Water is the great connector across the landscape covered by the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GCP LCC). In this diverse area, the specific issues around water may change but the importance of the resource does not. From the arid regions in Southern Texas to the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast, freshwater inflows affect all of us ? people and wildlife. Add on the impacts of climate change and the importance of protecting water resources increases dramatically.

Given the ever-increasing demands on water resources across the southern United States, it should come as no surprise that the partners of the GCP LCC identified a science need to focus on flow-ecology relationships and the effects of water availability on the quality and quantity of habitat for aquatic biota. The identification of these needs led to the development of the Instream Flow Project, which was led by the Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership (SARP) and is in the final stages of review. SARP had previously identified flow alteration as a priority threat and applied the Southern Instream Flow Research Agenda to the GCP LCC geography.

The overall objective of the project was to build a sustainable program for instream flow research to meet water resource policy and management needs in the GCP LCC region. The Science Strategy was developed at a workshop held in Oklahoma City in October 2013. Thirty-three regional aquatic and instream flow experts reviewed the resources SARP had developed for the GCP LCC and identified priority research needs. Although a wide variety of needs were identified to improve the instream flow resources, the top priorities were to improve aquatic data collection and reporting standards, incorporate groundwater in the hydrologic foundation, and use this information to better communicate the importance of protecting instream flows.

The GCP LCC has identified a number of focal species that will be used as indicators of functional landscapes ? several are aquatic species sensitive to instream flow levels and timing including Alligator Gar, Guadalupe Bass, and freshwater mussels (Quadrula spp.) while others are dependent on coastal habitats and sensitive to changes in salinity, such as the American Oyster. The expectation is that the work begun under this project will help advance conservation efforts for these species and others across the region.

The data and information collected during the project coupled with the results of the workshop have been integrated into three main products:

1. Web-based maps and databases that are available to the public on the Gulf Coast Prairie LCC Conservation Planning Atlas;
2. The Instream Flow Science Strategy that includes the results of the Workshop and identifies high priority information gaps in the region; and,
3. A community of experts who can continue to advise the GCP LCC partners about advancing instream flow science in the region.


 

The more we look at species and habitat needs the more they seem to be connected. An increased understanding of instream flows now can also help us predict flow regimes given climate change models ? and enable us to start to look at where conservation efforts are needed now and where they will be needed in the future. There is more work to do but the products produced under this project are a good start. The final reports and additional information will be available through the Conservation Planning Atlas pending final review.

The Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is providing support to the Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) network. This section of the Outdoor News Bulletin provides readers with regular updates on LCC efforts involving WMI.