MINUTES FROM THE SCIENCE TECHNICAL ADVISORY TEAM (STAT)
MEETING ON OCTOBER 21, 1999
SONORAN DESERT CONSERVATION PLAN
MINUTES FROM THE SCIENCE TECHNICAL ADVISORY TEAM (STAT)
MEETING ON OCTOBER 21, 1999
Call to Order
Minutes from the September 18th Meeting
Minutes for the September 18, 1999 STAT meeting were approved by all members present, with the following correction: minutes were approved for the August 20th meeting, not the September 18th meeting.Introductions/Announcements
Bill Shaw introduced Sherry Barrett who is representing the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She will attend the STAT meetings to serve as a liaison between the STAT and the USFWS.The Ranch Conservation Committee (RCC) has been formed and is meeting on a regular basis (once a month). A joint meeting between the STAT and the RCC may be arranged sometime in the future. Prior to this, Pima County staff will meet informally with this new committee. Like the STAT, the RCC meetings are open to the public. STAT members are also welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings.
The University of Arizona staff is also meeting informally in regards to the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. They will be determining what role the university might play to assist the conservation plan.
A new address list for the STAT was distributed. Some of the members had some corrections to the new list. Staff will make the necessary revisions and provide a new list in the next mail package.
Decision Support Model
Several STAT members met to discuss issues involving the decision support model and to determine which species should be used. The meeting was held on Monday, October 18th. The group concluded that they were not yet comfortable with selecting the criteria for the model, nor the species that should be used for the model. Dr. Peter Stine has indicated that he will be able to attend the November 18th STAT meeting, at which time the STAT will discuss this more.Maeveen made the comment that the model is a good exercise, but not an end-all solution. Work performed by the consultant and the STAT will be the driving force for the biological elements of the conservation plan and not just a means to develop criteria for the decision support model. Bill Shaw added that the primary focus will be placed on the protection of natural communities (with the species taking a secondary role).
Land Stewardship
Julia Fonseca displayed the new land stewardship map which was created by Pima County GIS staff. Changes were made to the old map to show private lands within in the Coronado National Forest. In the future, the map will be redefined using various categories of GAP status as presented in the handouts provided by Neva Connolly. Pima County staff is currently working on obtaining management boundaries that represent different GAP status categories and obtaining reserve documents not yet received. Any input or help from the STAT members with this process is welcome.HDMS Database Analysis
Two handouts were provided to the STAT members displaying species data provided by the Heritage Data Management System (HDMS). The first handout is a map showing the approximate locations of HDMS species by taxonomic group (mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.). The second handout displays the approximate locations of HDMS species based on their global ranking.Sherry Ruther that the criteria for choosing species to be in the HDMS was based on their listing by any federal, state or other agency (Mexican, Native American, etc.). Each dot represents a positive occurrence of the species in the general area. This information is largely based on accessibility; areas with easy access will have more species occurrences. County staff will work on a technical report about this information source with the help of Sherry Ruther.
As shown by the maps, no information has been provided regarding species occurrences on the Tohono O'Odham Nation (Nation). The Arizona Game and Fish Department has some information, but cannot release it due to concerns from the Nation. Pima County is currently working on obtaining this information. In addition, STAT has agreed to invite a representative from the Nation to sit on the team. A memorandum will be provided to the Pima County Administrator's office to request this invitation.
Water Budget
Julia Fonseca described a handout provided to the STAT which displayed the decline in water used by the riparian ecosystems in the Tucson area from 1850 to 1990 due to lowering of the water table. Evapo-transpiration has declined from approximately 51,000 acre-feet/year in 1850 to 12,000 acre-feet/year in 1990 because the aerial extent of vegetation has declined and there is no streamflow. Currently, there is no protection of the shallow groundwater zones that sustain remaining groundwater-dependent vegetation.Maeveen explained the Implementation Team's role in the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. A suggestion was made to have the STAT work closely with the Implementation Team.
Status of Data Collection
Pima County staff met recently with the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) to go over the Geographic Information System (GIS) coverage for water resources in Pima County. Doug Duncan is a technical reviewer for this effort. PAG is currently compiling all existing information on perennial and intermittent streams and shallow groundwater zones for all of Pima County which will be place on a GIS map. A draft map will be available sometime near the end of November. PAG has currently found 85 stream reaches which merit investigation. A form will be placed on the web site to allow public input.Julia Fonseca described a couple of maps recently created by Pima County staff. One map displays annual precipitation for Pima County based on rain gauge data and interpolation. The other map displays irrigated and dormant agricultural lands in Pima County based on maps and photographs from 1935 to 1981.
Two handouts were provided to the STAT in regards to species distribution provided by the Arizona GAP Analysis. The first, double-sided handout is a map display of the distribution of two species within the State of Arizona. The second, two-page handout describes the methods used to create the species distribution maps, and an abstract describing an accuracy assessment of the maps.
Future Meeting Dates
The next meeting is set for Thursday, November 18th from 9:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m at the Water Resources Research Center, 350 N. Campbell Avenue in Tucson, Arizona.Call to the Public
Paul Fromer, Recon Environmental Consultants, commented that it is invaluable to improve the land cover mapping (vegetation mapping) as early as possible.
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. Comments from Reed Noss and Laura Hood, independent scientific peer reviewers, have been incorporated into the scope of work.ATTENDANCE LIST
STAT Members Present:
William Shaw School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona
Natasha Kline Saguaro National Park
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
Robert Steidl School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona
Steve Prchal Sonoran Arthropod Studies InstituteSTAT Members Absent:
Gary Nabhan Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Staff:
Julia Fonseca Pima County Flood Control District
David Scalero Pima County Flood Control District
Neva Connolly Pima County
Others:
Maeveen Behan County Administrator's Office
Sherry Barrett U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Trevor Hare Tucson Herpetological Society
Paul Fromer Recon Environmental Consultants
Links Endangered Species in Pima County Species of Concern - A discussion paper for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
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