Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) Report, Pend Oreille Wetlands Wildlife I Project, Technical Report 2002.

• Main Author: Holmes, Darren
• Other Authors: United States. Department of Energy.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: United States. Bonneville Power Administration. 2003
• Subjects: Canada; Forests; Wetlands; Management; Habitat; Conifers; Deer; Water; Rangelands; 54 Environmental Sciences; 13 Hydro Energy; Cattails; Evaluation; Canada Goose
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2172/941554; http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc894701/

In 2002, the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) was used to determine baseline habitat suitability on the Pend Oreille Wetlands Wildlife Project, an acquisition completed by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians in 1992. Evaluation species and appropriate models include bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, Canada goose, mallard, muskrat, and yellow warbler. Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) values were visually estimated and agreed upon by all HEP team members. The Pend Oreille Wetlands Wildlife Project provides a total of 936.76 Habitat Units (HUs) for the species evaluated. Open water habitat provides 71.92 HUs for Canada goose, mallard, and muskrat. Shoreline and island habitat provide 12.77 HUs fore Canada goose and mallard. Cattail hemi-marsh provides 308.42 HUs for Canada goose, mallard, and muskrat. Wet meadow provides 208.95 HUs for Canada goose and mallard. Scrub-shrub wetlands provide 14.43 HUs for yellow warbler, mallard, and white-tailed deer. Deciduous forested wetlands provide 148.62 HUs for bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, mallard, and white-tailed deer. Grassland meadow provides 3.38 HUs for Canada goose. Conifer forest provides 160.44 HUs for bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, and white-tailed deer. The objective of using HEP at the Pend Oreille Wetlands Wildlife Project and other protected properties is to document the quality and quantity of available habitat for selected wildlife species. In this way, HEP provides information on the relative value of the same area at future points in time so that the effect of management activities on wildlife habitat can be quantified. When combined with other tools, the baseline HEP will be used to determine the most effective on-site management, restoration, and enhancement actions to increase habitat suitability for targeted species. The same process will be replicated every five years to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies in improving and maintaining habitat conditions while providing additional crediting to BPA for enhanced habitat values.