Ncasi Foundation

A UNIFIED APPROACH TO EVOLVING FOREST INVENTORY & ANALYSIS' ESTIMATION CAPACITY

WORKING FORESTS, FOREST SUSTAINABILITY, AND AT-RISK SPECIES THROUGH COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION

ORWA EVALUATING THE MOVEMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF FEDERALLY THREATENED HUMBOLDT MARTEN

NCASI WILL CONDUCT NON-INVASIVE (CAMERA, DETECTION DOG TEAM) ON BLM-MANAGED LAND, AND WITH LANDOWNER PERMISSION,MAY SURVEY NEARBY PRIVATE, U.S. FOREST SERVICE, STATE OF OREGON, AND TRIBAL-MANAGED LAND IN THE SOUTHERN OREGON COASTRANGE TO ASSESS MARTEN OCCURRENCE. APPROXIMATELY 60,000 ACRES WILL BE SURVEYED OVER FIVE YEARS. NCASI WILL PROVIDEBLM WITH AN ANNUAL REPORT DESCRIBING THE WORK COMPLETED IN THAT CALENDAR YEAR AND CUMULATIVELY TO DATE INCLUDING THENUMBER OF ACRES SURVEYED AND THE METHODS USED, MAP(S) AND GIS DATA DEPICTING THE AREAS SURVEYED AND WITH INFORMATIONABOUT BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SURVEY RESULTS.

THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE (WCI) WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND OCCURRENCE OF AT-RISK SPECIES ON PRIVATE, WORKING FORESTS, DEVELOP OPPORTUNITIES FOR LONGER-TERM MONITORING OF INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITIES OF AT-RISK SPECIES IN WORKING FOREST LANDSCAPES, AND RELATE THOSE SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES TO STAND AND LANDSCAPE-LEVEL FOREST CHARACTERISTICS. PROJECTS TO BE SUPPORTED MAY INCLUDE: SURVEYS OF THE AT-RISK DIANA FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY ON PRIVATE WORKING FOREST LAND. SURVEYS OF INSECT POLLINATOR COMMUNITIES IN WORKING FOREST STANDS OF VARYING AGES. EXAMINING THE ROLE OF PRIVATE WORKING FORESTS PLAY IN PROVIDING HABITAT FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS ACROSS THEIR FULL LIFE CYCLE IN THE EASTERN U.S. CONDUCT SURVEYS AND HABITAT WORK ON IMPORTANT BAT SPECIES, INCLUDING THE LONG-EARED BAT, LITTLE BROWN BAT, AND TRICOLORED BAT. SURVEY TURTLES AND OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES, INCLUDING WOOD TURTLE, WESTERN POND TURTLE, AND ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE.THE WCI PROVIDES IMPORTANT DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY OF AT-RISK SPECIES. THIS COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION MODEL HAS GREATLY ENHANCED INFORMATION GATHERING AND SHARING WITH NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FORESTRY OWNERS (NAFO), NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR AIR AND STREAM IMPROVEMENT (NCASI), US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, OTHER PARTNERS, AND OWNERS AND MANAGERS OF PRIVATE WORKING FORESTS.

THIS PROJECT, FOCUSED ON THE DPS OF COASTAL MARTEN, WILL COMBINE TELEMETRY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF GENETIC TOOLS BASED ON GUIDANCE IN THE RECOVERY OUTLINE. USING TISSUE SAMPLES, AFFORDABLE DNA FINGERPRINTING WILL BE AVAILABLE WHICH WILL ALLOW MANAGERS TO IDENTIFY MARTEN INDIVIDUALS, SEX, AND GENETIC DIVERSITY USING SCATS. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE USED TO ASSESS INBREEDING DEPRESSION AND BARRIERS TO GENE FLOW FROM A BANK OF PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED SCAT, COMBINED WITH ADDITIONAL SAMPLES COLLECTED DURING TELEMETRY STUDIES. TELEMETRY DATA WILL INFORM HOW MARTEN MOVE THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE AND WILL INFORM HOW TO MANAGE FOR INCREASED CONNECTIVITY AMONG SUBPOPULATIONS.THE SERVICE WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY INVOLVED BY:THE SERVICE WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH THE APPLICANT TO INFORM THE STUDY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD AND LAB WORK. THIS INCLUDES INFORMING DISCRETE PROJECT LOCATIONS, FIELD ASSISTANCE, AND INPUT ON REPORTS.

OR/WA COOS BAY COASTAL MARTEN SURVEYS

WE AIM TO DEVELOP GENOMIC TOOLS FOR RED TREE VOLES THAT WILL ALLOW EXTENSIVE INFORMATION TO BE EXTRAPOLATED INDIRECTLY FROM FECAL PELLETS. WE CAN UNIQUELY CAPITALIZE ON THE COMBINATION OF NEW TOOLS E.G. ILLUMINA SEQUENCING FACILITIES OREGON STATES CENTER FOR QUANTITATIVE LIFE SCIENCES EXPERTISE OUR STAFF AND COLLABORATORS AND EXISTING FIELD WORK. HERE WE PROPOSE TO USE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN TISSUE SAMPLES FROM RED TREE VOLES ARBORIMUS LONGICAUDUS TO DEVELOP A SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM SNP ARRAY IN THIS GENUS. OUR PARTICULAR ASK FOCUSES ON THE PROCESSING OF TISSUE SAMPLES DNA EXTRACTION AND STAFF TIME NEEDED TO ENTER THE TIMECONSUMING PROCESS OF BIOINFORMATICS TO FIND SNPS THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY TREE VOLE TRAITS E.G. INDIVIDUAL SEX DISTINCT POPULATION WITH ENOUGH POWER AND ACCURACY TO PROCESS LOW GRADE DNA FROM FECAL PELLETS. FINALIZING THE PROCESS FOR CREATING THESE GENOMIC TOOLS MAY TAKE UPWARDS OF A YEAR AND DEDICATED STAFF TIME E.G. 70000. STARTING THE PROCESS ALLOWS US TO IDENTIFY GEOGRAPHIC SAMPLE GAPS EVALUATE HOW DIFFICULT SNP DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE AND PROVIDE A FORUM TO DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES TO ADDRESS GREATEST INFORMATION NEEDS WITH THESE DATA.

A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO QUANTIFYING FOREST CARBON MANAGEMENT