Annual Review

FY 2006

The number of employees in the Idaho Conservation Data Center (IDCDC) has remained nearly stable (21 full-time and 2 seasonal) during the 2006 calendar year. However, we have reorganized to better address the needs of our internal and external partners. The total number of projects has increased from 41 to 63, and the annual personnel and operating budget is now $1.5 million. Reports associated with projects can be found online or requested as hardcopy.

The Botany Program continues to focus on gathering and managing information on the distribution and abundance of rare plants. Botany projects include species plans and status reviews, as well as developing a framework for the Idaho Plant Conservation Strategy.

Zoology continues to maintain information for the Idaho Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) and providing species status data for the US Geological Survey's Northwest ReGap effort. Predictive range and occupancy modeling projects have become central to the Zoology Program.

The newly-formed Biodiversity Program addresses the interface of Botany, Zoology, and systems ecology. Projects include working with the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service in their land use planning efforts, as well as developing an Early Detection/Rapid Response protocol for invasive plants with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Idaho Department of Agriculture.

The Plant Community Ecology Program has been renamed Ecosystem Assessment and Mapping Program to reflect greater emphasis on landscape-level planning and monitoring projects. This includes vegetation classification projects associated with Northwest ReGap, the National Park Service, and US Forest Service.

Likewise, the Wetland Conservation Program has been renamed Habitat Restoration and Wetlands Conservation. This program provides technical support for all habitat restoration and maintains a focus on wetlands. Projects include the identification and collection of native plant materials for restoration efforts by several federal partners, and developing a statewide wetlands strategy supported by US Environmental Protection Agency.

Last, we have established a Data Management and Services Program responsible for designing and maintaining databases that are directly accessible to conservation partners and consistent with information needs for species and landscapes. Last year we provided approximately 200 site-level information requests and statewide at-risk species exports to 16 agencies. We are also developing web-based delivery of data products and working with partners such as the Bureau of Land Management on a decision support tool for land use planning.

The IDCDC has no dedicated source of funding. As a result, we are largely dependent upon the interest and support of a diverse group of partners. We have a full schedule of projects planned for 2007, and look forward to working with our partners to meet the challenge of connecting science with conservation for more informed decisions about Idaho’s biodiversity.