Adaptive Management in Sage-grouse Habitat Restoration

Petroleum Association of Wyoming 12th Annual Reclamation Conference

Improving Practices and Decisions Through Adaptive ManagementDouglas Core Area Restoration Team

Who is the Douglas Core Area Restoration Team?

A multi-stakeholder team comprised of partners working

to advance collective knowledge of sage-grouse

habitat conservation.

Initial Site Tour, conducted in Spring 2014

The team’s focus has been:1. Developing projects to enhance sage-grouse seasonal habitat2. Restoring previously disturbed habitat3. Implementing projects that target local threats to sage-grouse

in northeastern WYInitial Site Tour, conducted in Spring 2014

The Douglas Core Area Restoration TeamA Multi-Stakeholder Team

USDA-NRCSWilliams Wyoming Department of AgricultureWyoming Game and Fish DepartmentWyoming Stockgrowers Land Trust

DCA RT Technical Support: Trihydro Corporation and WEST Inc.

Audubon RockiesBureau of Land ManagementChesapeake EnergyConverse County Conservation DistrictCrestwood MidstreamThe Nature ConservancyThunder Basin Grasslands Prairie

Ecosystem AssociationUnited States Fish and Wildlife ServiceUniversity of Wyoming

Presentation Outline

1. Establishment of the Douglas Core Area Restoration Team

2. Using principles of adaptive management to enhance sage-grouse habitat

a. Research, learning, and change3. Approach – SGEO, Ecological, and Cost

elements4. Value of Collaboration and Outreach

Improving Practices and Decisions Through Adaptive Management

How did the Douglas Core Area Restoration Team come together?

• 2013 – Chesapeake Energy Development Plan for the Douglas Core Area (DCA)

• Mitigation Hierarchy• Avoid• Minimize• Mitigate

• Restoration Team (RT) was established to enhance sage-grouse habitat within the DCA

Background on the Douglas Core Area• Eastern Wyoming• Core Area along the

eastern boundary of current distribution of Greater sage-grouse

• In 2013, disturbance > 5%

• Valid and existing rights for oil and gas development

• Small number of birds and leks

• Numerous wildfires within the last 25 years

Sagebrush ecosystem• Post-wildfire recovery

differs across the ecosystem

• In northeast WY, perennial herbaceous species rapidly return

• Recovery can take decades or centuries

Credit: USGS 2014

Reducing Disturbance within the Douglas Core Area

• Reclassifying successfully reclaimed oil and gas pipelines and well pads (182 acres)

• Focusing on several wildfire areas (> 5000 acres)

• Six project sites (2014-2018)

• Approximately 100,000 sagebrush seedlings planted

• 992 acres in discrete project areas including a recent (2016) burn

• 5,280 acres in North Burn; projects complementing WGFD planting efforts

Using Adaptive Management to Enhance Habitat

2013 2014 2020

DCA RT forms

2015 20172016 2018 2019

East Antelope

Flat Top Project

Walker Creek S-19

DCA RT Restoration Plan

Projects Monitoring

Walker Creek North Burn 1

South Fork Walker Creek

Bill Hall Burn 1

Walker Creek North Burn 2

Bill Hall Burn 2

East Antelope 2

Walker Creek North Burn 3

Flat Top Project 2

Seed source islands – Sagebrush OutplantingsBurn perimeter

Approach and Adaptive Management in Restoration

1. Survival2. Growth of individual seedlings3. Development into patches of cover with

functional value and future target of 5% sagebrush cover

4. Recruitmenta. Seedhead production and viable

seedb. Successful germination and

establishment from seed produced by planted seedlings

1. Initial recruitment-outplanting/establishing seed source “islands”

2. Resource competition –fabric mulch

3. Herbivory – fencing4. Facilitating future

recruitment – current research

Sagebrush Restoration within the Douglas Core Area – Confronting the Challenges

Goals: Survival, growth, persistence, reproductive maturity

Sagebrush Outplanting Investigations• Fencing/Exclosures• Planting method – auger versus hoedad• Fabric mulch size• Seedling planting density• Timeframe to removing infrastructure, fabric

mulch• Costs (labor and material)

East Antelope Burn Restoration Project• High Priority• UW graduate student research site• Learning experience• Area: 262 Acres; 16,000 seedlings

Balancing the trade-offs between cost and project success

• Reviewing results annually• Key Success Indicators – Some constant and some have

changed• Gathering/analyzing data on initial, short-, and long-

term growth and survival• Each project reflects lessons learned

What have we learned?Short-term• Sagebrush outplantings accelerate

restoration process• Survival of outplanted seedlings is

high• Fabric mulch and fencing help to

maximize growth• Seed production starts after 1-2 years

post-planting • Area of impact can be limited, cost

can be high • Local seed is valuable• Choosing good contractors is essential

What have we learned?

?

Long-term• Restoring wildfire (or intact) areas is difficult,

takes time, and has an uncertain trajectory• Recruitment is unpredictable• Area of impact can be limited • Herbivory is significant• Long-term growth and changes in cover are

slow• Sage-grouse have begun to use some

restoration areas• Returning large landscapes to suitable

habitat (5% sagebrush cover) is an uncertain process

Using Adaptive Management to Design Future Projects

1. Larger, lower density seed source islands across the landscapea. No protection, no mulch

2. Project design based on nearly 5 years of ecological and cost data

3. Continue to investigate recruitment4. Seed pods to enhance forb diversity

and sagebrush establishment5. Continue to build restoration data set

Outreach, Stakeholders, Partnerships

• Landowner liaisons• Graduate student research assistantships• Successful working relationships with

private landowners• Team engagement with on-the-ground

fieldwork• Knowledge sharing – site tours,

presentations, white papers• Data sharing with landowners• Collaboration• Funding from Chesapeake Energy,

Crestwood Midstream, NRCS RCPP, WGFD-SWAT, WGFD-NELWG

Cornerstone of Project Success

Conclusions – Sharing what we have learned• Evidence of use – If you build it, they

will use it• Data supported practices for

successfully re-establishing sagebrush• Making inroads into the longer term

understanding of sagebrush restoration within fire-impacted landscapes

• Private landowners and multi-stakeholder teams are partners in conservation/restoration

• Time and more research are needed to understand sagebrush recruitment and potential ways to facilitate it

Questions?

Sagebrush seed collection for growing seedlings, Fall 2013

Jana White, jwhite@trihydro.com