Endangered Species Recovery Program

IV. STEPDOWN NARRATIVE

1. Develop and implement a regional cooperative program and participation plan
2. Protect and secure existing populations
3. Determine distributions and population statuses of featured species
4. Conduct important research and monitoring
5. Maintain and establish linkages in existing natural lands and between islands of habitat on the Valley floor and natural lands around the fringe of the Valley
6. Apply adaptive management to protected areas
7. If necessary, reintroduce selected featured species to appropriate habitat within their historic range
8. Periodically review the status of candidates and species of concern to determine if listing as endangered or threatened is necessary

1. 1. Develop and implement a regional cooperative program and participation plan.

   Development of a regional cooperative program coordinating local public and private land use planning with State and Federal land use planning, recovery planning, and biodiversity conservation is needed. From this program, a participation plan should be developed and implemented to expedite and increase the chances of recovery for listed species and ensure long-term conservation of the 23 other species covered in this recovery plan.

   1. 1.1. Establish a regional cooperative program with participants from the public and private sector (Priority 2).

      Successful development of a regional cooperative program and preparation of a participation plan requires involvement by public and private interests in the planning area. Interested parties at all levels of government and in the private sector should be identified and their willingness to participate in a cooperative program determined. Once participants are identified, the program should be initiated.

   2. 1.2. Develop and implement participation plans.

      Participation plans should be developed to implement recovery. These plans should include outreach efforts to enhance the public's understanding of endangered species issues, economic incentives for conservation of endangered species on private lands, guidance on mitigation banking and establishment of large-scale Habitat Conservation Plans, focused safe harbor programs, and focused retirement of drainage problem lands. Separate participation plans may be developed and implemented for many of the tasks contained herein.

      1. 1.2.1. Develop and implement an outreach plan (Priority 2).

         Outreach is an important component of implementing this recovery plan. A plan should be developed by the regional cooperative program to provide factual information about featured species and the recovery process to interested and affected landowners. An important focus of outreach should be toward landowners with reported or potential occurrences of featured species. For private lands with reported populations of featured species, landowners should be apprised of the significance of the populations on their lands and should be provided with information about available conservation mechanisms, such as conservation easements and incentive programs (See Task 1.2.2). For private lands with potential occurrences of featured species, permission should be sought from cooperative landowners to conduct on-site surveys. If surveys identify populations of featured species, landowners should be apprised of their significance and offered incentives to continue current land uses that support featured species habitat.

      2. 1.2.2. Develop and implement economic or other incentives for conservation and recovery on private lands through the cooperative program and with other groups (Priority 2).

         Economic and other incentive programs (relief from taxes, tax credits, tax deductible habitat management expenses, Williamson Act, Conservation Reserve Program, Partners for Wildlife, and others) are important to gaining the support and assistance of private landowners in conserving and recovering species featured in this recovery plan (Hudson 1993, Dwyer et al. 1995, Keystone Center 1995, Eisner et al. 1995). As part of the regional cooperative program, or through working with other groups, such programs should be developed for the planning area. Incentive programs should play a role in protection of habitat on private property (See Task 2.1 and 2.2), and in establishing linkages on the Valley floor (Task 5.1) and elsewhere (Task 5.3).

      3. 1.2.3. Encourage and assist counties and owners of large amounts of natural lands in developing and implementing large-area Habitat Conservation Plans (Priority 2).

         City and county governments are the primary agencies in deciding on land uses, and thus, their involvement in any future recovery planning processes is critical. Habitat Conservation Plans have been developed and others are being developed. The regional cooperative program should promote similar initiatives in other counties in the planning area. Assistance should also be provided to owners of large amounts of natural land.

      4. 1.2.4. Encourage and assist in the development and implementation of mitigation banks separately or in conjunction with large-scale Habitat Conservation Plans (Priority 2).

         Mitigation banks should be promoted by the regional cooperative program as a means of overcoming many of the problems associated with mitigating for lost habitat on a piecemeal basis, separately or in conjunction with large scale Habitat Conservation Plans. Areas with the greatest potential for mitigation banks are western Kern County (one established, another in planning), the Coalinga and Ciervo-Panoche areas of western Fresno County, western Madera County, and other, lightly-developed oil and gas-producing areas. However, all large blocks of privately-owned natural land that are identified as important in this recovery plan should be considered.

      5. 1.2.5. Encourage and assist landowners and private interest groups in developing focused safe-harbor programs (Priority 2).

         Farming interests, the CDFG, and USFWS are pursuing the development of generalized safe harbor programs in California. To assist in endangered species recovery, specific programs should be developed by the regional cooperative program or other groups. These programs should be carried out in a controlled, experimental manner for the San Joaquin kit fox, and perhaps other species on both irrigated and non-irrigated ground. Implementation of a focused safe harbor program is one of several programs needed to establish linkages for featured species between islands of natural habitat on the Valley floor (See Task 5.1). Components of a pilot safe harbor program and areas to be targeted for San Joaquin kit fox are outlined in Appendix E.

      6. 1.2.6. Coordinate retirement of farmlands with drainage problems with recovery needs of featured species (Priority 2).

         Focused retirement of drainage problem lands is an important component of establishing linkages between islands of natural habitat on the Valley floor for San Joaquin kit fox and other featured species (See Task 5.1). The regional cooperative program should guide the implementation of this land retirement program so that priority is given to land retirement in areas needed for endangered species recovery. Criteria for land retirement, restoration of retired farmland, and guidelines for the program are provided in Appendix F.

2. 2. Protect and secure existing populations.

   Natural lands known to provide habitat for listed and other sensitive species, should be protected and secured from any identified threats in perpetuity. Protection of these habitat areas requires application of adaptive management (See Task 6) to ensure species survival and recovery. Natural lands needing protection include large blocks of land that function as core areas for listed species, and smaller blocks of land, called 'specialty' reserves that are usually locations of populations of single species.

   1. 2.1. Protect and secure core habitat areas.

      Table 7 lists all core areas, or large blocks of land requiring protection. Public and conservation lands listed in Table 7 should be adaptively managed to maximize their potential to support listed and sensitive species. Private lands included in Table 7 should be protected through voluntary conservation or management agreements (agreements in which a landowner agrees to manage property in a specified way), easements or other mechanisms, then adaptively managed. Management plans should be developed for all protected areas.

      Table 7. Large Blocks or Core Areas of Natural Lands Targeted for Protection. See Figure 70 for the location of core habitat areas.

      Recovery Task #	Locality	County	Species (target in bold)1	Landowner/Comments	Priority
      2.1.1	Elk Hills and Buena Vista Valley	Kern	hws, ons, bnll, gkr, sjkf, sjwt, tp, sjas, snkr, tgm, sjlt	Department of Energy/Occidental/Chevron/ secure long-term protection of natural communities and featured species; prevent disturbance of ons metapopulation.	1
      2.1.2	Fort Hunter Liggett/ Camp Roberts	Monterey, San Luis Obispo	sjkf	Department of Defense, California National Guard/ evaluate recent and ongoing base operations and land management studies on kit fox, prepare management plans beneficial to kit fox.	2
      2.1.3	Kern Fan Element	Kern	tkr, sjkf, bnll, bvls, hws, sjwt, bss, lss, lhsb, gkr, tgm, sjlt	Kern Water Bank Authority/ protect, restore and enhance upland and wetland communities, introduce bvls and other targeted species through cooperative agreement. Also provides a linkage between Lokern/Elk Hills and Tule Elk Reserve/Kern River Parkway.	1
      2.1.4	Western Kern County (includes Lokern)	Kern	km, ons, lhsb, bnll, sjas, gkr, snkr, tgm, sjkf, sjlt, hws, tbw, jpg, cjf, tp, sjwt	USBLM, Center for Natural Lands Management, private/ preserve 80-90 percent of the existing natural lands below about 500 meters (1,640 feet) between Blackwell's Corner and Maricopa. The Lokern area is within the Kern County Valley Floor Habitat Conservation Plan and a Chevron, USA, Inc. mitigation bank; restore habitat for sjlt; prevent disturbances of ons metapopulation.	1
      2.1.5	Western Madera County	Madera	pbbb, sjkf, bnll, fkr, lss, lhsb	Private / continue traditional land uses (natural gas extraction and cattle grazing), possible groundwater recharge and water banking site, an important link in the chain of habitat islands on Valley floor. Acquire title or easements for appropriate parcels from willing sellers.	1
      2.1.6	North central Fresno County	Fresno	pbbb, bnll, fkr, sjkf	Private/ located between the San Joaquin River, immediately north of the Alkali Sink Ecological Reserve, and San Mateo Road on the west, connects Alkali Sink Ecological Reserve to the Chowchilla Canal, an important link in the chain of habitat islands on Valley floor. Acquire title or easements for appropriate parcels from willing sellers.	2
      2.1.7	Pixley National Wildlife Refuge/Allensworth Natural Area	Tulare, Kern	tkr, bnll, sjkf	Private, public/ includes the best and only large remnants of Relictual Interior Dune Grassland, variations of chenopod scrub, and Haplopappus Shrubland in the Tulare Basin. Acquire title or easements for appropriate parcels from willing sellers; restore habitat for tkr.	1
      2.1.8	Northwestern Merced County	Merced	lhsb, lss, sjkf	Public/ includes Federal wildlife refuges and waterfowl easement properties, State game areas, and State park land, provides a vital linkage between Valley floor and northwestern Valley edge; restore and enhance natural communities by practicing adaptive management, control grazing; (riparian areas are listed separately in Table 8).	3
      2.1.9	Sandy Mush Road/ South Grasslands Area	Merced	lhsb, bnll, sjkf, lss, pbbb, fkr	Private/ a chain of habitat islands on the valley floor, that together with establishing Valley floor linkages through agricultural land, links Merced County National Wildlife Refuges, State areas and other natural lands with the northeastern and northwestern edges of the Valley and with natural areas to the south. Acquire title or easements for appropriate parcels from willing sellers.	2
      2.1.10	Kettleman Hills	Fresno, Kings	sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, sjkf, snkr, tgm, ddw, hws, sjdb, sjlt	USBLM, private/ protect area from development through acquisition or easements from willing sellers; conduct land survey to determine ownership of site with ddw, major population center for sjwt, hws.	1
      2.1.11	Kern National Wildlife Refuge/ Semitropic Ridge Natural Area	Kern	hws, bnll, sjas, sjkf, tkr, bvls, mtt, lhsb, sjwt, tgm	USFWS, State, private/ enhance natural communities by creation of areas of refuge above historic flood levels for tkr, provides link for sjkf to Pixley/Allensworth area, designated as preapproved acquisition area for the Metropolitan Bakersfield Habitat Conservation Plan. Manage and restore appropriate habitat, and introduce bvls. Acquire title or easements for appropriate parcels from willing sellers.	3
      2.1.12	Carrizo Plain Natural Area	San Luis Obispo	cjf, hws, jpg, tbw, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, sjkf, snkr, tgm, sjlt, lhsb, mtt	USBLM, State, The Nature Conservancy, private/ restore and enhance natural communities by practicing adaptive management; reintroduce featured species to suitable habitat where appropriate.	1
      2.1.13	Upper Cuyama Valley	Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo	cjf, hws, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, sjkf, snkr, tgm, sjlt	USBLM, private/ protect natural lands from development through acquisition or easement from willing sellers; ensure traditional rangeland uses continue while protecting vulnerable plant populations (Santa Barbara Canyon listed as a speciality reserve area in Table 8).	3
      2.1.14	Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area	Fresno, San Benito	jpg, hws, sjwt, lhsb, mtt, bnll, gkr, sjas, sjkf, sjlt, snkr, tgm, casb, sjdb	USBLM, State, private/ protect natural lands from development through acquisition or easement from willing sellers; ensure traditional rangeland uses continue while monitoring and protecting vulnerable plant and insect populations.	1
      2.1.15	Kreyenhagen Hills	Fresno	cjf, sjkf, snkr	USBLM, private/ only known population of cjf on public land east of the inner Coast Ranges; continue protecting cjf population and managing rangeland in an adaptive manner.	1
      2.1.16	Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge	Kern, Ventura	sjas, sjkf, tgm	USFWS/ restore and enhance natural communities by practicing adaptive management.	3
      2.1.17	Kerman and Alkali Sink Ecological Refuges	Fresno	pbbb, sjkf, fkr, bnll, hws, lss, lhsb	CDFG/ restore and enhance natural communities by practicing adaptive management; reintroduce fkr.	1
      2.1.18	Mendota Wildlife Area	Fresno	pbbb, sjkf, fkr, snkr, bnll	CDFG/ manage appropriately for featured species, develop specific management agreement for areas not managed for waterfowl.	3
      2.1.19	Northwestern portion of kit fox range	Alameda, Contra Costa	sjkf	Mostly private/ maintain larger natural areas identified in CDFG's Framework for Maintaining the San Joaquin Kit Fox in the Northwestern Segment of its Range (in litt. 1996), maintain beneficial grazing practices.	2

      ¹Species
      bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp - Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

      
      Figure 70. Place locations for Tables 7, 9, and 10.

      1. 2.2. Establish and protect specialty reserves.

         Table 8 lists specialty reserves to be established. Figure 71 shows the general location of these specialty reserves. Several of these specialty reserves are located within linkage areas (See Task 5). Public and conservation lands listed in Table 8 should be adaptively managed to maximize their potential to support listed and sensitive species. Private lands included in Table 8 should be protected through conservation or management agreements, acquisition, easements or other mechanisms, then adaptively managed. Management plans should be developed for all protected areas.

         Table 8. Natural Lands Targeted for Protection as Specialty Reserves. See Figure 71 for the location of each specialty reserve.

         Recovery Task #	Locality (Map Symbol - Figure 71)	County	Species (target in bold)1	Landowner/Comments	Priority
         2.2.1	Woodland (A)	Yolo	pbbb	City of Woodland/ develop and implement habitat restoration, enhancement and management plan.	1
         2.2.2	Springtown Alkali Sink (B)	Alameda	pbbb	CDFG, City of Livermore, Federal Communications Commission, private/ enhance habitat, develop and implement a plan to restore natural hydrology, establish cooperative management program; greatest genetic diversity for pbbb.	1
         2.2.3	Lower Stanislaus River (C)	San Joaquin, Stanislaus	rbr, rwr	COE/ review and enforce wildlife habitat easements downstream from the City of Ripon, restore riparian habitat, provide additional flood and fire protection; prepare emergency preplan for habitat protection at Caswell State Park; reintroduce rbr, rwr.	1
         2.2.4	San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (D)	Stanislaus	rbr, rwr	USFWS-Private/ restore riparian habitat, provide additional flood and fire protection; reintroduce rbr, rwr.	1
         2.2.5	San Joaquin River Riparian Communities (E)	Merced	rbr, rwr, sjkf	CDFG, California Department of Parks and Recreation, USFWS/ restore riparian habitat, manage grazing, provide additional flood and fire protection, upland habitat may provide linkage; reintroduce rbr, rwr.	1
         2.2.6	Lemoore Naval Air Station (F)	Kings	fkr, bnll, sjkf	Navy/ enlarge and restore habitat area by retiring adjacent farmland on the base.	1
         2.2.7	North of Tulare Lake Bed (G)	Kings	fkr, bnll, sjkf	Private/ preserve as grazing land; possible mitigation bank sites.	1
         2.2.8	Granite Station (H)	Kern	bc	Private/ isolated from metropolitan Bakersfield population, potential contribution to taxonomic information, maintain current land uses.	2
         2.2.9	Devil's Den Area (I)	Kern	hws, jpg, cjf, tbw, bnll, sjkf, snkr, sjas, sjlt, tgm	Private, USBLM/ maintain compatible land uses	2
         2.2.10	Lost Hills-Buena Vista Slough (J)	Kern	sjwt, lhsb, mtt, hws, sjkf, snkr, bnll, tkr, sjas	Private/ also provides an important link between natural lands along the western edge of the Valley and natural lands in the Semitropic and Pixley-Allensworth areas; one of largest metapopulations of sjwt.	2
         2.2.11	Jerry Slough to Highway 58 (K)	Kern	lss, hws	Private/ southeast of Goose Lake bed; southernmost population of lss, maintain current land uses.	2
         2.2.12	Greater Bakersfield, North of the Kern River (L)	Kern	bc, bnll, sjkf	Private, CDFG/ maintain existing land uses of oil production and grazing, avoid or fence plant populations.	2
         2.2.13	Fairfax Road-Highway 178-Highway 184 (M)	Kern	bc	Private/ type locality for var. kernii, fence fragmented populations.	2
         2.2.14	Kern Bluffs (N)	Kern	bc, sjkf, bnll, snkr	Private, CDFG/ fence to exclude off-road vehicles from the wash area; monitor vegetation to determine effects of changing the grazing regime.	1
         2.2.15	Fuller Acres (O)	Kern	bc	Private/ lowest elevation remaining occurrence of bc, last remnant of once extensive population.	2
         2.2.16	Mouth of Kern Canyon (P)	Kern	bc	Private/ population contains considerable morphological variation, maintain current land uses.	2
         2.2.17	Cottonwood Creek (Q)	Kern	bc	Private, CDFG/ only site in association with cottonwoods, one of few sites with typical var. treleasei, maintain current land uses.	2
         2.2.18	Bena Hills-Caliente Hills (R)	Kern	vc, bc, cjf, cpl, tp	Private/ delimited in north by Walker Basin, south by Highway 58, southeast by Caliente, and west by Valley floor, type locality of bc, only known location of vc, maintain current land uses.	1
         2.2.19	Sand Ridge (S)	Kern	bc, sjwt, sjkf, snkr	Center for Natural Lands Management, CDFG, private/ one of two largest metapopulations of bc, expand reserve, protect natural lands from off-road vehicles, sand mining, and conversion.	1
         2.2.20	Comanche-Tejon Hills (T)	Kern	cpl, tp, bc, sjkf, bnll, snkr	Private/ maintain current land uses.	1
         2.2.21	Kern Lake-Gator Pond (U)	Kern	bvls, bss, cpl	Private/ only known population of bvls and bss, restore hydrology and wetland vegetation; protect and secure permanent water supply.	1
         2.2.22	Mettler-Wheeler Ridge (V)	Kern	bc, bnll, snkr, sjkf	Private, California Department of Water Resources, Wildlands Conservancy/ one of largest metapopulations of bc.	1
         2.2.23	Upper Cuyama Valley, Santa Barbara Canyon (W)	Santa Barbara	cjf, hws, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, sjkf, snkr, tgm	USBLM, private/ largest extant population of cjf.	1
         2.2.24	Interstate 5/ California Highway 41 (X)	Kings	ddw	Caltrans/ protect habitat on Caltrans right-of-way.	1
         2.2.25	Colusa, Delevan, and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges (Y)	Colusa, Glenn	pbbb, lss	USFWS/ develop and implement management plans; largest population of pbbb.	1
         2.2.26	Lawrence Livermore Laboratory/Site 300 (Z)	Alameda	dpcp	Department of Energy/ develop and implement a management plan for dpcp.	1

         ¹Species
         bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp -Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

         
         Figure 71. Locations of specialty reserves targeted for protection (see Table 8).

3. 3. Determine distributions and population statuses of featured species.

   Data on distribution and population numbers of most featured species are insufficient for development of management prescriptions and to implement other conservation measures. Surveys are a high priority for 22 of the 34 species and are an important priority for 9 others in this plan. Integrated programs (e.g., surveying an area for multiple species when possible) should be developed and implemented to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

   1. 3.1. Establish a program and protocol for general and directed surveys for covered species (Priority 1).

      A coordinated program should be developed to effectively conduct surveys for featured species. A protocol should be established for directed botanical surveys (i.e., for species whose flowering or season of growth differs from the majority of plants) and general surveys for plants and animals.

   2. 3.2. Conduct general and directed surveys as needed.

      Table 9 summarizes survey and population census needs for featured species. Directed and general botanical surveys are needed on remaining natural lands throughout the planning area, but especially along the eastern and southern edges of the Valley foothills. For featured animal species, information on occurrence and status is minimal along the eastern and southern edges of the Valley, in the Merced grasslands, and in the Salinas River and Pajaro River watersheds. Obtaining reliable distributional and population data for the San Joaquin kit fox is a high priority.

   Table 9. Survey and population census needs for featured species by geographic area or community in the San Joaquin Valley planning area. See Figure 70 for the location of specific survey areas.

   Task Number	Area	Target Species1 (additional featured species known or possible)	Comments	Priority
   Multispecies Plant Surveys
   3.2.1	Comanche-Tejon Hills	tp, cpl (bc)	Kern Co.	1
   3.2.2	Caliente-Bena Hills	cjf, vc, tp, cpl (bc)	Kern Co.	1
   3.2.3	Rancheria Gulch/Adobe Canyon	cjf, tp (ons)	Kern Co.	2
   3.2.4	southern Valley alkali sinks	lss, bss, & lhsb	Kern Co., summer-fall	1
   3.2.4	southern Valley alkali sinks	cpl, mtt	Kern Co., spring	2
   3.2.5	alkali sinks in San Joaquin Valley north of Kern County	pbbb, lss, lhsb [summer-fall]	Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties	1
   3.2.5	alkali sinks in San Joaquin Valley north of Kern County	mtt, jpg [spring]	Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties	2
   3.2.6	alkali sinks in Sacramento Valley	pbbb, lss	Sacramento, Solano, Yolo, Sutter, Colusa, Butte, and Glenn counties	2
   3.2.7	NPRC-1 (Elk Hills)	lhsb, tp, ons (cjf, km, hws, sjwt, tbw)	Kern Co.	1
   3.2.8	west side of southern San Joaquin Valley (Maricopa to McKittrick, including Buena Vista Valley and NPRC-2)	cjf, km, lhsb, tp, ons (hws, sjwt, tbw)	Kern Co.	1
   Single Species Plant Surveys
   3.2.9	Cottonwood Pass	cjf	Kern and Kings counties	2
   3.2.10	historic locations outside of Elk Hills	tbw	Kern, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey counties	2
   3.2.11	Salt Creek	tp	Kern Co.	2
   3.2.12	historic locations	dpcp	San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Colusa counties	1
   3.2.13	historic locations in San Luis Obispo County	mtt	San Luis Obispo Co.	2
   3.2.14	historic locations	jpg	San Luis Obispo, Fresno, and San Benito counties	2
   3.2.15	suitable habitat in historic range	mm	Merced and Stanislaus counties	1
   3.2.16	historic locations	mp	Merced Co.	2
   Multispecies Animal Surveys
   3.2.17	sand and sand dune communities, northwestern San Joaquin Valley	casb, sjdb, ddw	Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, San Benito counties	3
   3.2.18	upland vertebrates, northern Valley floor	bnll, fkr, sjkf (pbbb, lss, lhsb)	central Merced, W. Madera, central Fresno counties; summer-early fall	1
   3.2.19	upland vertebrates, southern Valley floor	bnll, tkr sjkf, sjlt, tgm (lss, bss, lhsb)	Kings, Tulare, Kern counties; summer-early fall	3
   3.2.20	upland vertebrates, central western Valley edge	bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjkr, sjlt, tgm	Fresno, San Benito counties; late-spring-early fall	3
   3.2.21	upland vertebrates, Kettleman Hills	bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas sjkr, sjlt, tgm	Fresno, Kings, Kern counties; late spring-early fall	2
   3.2.22	upland vertebrates, southwestern Valley edge	bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas sjkr, sjlt, tgm	Kings, Kern counties from south of Pleasant Valley to south of Maricopa; late spring-early fall	3
   3.2.23	upland vertebrates, southeast and southern Valley edge	bnll, snkr, sjas sjkr, sjlt, tgm	Kern Co. from Maricopa southward and eastward, then northward to the Kern River; late spring-early fall	3
   3.2.24	upland vertebrates, Cuyama Valley	bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas sjkr, sjlt, tgm	Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo counties; late spring-early fall	3
   3.2.25	upland vertebrates, San Juan Creek watershed	bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas sjkr, sjlt, tgm	San Luis Obispo Co.; late spring-early fall	3
   3.2.26	riparian species	rbr, rwr	San Joaquin, Stanislaus Co.	1
   Single Species Animal Surveys
   3.2.27	northwestern Valley edge	sjkf	Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin counties	3
   3.2.28	northeastern Valley edge	sjkf	Stanislaus, Merced, Madera counties	3
   3.2.29	Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area	sjlt	Fresno, San Benito counties	3
   3.2.30	southern Valley wetlands	bvls (lss, bss, lhsb)	Kern Co.	1
   3.2.31	southeastern Valley edge	sjkf	Tulare, Kern counties, north of Kern River	3
   3.2.32	Salinas River and Pajaro River watersheds	sjkf	San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito counties	2

   ¹Species
   bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp - Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

4. 4. Conduct important research and monitoring.

   Table 10 lists important research and monitoring needs for covered species by geographic area or community. Habitat surveys and population monitoring for covered species are priorities in most geographic areas. Most research on population biology and habitat management for several species can be combined into single programs, reducing costs, increasing coverage and strengthening quality of ecosystem-level management. Large blocks of public land provide the best setting for control and execution of scientifically valid research on featured species biology and habitat management. Seed banking is included in Table 10 with research and monitoring of plant species where known populations of plants occur. Combining all of these tasks by study area reduces overall costs. When seed banking is identified as a recovery action, seed collections must be representative of the source populations and must not deplete them. Detailed guidelines for seed collection have been published by the Center for Plant Conservation (1991). See the recovery strategy section of each species account for further details on species-specific research and monitoring needs.

   Table 10. Demographic and Other Research and Monitoring Needs for Featured Species in Upland and Riparian Communities of the San Joaquin Valley Planning Area. TBD = to be determined; N/A = not applicable. See Figure 70 for the location of research areas.

   Recovery Task #	Study Area (if applicable)	Tasks and Target Species1	Comments	Priority
   4.1	Santa Barbara Canyon, Santa Barbara Co.	effects of grazing + census + monitoring + reproduction & demography + identity of pollinators + seed banking (all tasks for cjf)		2
   4.2	Cuyama Valley, Santa Barbara & San Luis Obispo Counties	census (snkr) + monitoring (bnll, gkr, sjas, sjlt)		3
   4.3	Carrizo Plain Natural Area, San Luis Obispo Co.	competition from exotics (cjf, sjwt) + census (cjf, jpg, mtt, lhsb) + monitoring (cjf, sjwt, hws, jpg, mtt, lhsb, tbw) + reproduction & demography (cjf, sjwt) + identity of pollinators (cjf) + seed banking (cjf) + pesticide effects on pollinators (cjf)	cjf, sjwt censuses & reproduction & demography partly completed; fire effects on cjf and grazing effects on sjwt will be studied on same plots as for animals	2
   4.4	Carrizo Plain Natural Area, San Luis Obispo Co.	effects of fire (cjf, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm) + effects of grazing (sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, sjlt, tgm) + competition from Heermann’s kangaroo rat (snkr) + census (bnll, gkr, snkr) + monitoring (bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjlt, tgm) + reproduction & demography (bnll, snkr)	bnll & gkr censuses & reproduction & demography partly completed	2
   4.5	Carrizo Plain Natural Area, San Luis Obispo Co.	effects of fire + effects of grazing + census + monitoring + reproduction & demography (all tasks for sjkf)	the wider-ranging kit fox requires different experimental design than for more sedentary animals & plants though some actions in habitat management can be combined for cost savings	2
   4.6	Carrizo Plain Natural Area, San Luis Obispo Co.	mating & social systems (gkr)	some aspects of research completed or in progress	3
   4.7	Kern Lake, Kern Co.	competition from exotics + census + reproduction & demography + seed banking (all tasks for bss)		1
   4.8	Kern Lake, Kern Co.	census (bvls) + monitoring (bss, bvls) + reproduction & demography (bvls)	bss can be monitored at same time as bvls is monitored	1
   4.9	Kern Lake, Kern Co.	systematics & genetics (bss)		2
   4.10	Lokern, Kern Co.	competition from exotics (km) + census (km) + monitoring (km, hws, lhsb) + reproduction & demography (km) + identity of pollinators (km)	km reproduction & demography partly completed; grazing & fire effects on km will be studied on same plots as for animals	2
   4.11	Lokern, Kern Co.	effects of grazing (km, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjkf, sjlt, tgm) + effects of fire (km, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjkf, sjlt, tgm) + census (gkr, sjkf, sjlt) + monitoring (gkr, tgm, snkr, sjas, sjkf, sjlt) + reproduction & demography (bnll)	gkr census in progress at one site; bnll reproduction & demography could be investigated at Elk Hills-Buena Vista Valley in addi­tion or in place of this site.	1
   4.12	Lokern, Kern Co.	pesticide effects on pollinators (km), insect prey base (bnll, tgm, sjlt), & targeted species (bnll, tgm, sjlt)		1
   4.13	Elk Hills-Buena Vista Valley area, Kern Co.	competition from exotics (ons) + census (ons) + monitoring (hws, ons) + reproduction & demography (ons) + characteristics of microhabitat (ons) + life history (ons) + seed banking (ons)		1
   4.14	Elk Hills-Buena Vista Valley area, Kern Co.	competition from Heermann’s kangaroo rat (snkr) + census (sjlt) + monitoring (gkr, snkr, sjas, sjlt, tgm) + effects of grazing (bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjlt, tgm)	entire region from Elk Hills-McKittrick Valley southward through Maricopa area, but centered on Naval Petroleum Reserves in California	2
   4.15	Elk Hills-Buena Vista Valley area, Kern Co.	census + monitoring + reproduction & demography + dispersal + effects of grazing (all tasks for sjkf)	entire region from Elk Hills-McKittrick Valley southward through Maricopa area, but centered on Naval Petroleum Reserves in California; the wider-ranging kit fox requires different experimental design though some actions in habitat management can be combined for cost savings	2
   4.16	Metropolitan Bakersfield	reproduction, demography, and dispersal (sjkf)		1
   4.17	Lost Hills, Kern Co.	monitoring (hws, sjwt, lhsb) + reproduction & demography (sjwt)		2
   4.18	Kern Bluffs + Kern Canyon + metro Bakersfield + Granite Station, Kern Co.	effects of grazing + effects of off-road vehicle control (bc, snkr, sjkf) (Kern Bluffs) + census + monitoring + repro­duction & demography + iden­­tity of pollinators (all tasks for bc)		2
   4.19	Sand Ridge (bc) + Bena- Caliente (bc, vc), Kern Co	competition from exotics + effects of off-road vehicle control (bc, snkr, sjkf) (Sand Ridge, bc; Bena Hills, vc) + effects of fire (Sand Ridge, bc) + census (bc, vc) + monitoring (bc, vc, snkr, sjas, sjkf) + reproduction & demography (bc, vc) + identity of pollinators (bc) + seed banking (vc)		1
   4.20	Sand Ridge or Wheeler Ridge	pesticide effects on pollinators (bc)		2
   4.21	Wheeler Ridge + Comanche Point + Cottonwood Creek + Fuller Acres, Kern Co.	effects of grazing (Wheeler Ridge) + census + monitoring + reproduction & demography + identity of pollinators (all tasks for bc)	monitoring for bc at Wheeler Ridge & Comanche Point can be combined with animal monitoring for cost savings (see next task)	2
   4.22	Wheeler Ridge + Comanche Point, Kern Co.	monitoring (bnll, snkr, sjkf)		3
   4.23	All inhabited sites, Kern Co.	systematics & genetics (bc)		3
   4.24	Alameda, Kern, Kings, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, & Ventura Counties	systematics & genetics (km)	includes geographic range of Parry’s mallow	2
   4.25	Pixley National Wildlife Refuge-Allensworth Ecological Reserve, Tulare Co.	competition from Heerman’s kangaroo rat (tkr) + effects of grazing (bnll, tkr) + effects of fire (bnll, tkr) + census (bnll, tkr, sjkf) + moni­tor­­ing (bnll, tkr, sjkf) + reproduction & demography (bnll, tkr)	census for bnll, tkr partly completed; some aspects of grazing and fire management for tkr in progress; some aspects of reproduction and demography for bnll, tkr completed or in progress	1
   4.26	Pixley National Wildlife Refuge-Allensworth Ecological Reserve, Kern National Wildlife Refuge-Semitropic Ridge Natural Area, Kern & Tulare Counties and agricultural lands as appropriate	dispersal + movements + diet + reproduction & demography + use of agricultural fields + use of artificial dens (all tasks for sjkf) + census + monitor + reproduction & demography (all tasks for bvls)	habitat management studies for bnll, tkr (see preceding task) will provide some information for habitat management for sjkf	1
   4.27	Kettleman Hills, Kings Co.	monitoring + census + reproduction & demography + life history + land use effects (all tasks for ddw)		1
   4.28	Kettleman Hills-Devils Den, Fresno, Kings, & Kern Counties	competition from exotics (sjwt) + cen-sus (jpg) + monitoring (hws, jpg, sjwt) + reproduction & demography (sjwt)		2
   4.29	Kettleman Hills, Kings & Fresno Counties	monitoring (bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjkf, sjlt)	habitat management studies (grazing, fire) & population monitoring are in progress	3
   4.30	Lemoore Naval Air Station, Kings Co.	effects of grazing + effects of fire + census + monitoring (all tasks for fkr)	in progress	1
   4.31	Kreyenhagen Hills, Fresno Co.	effects of grazing (cjf) + competition from exotics (cjf) + census (cjf) + monitoring (cjf, tgm, snkr, sjlt, sjkf)+ reproduction & demography (cjf) + identity of pollinators (cjf)+ seed banking (cjf) + pesticide effects on pollinators	priority is for cjf tasks; monitoring for other species can be accomplished during trips to study cjf	2
   4.32	Jacalitos Hills, Fresno Co.	monitoring + reproduction & demography (all tasks for sjwt)		2
   4.33	Alkali Sink Ecological Reserve, Fresno Co.	census (pbbb) + monitoring (pbbb, hws, bnll, sjkf, possibly fkr) + reproduction & demography (pbbb) + seed banking (pbbb)	monitoring is priority 1 if fkr is rediscovered or reestablished there	2
   4.34	Alkali Sink Ecological Reserve & Kerman Ecological Reserve, Fresno Co.	census (Kerman Ecological Reserve; lss, lhsb) + monitoring (Kerman Ecological Reserve; lss, lhsb, bnll, possibly fkr) + competition from Heermann’s kangaroo rat (fkr)		1
   4.35	W. Madera Co.	census (pbbb, lss) + monitoring (pbbb, lss, bnll, sjkf, possibly fkr) + reproduction & demography (pbbb, bnll) + seed banking (pbbb)	pbbb blooms and sets seeds in summer to early fall, so life cycle overlaps much of period for studying bnll	2
   4.36	W. Madera Co. + Woodland, Yolo Co.	genetics (pbbb)		2
   4.37	Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area, Fresno & San Benito Counties	land use effects (casb, snkr) + census (jpg, snkr) + monitoring (sjwt, jpg, casb, sjdb) + reproduction & demography (sjwt, casb, sjdb) + life history (casb, sjdb)	gkr census completed	2
   4.38	Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area, Fresno & San Benito Counties	census (sjkf) + monitoring (bnll, gkr, snkr, sjas, sjkf, tgm)	sjkf census partly completed (northern portion of area)	2
   4.39	all sites, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Merced, & San Luis Obispo Counties	systematics (lhsb)	study directed at relationship of Carrizo Plain Natural Area population	3
   4.40	all sites, Merced Co.	systematics (mp)		3
   4.41	all sites, Kern, Monterey, & San Luis Obispo Counties	systematics (tbw)		3
   4.42	San Luis Island, Merced Co.	census + monitoring (lhsb)		2
   4.43	riparian communities, San Joaquin & Stanislaus Counties	population census (rbr, rwr) + monitoring (rbr, rwr) + captive breeding research (rbr) + experimental introduction and reintroduction (rbr, rwr)		1
   4.44	Northwest portion of range, Valley fringes on eastern & northwestern sides (Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Kings, Kern, & Tulare Counties)	census + monitoring (sjkf)		2
   4.45	Camp Roberts, Monterey & San Luis Obispo Counties	land use effects + dispersal + census + monitoring + investigate reasons for recent population declime (sjkf)	some aspects of land use effects & monitoring are in progress	2
   4.46	Ft. Hunter Liggett, Monterey Co.	land use effects + dispersal + census + monitoring + investigate reasons for recent population decline (sjkf)	some aspects of land use effects & monitoring are in progress	2
   4.47	Springtown, Alameda Co.	effects of grazing + monitoring + reproduction & demography + seed banking (all tasks for pbbb)		2
   4.48	Springtown, Alameda Co.	hydrologic study (pbbb)	study ongoing	1
   4.49	Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge complex + Woodland; Colusa, Glenn, & Yolo Counties	competition from exotics (National Wildlife Refuges only) + monitoring + reproduction & demography + seed banking (all tasks for pbbb)		2
   4.50	currently verified sites in Butte, Kern, and Merced Counties	census + monitoring (lss)		2
   4.51	all sites	metapopulation genetics (bnll		3
   4.52	all sites	metapopulation genetics (sjkf)	some aspects of study completed or in progress	2
   4.53	all sites	population genetics (bvls)	genetics studies must be conducted prior to reintroduction efforts to ensure that animals taken to establish new populations are genetically representative of the parent population without depleting the genetic diversity of the parent population	2
   4.54	all sites	population genetics (rbr)	genetics studies must be conducted prior to reintroduction efforts to ensure that animals taken to establish new populations are genetically representative of the parent population without depleting the genetic diversity of the parent population	1
   4.55	all sites	population genetics (rwr)	genetics studies must be conducted prior to reintroduction efforts to ensure that animals taken to establish new populations are genetically representative of the parent population without depleting the genetic diversity of the parent population	1
   4.56	TBD	effects of pesticide use & drift (bvls)	potential sites are Kern Lake & Kern National Wildlife Refuge	2
   4.57	TBD	kit fox-red fox-coyote interactions (sjkf)	depending on survey results implement control methods as needed	2
   4.58	TBD	direct & indirect effects of rodenticide use (sjkf)	potential sites are the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge-Allensworth Natural Area-Kern National Wildlife Refuge area & the Lokern-Elk Hills area	3
   4.59	TBD	census + monitoring + seed banking (bss)	depends on survey results	1
   4.60	TBD	census + monitoring (cpl)	depends on survey results	2
   4.61	TBD	census + monitoring + seed banking (dpcp)	depends on survey results	1
   4.62	TBD	census + monitoring + seed banking (lss)	depends on survey results	1
   4.63	TBD	census + monitoring + seed banking (mm)	depends on survey results	1
   4.64	TBD	census + monitoring (mp)	depends on survey results	2
   4.65	TBD	census + monitoring (mtt)	depends on survey results	2
   4.66	TBD	census + monitoring (tp)	depends on survey results	2
   4.67	TBD	census + monitoring + seed banking (vc)	depends on survey results	1
   4.68	N/A	salinity effects on plant structure (bss)	laboratory study	3
   4.69	N/A	effects of beet leafhopper control (casb, ddw, sjdb)	laboratory study	2
   4.70	N/A	publish scientific name & description (ddw)	establishing scientific validity of species status & formal naming are important in setting priorities for recovery funding	3
   4.71	N/A	matrix projection modeling (cjf)	modeling should show that all protected populations are self-sustaining	3
   4.72	N/A	matrix projection modeling (pbbb)	modeling should show that all protected populations are self-sustaining	3
   4.73	N/A	matrix projection modeling (km)	modeling should show that all protected populations are self-sustaining	3
   4.74	N/A	matrix projection modeling (sjwt)	modeling should show that all protected populations are self-sustaining	3
   4.75	N/A	matrix projection modeling (bc)	modeling should show that all protected populations are self-sustaining	3
   4.76	N/A	single-metapopulation viability analysis (gkr)	Model should show no greater than a 5-percent probability of extinction over a 200-year period in each of the three largest metapopulations; preliminary modeling in progress	3
   4.77	N/A	single-metapopulation viability analysis (fkr)	Model should show no greater than a 5-percent probability of extinction over a 200-year period for the entire population; preliminary modeling in progress	3
   4.78	N/A	single-metapopulation viability analysis (tkr)	Model should show no greater than a 5-percent probability of extinction over a 200-year period for the entire population; preliminary modeling in progress	3
   4.79	N/A	single-metapopulation viability analysis (bnll)	Model should show no greater than 5-percent probability of extinction over a 200-year period for five or more of seven populations; preliminary modeling in progress	3
   4.80	N/A	refine spatially-explicit metapopulation viability analysis (sjkf)	Model should show no greater than 5-percent probability of extinction for entire subspecies population in 300 years; preliminary modeling in progress	3
   4.81	Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Site 300	census + monitoring + seed banking (dpcp)		1
   4.82	TBD	effects of selenium (bvls)	Potential sites are Kern Lake and Kern National Wildlife Refuge	2

   ¹Species
   bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp -Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

5. 5. Maintain and establish linkages in existing natural lands and between islands of habitat on the Valley floor and natural lands around the fringe of the Valley.

   To prevent genetic isolation of populations of listed and sensitive species on the Valley floor from populations in the surrounding foothills, or the isolation of kit fox populations in any part of their range, linkages should be maintained and/or established through management or conservation agreements, incentive programs, zoning, acquisition, easements, or other mechanisms.

   1. 5.1. Establish linkages between isolated islands of habitat on the Valley floor and natural lands in the surrounding foothills.

      Table 11 describes linkage areas on the Valley floor and Figure 72 shows their location. For linkages of natural habitat, such as the Chowchilla Canal and Kern River, the primary goal is to enhance natural habitat without compromising the primary function of these waterways. To establish linkages in farmlands, two programs are recommended: 1) focused retirement of drainage problem farmlands and subsequent restoration of natural habitat, (see Task 1.2.6); and 2) focused implementation of a voluntary "safe harbor" program that would establish wildlife friendly habitat areas on active farmlands (see Task 1.2.5). The resulting linkages would be a mosaic of existing natural lands, retired and restored farmland, and active farmlands with associated wildlife habitat areas.

      Table 11. Valley Floor Linkage Areas. See Figure 72 for the location of each linkage area.

      Recovery Task #	Locality	County	Species (target in bold)1	Landowner/Comments	Priority
      5.1.1	Western Fresno County (Valley floor west of Fresno Slough and San Joaquin River)	Fresno	sjkf, snkr, bnll, hws, lhsb, lss, pbbb, gkr	Private farmland/ located between natural lands of western Fresno County, in the Monocline Ridge-Tumey Hills-Panoche Hills area and Mendota Wildlife Area and western Madera County, retire strategic parcels to provide continuous link of natural lands; one target area for retirement and safe harbor program is along Panoche Creek	2
      5.1.2	Garces Highway	Kern, Tulare	bnll, tkr, sjkf, sjas, tgm	Private farmland/ located between Kern National Wildlife Refuge-Semitropic Ridge Natural Area and Pixley-Allensworth Natural Area	2
      5.1.3	Highway 43	Tulare	bnll, tkr, sjkf	Private farmland/ located between Creighton Ranch and Pixley-Allensworth Natural Area	3
      5.1.4	Semitropic Ridge to Lost Hills	Kern	sjkf	Private farmland/ links to Garces Highway corridor	3
      5.1.5	Kettleman Hills to Anticline Ridge	Fresno, Kings, Kern	bnll, sjkf, snkr, tgm, sjlt	Private farmland/ links with Coalinga and Guijarral Hills and rest of natural lands on the west edge of the Valley.	2
      5.1.6	Kern River Alluvial Fan Area	Kern	sjkf, tkr	City of Bakersfield, Private/ develop and implement management plan to protect and enhance natural values while maintaining flood-protection features, connecting corridor for sjkf movements across the southern Valley.	3
      5.1.7	Chowchilla Canal	Madera	pbbb, bnll, fkr, sjkf	COE/ enhance habitat values without compromising primary function, links Wildlife Areas, National Wildlife Refuges, and grasslands areas.	2
      5.1.8	Sandy Mush Road	Merced	lhsb, bnll, sjkf, lss, pbbb, fkr	Private/links Merced County National Wildlife Refuges and State areas with the northeastern and northwestern edges of the Valley and with natural areas further south in Madera and Fresno Counties.	2
      5.1.9	Poso Creek	Kern	sjkf	Kern County, Private/ links natural lands in the Sierra foothills on the east and Kern National Wildlife Refuge on the west.	3

      ¹Species
      bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp -Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

      
      Figure 72. General locations of areas targeted as Valley floor linkages between natural communities (see table 11).

   2. 5.2. Reintroduce featured species to enhanced and restored habitat within linkages where necessary (Priority 3).

      Once habitat restoration and enhancement has been accomplished in protected areas, appropriate featured plant and animal species should be reestablished if there are no adjacent source populations. Species such as Hoover's woolly-star, San Joaquin kit fox, kangaroo rats, and blunt-nosed leopard lizards have potential for reestablishment on restored farmlands.

   3. 5.3. Maintain linkages of natural lands around the fringe of the Valley and elsewhere for San Joaquin kit fox and other listed and sensitive species.

      Table 12 describes linkage areas on the fringe of the San Joaquin Valley and in adjacent valleys to the west. Figure 73 depicts linkage areas in the foothills surrounding the San Joaquin Valley. Maintenance of these linkages could be achieved through zoning, safe harbor programs (Task 1.2.5), easements, or other mechanisms.

      Table 12. Linkage areas around the San Joaquin Valley Edge and Elsewhere. See Figure 73 for the location of linkage areas around the San Joaquin Valley.

      Recovery Task #	Locality	County	Species1 (target in bold)	Landowner/Comments	Priority
      5.3.1	Northeast Valley edge to Madera-Fresno County line	San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera	sjkf, mp, mm	Mostly private/ grassland and oak savanna communities, preserve 90 percent of existing natural lands, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	3
      5.3.2	Northwest Valley edge to Santa Nella	San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced	sjkf	Mostly private/ grassland and oak savanna communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.3	East and Southeast Valley edge, Fresno-Tulare County boundary south to Kern River, Kern County	Tulare, Kern	sjkf, bnll, sjas, snkr, tgm, cjf, bc, tp, ons	Mostly private/ grassland and oak savanna communities, urbanization, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.4	Western Valley edge, Santa Nella to Panoche Creek	Merced, Fresno	sjkf, jpg, lhsb, mtt, sjas, snkr	Mostly private/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.5	Western Valley edge, Panoche Creek to Ciervo Wash	Fresno	sjkf, jpg, hws, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm, sjlt	Mostly private/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.6	Western Valley edge, Ciervo Wash to Coalinga	Fresno	sjkf, jpg, hws, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm, sjlt	Mostly private/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.7	Western Valley edge, Coalinga to McKittrick	Fresno, Kings, Kern	sjkf, cjf, jpg, hws, lhsb, ons, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm, sjlt	Mostly private/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.8	Southwest, Southern, and Southeastern Valley edge, McKittrick south to Maricopa, east and north to Kern River	Kern	sjkf, bc, cpl, hws, ons, tp, vc, sjwt, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm, sjlt, cjf, lhsb, km	Mostly private/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.9	Salinas/Pajaro River watershed to San Joaquin Valley	Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo	sjkf	Private, public/ grassland and shrubland communities, preserve and enhance habitat and linkage to the San Joaquin Valley via the Estrella River and San Juan Creek watersheds, to the Carrizo Plain Natural Area, San Joaquin Valley and Kettleman Hills area, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	2
      5.3.10	Cuyama Valley to Carrizo Plain Natural Area through lower portions of Caliente Mountains	San Luis Obispo	hws, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, sjkf	Private, public/ grassland and shrubland communities, maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	3
      5.3.11	Estrella River watershed	San Luis Obispo, Monterey	dpcp, tbw, sjkf	Private/ maintain grazing and other compatible land uses	3
      5.3.12	San Juan Creek watershed	San Luis Obispo	sjkf, bnll, gkr, sjas, snkr, tgm, dpcp, sjwt, tbw	Private/ provides a significant portion of the natural lands linking Salinas Valley and Carrizo Plain Natural Area populations of the sjkf, maintain area in its current mosaic of dryland grain farms and ranch lands, many farmlands in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program	3

      ¹Species
      bc - Bakersfield cactus; bnll - Blunt-nosed leopard lizard; bss - Bakersfield smallscale; bvls - Buena Vista Lake shrew; casb - Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle; cjf - California jewelflower; cpl - Comanche Point layia; ddw - Doyen's dune weevil; dpcp -Diamond-petaled California poppy; fkr - Fresno kangaroo rat; gkr - Giant kangaroo rat; hws - Hoover's woolly-star; jpg - Jared's peppergrass; km - Kern mallow; lhsb - Lost Hills saltbush; lss - Lesser saltscale; mm - Merced monardella; mp - Merced phacelia; mtt - Munz's tidy-tips; ons - Oil neststraw; pbbb - Palmate-bracted bird's-beak; tp - Tejon poppy; rbr - Riparian brush rabbit; rwr - Riparian woodrat; sjas - San Joaquin antelope squirrel; sjdb - San Joaquin dune beetle; sjkf - San Joaquin kit fox; sjkr - San Joaquin kangaroo rat; sjlt - San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher; sjwt - San Joaquin woolly-threads; snkr - Short-nosed kangaroo rat; tbw - Temblor buckwheat; tgm - Tulare grasshopper mouse; tkr - Tipton kangaroo rat; vc - Vasek's clarkia

      
      Figure 73. San Joaquin Valley conservation and recovery planning overview (see table 12).

6. 6. Apply adaptive management to protected areas (Priority 3).

   Revise or develop new management plans for protected habitat. All featured species require research on a variety of land management topics to develop the most effective prescriptions for managing protected habitat. Once appropriate research has been conducted, results should be applied to protected areas. Based on results of research and monitoring, existing management plans should be revised or new plans developed to maximize the value of protected habitat for featured species.

7. 7. If necessary, reintroduce selected featured species to appropriate habitat within their historic range.

   Several featured species may require reintroduction to appropriate habitat within their historic range if surveying efforts do not discover enough extant populations to meet delisting criteria. Specific sites for reintroducing these species are currently unknown.

   1. 7.1. Reintroduce Doyen's dune weevil to appropriate habitat (Priority 3).

      Sites for reintroduction depend on results of life history studies as well as surveying for extant populations and identifying suitable habitat for reintroduction.

   2. 7.2. Propagate and reintroduce Bakersfield smallscale to appropriate habitat (Priority 1).

      If populations of pure Bakersfield smallscale are identified through research or surveys, propagate the species in the greenhouse to produce a sufficient amount of seed, then reintroduce to historic habitat on the Valley floor.

   3. 7.3. Reintroduce Comanche Point layia to appropriate habitat (Priority 2).

      Using seed collected from populations in the wild or stored in seed banks, reintroduce Comanche Point layia to appropriate habitat on the Valley floor.

   4. 7.4. Propagate and reintroduce California jewelflower to appropriate habitat (Priority 2).

      Propagate California jewelflower in greenhouses to produce sufficient seed, then reintroduce to appropriate habitat within the historic range, including the Valley floor.

   5. 7.5. Reintroduce Vasek's clarkia to appropriate habitat (Priority 2).

      Propagate Vasek's clarkia in greenhouses to produce sufficient seed, then reintroduce to appropriate habitat within the historic range.

   6. 7.6. Propagate and reintroduce diamond-petaled California poppy to appropriate habitat (Priority 1).

      Propagate diamond-petaled California poppy in greenhouses to produce sufficient seed, then reintroduce to appropriate habitat within the historic range.

   7. 7.7. Propagate and reintroduce Merced monardella to appropriate habitat (Priority 1).

      Propagate Merced monardella in greenhouses to produce sufficient seed, then reintroduce to appropriate habitat within the historic range.

   8. 7.8. Reintroduce riparian brush rabbit, riparian woodrat, Buena Vista Lake shrew, if necessary.

      1. 7.8.1. Reintroduce riparian brush rabbit to appropriate habitat in conjunction with captive propagation (Priority 1).

      2. 7.8.2. Reintroduce riparian woodrat to appropriate habitat (Priority 1).

      3. 7.8.3. Reintroduce Buena Vista Lake shrew to appropriate habitat (Priority 1).

8. 8. Periodically review the status of candidates and species of concern to determine if listing as endangered or threatened is necessary.

   One of the objectives of this recovery plan is to ensure the long-term conservation of candidates and other species of concern by carrying out tasks specific to the needs of these species. However, if these tasks are not undertaken within a reasonable amount of time, listing of many of these species may be appropriate, thereby providing the protection of formal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Table 13 lists the species requiring this status review and the time frame for conducting this review.

   Table 13. Status Review Requirements for Candidates and Other Species of Concern Featured in this Recovery Plan.

   Recovery Task #	Species	Federal Status	Needed Review	Priority
   8.1	Lesser saltscale	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.2	Bakersfield smallscale	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.3	Lost Hills saltbush	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.4	Vasek's clarkia	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.5	Temblor buckwheat	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.6	Tejon poppy	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.7	Diamond-petaled California poppy	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.8	Comanche Point layia	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.9	Munz's tidy-tips	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.10	Jared's peppergrass	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.11	Merced monardella	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.12	Merced phacelia	species of concern	reevaluate status within 10 years of recovery plan approval or when surveys completed, whichever is less	3
   8.13	Oil neststraw	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.14	Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when new information is available, whichever is less	3
   8.15	San Joaquin dune beetle	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when new information is available, whichever is less	3
   8.16	Doyen's dune weevil	species of concern	reevaluate status within 3 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.17	San Joaquin antelope squirrel	species of concern	reevaluate status within 3 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.18	Short-nosed kangaroo rat	species of concern	reevaluate status within 3 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.19	Tulare grasshopper mouse	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.20	Buena Vista Lake shrew	Candidate	reevaluate status within 3 years of recovery plan approval	3
   8.21	San Joaquin Le Conte's thrasher	species of concern	reevaluate status within 5 years of recovery plan approval or when new information is available, whichever is less	3