The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) develops management recommendations for Priority Habitats and Species to align with the agency’s mission to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Washington’s diverse fish and wildlife. This includes goals to:
- Stop or reverse the decline of fish and wildlife, including state-listed or candidate species.
- Maintain or enhance the current structural attributes and ecological functions of habitat needed to support healthy populations.
- Maintain or enhance populations of priority species within present and/or historical ranges.
The following is a collection of recommendations and planning documents for managing projects with potential impact to priority habitat and species.
Priority habitats
Priority habitats are habitat types or elements with unique or significant value to a large number of species. A priority habitat may consist of a unique vegetation type like shrubsteppe, dominant plant species like juniper savannah, or a specific habitat feature like cliffs. There are 20 types of priority habitats in Washington.
Riparian Ecosystems
Riparian areas are the zones between land and water such as the edges of rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. They have unique conditions that change gradually from dry land to aquatic environments. These areas help connect waterbodies to the surrounding land, both above and below the surface. They also play an important role in the movement of energy and nutrients between land and water.
Management Recommendations
- Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 1: Science Synthesis and Management Implications (2020)
- Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 2: Management Recommendations (2020)
- Management Recommendations for Washington's Priority Habitats and Species: Riparian Pollinators (2023)
Mapping Products
More Resources
- Site-Potential Tree Height Mapping Tool
- Guidelines for Determining Site Potential Tree Height from Field Measurements
- Site-Potential Tree Height 200 (SPTH-200) Calculator
- Land Use Planning for Salmon, Steelhead and Trout
- Riparian Management Recommendations: 1997 version
Shrubsteppe Ecosystems
Shrubsteppe is a dry, open habitat with scattered shrubs and clumps of grasses. Big sagebrush is the most common shrub, along with bitterbrush and other sagebrush types. Grasses like Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass grow between the shrubs, and mosses, lichens, and algae may also be present.
In wetter areas, more grasses and wildflowers grow. The land includes hills, valleys, streams, and canyons. A healthy shrubsteppe has good soil, native plants, and a special soil crust that helps hold moisture and prevent erosion.
Management Recommendations
- 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)
Mapping Products
More Resources
- Washington Shrubsteppe Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WSRRI)
- Shrubsteppe Decision Support Tools
- Shrubsteppe and Grassland Restoration Manual for the Columbia River Basin (113 pp.)
- Pollinator Resources
Biodiversity Areas and Corridors
Biodiversity Areas and Corridors are large, connected natural areas that have diverse ecosystems supporting the movement of wildlife. These areas provide important homes for wildlife and provide safe pathways between key habitats. Corridors are stretches of mostly undisturbed land that connect important habitats, helping wildlife move safely and thrive.
Mapping Products
More Resources
- 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
- Arid Lands Initiative
Oregon White Oak Woodlands Ecosystems
The Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) defines North Pacific Oak Woodlands as areas dominated by Oregon white oak, usually in dry, low-elevation sites or places that had frequent fires before settlement. In Washington, Oregon white oaks are found in the Puget Trough, south-central counties, the Columbia Gorge, and along the east side of the Cascades.
Oregon white oak is Washington's only native oak. Though rare and declining, these woodlands support diverse plant and wildlife communities. Different oak forest types provide food, shelter, and breeding areas for many species.
Management Recommendations
- 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)
Mapping Products
Priority species
Priority species include State Endangered, Threatened, Sensitive, and Candidate species; vulnerable animal groups (e.g., seabird concentrations, heron rookeries, bat colonies); and vulnerable species of recreational, commercial, or tribal importance. There are 269 priority species in Washington. Species are often considered a priority only within a “priority area” such as a nest, roost, foraging area, breeding area, regular gathering area, or migration corridor.
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
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)
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
Additional resources
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.
Washington Shrubsteppe Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WSRRI): This initiative seeks to address wildlife habitat protection and restoration challenges while also supporting working lands and communities in the face of wildland fire across the shrubsteppe landscape. Wildland fire preparedness, response, and recovery are important components of this effort.
Woodland Fish and Wildlife Project Publications: Publications in this series provide practical information on fish and wildlife management to private woodland owners and managers