External Affairs Program

Service Releases Draft Recovery Plan for Chaparral Species in Northern California

April 7, 2003

03-039

Contact: Jim Nickles, 916/414-6572

SERVICE RELEASES DRAFT RECOVERY PLAN FOR CHAPARRAL
SPECIES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a draft plan to protect chaparral and coastal scrub, signature California landscapes that are imperiled by urbanization and other threats. The plan covers portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Joaquin counties, in Northern California just east of San Francisco Bay.

The draft recovery plan focuses on two federally threatened species, the Alameda whipsnake and pallid manzanita, and four species of concern – the Contra Costa manzanita, Mount Diablo bird's-beak, Mount Diablo buckwheat and the Berkeley kangaroo rat.

These plant and animal species face numerous threats, particularly from urban development, habitat fragmentation and the introduction of non-native species. Recovering this biotic community will ensure the health of one of California's unique ecosystems and benefit regional watersheds, viewsheds, open space and fire safety. (See fire article)

In general, recovery plans are recommendations for action by Federal and State agencies, other organizations and citizens, and do not obligate the expenditure of funds or require any actions. These plans are developed under the goal of the Endangered Species Act to recover species to levels where protection under the Act is no longer necessary.

Two of the species – the Mount Diablo buckwheat and the Berkeley kangaroo rat – have not been documented in several years and may be extinct. But because biologists believe both species have a high probability of rediscovery, they are included in this strategy.

The draft recovery plan recommends protection and management activities in chaparral and coastal-sage scrub areas where these species currently or potentially occur – approximately 400,000 acres within the four counties. A large portion of this area is currently managed under Federal, State or other conservation authority.

The Service is taking public comments on the draft plan for 120 days, or until August 7, 2003. "Comments provided on the draft recovery plan will help with the development of a more effective final plan," said Wayne White, Field Supervisor for the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. "Public support and participation throughout the recovery planning and implementation process is crucial for successful recovery of these species."

Chaparral vegetation is short, tough, mostly evergreen trees and small shrubs that are specially adapted to drought and fire. The term chaparral is linked to Spanish riders who wore leather overalls called chaparajos, which protected them while they worked in the thick brush.

Scrub plants are often called soft chaparral because they have flexible leaves and bend easily compared to the hardier chaparral. Scrub plants are also well adapted to drought and fire and can range from patchy, low-lying oceanside cover to taller chaparral-like shrubs.

The plan focuses on determining species status, providing long-term protection to crucial habitat areas, restoring habitat, and conserving the biological integrity of the area. It also provides a biological roadmap that local public agencies and land managers can use in devising fuel management and fire safety strategies.

The plan examines options for reintroducing or mimicking the natural fire regime. Fire is important for many of the plant and animal species in the chaparral community. Pallid manzanita, for example, needs fire to initiate seed germination, while the Alameda whipsnake needs fire to provide a mosaic of habitat for improved breeding, feeding and sheltering opportunities.

Fire management actions will be evaluated for their benefit in protecting important population areas, maintaining ecological integrity, removing nonnative plants, and improving fire safety. Implementation and success of management actions will depend upon the cooperative efforts of local, State, and Federal agencies and landowners. Some financial or other incentives may be provided to assist landowners in fuel reduction and conservation efforts.

Copies of the plan can be requested by writing to the Recovery Branch, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825, or by calling the office at (916) 414-6600. The plan can also be viewed at or downloaded from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office's Web site at http://www.fws.gov/sacramento.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE DRAFT RECOVERY PLAN
FOR CHAPARRAL SPECIES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Chaparral and Scrub Community:
Chaparral is characterized as short, tough, mostly evergreen vegetation consisting of short trees and small shrubs. These plants have specially adapted to unique soil types, steep topography, and natural drought and fire conditions. The term chaparral has been linked to the Spanish riders wearing leather overalls called chaparajos used to protect them while working in the thick scrub oak.
Scrub vegetation is often called soft chaparral because the plants have soft flexible leaves and bend easily compared to the hardier chaparral plants. Scrub plants are also well adapted to drought and fire and can differ in structure from patchy, low-lying oceanside cover to taller chaparral-like shrubs.

The chaparral and scrub community located east of San Francisco Bay is a group of plants and animals tied to one another by their dependancy on a unique combination of ecosystem characteristics such as soil, slope, climate and fire regime.

Fire is a natural part of the chaparral and scrub community and many species have specially adapted to it. The pallid manzanita depends on fire for germination and health, while the Alameda whipsnake needs fire to open up vegetation and provide better habitat for one of its favorite food items – lizards.

Species in the Recovery Plan:
The draft recovery plan includes six chaparral and scrub community species located east of San Francisco Bay. Two federally threatened species – the Alameda whipsnake and pallid manzanita – and four species of concern – the Contra Costa manzanita, Mt. Diablo bird's-beak, Mt. Diablo buckwheat and Berkeley kangaroo rat – are included in this plan. The last two species of concern are presumed extinct, but have a high probability of rediscovery and as such are included as part of this community-level strategy.

All of the species in this plan are threatened by the loss, fragmentation or degradation of chaparral and scrub habitat in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Joaquin counties.

Location and Focus of the Recovery Plan:
The draft recovery plan recommends protection and management activities in chaparral and coastal-sage scrub areas where these species currently or potentially occur – approximately 400,000 acres within the four counties. A large portion of this area is currently managed under Federal, State or other conservation authority.

The plan focuses on restoring habitat and improving the biological integrity of the area through the use of adaptive management strategies and research. It also provides a biological road map that local public agencies and land managers can use in devising fuel management and fire safety strategies.

In many cases, management actions will be developed to mimic nature in ways that are beneficial to the ecosystem, yet compatible with an urban interface. Management strategies will focus on cooperative efforts between local, state and federal agencies and with landowners to employ species- compatible land uses and improve ecological integrity and fire safety within critical areas. Cooperative efforts may also include some financial or other incentives for landowners to participate in conservation efforts.

This recovery plan has been developed based on the best scientific information currently available. However, many important aspects of species biology and management have not yet been studied. Thus, continued research, in conjunction with adaptive management, is a crucial component of this plan. Recovery criteria and tasks must be reevaluated for each species as research is completed.

Federally Threatened Species:
Alameda Whipsnake
The Alameda whipsnake is one of two subspecies of California whipsnake, which is a non-poisonous, fast-moving snake that is active during daylight hours. It can be identified by its broad head, large eyes, and slender neck. It has distinctly colored yellow-orange lateral strips, a light colored belly and sooty-black back.

This snake has a unique behavior of lifting its head and moving it from side to side like a cobra while it searches out prey. Lizards are a favorite prey, but the snakes also eat frogs, other snakes, birds, and small mammals.

Alameda whipsnakes are good climbers and often seek shelter in rock piles or small mammal burrows. They generally hole-up for the winter and become active again when courtship starts in March. Egg-laying occurs in late spring, and clutch sizes range from six to 11 eggs. Young snakes start to emerge in late summer and fall and may take two to three years to mature.

It's thought that this species historically occurred in chaparral and scrub habitat in Alameda, Contra Costa, and possibly western San Joaquin and northern Santa Clara counties. Their current distribution is best described as five populations within a fragmented regional metapopulation occurring between a northern corridor of Tilden-Briones and the Oakland-Las Trampas populations, and a southern corridor between Hayward-Pleasanton Ridge and Sunol-Cedar Mountain populations.

Pallid Manzanita
Pallid manzanita is an upright, woody shrub in the heath family. This plant grows up to 13 feet high and has rough, gray or reddish bark, which is known to peel off in strips. The waxy-pale green leaves range in shape from oval to ear-shaped. They clasp, at their base, around bristly, hair-covered twigs in a strongly overlapping pattern. The tiny, whitish-rose, urn-shaped flowers appear in dense bunches. The seeds, appearing in late fall, are covered in a tough, moisture-sealed shell, which requires some type of disturbance to break and initiate sprouting (a process known as scarification).

The area around the base of pallid manzanita is generally free of vegetation due to the toxins produced from accumulated roots, fallen leaves and fruits. Fire is needed to remove built-up materials and toxins and to scarify seeds so that germination may begin.

It's thought that these plants historically occurred near the East Oakland Hills, the hills behind Piedmont, and on Moraga Ridge, though the accuracy of these locations is still uncertain. Current distribution is described as two populations at Huckleberry Ridge and Sobrante Ridge in Contra Costa County and several small populations in various scattered locations.

Species of Concern:
Contra Costa Manzanita
Contra Costa manzanita is a woody evergreen plant that generally grows on the dry, southern exposure of the Mt. Diablo foothills. This plant has thick, leather-like, erect standing leaves, and the older stems appear smooth-skinned and have a deep mahogany color.

Contra Costa manzanita does not re-sprout from the root crown after fire and most likely requires fire for seed germination. These plants were historically located in a few scattered locations on Mt. Diablo and are currently known to occur in an localized area within Mt. Diablo State Park.

Mt. Diablo Bird's-beak
This is an annual herb in the snapdragon family that has standing branches, stems that are four to 16 inches long, and white, purple-striped flowers. They often form large mats over their serpentine habitat with branches interlacing. The roots of this plant are hemi-parasitic, meaning they form a vascular connection with the roots of a surrounding host plant, through which they receive water and minerals. This adaptation permits these plants to thrive in an area and during a time of year when most annuals have ceased to grow.

Mt. Diablo bird's-beak is currently found in a single population in a serpentine chaparral area on Bald Ridge within Mt. Diablo State Park.

Mt. Diablo Buckwheat
Very little is known about this annual plant. The last time the species was documented was in 1940, at Corral Hollow and west of Antioch. Surveys of these historical sites in the late 1980s failed to relocate the species. It's thought that the plant grew in areas of chaparral, coastal scrub, and valley and foothill grasslands on dry exposed clay or rock surfaces. This species likely declined from overgrazing and was out-competed by nonnative annual grasses.

Berkeley Kangaroo Rat
The Berkeley kangaroo rat is one subspecies of the Heermann's kangaroo rat. All kangaroo rats have external fur-lined cheek pouches, small ears and large eyes set toward the back of the head. Their hind legs are elongated and much larger than the front legs and their tails are nearly twice the length of the body with a small tuft of hair at the end.

The Berkeley kangaroo rat is considered middle-sized, has a broad face and five toes. Its backside is dark- colored, and a dark stripe can be seen across its thighs (ventral stripe).

Kangaroo rats forage at night, collecting and carrying seeds in external cheek pouches to burrows or small pits in the ground where food is cached. They may also eat herbs and insects. Kangaroo rats have special adaptations and habits that help them conserve water and survive the arid conditions of their habitat.

This kangaroo rat was known to live in a few locations near the hills of Berkeley, Eureka Peak, Orinda Lake, Mt. Diablo, and Calaveras Reservoir. This species is presumed extinct, especially in areas like the Oakland/Berkeley Hills which are too highly developed for habitat. Many areas have not been surveyed, however, and biologists have high hopes of rediscovering the species.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE DRAFT RECOVERY PLAN
FOR CHAPARRAL SPECIES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Q. What is a recovery plan?
A. The Endangered Species Act mandates the preparation of recovery plans for listed species unless such a plan would not contribute to their conservation. Recovery plans detail the actions necessary to achieve self-sustaining, wild populations of listed species so they will no longer require protection under the Endangered Species Act. A recovery plan is an advisory document. Cooperation from private property owners is voluntary.

Recovery plans are not required for species of concern. However, species of concern are included in this recovery plan as a community-level strategy. A strategy that provides guidance for conservation of species with needs similar to those of the listed species may actually prevent the listing of some species.

Q. Who prepares a recovery plan?
A. Depending on the species, plans are prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists, a panel of recognized experts under the direction of a Service employee, or an appropriate consultant contracted by the Service. Regional directors are responsible for approving recovery plans for listed species occurring in their region.

The Draft Recovery Plan for Chaparral and Scrub Community Species, East of San Francisco Bay, California was prepared by Heather Bell, Kirsten Tarp, Steve McKinney and Steve Holzman of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Q. What are recovery tasks?

A. Recovery tasks are actions recommended in a recovery plan that are needed to reduce or resolve the threats or limiting factors that contributed to the endangered or threatened status of the species. These tasks are designed to assist accomplishment of recovery objectives.

Q. How are recovery tasks prioritized?
A. Recovery tasks are assigned a priority number associated with one of three priority levels. Tasks necessary to prevent extinction are priority 1, tasks necessary to avoid further decline are priority 2, and other tasks necessary to achieve recovery are priority 3.

Q. What recovery tasks are recommended in the Draft Recovery Plan?
A. The general recovery tasks emphasized in this plan include: protecting habitat and populations;
managing and restoring habitat, which may include reintroducing or mimicking natural disturbances in the ecosystem such as fire; removing or controlling threats such as nonnative species and pesticides; surveying and monitoring populations; implementing immediate/temporary conservation measures such as captive propagation and seed banking; research; and public participation and outreach.

Q. What is the objective of the Draft Recovery Plan?
A. The primary objective of this recovery plan is to delist the two federally listed species and ensure the long-term conservation of the species of concern. The two species of concern, which are currently presumed extinct, have an immediate goal of confirming their status.

The time projections for recovery are 45 years for the Alameda whipsnake and 120 years for the pallid manzanita. These time periods are based on a predicted species response to natural or mimicked fire cycles and the projected length of time for the species to attain a population level appropriate for delisting. The Alameda whipsnake is dependent on coastal scrub, which has a 30-year fire cycle, while the pallid manzanita is located in maritime chaparral, which has a 40-year fire cycle.

Q. How will adjacent landowners be affected by proposed actions such as prescribed fire?
A. Proposed actions include prescribed fire and other vegetation manipulation techniques. All prescribed fire actions will be developed and implemented by local fire agencies and will follow applicable regulations such as air quality control and human safety. All practical measures possible will be taken to minimize or eliminate any adverse effects on adjacent land owners. Many of these habitat management activities will also provide fuel reduction and safety buffer zones for local communities. Economic incentives may also be provided to private or stakeholder partners for implementing conservation actions.

Q. Are any conservation measures currently underway?
A. The California Department of Parks and Recreation, East Bay Regional Park District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities, Contra Costa Water District, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the cities of Walnut Creek, Oakland and Berkeley have various levels of management to protect and conserve listed species including those addressed in this plan. Other nongovernmental groups participating in conservation efforts for these listed species include Save Mount Diablo, Pleasanton Ridge Conservation Bank, and partners in several Habitat Conservation Plans.

Q. Who is responsible for implementing the plan?
A. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the statutory responsibility for implementing this recovery plan, and only Federal agencies are mandated to take part in the effort, the participation of a variety of groups is essential to successful recovery. Therefore, the plan recommends the establishment of a regional, cooperative public/private recovery plan implementation team to enlist the participation of all stakeholder groups and interested parties. This group would develop a participation plan, coordinate education and outreach efforts, assist in developing economic incentives for conservation and recovery, ensure that adaptive management is practiced and define other recovery and management tasks as necessary.

Q. Do recovery programs work?
A. Yes, but recovery is a challenge that takes time. It seeks to halt or reverse declines that in some instances have been many years in the making. Even in the face of a substantial increase in the number of species listed over the past decade, the recovery efforts of the Service, other Federal agencies, States, tribal governments and private landowners have successfully halted and reversed the decline of many threatened or endangered species. Of all the species listed between 1968 and 1998, only seven – or less than 1 percent – have been recognized as extinct, and subsequently delisted. The fact that almost 99 percent of listed species have not been lost speaks to the Endangered Species Act's success as a mechanism for conservation of species at risk.

Q. How can I get copy of this plan?
A. Copies of this plan can be obtained from the Recovery Branch, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825. The plan can also be viewed at or downloaded from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office's Web site, at http://www.fws.gov/sacramento.

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