California department of fish and wildlife s (cdfw) southern california s coastal sage scrub (CSS) naturalcommunity conservation planning (nccp) program was developed to conserve the federally…

This $309,626 Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615) program will support the continuation of a regional Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) monitoring program in California in 2024-2025. The principal investigator is Dr. Barbara Kus of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who will coordinate with local Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) implementation entities to conduct surveys and data analysis across the species' habitat range. Key expected products include a report summarizing regional gnatcatcher occupancy monitoring results, a presentation of findings to partners, and a USGS data release. The non-federal cost share for this effort is $77,407.

California department of fish and wildlife s (cdfw) southern california s coastal sage scrub (CSS) naturalcommunity conservation planning (nccp) program was developed to conserve the federally threatened coastalcalifornia gnatcatcher (polioptila californica californica, gnatcatcher ) and its imperiled CSS habitat. Each ofthe program s sub-regional nccps habitat conservation plans (hcps) has a goal to maintain healthy, selfsustaining gnatcatcher populations within their associated habitat reserves. This proposed project requests 232,219 in traditional section 6 funding to support the continuation of the regionally coordinated gnatcatchermonitoring program in 2024. The non-federal cost share that will be provided totals 77,407. The project areaextends from ventura county south to the international border with mexico, and east from the coast to thefoothills of the transverse and peninsular mountain ranges. DR. Barbara KUS of united sates geological survey(USGS) is the principal investigator overseeing the project, including coordinating with partners, training fieldinvestigators, collecting and analyzing data, and producing project deliverables. Local nccp HCP implementationentities will organize and implement surveys in their respective sub-regions and submit data to USGS foranalysis. In addition to providing project oversight, USGS will collect data on conserved and military landswithin the species range outside of the subregional nccp HCP habitat reserves (preston and KUS 2015, miller andwinchell 2016). Expected products include: a report summarizing regional gnatcatcher occupancy monitoringresults a presentation of results to nccp HCP implementing entities, the military, and other conservationpartners and a USGS data release with data posted on the SAN diego management and monitoring program s (sdmmp) webportal.