71st SWCS International Annual Conference July 24-27, 2016 Louisville, KY

1. Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs)
Integrate Basin‐Wide Challenges from
Grassland Birds to Pollinators … and Shrimp
Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers LCC
Glen Salmon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and dozens of other agencies & organizations
in the 7 LCCs of the Mississippi River Basin.
April 2016 update to SERA‐46

2. America’s Working Heartland
Nitrogen in Wells
Human Modification
Neonictinoid UseTile Drained Crops

3. America’s Migratory “Fly‐Over” Country
Wetland Soils

4. America’s Future Productivity
Climate Stress Index (blue)

5. We are making great strides in development
and adoption of conservation practices.

6. How can we make every dollar count?

7. Each Sector prioritizes separately –
wildlife, water quality, agriculture, transportation,
drinking water, recreation, energy, health…
Key locations for water quality
Key locations for migratory birds Key locations for agricultural practices
US power transmission lines

8. What if a “think tank” of
natural resource researchers and managers
came together to align their actions?

9. How can we leverage wildlife conservation to also
benefit water quality and agriculture?

10. MISSISSIPPI / GULF HYPOXIA INITIATIVE
Goal (draft):
Provide tools for targeting
conservation investments (what,
how much, & where) that benefit
fish and wildlife in a resilient,
multifunctional landscape while also
addressing agriculture, local water
quality, and Gulf hypoxia.

11. Who, what, where?

12. Finding the sweet spot
Wildlife
benefits
Agricultural
benefits
Water
quality
benefits

13. Shared Objectives (blue)
and Performance Measures (red)?
Decrease
Gulf Hypoxia
Increase Wildlife
Benefits
Forested Riparian
Prairie
Bottomland
Hardwood
Increase
Agricultural
Productivity
Decrease Regulatory
Uncertainty
Increase Net Returns
Modified Headwater
Decrease
Implementation
costs
Species
(abundance, life history
or occupancy)
Decrease Risk
Ave $/acre
Ave $/acreSoil
health
Input
costs
Water
quantity
Local nutrient
load
Watershed
nutrient load
Surface water
Ground
water
N & P load
Increase or maintain productivity
(ecosystem services)
Maximize Resilience

14. #1 Cover Crops
#2 Drainage Water Management
#3 Two‐Stage Ditches
#4 Lower Floodplain Vegetative Diversity
#5 Buffer Strips
#6 Wetlands
#7 Upper Floodplain Hydrologic Restoration
#8 Lower Floodplain Water Diversion
#9 Uplands Prescribed Fire
#10 Uplands Grazing
#11 Perennial Biomass Production
#12 Lower Floodplain Reforestation
What to do? – Design and configure
12 high impact conservation practices
to enhance multi‐sector benefits.

15. Drainage Water Management …
mitigates drought, keeps nutrients in place &
provides shorebird habitat

16. Where to Do It? – Spatial Analysis Tool
Precision Conservation Blueprint v.1.0
Michael Schwartz, The Conservation Fund
Bottomland Forest in
Upper Basin Floodplains

17. Down‐scaled Local Pilots
Lower Wabash Floodplain Conservation
Hosts: US FWS Patoka Natl Wildlife Refuge, Indiana University
The Nature Conservancy ‐ Indiana
Habitats:
Floodplains – forest, wetlands, cane brakes
Headwaters – prairie, row crop & grazing lands
Goals (draft):
1) Wildlife conservation
2) Nutrient stewardship & soil health
3) Promote connection to nature
4) Adapt to future changes
Participants:

18. Grassland
Opportunities
Wetland
Potential
Forest
Opportunities
Down‐scaled Local Pilots
Decatur County, IN
Comprehensive Plan Revision

19. QUESTIONS?
Project coordinated by Tallgrass Prairie LCC:
Glen_Salmon@fws.gov
Gwen_White@fws.gov
MichaelSchwartz@conservationfund.org
Jorgen_Rose@fws.gov
 Gulf Hypoxia Initiative Site: www.tallgrassprairielcc.org/issue/gulf‐hypoxia
 Data Basin Site: tinyurl.com/MRB‐GHI‐DataBasin
 ScienceBase Site: tinyurl.com/MRB‐GHI‐ScienceBase