Conservation strategy for Northern Idaho wetlands

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Abstract:

The Idaho Conservation Data Center received a wetland protection grant from the Environmental Protection Agency under the authority of Section 104 (b)(3) of the Clean Water Act to enhance existing wetland information systems. The information summarized here can be applied to state biodiversity, conservation, and water quality enhancement projects on a watershed basis. The initial project area encompassed the Henrys Fork Basin including the Teton River drainage. Currently, work is continuing in the Big Wood River basin, southeastern Idaho watersheds, east- central basins, and Coeur d’Alene watershed. This document is a summary of information compiled for the Idaho Panhandle. <br>

We used the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) to gain a broad perspective on the areal extant and types of wetlands in the survey area. Land ownership and management layers were overlaid on the NWI to determine ownership and the protected status of wetlands. Plant communities occurring in the survey area were placed into the hierarchical NWI classification and provide information relative to on-the-ground resource management. <br>

Assessment of the quality and condition of plant communities and the occurrence of rare plant and animal species allowed us to categorize fifty-nine wetland sites based on conservation intent. Thirteen wetlands occur in a relatively natural condition and full protection is the priority. The biological significance of the surveyed wetland sites, abstracts for rare plant communities, and summaries of animal species are provided to guide management activities. Land managers can apply the process presented here to categorize wetlands which were not surveyed. <br>

We identify conservation strategies for sites surveyed and for plant communities that are unprotected or under-protected. Less than 4% of the wetlands in the survey area have protection beyond regulatory provisions of the Clean Water Act. Most of the protected wetlands are in the emergent vegetation category. Deciduous forested wetlands, willow and alder dominated shrub wetlands, and peatlands are currently under-protected and should be of high priority for conservation activities. <br>

Only portions of the information from the NWI maps and database records are summarized in this conservation strategy. All information contained in the databases is available for public use except a limited amount of threatened and endangered species information considered sensitive by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contacts for accessing digital and analog data are included at the end of this manuscript.

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Reference Code: U97JAN02IDUS <br>

Full Citation: Jankovsky-Jones, M. 1997. Conservation strategy for Northern Idaho wetlands. Conservation Data Center, Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 35 pp. plus appendices. <br>

Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - ECOLOGY <br>

Keywords: wetland, Idaho <br>

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U97JAN02IDUS.pdf