Transcript Oregon_Chub_Critical_Habitat[1]

Oregon Chub (oregonichthys
crameri) Critical Habitat
Designation
Chris Cusack
Judith Dempsey
Biao Huang
Tae-Young Kim
Caiwen Wu
Objective
This project will investigate the potential
economic impacts of designating critical
habitat for the Oregon Chub on the
commercial, agricultural, industrial, and
recreational sectors, over and above those
impacts already made by it’s classification
as an endangered species.
Overview
• Oregon Chub – description and
background
• Endagered Species Designation vs.
Critical Habitat
• Economic Analysis
• Conclusion
The Oregon Chub is a small, minnow-like
fish which favor backwaters with little or
no current, silty and organic substrate,
and ample vegetation for hiding
Historic habitat
• The Oregon Chub is endemic to the
Willamette valley of Western Oregon
• formerly distributed throughout the
Willamette River Valley in a dynamic
network of off-channel habitats
Historic Distribution of Oregon Chub in the Willamette River Basin
(from Markle 1991/Oregon Chub Recovery Plan)
Changes in Habitat Conditions
• Alterations in natural flow conditions
– Dams
– Flood control projects
– Fill and removal activities
– Etc.
• Decline in Water Quality
• Introduction of non-indigenous species
(NIS)
Willamette River – Past and Present (Sedell and Froggatt 1984/Oregon
Chub Recovery Plan)
1998 Distribution of Oregon Chub in the Willamette River Basin
(Oregon Chub Recovery Plan)
Oregon chub potentially occurs in these Oregon counties:
Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk
(Map may reflect historical as well as recent sightings)
Map from http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/OregonChub/
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
• Purpose: protect and recover imperiled species
and the ecosystems upon which they depend
• Endangered species: any species which is in
danger of extinction throughout all or a
significant portion of its range.
• Threatened species: any species which is likely
to become an endangered species within the
foreseeable future throughout all or a significant
portion of its range.
• http://www.fws.gov/endangered/pdfs/esaall.pdf
Criteria used to evaluate the listing
of a species
1) damage to, or destruction of, a species’ habitat
2) overutilization of the species for commercial,
recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
3) disease or predation
4) inadequacy of existing protection
5) other natural or manmade factors that affect
the continued existence of the species
Critical Habitat
• The term “critical habitat” for a threatened or endangered species
means:
– the specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species,
at the time it is listed, on which are found those physical or biological
features
• essential to the conservation of the species and
• which may require special management considerations or protection; and
– specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species at
the time it is listed, upon a determination by the Secretary that such
areas are essential for the conservation of the species.
• Critical habitat may be established for those species now listed as
threatened or endangered species for which no critical habitat has
heretofore been established
• Except in those circumstances determined by the Secretary, critical
habitat shall not include the entire geographical area which can be
occupied by the threatened or endangered species
ESA and the Oregon Chub
• The Oregon chub was listed as
endangered in 1993.
• A recovery plan was published in 1998.
• A 5-year review was published in 2008
• Currently, there is a proposal to designate
critical habitat for this species.
Hydropower Dams in Willamette Basin
Dams
# of Power
Generators
Unit
Generated
Power
Mwatt hrs.
Total
Storage
Acrefeet
Proj.
Cost
Million
$
Big Cliff
1
46,352
N.A
62.7
Detroit
2
393,539
455,100
62.7
Hills creek
2
164,791
355,500
46
Foster
2
104,956
60,700
82.3
Green
Peter
2
235,961
28,100
82.3
Lookout
Point
3
297,325
455,800
88.2
Dexter
1
87,797
N.A
88.2
Cougar
2
172,171
219,000
54.2
Recreational Reservoirs in Willamette Basin
# of
Recreation
Areas
Avg. yearly visits
Total Storage
Proj.
Cost
Fern Ridge
5
768,000
116,800
6
Cottage Grove
5
417,000
32,900
3.3
Detroit
7
735,000
455,100
62.7
Dorena
5
343,000
77,600
14
Dexter
2
321,000
N.A
88.2
Blue river
3
66,000
89,500
32
Cougar
6
64,000
219,000
54.2
Fall Creek
5
269,000
125,000
22
Hills Creek
5
109,000
355,500
46
Foster
6
590,000
60,700
82.3
Green Peter
3
230,000
28,100
82.3
Lookout Point
6
97,000
455,800
88.2