2010 Wildlife Action Plan Revision Overview

Specific List of Revisions

Taxonomic Group Addition: Crayfish (25 Species)

Kentucky is home to a rich diversity of freshwater crayfish with 54 species documented in Kentucky. During the initial drafting of Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan in 2005, the Species of Greatest Conservation Need task force did not have the time or the expertise to critically evaluate Crayfish SGCN. During the 2005 Wildlife Action Plan drafting process, it was decided that one major goal of the 2010 revision would be the addition of freshwater crayfish as a taxonomic group of conservation need. To address this goal, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) partnered with the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (KSNPC) to provide funding and direction for KSNPC to compile distribution maps and species accounts for crayfish SGCN. For purposes of grouping, we included all taxa within Class Malacostraca to be part of the freshwater crayfish SGCN group. Once these distribution maps and species accounts were compiled, KDFWR sent this material to crayfish experts statewide for comment and review. Comments were incorporated into the species accounts and distribution maps, and the final product was reviewed by the public.

Addition of 25 Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Twenty-five new SGCN have been identified for addition to Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan. As of the 2010 Wildlife Action Plan revision, the following species will be considered Species of Greatest Conservation Need:

Scientific Name	Common Name	Taxonomic Class
Fish (Actinopterygii)
Hybopsis amnis	Pallid Shiner	Actinopterygii
Clinostomus elongatus	Redside Dace	Actinopterygii
Macrhybopsis meeki	Sicklefin Chub	Actinopterygii
Macrhybopsis gelida	Sturgeon Chub	Actinopterygii
Cyprinella venusta	Blacktail Shiner	Actinopterygii
Ictiobus niger	Black Buffalo	Actinopterygii
Lota lota	Burbot	Actinopterygii
Polyodon spathula	Paddlefish	Actinopterygii
Forbesichthys agassizii	Spring Cavefish	Actinopterygii
Amphibians (Amphibia)
Desmognathus conanti	Spotted Dusky Salamander	Amphibia
Desmognathus fuscus	Northern Dusky Salamander	Amphibia
Scaphiopus holbrookii	Eastern Spadefoot	Amphibia
	Birds (Aves)
Caprimulgus vociferus	Whip-poor-will	Aves
Caprimulgus carolinensis	Chuck-will's-widow	Aves
Dendroica virens	Black-throated green warbler	Aves
Falco sparverius	American kestrel	Aves
Bonasa umbellus	Ruffed Grouse	Aves
Porzana carolina	Sora	Aves
Rallus limicola	Virginia Rail	Aves
Grus canadensis	Sandhill Crane	Aves
Cygnus columbianus	Tundra Swan	Aves
Aythya affinis	Lesser Scaup	Aves
Aythya marila	Greater Scaup	Aves
Himantopus mexicanus	Black-necked Stilt	Aves
Actitis macularius	Spotted Sandpiper	Aves

These species will be added to the Wildlife Action Plan because new information has surfaced over the past several years indicating that population declines or widespread habitat destruction of key habitats are occurring in Kentucky. In contrast, no species will be deleted from the list of SGCN for this revision. Biological data for existing species will continue to be examined and the decision of removing species will be made prior to the 2015 revision.

Conservation Action Additions

Over the past five years, a few major omissions have surfaced in regard to Wildlife Action Plan Conservation Actions (Appendix 3.3 Kentucky’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy conservation actions). Specifically we have added the following four Conservation Actions to address conservation needs, or details within existing conservation actions, that were largely overlooked by Kentucky’s original Wildlife Action Plan.

187) Restore populations of conservation concern using captive propagation/release efforts and translocation efforts in areas where habitats have been restored

188) Implement monitoring, surveillance, and response plans for wildlife diseases affecting species of greatest conservation need in Kentucky; specifically, White Nose Syndrome (WNS).

189) Work with the KY Department of Transportation (DOT) and other agencies to incorporate landscape-level planning (e.g. wildlife corridors, habitat connectivity) into infrastructure/road-building efforts.

190) Partner with Kentucky’s In Stream Flow network to identify and work to resolve high-priority issues (e.g. timing of dam release, fish barrier removal, development of in-stream flow standards which integrate biological and hydrological data).

Action Plan to Respond to Climate Change in Kentucky: A Strategy of Resilience

Global climate change has the potential to compound existing threats to Kentucky’s species and habitats of conservation concern; in light of this threat, we created a planning document: Action Plan to Respond to Climate Change in Kentucky: A Strategy of Resilience. This document is designed to be adaptively managed with the Wildlife Action Plan, and edited as new climate change science becomes available. This chapter has the following six specific goals of action to increase the resilience of species and habitats to negative impacts caused by changing climate. During the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan revision, the Climate Change Chapter will be reviewed and revised, if needed.

Goal 1: Conserve and restore functioning ecosystems in Kentucky

Goal 2: Create or protect “key” or “concentrating” habitats

Goal 3: Implement multi-agency plans for wildlife corridors/connectivity in Kentucky

Goal 4: Monitor fish, wildlife, and ecosystem responses to climate change

Goal 5: Evaluate the effectiveness of actions implemented as a result of Kentucky’s Climate Change chapter, and adaptively manage populations and habitats based on monitoring results

Goal 6: Continue efforts to educate the public about wildlife conservation and continue efforts to stay optimally informed of current climate change predictions and observed climate change.

Revision of the Caves, Rock Shelters, and Clifflines Terrestrial Guild

Karst topography in Kentucky harbors high levels of subterranean biodiversity and was not specifically included in any Terrestrial Habitat Guild during the original drafting of Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan. To adequately convey the importance of this habitat, the “Caves, Rock Shelters, and Clifflines Terrestrial Habitat Guild” has been revised to include Karst. This terrestrial habitat guild is now called, “Karst, Cave, Rock Shelter, and Cliffline Terrestrial Habitat Guild” (Appendix 3.8 Kentucky’s terrestrial habitat guild descriptions, prioritized conservation actions, objectives, and performance measures). A map of Karst topography in Kentucky, as well as a description of the importance of this habitat type, are included in the revised Appendix 3.8 description.

Format and Accessibility of these Revisions

Pending federal approval, revisions to Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan (listed above) will be presented online in a stand-alone format. The overwhelming majority of Wildlife Action Plan users access the WAP online; consequently, links to all major revisions will be placed in multiple high-use areas to alert users of changes. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will review and revise our Wildlife Action Plan again in 2015. It is at this time that all distribution maps for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) will be updated, and all new SGCN (e.g. Crayfish) will be fully integrated into the Wildlife Action Plan. The above revisions represent Kentucky’s first attempt to adaptively manage the Commonwealth’s Wildlife Action Plan.