SONORAN DESERT CONSERVATION PLAN

MINUTES FROM THE SCIENCE TECHNICAL ADVISORY TEAM (STAT)
MEETING ON JULY 20, 1999

Attendance: See attached list

Call to Order

 

 

Minutes from June 14th Meeting
Minutes for the June 14, 1999 STAT meeting were approved by all members present, with no revisions.

Revisions to Environmental History
Written comments to the latest draft environmental history for the "Species of Concern" report were provided by Gary Nabhan. Sherry Ruther also has comments, and will provide them at a later date. All other comments are welcome at any time.

 

Revisions to Focal Species
A discussion was held regarding the restructured tables which list focal species for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Mima Falk stated that there are 15 plants that are globally imperiled which should be included in the new tables. She also mentioned that the Organ Pipe Cactus and Senita are not at risk in Pima County and should be moved to another category. Sherry Ruther commented that the designation of "Wildlife of Special Concern" does not apply to plants. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has begun to assess the state-of-knowledge for each of the focal species. Staff will continue to make revisions to the focal species lists as necessary.

Suggestions were made by some of the STAT members to keep the list dynamic (responsive to new information). Gail Kobetich commented that the list will continue to change until the end of the process. He advised the team that it is important to document decisions about why species are on the list or why they are removed from consideration. Gail offered to provide STAT with some examples of planning processes from other conservations plans.

Natasha Kline made a suggestion to include a cover page with the tables which describes the new categories. David Scalero distributed a handout containing definitions for the new categories of species. Gary Nabhan provided written comments to the definitions and some new subcategories for the list of "keystone" and "umbrella" species. A subcommittee was created to work on refining the new criteria and place species in the appropriate categories and subcategories. Gary Nabhan, Mima Falk and Natasha Kline will serve on this subcommittee. Staff will provide assistance with this effort.

 

Representation of Vegetation Communities in the SDCP
Julia Fonseca provided an update on the vegetative mapping analysis for the SDCP which included a handout distributed to the STAT. Problems inherent in the current mapping include poor resolution and accuracy (i.e. mapping of riparian units is not well defined). A consensus among the STAT members was that the vegetative mapping analysis is a useful tool and improved riparian mapping must be secured soon. Natasha commented that habitats, such as mixed conifer, that are located within "protected" areas like the Coronado National Forest should be included in the SDCP to provide leverage for polices to maintain and increase protection and conservation in these areas. The STAT requested to have a map showing the location of the protected areas in relation to vegetation.

 

Independent Peer Reviewers
Dr. Reed Noss and Ms. Laura C. Hood have agreed to be independent reviewers. Julia discussed how peer review could be implemented by the STAT.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on a two-page summary of criticisms of peer review of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP's) which has not yet been received by staff. She will also provide a list of names of scientists who understand HCP's, in order for STAT to select more peer
reviewers. Gary Nabhan suggested three other people who should be considered for peer review: Brian Miller, Bob Zahner and Peter Landris . Julia will contact these people and request their resumes if they are interested. A list with resumes will be compiled by staff for the next meeting.

Status of Data Collection
A handout was distributed and Julia made a brief presentation on the data that has been obtained by other sources for the SDCP. This data, which was provided by Pima County Technical Services, can be used to assist the biological consultant with their work.

Change in Agenda
Item 8 on the agenda (discussion of the request for proposals and scope of work for the SDCP) was moved to the end of the meeting.

Future Meetings
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 20th from 9:30 am - 11:30am at the Water Resources Research Center.

Announcements

1. The next meeting of the SDCP Steering Committee will be on Saturday, July 24th at the Sonoran Desert Museum. Transcripts from all of the past meetings will be located on the SDCP web site. Handouts for the past meetings will be distributed to all STAT members.

2. Reed Noss will be available to meet with STAT on September 17th (Friday) during the evening or on September 18th (Saturday) for most of the day.

3. The sign-in sheet will be used to create a mailing list of members of the public who wish to be informed of future STAT meeting dates.

Request for Proposals and Scope of Work for the SDCP
A discussion session was held regarding the Request for Proposal and Scope of Work for the biological consultant. This session was closed to those who may have a conflict of interest related
to the contract. A subcommittee consisting of Cecil Schwalbe, Sherry Ruther and Doug Duncan will meet on August 5th to define the scope and prepare for the proposal evaluation. The schedule for the consultant evaluation process was discussed; the consultant could begin work as early as mid-November, however there are contingencies with the funding. At this time, it appears that less than $500,000 will be available for this work.

 

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STAT Members Present:

William Shaw School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona
Natasha Kline Saguaro National Park
Steve Prchal Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute
Gary Nabhan Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Mark Dimmitt for Gary Nabhan Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Sherry Ruther Arizona Game and Fish Department
Doug Duncan U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Tucson)
Cecil Schwalbe School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona
Mima Falk Coronado National Forest

STAT Members Absent:

Steve DeStefano School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona

Staff:

Julia Fonseca Pima County Flood Control District
David Scalero Pima County Flood Control District

 

Others:

Maeveen Behan County Administrator's Office
Gail Kobetich U. S. Department of the Interior
Peter Stine U. S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division
John Regan Pima County Department of Transportation - GIS
Lori Woods Recon Environmental Consultants
Carolyn Campbell Coalition for the Sonoran Desert Protection Plan

Links

 

Endangered Species in Pima County

Species of Concern - A discussion paper for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan