Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan Report 3 (2018) / Chapter Skim
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, the Texas blind salamander, the San Marcos salamander, the Comal Springs dryopid beetle, the Comal Springs riffle beetle (CSRB) , the Peck's Cave amphipod, and Texas wild rice.
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These measures are meant to achieve the objectives shown in the middle column, according to their corresponding color. NOTE: LTBG = long-term biological goal; SAV = submerged aquatic vegetation.
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For example, the recreation management measures (purple) are intended to help achieve the habitat component of the biological objectives for Texas wild rice and San Marcos salamander.
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There are still some questions about relative competition of Texas wild rice versus other native and nonnative SAV, which could be addressed with mesocosm studies. The long-term biological goals for Comal Springs riffle beetle density (number of beetles per cotton lure)
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Finally, the San Marcos salamander would benefit from additional studies on its life history, particularly using refugia populations, similar to what has been done for the fountain darter, CSRB, and Texas wild rice and other SAV.
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It is likely that the biological objectives will meet the biological goals for Texas wild rice. This conclusion is based on empirical observations of gains in the coverage of Texas wild rice, even in the face of recent floods and droughts; on the compatibility of the flow objective with the habitat suitability modeling for Texas wild rice; and on the adaptive management changes that now include Texas wild rice as fountain darter habitat.
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There is no water quality objective for the salamander or information on the effects of aquatic gardening. The rating could be improved by creating a water quality objective for San Marcos salamanders, better regulating recreational access to the 50-m reach of the San Marcos River just below Spring Lake Dam, quantifying the outcomes of aquatic gardening and maintenance of silt-free gravel at the salamander study reaches, and augmenting the current sampling protocol with a new method to estimate proportion of area occupied and detection probability of San Marcos salamanders.
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. Water Quality Protection Measures The M&M measures designed to protect water quality in the Comal and San Marcos systems include stormwater control measures, golf course management, and the management and removal of litter and floating vegetation.
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are actively removed. The SAV restoration measures, including the replanting of Texas wild rice, will be effective in meeting the habitat component of the biological objective for Texas wild rice and the fountain darter.
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The recreational M&M measures include management of recreation in both the Comal and San Marcos systems, the designation of permanent access points and bank stabilization in the San Marcos system, regulation of diving and boating in Spring Lake and Sewell Park, and the creation of State Scientific Areas in the San Marcos system. The recreation management measures will be effective in meeting the habitat component of the biological objectives for the San Marcos salamander and Texas wild rice.
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OVERARCHING ISSUES As the EAA plans for implementation of Phase 2 of the HCP and ultimately a renewal of the incidental take permit, it should begin to consider several overarching issues and concerns that may ultimately suggest improvements to the biological goals and objectives and the HCP to better protect the listed species. Fountain Darter Although the habitat-based biological goals for the fountain darter are reasonable because they are easy to measure and quantify (see Chapter 2)
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If mechanistic understanding is improved, an opportunity may exist to evaluate SAV species targets with the benefit of species-specific habitat requirements that would better inform restoration efforts. Taken together, a relaxation of the targets for speciesspecific areal SAV coverages and a stronger attempt to identify what factors control SAV success could lead to a lower overall effort without sacrificing the ultimate goal for fountain darters.
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However, there is the potential for catastrophic events that are far outside the historical record and could pose unrecognized challenges to listed species and the systems, and their frequency may increase due to climate change. For example, an event the size of Hurricane Harvey could completely destroy much of the restored SAV in the Comal and San Marcos rivers, directly affecting Texas wild rice and fountain darter habitat, and lead to substantial erosion and sedimentation in areas of the rivers, affecting silt-sensitive species.
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