Like a Cool Drink of Water (2002)

Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington. Johnson, D. H., and T. A. O'Neil , managing directors. 2001 . Oregon State University Press , Corvallis, Oregon . 760 pp., with companion CD-ROM. $65.00 (hardcover) . ISBN 0-87071-488-0 . With a recent paradigm shift from single-species to ecosystem-based management, the premises are that wildlife habitats have multiple uses for the species associates and that humans are part of the system. To maintain and improve these natural systems, we must consider how management practices will affect the interaction of all species and habitat components. Accurate information about wildlife-habitat relationships is fundamental to our ecosystem-management efforts. To apply environmental science, the clear dissemination of important information and concepts to resource professionals is required. With the shift to ecosystem management, managers and planners are being asked to address increasingly complicated and difficult issues. The growing body of knowledge in science and technology plays an increasingly important role in natural-resource policy and management, but there has been a large gap between the base information, development of ecological concepts, and distribution of such knowledge outside the scientific community. Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington takes a large step toward filling that gap by offering science-based information on 743 vertebrate species and their habitat relationships. Involving more than 600 people and 5 years in the making, this book and accompanying CD-ROM provide updated information and ecological concepts, clear definitions, habitat-association databases, and habitat maps. This book and its associated products greatly surpassed my expectations. The 27 chapters are set up to introduce a classification scheme and habitat maps for the region, with hierarchical links to structural conditions and habitat elements associated with each species. The chapters also review recent approaches and concepts, case studies, and management options. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the book by developing nomenclature for species, determining occurrence and breeding status, and describing each of the 32 habitat types and how they were derived. Several color photographs of each habitat type demonstrate samples of structural and compositional variation within each type. These chapters support the matrix of wildlife-habitat types on CD-ROM, which links wildlife to habitat types. Chapter 3 describes the forest structural conditions, agricultural land-use and land-cover conditions, and habitat elements as management considerations at specific sites. Figures illustrate examples of structural conditions. This chapter supports the matrix of structural conditions and habitat elements on CD-ROM, which links wildlife to specific conditions and elements. Chapter 4 provides a conceptual framework for managing wildlife habitat at the forest-stand level by designing habitat elements into the scheme. Chapter 5 reviews useful efforts to identify and conserve priority habitat areas; tables summarize the amount of each habitat type in this region. Chapter 6 provides a rationale for and examples of how to use the key ecological-functions matrix on CD-ROM, which evaluates the functions of species and the potential influences of management. Chapters 7 through 15 discuss specific multihabitat communities (e.g., westside and high montane forests), grouped based on ecological similarities. Chapter 16 deals with introduced species, chapter 17 addresses genetic considerations for reintroduced species, and chapter 18 discusses probable causes of population decline for 13 species now extirpated from all or most of the region. Chapter 19 presents criteria, methods, and analysis tools for determining species at risk. Chapter 20 directly supports the management-activities matrix on CD-ROM, which allows queries about habitat elements, ecological functions, and the potential effects of management activities on ecological processes. Chapters 21 and 22 report on the role of models in wildlife management and discuss case studies in modeling. Chapter 23 shows how to develop wildlife habitat goals and how to integrate goals into the management planning process. Chapter 24 presents ecological concepts and tools for managing downed wood, green trees, and snags. Chapter 25 discusses single-species, multiple-species, or ecosystem approaches to wildlife conservation. Chapter 26 supports the salmon-wildlife relationships matrix on CD-ROM, which allows queries by relationship, salmon stages, or other species. Chapter 27 summarizes the CD-ROM contents. The CD-ROM is well-structured and easy to use. It opens up on Internet Explorer, so the user can easily print displays. The main menu includes an introduction, definitions, data queries, and maps. Background screen pictures can be viewed in full and offer visual examples of the various landscapes. Seven matrices on the CD-ROM provide information on wildlife-habitat relationships. Citations support information on the management activity and life-history matrixes. Canned queries allow the user to review habitat relationships by wildlife species or habitat, such as a list of mammal species associated with snags or a list of habitat elements generally associated with a species of bird. I do have a few suggestions for future editions: incorporate more links to associated web sites so the user can easily research a topic in more depth; when querying for a specific species, alphabetize the groups of species and the species within each group; and, when querying for specific information about wildlife-structure and habitat-element relationships, it would be nice to have the habitat type(s) associated with that species and the strength of that relationship displayed. Environments are dynamic and diverse, and resource specialists need tools with integrated flexibility to deal with a variety of situations. The hierarchical habitat scheme presented here, supported by links to species, ecological functions, management considerations, concepts, and maps, provides enormous flexibility. Like a cool drink of water, Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington brings much-needed relief to those in the northwestern United States working in the field of natural resources. For years, we have struggled with definitions, classification schemes, and standards. This source provides a clear lead and will serve as the new standard for developing similar wildlife-habitat sources for other regions. Emphasizing ecosystem management, Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington is simply a must for resource managers and other wildlife professionals working in this region. The Northwest Habitat Institute and everyone who worked on this project have surpassed their goals and made a great contribution; I am grateful.