1. North Coast Forest Conservation Program Northern Spotted Owl Status Overview Madison Thomson mthomson@conservationfund.org (707)357-3919

2. Ownership Overview ~73,000 acres in Mendocino and Sonoma county Garcia River Forest: 23,780 ac (acquired 2004) Big River and Salmon Creek Forests: 16,020 ac (acquired 2006) Gualala River Forest: 13,542 ac (acquired 2011) Buckeye Forest: 19,650 ac (acquired 2013)

3. Forest Types Mixed redwood/Douglas-fir Big River/Salmon Creek generally higher site than Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye Big River/Salmon Creek more redwood Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye more Douglas-fir and mixed hardwood (tanoak) Harvest History Big River and Salmon Creek history of even-aged management Current landscape is mosaic ranging from 10 year old plantations to 60+ year old second growth Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye history of partial harvests (mainly overstory removal) beginning in 1950s-1960s Current landscape is continuous closed canopy 45-60 year old conifer with substantial hardwood component

4. TCF Forest Management Strategies Utilize uneven-aged regeneration methods (single tree and group selection) Maintain harvest levels well below growth for the next few decades Retain high value wildlife elements (large hardwoods, snags, residual old growth conifers, trees with unique structural attributes) Transition stands toward more historically appropriate species composition Maintain FSC and SFI certification

5. Historic (pre TCF) NSO surveys Big River/Salmon Creek Surveys since 1989 Called on THP by THP basis with annual monitoring of known territories Garcia/Gualala/Buckeye Called on THP by THP basis with minimal monitoring of known territories Large coverage gaps in time and space

6. TCF NSO Survey Effort Ownership wide “blanket” surveys since 2008 Nighttime station calling that covers entire ownership in addition to monitoring of occupancy and reproductive status for all known NSO territories Surveys done by consulting biologist, Mike Stephens Big River/Salmon Creek surveys covered under SOMP (3 visits/year) Garcia/Gualala surveyed consistent with most recent USFWS survey protocol (currently 6 visits/year) Placement of survey stations, spacing of survey visits, daytime follow-up surveys, reproductive status determination are done consistent with USFWS protocol TCF has not yet conducted surveys on Buckeye

7. Survey Effort Trends Nighttime Survey Effort by YearDaytime Survey Effort by Year

8. Banding Done by Mike Stephens and MRC biologists Currently over 75% of territories on ownership with at least one banded individual Allows better tracking of daytime and nighttime locations

9. Regulatory Compliance/Take Avoidance THPs submitted under 919.9(e) Big River and Salmon Creek covered under SOMP Habitat retention: 100 acre core area; retain 500 acres of suitable habitat within 0.7 mi of activity center (200 should be nest/roost) Operational restrictions: different restrictions depending type of operation and reproductive status; no timber ops permitted within 0.25 mi of nest site until after July 31 Surveys: 3 visits/year ownership wide; monitor occupancy and reproductive status of known NSO territories Timber ops may start any time after March 1, so long as all historic NSO territories within 0.7 mi of THP are verified occupied

10. Regulatory Compliance/ Take Avoidance (cont.) Non-Big River/Salmon Creek utilize “Attachment A” Habitat retention requirements and operational restrictions generally parallel SOMP Surveys conducted consistent with 2011 USFWS NSO survey protocol TCF voluntarily conducting “blanket” calling consistent with 2011 USFWS NSO survey protocol (6 survey visits/year) Essentially in year 3 of USFWS protocol sequence in perpetuity: timber ops may begin after 3 spot check visits

11. Territory Occupancy and Density Trends Number of Occupied Territories Ownership Wide by Year NSO territories/square mile Ownership Wide by Year *note: this chart excludes Gualala River Forest

12. Reproductive Trends Ownership Wide Nesting Attempts by YearOwnership Wide Young Fledged by Year

13. Other Projects NSO habitat mapping using LiDAR imagery Trial mapping completed on Garcia, but we are still working to refine and verify the models

14. Other Issues Barred owls 4 occupied barred owl sites across ownership 2 associated NSO territories haven’t been detected since 2011 1 associated NSO territory is still detected, but detections are inconsistent Marijuana gardens and associated chemicals Traces of blood thinning rodenticide found in dead NSO on Salmon Creek in 2012