1. Project Update SageCon, September 30, 2016
Pilot Use of Oregon State and Transition Model Framework with BLM Land Health Evaluation in Oregon
Project Update
SageCon, September 30, 2016

2. Background Pilot initiated in March 2016 Purpose: Goal: Partners:
Explore the applicability and utility of incorporating the Oregon STM Framework into a BLM Rangeland Health Assessment and Evaluation
Incorporate the data requirements in the GRSG Monitoring Framework
Goal:
Assist the BLM in clearly communicating the desired rangeland condition, ecological threats, and threat reduction measures necessary to sustain or achieve desired conditions.
Partners:
BLM, USFWS, ODFW, Eastern Oregon ARS

3. State and Transition Model Framework
The Oregon State and Transition Model Framework (STM) assesses the sagebrush steppe landscape and stratifies it based on the dominant vegetation community and the degree of threat from wildfire, invasive annual grasses (IAG) and conifer encroachment (Boyd et al. 2014; US Department of Agriculture 2016).
Using the STM approach, the ecological state for an area is determined by a combination of: (1) conducting ocular assessments while walking and driving throughout the assessment area; (2) establishing permanent photo points; (3) assessing apparent trend.
The Oregon STM framework used in this demonstration is conducted on private lands that are enrolled in any of the Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) throughout occupied sage-grouse habitat in southeastern Oregon (USFWS 2015).
It is also used in the Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA)(BLM 2013) available to BLM permittees in Oregon’s sage-grouse habitat, and it is proposed for use in the State of Oregon Habitat Quantification Tool (for use in Oregon’s Sage-grouse Mitigation Program).
Central to the STM Framework is the identification of all ecosystem threats to sage-grouse habitat and opportunities to maintain or improve ecological condition over time.

4. When conducting a Land Health Assessment, the BLM collects field data to assess 17 indicators of Rangeland Health (Pellant et al. 2005).
The BLM assesses indicators relative to departure from a reference state for each ecological site or dominant vegetation community.
When completing the HAF, the BLM assesses information at three scales and makes a suitability rating for each scale and each seasonal habitat. At the mid-scale, represented by sage-grouse sub-populations and PACs, the areas with potential to provide habitat are identified, seasonal habitats are mapped, and landscape indicators such as sagebrush availability, patch size, abundance, edge effects and habitat connectivity between populations are assessed. At the fine-scale, represented by lek clusters and leks, seasonal use areas are identified, connectivity between use area, and human disturbances are assessed. At the site-scale, indicators identified in the RMPA (Table 2-2) are assessed.
Quantitative data for the 17 Rangeland Health indicators and the sage-grouse habitat assessments are collected using the BLM Core Terrestrial Indicators and Methods (MacKinnon et al. 2011). Supplemental indicators are collected if necessary, following the BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy (AIM)(Taylor et al. 2014).
AIM Core Terrestrial Indicators:
Bare grounds
Non-native invasive species
Plant species of management concern
Proportion of large gaps in plant canopy
Vegetation composition
Vegetation height
Rangeland Health indicators
Rills
Water flow patterns
Pedestals/terracettes
Gullies
Wind-scoured, blowout and/or depositional areas
Litter movement
Soil surface resistance to erosion
Soil surface loss or degradation
Plant community composition and distribution relative to infiltration and runoff
Compaction layer
Functional/structural groups
Plant mortality/decadence
Litter amount
Annual production
Invasive plants
Reproductive capability of perennial plants

5. Work and products completed to date
Project proposal
Field day assessment of ecostates (STM) on O’Keeffe Allotment (July 26-28, 2016)
Ecostate map finalized by Lakeview BLM; threats and conservation measures identified
Summary report of discussion and lessons learned from field days
Revised Upland Ecological State Documentation form tailored for BLM
Draft supplemental materials to provide further guidance for completing STM assessments
Project proposal that communicates mutually identified goals/objectives, methods, and timeline
Field day assessment participants included staff from Lakeview BLM District Office, BLM State Office, USFWS, ODFW, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, and permittee (John O’Keeffe)
Supplemental materials include
(1) protocol for determining ecostates in the field; and
(2) comprehensive description of each ecostate in the STM framework including associated threats and ecological trend assessment

6. Preliminary findings
STM has utility for prioritizing limited resources for quantitative monitoring efforts
Conducting STM mapping with grazing permit renewals provides an integrated and collaborative approach to identify treatments & concurrently develop grazing management strategies that will promote the success of those treatments
Reserve intensified monitoring for areas where: (1) treatments and effectiveness monitoring are most needed (e.g. less desirable ecostates [e.g. States B or C] with the potential to shift to more desirable states); (2) ecological trend is uncertain and monitoring can confirm if conditions are improving or worsening.
Intensified monitoring may not be required in areas with stable ecological states that are either in desirable condition (State A) or are highly degraded and unlikely to shift to a more desirable state without significant, long-term rehabilitation investment (States D or E).

7. Preliminary findings
STM Framework allows for a common set of planning and communication tools to be used on private and public lands enrolled in CCAAs and CCAs, respectively, thus providing opportunities for “whole ranch operation planning”.
STM mapping could have utility for planning at the watershed level.

8. Next Steps April 2017 May 2017 Summer 2017
State Office and Lakeview BLM will review and summarize AIM and other legacy/trend data
Lakeview BLM will complete Rangeland Health and HAF assessments for O’Keeffe allotment
May 2017
Field day with interagency team and permittee to review RHA/HAF findings
Summer 2017
Interpret and prepare findings for incorporation into relevant BLM management planning documents
Prepare EA for allotment permit renewal
Complete post-pilot project assessment

9. Questions?