OR Camas National Wildlife Refuge USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 Montana Acquisition Office, Great Falls, MT Red Rocks Lake National Wildlife Refuge USDI National Park Service Columbia Cascades System Support Office Craters of the Moon National Monument Nez Perce National Historic Park Big Hole National Battlefield Yellowstone National Park USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service MT and ID; Sage-­‐Grouse Initiative Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING COLLABORATION
Montana Dept.of Fish, Wildlife & Parks Nez Perce Tribe; Nez Perce Trail Foundation Central Idaho Rangelands Network Centennial Valley Association Madison Valley Ranchlands Group Slash J Ranch Flying A Ranch Inc. Idaho Department of Fish and Game Kalsta Ranch Co. Lee Martinell Ranch Co. Turner Enterprises Flying D Ranch Snowcrest Ranch Red Rock Ranch Teton Regional Land Trust, Driggs, ID Lemhi Regional Land Trust, Salmon, ID Wood River Land Trust, Hailey, ID Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Bozeman, MT Bitter Root Land Trust, Hamilton, MT The Nature Conservancy, Montana The Nature Conservancy, Idaho Henry’s Fork Lodge Idaho Adventures Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Dillon Sage Grouse Working Group Wildlife Conservation Society Future West Craighead Institute Center for Large Landscape Conservation Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative Salmon Valley Stewardship Heart of the Rockies Initiative The Conservation Fund Trust for Public Land, Bozeman, MT Greater Yellowstone Coalition Henry’s Fork Legacy Project Pioneer Alliance Big Hole River Foundation Henry’s Fork Foundation Sonoran Institute Big Hole Watershed Committee Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative Madison Watershed Partnership Project Lighthawk Western Rivers Conservancy HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING Across
COLLABORATION Working
Boundaries
Define landscape through ecological and cultural connections -­‐ More than the sum of the parts Reliance on science -­‐ ID & MT state wildlife agencies -­‐ GNLCC, federal agencies -­‐ Wildlife Conservation Society -­‐ Craighead Institute -­‐ Northern Rockies Cons. Coop. Local expertise—stakeholder input HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING COLLABORATION Collaborative Goals
OUR SHARED VISION IS TO CONSERVE: •  Working ranchlands central to communities, economy and way of life •  Nationally important dispersed recreation land and waterways where youth get into nature •  A cultural legacy of Nez Perce, Continental Divide, and Lewis & Clark Trails •  Ecological linkage between protected core areas to conserve wide-­‐ranging wildlife in response to climate change HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE BUILDING COLLABORATION Collaborative Goals
OUR SHARED VISION IS TO CONSERVE…. •  Restored headwaters for sensitive fish and human uses •  Crucial core and migratory sage grouse habitats •  Open land in the Wildland Urban Interface to protect life and property and reduce fire costs HIGH DIVIDE RESOURCE THREATS: •  Residential and commercial development •  Habitat fragmentation •  Connectivity barriers—physical and cultural •  Loss of public access •  Destruction of heritage sites •  Energy transmission development “Uncontrolled
development in this landscape is our biggest threat. To me
that’s like mud-wrestling in the Sistine Chapel.”
-­‐ Nelson Ishiyama, owner Henry’s Fork Lodge, Island Park, Idaho HIGH DIVIDE LANDSCAPE CHALLENGES •  Securing landscape integrity for wide-­‐ranging fish and wildlife, including Threatened & Endangered species •  Making room for natural processes (e.g. natural disturbance) while preventing spread of noxious species •  Climate Change Migration Bottleneck Priorities The High Divide Landscape Identification of priority connectivity bottlenecks = priority conservation targets SCIENCE DELIVERY TO OUR PARTNERS HEART of the ROCKIES CONSERVATION ATLAS
Portal through Databasin.org HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE Current Activities
Conservation of Target Resources and Linkdages-­‐LWCF FY2016 LWCF Proposal submitted in 08/14 for $36.5 Million in acquisition capital ▪  -­‐ $17.9 million ranked high in President’s FY2016 budget FY2017 LWCF Pre-­‐proposal due in early May Stakeholder Selected Priority Next-­‐Step Conservation Strategies ▪  Workshops in Dillon, MT – February 2015 Aligned Capacity Building Workshops Adopted all-­‐lands all-­‐hands model with application to : Connectivity, Sage Grouse, Water Conservation and Restoration, Forests and Wildland Urban Interface Stakeholder Outreach Local county commissions; National decision makers: congressionals, administration Lighthawk, Resource Media & Headwaters Economics assisting with outreach Next Steps
HIGH DIVIDE CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE Phase One of Landscape Conservation Design—What is Conservation Success? Spatial assessment of current and future conditions (biological and socioeconomic) with evaluation of system stability—evaluate scenarios for example focal areas Focal Species: Sage Grouse, Wolverine, Mule Deer, headwaters salmonids
Ecosystem Processes: Natural wildfire and mitigation, invasive terrestrial plants Modification (HMI) with 3 connectivity scenarios per time period: M/A to M/A, G/S to G/S, M/A to G/S Model future conditions based upon current trends, policies, and climate change Headwaters Economics human footprint analysis through statistically valid trend projection Stakeholder engagement—stakeholder workshops, local land use plan review to identify desired future conditions—water, vegetation, communities, ecosystems Spatially model broad and fine-­‐scale core habitat and connectivity needed to sustain desired conditions Modeling outputs for key ecosystem services (forage biomass, water etc.), invasives High Divide Planning Area Landscape Conservation Design The HD Planning Area includes all the focal areas identified within HOTR’s High Divide Conservation Plan plus connected focal areas within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Crown of the Continent—the High Divide’s nearest neighbors. ACHIEVEMENT OF DURABLE, MEANINGFUL OUTCOMES LESSONS LEARNED Work collaboratively, engage stakeholders from Day One. Open source. Create a safe place for change and conservation. Earn Trust. Collaborative goals set by all stakeholders Landscape scale across boundaries—all lands/all hands approach. Linkage, connectivity Resources and people—families, economy, culture, legacy ACHIEVEMENT OF DURABLE, MEANINGFUL OUTCOMES LESSONS LEARNED Sharing good science—need for data sharing/availability from state and federal agencies, academic researchers to make information accessible and usable for on-­‐the-­‐ground conservation practitioners. Scale is vital. High resolution resource data are essential to efficient conservation delivery. Benefit of using best available information to create cost efficient, meaningful and durable ecological outcomes. Results matter—stay the course—steward the collaborative Celebrate Success—Life is good!! Thank you: By Ilona McCarty. Courtesy Lemhi Regional Land Trust