Final 2014-2018 Anuran and Marsh Bird
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Beneficial Use Impairment Removal Project Niagara River Area of Concern Marsh Anuran and Avian Population Monitoring Work Plan: 2014-2018 Final: January 13, 2014 Beneficial Use Impairment Removal Project Niagara River Area of Concern Marsh Anuran and Avian Population Monitoring Work Plan: 2014-2018 FINAL – January 13, 2014 Prepared for: United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) New York Field Office (NYFO) 3817 Luker Road Cortland, NY 13045 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) 270 Michigan Avenue Buffalo, NY 14203 Prepared by: NewEarth Ecological Consulting, LLC 169 Watson Mill Road Saco, ME 04072 207.286.3259 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Study Area ........................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 Survey Information Sources ............................................................................................... 3 3.0 Methods............................................................................................................................... 3 3.1 Marsh Anuran Sampling Design ...................................................................................... 3 3.1.1 Survey Routes ........................................................................................................... 3 3.1.2 Location of Survey Points ......................................................................................... 4 3.1.3 Sampling Periods ...................................................................................................... 6 3.1.4 Nightly Sampling Conditions ................................................................................... 6 3.1.5 Point Inaccessibility and Relocation ......................................................................... 6 3.2 Marsh Bird Sampling Design ........................................................................................... 7 3.2.1 Survey Routes ........................................................................................................... 7 3.2.2 Location of Survey Points ......................................................................................... 7 3.2.3 Point Spacing .......................................................................................................... 10 3.2.4 Time of Day ............................................................................................................ 10 3.2.5 Number of Surveys Per Year and Dates Conducted ............................................... 10 3.3 Marsh Anuran Survey Protocol ...................................................................................... 11 3.3.1 Surveyor Skills and Experience .............................................................................. 11 3.3.2 Calling Survey Technique ....................................................................................... 11 3.3.3 Recording Information on the Anuran Call Survey Data Form .............................. 11 3.3.4 Recording Information on the Habitat Monitoring Data Form ............................... 13 3.3.5 Equipment Needed .................................................................................................. 14 3.4 Marsh Bird Survey Protocol ........................................................................................... 14 3.4.1 Surveyor Skills and Experience .............................................................................. 14 3.4.2 Passive and Broadcast Monitoring.......................................................................... 14 3.4.3 Broadcast Equipment and Placement...................................................................... 17 3.4.4 Estimating Distance to Focal Species ..................................................................... 17 3.4.5 Recording Information on the Marsh Birds Survey Data Form ............................. 17 3.4.6 Recording Data on the Habitat Monitoring Data Form .......................................... 21 3.4.7 Equipment Needed .................................................................................................. 22 3.5 Coordination Efforts ....................................................................................................... 22 3.5.1 Survey Coordination Procedures ............................................................................ 22 3.6 Data Management .......................................................................................................... 23 3.7 Reporting ........................................................................................................................ 23 4.0 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................. 24 i LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: List of Important Contacts Appendix B: Data Forms and Instructions Appendix C: Coordinates for Survey Points Appendix D: List of Common Calls for Marsh Bird Species Appendix E: Equipment List and Boat Safety Protocol LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Niagara River Area of Concern (New York Portion) ...................................................... 1 Figure 2. Marsh Anuran Survey Routes and Points ........................................................................ 5 Figure 3. Marsh Bird Survey Routes and Points............................................................................. 8 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Anuran Target Species and Survey Timing for the NR AOC .......................................... 6 Table 2. Survey Timeline for Focal Marsh Bird Species in the NR AOC.................................... 10 Table 3. List of Marsh Anurans in the NR AOC .......................................................................... 12 Table 4. List of Focal Marsh Birds in the NR AOC ..................................................................... 14 ii 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND In 1987 the governments of the United States (U.S.) and Canada identified several areas within the Great Lakes region where environment degradation had occurred due to historic pollution and habitat degradation. The areas were identified and designated for remediation and restoration and referred to as Areas of Concern (AOC). Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) were developed for each AOC and each RAP identified beneficial use impairments (BUI) (i.e., negatively affected chemical, physical, and/or biological properties associated with the AOC) that required restoration or remediation in order to remove the impairment from the list of BUIs associated with AOCs. The 37-mile long Niagara River waterway, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, was identified as one of the forty-three AOCs for the Great Lakes region. The Niagara River AOC (NR AOC) is divided into two portions, the New York portion located on the U.S. side of the river; and the Ontario portion located on the Canadian side of the river. On the U.S. side, the NR AOC extends from Smokes Creek in Buffalo Harbor north to the Niagara River’s mouth at Lake Ontario (Figure 1). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is currently funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to coordinate the Niagara River RAP. Because the Niagara River AOC is a binational AOC, the NYSDEC is coordinating technical assessments and regulatory efforts with the Canadian Niagara River RAP managers. A RAP was developed for the New York portion of the NR AOC (NYSDEC 1994), which identifies and provides the rationale and subsequent remediation plans for several BUIs. A 2012 addendum to the RAP (NR AOC Stage 2 Addendum) describes updated BUI-specific delisting criteria. Included in the delisting criteria for the "Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations" BUI, are assessments of 5-year trends in populations of sentinel native species representing the range of trophic levels within aquatic ecosystems (Filipski 2012). In February, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) New York Field Office (NYFO) was contacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) to conduct population trend assessments for marsh anurans and several species of marsh birds (e.g. rails, bitterns, snipe, and grebes) within the NR AOC to support a determination of the status of the “Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations” BUI. The species' of interest are sentinel native species that represent the mid-level food chain within the Niagara River aquatic ecosystem. 1.2 STUDY AREA This study focuses on the New York portion of the NR AOC located on the U.S. side of the Niagara River and extending from Smokes Creek in Buffalo Harbor north to the mouth of the Niagara River at Lake Ontario (Figure 1). Page 1 of 25 Ontario New York Grand Island (Figure 3B) Anuran Survey Area (Figure 2) Buffalo (Figure 3A) Figure 1. Anuran and Marsh Bird Survey Areas Niagara River Area of Concern Marsh Legend Anuran and Avian Population Monitoring Upper Niagara River Area of Concern ³ Niagara and Erie Counties, NY Marsh Bird Survey Locations Prepared For: US Fish and Wildlife Service Anuran Survey Locations 0 0.5 1 2 NY Department of Environmental Conservation Miles Prepared By: Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye,