Land Protection Plan - Wyoming Toad Conservation Area

by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Land Protection Plan
Wyoming Toad Conservation Area

Wyoming

November 2016

Prepared by
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 6
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
953 County Road 32
Walden, Colorado 80480
970 / 723 8202

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Region 6, Mountain-Prarie Region
Branch of Refuge Planning
134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300
Lakewood, Colorado 80228
303 / 236 4378

CITATION

Fish and Wildlife Service. 2016. Land Protection Plan — Wyoming Toad Conservation Area. Lakewood, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 112 p.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, an environmental assessment and land protection plan have been prepared to analyze the effects of establishing the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area in southern Wyoming.

The environmental assessment (appendix A) analyzes the environmental effects of establishing the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area.

The Wyoming Toad Conservation Area land protection plan describes the priorities for acquiring up to 43,200 acres mostly through voluntary conservation easements, including up to a maximum of 10,000 acres in fee title.

Note: Information contained in the maps is approximate and does not represent a legal survey. Ownership information may be incomplete.

Contents

Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		V
Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		VII
Chapter 1—Introduction and Project Description ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		1
Project Description ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		1
Purpose of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		4
Vision for the WTCA ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		4
Purpose of the Existing National Wildlife Refuges ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		4
Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		4
Public Review of and Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		5
National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		5
Related Actions and Activities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		6
Habitat Protection and the Acquisition Process ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		6
Conservation Easements ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		6
Fee-title Acquisition ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		6
Chapter 2—Area Description and Resources ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		7
Physical Environment ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		7
Climate ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		7
Geology ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8
Minerals ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8
Water and Hydrology ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8
Biological Environment ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8
Plant Communities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8
Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		13
Species of Special Concern ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		19
Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		21
Socioeconomic Environment ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		23
Landownership ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		23
Property Texas ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		23
Public Use and Wildlife-dependent Recreational Activities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		24
Chapter 3—Threats to and Status of Resources ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		25
Threats to Resources ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		25
Development ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		25
Fragmentation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		26
Invasive Species ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		26
Water Use ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		26
Climate Change ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		27
Effects of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area on the Natural and Human Environment ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		28
Chapter 4—Project Implementation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		29
Land Protection Options ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		29
No-action Alternative ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		29
Conservation Easements and Limited Fee-title Acquisition ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		30
Project Objectives and Actions ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		31
Easement Terms and Requirements ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		31
Contaminants or Hazardous Materials ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		32
Acquisition Funding ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		32
Ecosystem Management and Landscape Conservation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		32
Strategic Habitat Conservation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		32
Biological Planning ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		34
Protection Priorities ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		34
Focal Species ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		34
Conservation Design ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		35
Focal Species Model ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		35
Prioritization of Habitat ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		37
Integrated Conservation Delivery ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		37
Landscape Prioritization ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		38
Evaluation of Easement and Fee-title Potential ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		38
Monitoring Adaptive Management and Research ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		38
Socioeconomic Considerations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		38
Public Involvement and Coordination ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		40
Distribution and Availability ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		40
Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		41
Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		109

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FIGURES

Figure LPP-1. Map of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		2
Figure LPP-2. Hydrologic units in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming and Colorado. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		9
Figure LPP-3. Land cover within the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		10
Figure LPP-4. Concentration areas for migratory wetland birds in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		14
Figure LPP-5. Concentration areas for migratory grassland birds in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		15
Figure LPP-6. Concentration areas for migratory riparian area birds in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		16
Figure LPP-7. Concentration areas for migratory raptors in the Laramie Plains in Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		17
Figure LPP-8. Historical range of the Wyoming toad based on Dr. George Baxter and Ronald E. Beiswenger's paper maps displaying locations and field notes digitized by the Service. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		18
Figure LPP-9. Change in population size in Albany County, Wyoming, from the 2000 census to the 2010 census. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		22
Figure LPP-10. Employment distribution in Albany County, Wyoming, 2010. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		22
Figure LPP-11. Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		33
Figure LPP-12. Wyoming toad predicted habitat and historical range based on Dr. Geroge Baxter and Ronald E. Beiswenger's paper maps displaying locations and field notes digitized by the Service. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		36
Figure LPP-13. Land protection priorities within the boundary of the proposed Wyoming Toad Conservation Area, Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		39

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TABLES

Table LPP-1. Summary of current and proposed acreage for the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area, Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		3
Table LPP-2. Habitat types within the proposed Wyoming Toad Conservation Area, Wyoming. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		8

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APPENDIXES

Appendix A
Environmental Assessment ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		45
Appendix B
List of Preparers and Contributors ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		67
Appendix C
Environmental Compliance ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		69
Appendix D
Service Director's Approval ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		77
Appendix E
Species Lists ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		79
Appendix F
Public Comments and Service Responses ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		87
Appendix G
Section 7 Biological Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................		103