Release Program for Falcon Showing Early Signs of Success

Fledgling Aplomado Falcons at the Armendaris Ranch. These are the first falcons successfully raised in New Mexico in several decades. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Mark Lockwood, and used with permission.

James Ed. Ducey

After just two seasons, the release of Aplomado Falcons into New Mexico is already showing signs of success.

“Two birds released in 2006 formed a pair and successfully fledged two chicks” this year at the Armendaris Ranch, said Mike Phillips, director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund. “This is the first time that falcons less than a year old have been known to raise young.”

Successful nesting by the pair of falcons was the highlight of the season, Phillips said. “It speaks well to the procedures of the project, and to the ability of the land to provide what is needed for the birds to survive.”

Fifty of Aplomado Falcons have been released in the region during 2007 and 2006. Twenty-eight were released from two different hack sites on the Armendaris Ranch, owned by Ted Turner, and 22 on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, state of Utah and Bureau of Land Management lands.

The released falcons originate at the breeding facilities of the Peregrine Fund in Idaho, and are designated as an “experimental, non-essential population” not protected by the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service and White Sands Missile Range are also partners in the project.

“An aggressive food provisioning program” was used to help the falcons survive during their release,” Phillips said. Supplemental food was provided for an additional seven months, until early spring, which is a longer period of time than is normally done when hacking raptors.

The introduced birds are given leg bands for identification purposes. The freed birds disperse, but 6-8-10 birds may be seen regularly around the Armendaris, Phillips said.

There have been no banded falcons reported by bird watchers in the region.

A habitat improvement grant of $7,728 provided to the TESF by the Fish and Wildlife Service Private Stewardship Grants Program, will fund the installation of nesting structures and an evaluation of their use through 2009. The artificial nest structures will be installed during the coming winter months, Phillips said.

The two sub-adult birds that successfully fledged young, built their nest on the cross bar of a high voltage transmission line.

The grant called for placement of 20 nest structures, but this is being reevaluated since an alternate design is being considered, Phillips said. “Mobile nest structures - although more expensive to build - would allow a better response to bird movement” and could be placed at sites preferred by the falcon pairs. A permanent nest platform could then replace the temporary structure.

The biggest question of the reintroduction program is how the released raptors will settle into the landscape, Phillips said. One big question is whether there is a sufficient prey base in this area of New Mexico.

The breeding success this year may indicate this raptor may be “far more tolerant of land use practices than people may realize,” he said. This may improve the chances to eventually establish a self-sustaining population in this portion of its historic range, the primary goal of this project.

Aplomado Falcon at the Armendaris Ranch. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Pat Obrien and used with permission.

“The restoration creates an opportunity for the falcons to succeed or fail on their own,” Phillips said. “If food is available, recovery is eminently possible.”

“Team Turner will continue its efforts during the next few years,” Phillips added. “If we get in a groove, we will keep doing more of the same. Our goal is to improve the conservation status of the Aplomado Falcon.”

About 100 birds are expected to be released in the region during a five-ten year period.

“We are years away from saying a population is in place,” Phillips said. After five years, a report of reintroduction efforts and results will be prepared for study and scientific evaluation by project participants.

Phillips said the project is ahead of schedule and under budget.

The focus on birds in peril such as the Aplomado Falcon fits well with the management goal at Turner Ranches properties to ensure survival of native species, he said.

The Northern Aplomado Falcon subspecies was classified in 1986 as an endangered species in the Texas portion of its range in the United States.

“Between 1986 and 1994, 58 nestlings were fledged for release by The Peregrine Fund at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas,” according to FWS information. The first successful nesting occurred in 1995.

“Aplomado Falcons once were widespread in the American Southwest, from southern Texas to eastern Arizona. By the 1950s their range was restricted to a few areas in Mexico, most likely due to the combined effects of habitat changes, pesticides, and human persecution,” according to information at The Peregrine Fund website.

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Reintroduction of the Aplomado Falcon is one of a score of conservation projects being carried out on ranches owned by Turner. The management strategy for all of the properties is to: “Manage the land in an economically sustainable and ecologically sensitive manner while promoting the conservation of native species.” Turner currently owns about two million acres, mostly in North America.

The 358,643-acre Armendaris ranch, in Sierra County, New Mexico, was bought in 1994, and “lies in south central New Mexico and contains some of the most pristine Chihuahuan desert grassland in the Southwest,” according to the Turner website. “Other features include desert scrub and riparian habitats along the Rio Grande and the Fra Cristobal Mountains.” Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is at the northern end of the ranch.

Populations of the Scaled Quail have been studied by researchers from Texas A&M University.

Other research projects in progress or completed on the ranch include radio collared sheep, cougars, bobcats, kit foxes, bison plus studies on prairie dogs, kangroo rats, willow flycatchers, grassland response to fire, livestock grazing, antelope population response to climate, according to Tom Waddell, ranch manager.

The fourth largest bat cave in North America, used by the Mexican Free-tailed bat, is present on the ranch.

The southwestern Willow Flycatcher - listed as endangered in the Southwest - and Yellow-billed Cuckoo - a species of local concern - occur at riverine habitats at the Armendaris.

Turner Enterprises Inc.

Birder Report Leads to Further Consultation for Wetland Project

By James Ed. Ducey

A birder's report of Piping Plover present at a pending wetland project site led to further consultation among wildlife agencies and an improved project design.

The project was being developed by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in cooperation with the owner of Duck Lake, near Brownlee, in Cherry County. The project was being managed by the Thedford office of the NRCS.

Two Piping Plover - a federally listed threatened species - were noted May 8, 2006 at the approximately 35 acre Duck Lake during a standard bird survey. There had been several similar surveys in previous years at lakes and wetlands of the ranch.

During the May visit, the level of water in the lakebed had been reduced due to lower the level of the water, to make it easier to treat the lake and kill the carp; an objective of the project. There was an ample expanse of bare sand beach. The plovers were readily seen, and one was acting broody, according to an email the bird watcher sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The landowner was first notified of the birds seen, including the Piping Plover, including a mention of its status as a threatened species. After a bit more discussion, the woman rancher said they were interested in wildlife, but would have to rethink any further visits because of the presence of the belted plovers.

Piping Plover are typically just a rare migrant through the Sand Hills region. The first instance of breeding was in 1902 at Clear Lake on the present Valentine NWR, a relatively short distance north of Duck Lake. In 1994, there was nesting at Bean Lake, west of Crescent Lake NWR in the southwest sandhills. The species nested at Goose Lake, Crescent Lake NWR in 2007. Piping Plover do regularly breed on sandbars of the lower Niobrara River, and beaches of Lake McConaughy on the Platte River to the south.

In a subsequent phone conversation the birder's permission to visit the ranch property and its habitats was revoked.

Interest in the Piping Plover meant an email was sent to the district office of the NRCS, coveying the presence of the birds.

According to environmental laws, private lands projects which use federal money must consider any potential impacts on endangered or threatened species.

Personnel from the NRCS Thedford office visited the lake and confirmed the presence of the plover. An offer by the birder to accompany the federal officials was declined.

Efforts of the birder to get project details - in order to be informed on project measures - from this office of the NRCS were not successful. Privacy concerns was the given reason.

Another email was then sent in mid-May to officials of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Nebraska, notifying them of the presence of the Piping Plover.

A consultation regarding Duck Lake then eventually occurred among state and federal agencies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) met with NRCS at the proposed Duck Lake Wetland Reserve Program project site to become familiar with the project design and to begin the section 7 consultation process pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according to Robert Harms, biologist in the Grand Island ecological services office of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Following familiarization with the project, the FWS and NGPC identified potential concerns for the federally endangered Whooping Crane (observed at Duck Lake and surrounding meadows), endangered American burying beetle (observed in the area), threatened Piping Plover (since a pair had been observed), threatened western prairie fringed orchid (observed in the area), and endangered Topeka shiner (present in nearby Brushy Creek)," Harms said. "There were also concerns for impacts to state listed threatened dace species: the north redbelly dace and finescale dace.

"Concerns centered around loss of adjacent wet meadows (used by several of the above species) due to the construction of an extensive dam to support what appeared to be the ability to raise the lake level a substantial amount and modifications to the Pass Creek drainage," Harms explained in an email.

Both agencies then worked with NRCS on modifications to the project, which included at least one meeting and written negotiations to resolve concerns, Harms said.

The result: "The NRCS agreed to reduce the total length of the dam so that over flow from the North Loup River could continue to enter Duck Lake when there is ice jam flooding in the spring--we thought that was important to maintaining meadow hydrology. Another modification was agreed to that addressed the drainage system involving Pass Creek. NRCS agreed to construct the structure so that it could never be completely shut-off thereby dewatering the drainage and having a potential impact to listed fish species. NRCS agreed to do surveys for the Topeka shiner and dace prior to treatment of Duck Lake with rotenone. Surveys were also were required to be done in the time frame of the whooping crane migration to ensure that birds were not present at Duck Lake. Should birds be present, all construction work would cease. By the time the construction would be done, plovers had already migrated south - thus, no survey work was determined to be necessary.

"NRCS agreed to do all of the above items during the course of project construction and the FWS concurred that the proposed project would not have an adverse affect on listed species," Harms wrote.

He visited Duck Lake to make an inspection once the project was complete in the latter part of the summer, accompanied by an NRCS biologist. The project measures had been implemented as the three agencies had agreed upon.

The email sent by the bird watcher is cited as the reason for further consultation on the project.

"The number one catalyst for our section 7 consultation was the email report about plovers at Duck Lake and potential project affects that could occur due to the NRCS-funded WRP project," Harms said. "We would never have known about this issue otherwise."

"An additional side benefit of the Duck Lake project was a re-evaluation by NRCS on the way they involve members of the B teams," Harms added. "B teams consist of a group of NRCS, FWS, and NGPC biologists who visit WRP projects to evaluate and make restoration recommendations. I think there will be much better involvement by NRCS of agency biologists in the future."

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To get background information on the Duck Lake Project, the state office of the NRCS was visited on October 12th. The office required that a Freedom of Information Act request be filed. A signed request was provided, asking what the specific project objectives were, how many dollars were provided, and when the project was completed. The agency representative said it had 20 days to provide a response to the inquiry.

The following information provided by the NRCS - in response to a followup email - was received on November 2nd:

"The Duck Lake project was in response to a landowner application request in the Wetlands Reserve Program to enhance the wetland area. The purpose of the project fits within the WRP objectives which are to in increase the quality of the wetlands, water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.

"The project was completed in December 2006.

"The project was completed as designed. During the planning stages there was an 'informal consultation' with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NRCS included their recommendations in the design and the project is complete.

This was a 10 year agreement restoration cost-share agreement. Its purpose is to re-establish degraded or lost wetland habitat. USDA pays up to 75 percent of the cost of the restoration activity. NRCS obligated $41,942 for this project. This enrollment option does not place an easement on the property. Property rights remain with the landowner."

Terns and Plovers Depend on Riverine Sand Mines

James Ed. Ducey

Least Terns and Piping Plover breeding in 2007 along river systems in eastern Nebraska had a successful season using riverside habitats.

Most of the terns and plovers used sand and gravel mines for breeding activities during the 2007 season, said Mary Brown, manager of the Tern and Plover Partnership.

"There was little nesting on the Platte, Elkhorn and Loup rivers due to high water conditions," she said.

The 2007 population of birds using the river-side habitats seemed similar to the previous years, Brown said. "More post-flight fledglings seemed to be produced, although the number of birds that return in 2008 will be the true measure of success."

Final population numbers for the three river systems would not be available until the reports of partnership volunteers are received.

Habitat for the endangered and threatened species is changing as some sand mines are converted to housing developments as a typical 50-year life-span has elapsed, Brown said. One pit near North Bend was being converted to a housing development during past summer season. This has also taken place at sites near Ashland, Valley, Columbus, Schuyler and Columbus.

With sand mines providing the majority of nesting places, conservation efforts are focused on these areas as they become housing developments following sand and gravel extraction.

The Planning - Aggregates - Community - Environment (PACE) program is used by industry groups to direct land use that results in a landscape beneficial to wildlife. PACE has members from local conservation groups and the sand and gravel industry.

Plans for an extraction site are based on a set of objectives are used to address five issues, according to information about PACE: access to resources, rapidly changing land use, the cost of doing business, lack of public understanding and regulatory issues.

As the transition occurs, developer and utility equipment can be disruptive, Brown said. "We try to reschedule their efforts to avoid and impacts."

With the establishment of new housing, landowners often cooperate with the partnership, informing new residents of the birds nesting on the beaches. Some residents think it is "kinda cool to have a bird sanctuary in the neighborhood," Brown explained in an interview after her first three months as director for the partnership.

After starting in mid-July, Brown visited known nesting sites and discussed partnership activities with mine personnel, operation managers and plant owners.

Her previous experience with the these birds included watching them at Lake McConaughy as a birder and biologist working on Cliff Swallows at the nearby Cedar Point Biological Station. She was also familiar with the terns and plovers on the Atlantic coast.

Brown has realized the importance of volunteer participation for the partnership.

More than 20 people provided about 400 hours of volunteer time to monitor nesting sites or to conduct regular surveys, paying for their own gas and other expenses, she said. One volunteer wrote and article for the local newspaper. Most of these people live in the immediate vicinity of the area of their effort, and are also very helpful in spreading the word about the two bird species.

"The partnership could not accomplish what we do without our volunteers," Brown said.

Riverine habitat is the ultimate solution to maintaining viable populations of both species, Brown said. "How to provide viable river channel habitat is one of the grand questions in managing the terns and plovers.

"There are so many demands on eastern Nebraska rivers. Impacts include channelization, reduced flows due to diversion, impacts of droughts, changes in land use and other activities.

"It will take the effort of communities, land owners, wildlife groups and business to partner in efforts to provide appropriate habitat to help ensure success for the birds."

Results of this years' survey efforts will be provided to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and will eventually be integrated into counts on the national and international levels, for use in managing both species.

Federal Wetland Programs Help Develop Habitat Along the Missouri River

Missouri River wetland during flooding.

By James Ed. Ducey

Wetland programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service are playing an important role in developing habitat for wildlife along the central Missouri River between Rulo and Ponca NE.

Since the Wildlife Reserve Enhancement Program's inception in 2004, nearly 10,000 acres have been developed for wildbirds and other local fauna along the Missouri River, according to agency personnel.

Wetlands within about one mile of the river qualify for this program that offers increased management options such as "linking" neighboring wetlands, staff said. Lands further from the river and through out the state may qualify for the Wetlands Reserve Program.

"Our success can be seen in the wildlife response following restoration," agency staff said. Typical wildlife habitat types developed on a contract area may include "Palustrine wetland habitat that is seasonally flooded. The area also included grassland habitat of tallgrass prairie, and woodland habitat of eastern riparian forest."

Annual monitoring efforts from one observation review indicate typical bird species which benefit include the Common Grackle, Dickcissel, Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbird, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, Mallard, Spotted Sandpiper and Ring-necked Pheasant.

Monitoring programs are accomplished as employee schedules permit and may not always be done at a time such as migration periods when the most diverse array of birds might be present.

Other fauna which benefit from the newly established habitat include amphibians such as bull frogs and Blanchard's cricket frogs.

One of the few public sites where birders can view the success of the project is at Boyer Chute, near Fort Calhoun, NE. Work here included recreating the old river chute, thus widening the river floodplain, agency staff explained.

Another public area is the Peru Bottoms site, east of Peru, now owned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. East of Rulo, a project site is visible from the county road.

Other project sites are closed to public access since they are private property of the landowners.

"The success is in the numbers," an agency representative explained. There have been at least 93 WREP contracts with landowners:

2004 - 21 contracts for 1,680 acres

2005 - 35 contracts for 4,280 acres

2006 - 22 contracts for 2,000 acres

2007 - 15 contracts for 1,800 acres (through June 2007)

Total: 93 contracts for 9,760 acres

There has been $19.2 million committed to the program, through May 2007. The overall goal is to enroll 18,800 acres in the WREP.

Missouri River wetlands east of Nebraska City. All photos courtesy of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Lincoln, Nebraska office.

"In addition to providing the typical on-site, wetland-related benefits, these lands under easement also contribute to the objective of riverine corridor restoration on a larger scale in future years," agency staff said.

Each wetland plan includes two primary steps.

There is restoration, which is the construction phase when water control structures are put in place. Typically, this included excavation of sediments. De-leveling a field, breaking sub-surface tile lines and seeding native grasses and forbs.

A management plan is then developed to guide agency personnel in providing maximum benefits for flora and fauna.

"The goal is to provide a diversity of hydrologic and vegetative conditions that benefit migratory and resident birds and other wetland dependent species throughout all seasons of the year. Special emphasis is placed on shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl."

Flood control is another primary reason for the wetland restorations.

The biggest targeting factor in the ranking to select program sites is the proximity to the existing river channel, agency staff explained. "This helps focus efforts on chutes, back waters, and oxbows.

The Wetlands Reserve Program (of which WREP is a part) has a primary objective to restore and maintain habitat for migratory birds and to address threatened and endangered species habitat needs where possible.

The NRCS continues to look for project sites. "We are continuously seeking and taking applications for wetland restorations. It is a not stop process. In FY 2007 for both WRP and WREP, we signed 47 contracts to restore 5,200 acres," agency staff said. Of special interest are wetlands that can be linked to establish a corridor along the river edge.

"For the Lower Missouri River WREP, lands in the floodplain within a mile of the river, that were previously wetlands, old river channel, hydric soils, etc., that can be restored to a wetland," are the current emphasis. "These sites have hydric soil types that would have hydrophytic vegetation if not previously disturbed. Many have been converted to cropland."

"Landowners can opt for a 10-year restoration cost-share agreement; a 30-year conservation easement, or a permanent easement, which has been the most popular selection, according to a NRCS news release.

"Efforts of the WREP and Army Corps of Engineers mitigation efforts have blended well," NRCS staff said. "Wetland restoration enrollments have come from both sources.

Probably the best example came this spring on a WRP (before WREP) site south of Plattsmouth. NRCS worked with the landowner on the wetland restoration. The Corps is involved with stream bank sloughing and shallow water habitat restoration and notching of the dike along the river which allowed high flows from the river into the wetland, relieving pressure flooding downstream while the wetland held back the water, slowing releasing it back to the river. Adjacent neighbors downstream have now enrolled wetlands."

Following the WREP project, the Corps has bought some of the wetland from the landowner as part of their mitigation requirements. The shallow water habitat is needed for recovery of the endangered pallid sturgeon.

Other agencies or groups involved in these projects includes the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Ducks Unlimited and local natural resource districts.

The Nature Conservancy is contributing funds to WREP in NE, and a wetlands restoration specialist was newly hired in June. In late May, the group received $80,000 from Cargill to support its activities. "The money will be used to complete an 85-acre restoration in Burt County," a press release said.

"Cargill is pleased to support the wetlands restoration, and would be doubly pleased if our contribution spurred interest among others to join in the effort," Eric Johnson, facility manager for Cargill's Corn Milling plant in nearby Blair, said in a news release. "This project fits perfectly with Cargill's approach to environmental stewardship."

Further information on WREP is available at the NRCS website.

Missouri River wetland scene.