Priority Habitats and Species: Publications

Management recommendations

Goals

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) develops PHS management recommendations to align with the agency’s mission to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Washington’s diverse fish and wildlife with the goals of:

• Stopping or reversing the decline of fish and wildlife, including state listed or candidate species.
• Maintaining or enhancing the current structural attributes and ecological functions of habitat needed to support healthy populations.
• Maintaining or enhancing populations of priority species within present and/or historical ranges.

The following is collection of recommendations and planning documents for managing projects with potential impact to priority habitat and species.

Priority Habitats

Riparian Ecosystems

• Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 1: Science Synthesis and Management Implications (2020)
• Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 2: Management Recommendations (2020)
• Riparian Management Zone Checklist for Critical Areas Ordinances (PDF)
• Riparian Management Zone Checklist for Critical Areas Ordinances - Addendum (PDF)
• Site-Potential Tree Height Mapping Tool 
• Riparian Management Recommendations: 1997 version
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats and Species: Riparian Pollinators (2023)

Shrubsteppe Ecosystems

• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats: Managing Shrubsteppe in Developing Landscapes (revised 2020, originally published 2011)
• Long-range Planning: Considering the Shrubsteppe Landscape (eight-page summary taken from main document)
• Site-specific Management: How to Avoid and Minimize Impacts of Development to Shrubsteppe (nine-page summary taken from main document)
• Shrubsteppe and Grassland Restoration Manual for the Columbia River Basin (113 pp.)
  • Pollinator Resources

Oregon White Oak Woodlands Ecosystems

• Best management practices for mitigating impacts to Oregon white oak priority habitat (2024)
  • Summary guide: Best management practices for mitigating impacts to Oregon white oak priority habitat (PDF)
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats: Oregon White Oak Woodlands (1998)

Priority Species

Invertebrates

• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species, Volume I: Invertebrates (1995)
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species: Dungeness Crab (2008)
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats and Species: Riparian Pollinators (2023)
• Management Recommendations for Washington’s Priority Species: Western Bumble Bee (2023)

Amphibians and Reptiles

• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species Volume III: Amphibians and Reptiles (1997)  

Birds

• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species Volume IV: Birds (2012)
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species: Ferruginous Hawk (2024)
• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species: Great Blue Heron (2012) 

Mammals

• Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Species, Volume V: Mammals (2010) - Columbian white-tailed deer, Merriam's shrew, pallid bat, Townsend's big-eared bat, western gray squirrel (PDF)
• Priority Habitats and Species Management Recommendations: Mazama Pocket Gopher (2016)

Prior to the publication of species- and habitat-specific management recommendations, WDFW published a consolidated Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats and Species (1991). This reference is still applicable for those priority habitats and species which lack tailored management recommendations.

Landscape planning

• Landscape Planning for Washington's Wildlife: Managing for Biodiversity in Developing Areas
  • Appendix B: Species and Development Database (XLS) - Excel spreadsheet
  • Appendix C: Stressor Tables (XLS) - Excel spreadsheet
  • Appendix D: Species and Habitat Metrics Tables (XLS) - Excel spreadsheet
• Land Use Planning for Salmon, Steelhead and Trout

Publications about PHS Maps and Data

Shrubsteppe

• User Guide
• Technical Guide (PDF)
• At-a-glance (PDF)
• Shrubsteppe Decision Support Tools

Biodiversity Areas and Corridors

• User Guide
• Technical Guide (PDF)
• At-a-glance (PDF)

Other documents concerning Priority Habitats and Species

Arid Lands Initiative: A collaborative effort led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that identified priority conservation areas in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion. The extensive effort involved WDFW, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy, among others. A 2014 report provides the methods for identifying priority areas; 2015 addenda to the report provided scorecards for individual Priority Core Areas (PCA) and Priority Linkage Areas (PLA). Additional ALI data, documents, and maps are available here.

Aquatic Habitat Guidelines: A series of guidelines documents to facilitate the consistent application of best available science and best management practices for resources and habitat management, project design, construction, and operation in, near, or affecting aquatic systems.

Woodland Fish and Wildlife Project Publications: Publications in this series provide practical information on fish and wildlife management to private woodland owners and managers