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Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands

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Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Final Report to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Playa Lakes Joint Venture August 2007 Alison Banks Cariveau, Research Division Director Lacrecia Johnson, Playa Survey Project Leader Robert Sparks, Research Biologist Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory 14500 Lark Bunting Lane Brighton, CO 80603 303.659.4348 www.rmbo.org ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIRD OBSERVATORY The mission of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) is to conserve birds of the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Intermountain West and the habitats on which they depend through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. RMBO practices a multi- faceted approach to bird conservation that integrates scientific research and monitoring studies with education and outreach programs to bring bird conservation issues to the public and other conservation partners. RMBO works closely with state and federal natural resource agencies, private landowners, schools, and other nonprofit organizations. RMBO accomplishes its mission by working in four areas: Research : RMBO studies avian responses to habitat conditions, ecological processes, and management actions to provide scientific information that guides bird conservation actions. Monitoring : RMBO monitors the distribution and abundance of birds through long-term, broad-scale monitoring programs that track population trends for birds of the region. Education : RMBO provides active, experiential, education programs for K-12 students in order to create an awareness and appreciation for birds, with the goal of understanding the need for bird conservation. Outreach : RMBO shares the latest information in land management and bird conservation practices with private landowners, land managers, and resource professionals at natural resource agencies. RMBO develops voluntary, working partnerships with these individuals and groups for habitat conservation throughout the region. Suggested Citation: Cariveau, A. B., L. A. Johnson and R. A. Sparks. 2007. Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands: Final Report to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Playa Lakes Joint Venture. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Brighton, CO, 39 pp. Cover Photos: All photos courtesy of RMBO. Contact Information: Alison Banks Cariveau [email protected] RMBO Fort Collins Office 230 Cherry Street Fort Collins, CO 80521 970.482.1707 Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) thanks the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) and the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) for providing funding from Conoco-Phillips for this project. In addition, NGPC contributed field vehicles and personnel time for field surveys in spring of 2007. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) also contributed to this project with GIS analysis and flight services. We want to thank all of the people who contributed to data collection in the spring of 2007: Douglas Ekberg, Tim Hermansen, Ted LaGrange, Emily Munter, and Sarah Rehme of NGPC and Kelsi Niederklein of Pheasants Forever. We thank Ted LaGrange for his guidance throughout the project. We also thank Mike Fritz of NGPC for consultation on amphibian surveys. We thank the dedicated RMBO field staff of Crystal Bechaver, Cliff Cordy, Derek Hill, and Marie-Melissa Kalamaras for their hard work on this project. Luke Caldwell assisted with data entry and quality assurance. Carmen Blumberg, Sarah Manor and Jennifer Thieme assisted with report preparation. Don Hazlett, an expert botanist for the region, assisted with plant identification. We thank Andy Bishop and Jacob Erdman at the USFWS Great Plains GIS Partnership office for their assistance with aerial photography interpretation and GIS data analysis. We appreciate the aerial photos of playas in our study area provided by Rich Walters and Tim Hermansen, NGPC. Playa ringed with smartweed, in the study area, fall 2006. ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIRD OBSERVATORY Conserving Birds of the Rocky Mountains Great Plains, and Intermountain West i Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document is the Final Report for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission State Wildlife Grant (SWG) entitled Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands (T-41 Segment 1). This is also the Final Report for a Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) Conoco-Phillips grant entitled Biological Inventory and Buffer Evaluation of Nebraska’s Southwest Playas, which provided matching funds to the SWG. This project investigates playa wetland hydroperiods, habitat availability, and use by anurans and migrating birds in southwestern Nebraska. In the fall of 2006, we combined radar rainfall data, aerial infrared photography, and 576 on-the-ground surveys to 43 playas to document habitat conditions and bird use following a heavy precipitation event. We also collected vegetation cover data for twelve playas. This represents the most comprehensive dataset of vegetation and avian use for playas in this part of Nebraska. In the spring of 2007, we conducted field surveys on over 50 playas that received heavy precipitation over the winter. In this report we outline our findings in relation to our primary study objectives, as follows: 1. Quantify playa hydroperiod responses to precipitation events, playa size, watershed size and condition, buffers, dominant land use, and mapped soil types (PLJV Objective 1; SWG Objective 5). 2. Quantify the diversity and abundance of bird species using wet playas during migration, beginning with fall of 2006, with the addition of spring migration and/or breeding season surveys if funding levels are sufficient (PLJV Objective 2, SWG Objective 1). 3. Describe amphibian species composition and frequency of occurrence in playas, if seasonally appropriate (SWG Objective 2). 4. Coordinate with the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program to document other species of plants and animals using playas (SWG Objective 4). 5. Analyze the relationship between bird and amphibian use and habitat variables within the wetland and landscape attributes of the surrounding watershed (PLJV Objective 3; SWG Objective 3). 6. Correlate various Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers, including satellite imagery from PLJV, National Wetland Inventory (NWI), Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO), and aerial photography from USFWS to create a comprehensive map of playas in the region (PLJV Objective 4, SWG Objective 6). In this report we fully report the data collected in the fall of 2006. We report preliminary on findings from the data collected in the spring of 2007 because some of the data are still undergoing quality assurance ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIRD OBSERVATORY Conserving Birds of the Rocky Mountains Great Plains, and Intermountain West ii Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Executive Summary Key findings include: 1. A new estimate of 16,793 playas in the Southwest Playa Complex of Nebraska. This represents an 8% increase over the 15,530 originally predicted. 2. Field visits confirmed playas at more than 58% of the predicted locations. 3. Playas in Nebraska’s Southwest Playa Complex are on average smaller than playas found in the Southern High Plains. 4. Tilling of playas and their watersheds is the most commonly encountered modification in the study area, documented at 80% of the playas we sampled. 5. Playas within the study area provide water depths and seed-producing annual plants that meet the needs of foraging waterfowl and shorebirds throughout the migratory season. 6. Four frog or toad species were documented in high numbers on playas; an additional four species were documented two or fewer times each. Anurans were found at 94% of playas surveyed. Night surveys were most effective for determining anuran presence. 7. When receiving similar rainfall, playas surrounded by cropland or shortgrass prairie are more likely to become wet than playas surrounded by CRP. 8. Over 86,003 individual birds of 125 avian species use playas or adjacent uplands, including 19 Tier 1 and Tier 2 avian species of interest to Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. We also documented species rare for the area. 9. Playa area and percent of playa with open water correspond to higher numbers of fall waterfowl and shorebirds. The percent of playa in wet mud was also significant in explaining shorebird use. In addition to the research work outlined above, we conducted outreach as part of the project. We presented information about playas, conservation practices and opportunities, and our research at six venues, including the Nebraska Game and Parks Annual Wildlife Division Meeting, Natural Resource Conservation Service Leadership Meeting, Natural Resource Conservation Service Area Two Meeting, two Nebraska landowner workshops, and the 125 th American Ornithologists’ Union Meeting. The study is ongoing, with Phase II support from NGPC and PLJV. ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIRD OBSERVATORY Conserving Birds of the Rocky Mountains Great Plains, and Intermountain West iii Biological Inventory and Evaluation of Conservation Strategies in Southwest Playa Wetlands Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................
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