BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE
BRIGUAM CITY, UTAH
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT
CALENDER YEAR 199J
mBa*
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTIIRIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE
Brigham City, Utah
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT
Calendar Year 1990
REVIEW AND APPROVALS
REFUGE MANAGER DATE
U GE SUPERVISOR REVIEW , ^ DA
REGIONAL OFFICE APPROVAL D^TE X INTRODUCTION The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is located in Box Elder County, 15 miles west of Brigham City, in northwestern Utah. It was established by a special act of Congress on April 23, 1928. At the time, many individuals and organizations were concerned about the loss of marsh habitat and waterfowl mortality. In 1843, explorer John C. Fremont described the multitudes of waterfowl at the Bear River delta. As settlement of the Salt Lake valley progressed, market hunting of waterfowl flourished. From 1877 to about the turn of the century, 2 00,000 ducks were harvested each year and sold to eastern hotels and restaurants. During the same period, residents were concerned with the devastating losses to avian botulism. In the 1900's, 50 to 70 percent of the waterfowl stopping to rest and feed died of the disease. Millions of dead birds lied scattered in the marshes - a gruesome spectacle. About the same time, large quantities of river water were diverted for farming, and the delta marshes began to dry. By 1920, about 2 to 3 thousand acres of marsh remained of the original 45,000.
The Bear River Refuge comprises 65,000 acres of marsh, open water, and mud flats, which are managed for use by migratory birds. Five 5,000 acre shallow water impoundments, with an extensive system of dikes and water control structures, were developed to keep the precious supply of water from the Bear River from flowing into the Great Salt Lake.
During most of the refuge's existence, scientific investigations were conducted on botulism. Important discoveries were made in controlling the disease, but the riddle has not been completely solved.
The refuge hosts over 200 species of birds and millions of individual birds as they stop to rest and feed on their seasonal pilgrimages. Sixty species of birds nest and raise their young at the refuge. About 10,000 young are produced each year by gadwall, cinnamon teal, and redheads, the principal nesting species. In past years, the refuge was part of a major redhead nesting area along the shores of the Great Salt Lake; considered to be one of the finest redhead production areas in the nation.
In addition to duckling production, Canada geese are fledged annually, as well as thousands of various species of shorebirds, marshbirds and songbirds. During the fall migration up to 500,000 ducks and geese concentrate on the refuge impoundments. Large rafts of Wilson's phalaropes, American avocets, black-necked stilts, and other shorebirds are
i observed during staging prior to the flight south. Prior to the flood, the refuge was a popular tourist attraction and educational center. The visitor center and tour route recorded 30, 000 visitors yearly. Unfortunately, in 1983, the refuge was reduced to ruins by flooding of the Great Salt Lake. One hundred year storm events occurred in 2 consecutive years, with higher elevations receiving as much as 70 feet of snow. Runoff inundated the refuge marshes with salt water, destroying existing vegetation and all facilities. Fortunately, the waters receded much more quickly than anticipated. By early 1989, the lake elevation had returned to 4206.45 and the decision was made to restaff the refuge. A manager was brought on board in August of 1989 to begin the planning process for restoration and possible expansion of the "New and Improved" Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Through the generous efforts of dedicated volunteers the old auto tour route and some water control structures were partially restored, allowing public access to the refuge and enabling the flushing of the impoundments with fresh river water. As of 1991, the refuge staff had grown to seven full-time employees, who together with volunteers, are undertaking the momentous task of rebuilding the refuge. Mother nature will play the leading role. Alkali bulrush began to sprout in the delta during the spring of 1990 and has continued to flourish. Insect populations have returned with vigor and many thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds have returned to use the refuge for feeding and staging during spring and fall migrations. Breeding and nesting habitat is still limited for most species, but in time is expected to increase.
ii INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE A. HIGHLIGHTS.... 1
B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS . 2
C. LAND ACQUISITION
1. Fee Title - Nothing to Report 2. Easement - Nothing to Report 3. Other..... D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan ...... 2. Management Plan ..... 3. Public Participation .... 4. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource Mandates ..... 5. Research and Investigations 6. Other ...... E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel...... 2. Youth Programs - Nothing to Report 3. Other Manpower Programs -Nothing to Report 4. Volunteer Programs 12 5. Funding 15 6. Safety 15 7. Technical Assistance 16 8. Other Items 16
F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT
1. General ...... 17 2. Wetlands ...... 17 3. Forests - Nothing to Report 4. Croplands - Nothing to Report 5. Grasslands - Nothing to Report 6. Other Habitat - Nothing to Report 7. Grazing - Nothing to Report 8. Haying - Nothing to Report 9. Fire Management - Nothing to Report 10. Pest Management ...... 19 11. Water Rights ...... 20 12. Wilderness and Special Areas - Nothing to Report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring - Nothing to Report
iii G. WILDLIFE
1. Wildlife Diversity ..... 22 2. Endangered, Threatened, Sensitive Species 23 3. Waterfowl . 25 4. Marsh and Waterbirds 33 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns, and Allied Species 34 6. Raptors 35 7. Other Migratory Birds 35 8. Mammals 36 9. Marine Mammals - Nothing to Report 10. Other Resident Wildlife 37 11. Fisheries Resources . 38 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking - Nothing to Report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal - Nothing to Report 14. Scientific Collections - Nothing to Report 15. Animal Control - Nothing to Report 16. Marking and Banding...... 39 17. Disease Prevention and Control .... 40
H. PUBLIC USE 1. General ...... 41 2. Outdoor Classrooms -Students - Nothing to Report 3. Outdoor Classrooms -Teachers - Nothing to Report 4. Interpretive Foot Trails - Nothing to Report 5. Interpretive Tour Routes - Nothing to Report 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations ... 42 7. Other Interpretive Programs . . . . . 43 8. Hunting ...... 43 9. Fishing ...... 44 10. Trapping - Nothing to Report 11. Wildlife Observation ...... 44 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation - Nothing to Report 13. Camping - Nothing to Report 14. Picnicking - Nothing to Report 15. Off-Road Vehicling - Nothing to Report 16. Other non-wildlife Oriented Recreation - Nothing to Report 17. Law Enforcement ...... 44 18. Cooperating Associations - Nothing to Report 19. Concessions - Nothing to Report
IV I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction ...... 45 2. Rehabilitation...... 47 3. Major Maintenance - Nothing to Report 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement ... 49 5. Communications Systems ...... 51 6. Computer Systems ...... 51 7. Energy Conservation - Nothing to Report 8. Other - Nothing to Report
J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs ...... 51 2. Other Economic Uses - Nothing to Report 3. Items of Interest ...... 51 4. Credits ...... 53
K. FEEDBACK - Nothing to Report L. INFORMATION PACKET
v A. HIGHLIGHTS 1. Fourth year in a row of below normal moisture. (Section B) 2. Refuge environmental assessment for restoration, enhancement and expansion approved. (Section D.4) 3. Refuge and Bureau of Reclamation working together on design of new refuge facilities and other beneficial projects. (Section D.6) 4. Site evaluation for new headquarters site completed and concept plan developed by Merrick Engineers and Architects. (Section D.6) 5. Refuge staff increases to seven as three full-time employees report on board. (Section E.l) 6. Refuge volunteers contributed 4,177 hours to the refuge and receive both national and local "service" awards, (Section E.4) 7. Directors Grant allows refuge to construct pavilion and comfort station at old headquarters site. (Section 1.1) 8. Unit 3 cross-dike basically completed through efforts of Keith Henstock of Seedskadee NWR. (Section 1.2) 9. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count was reinstated on the refuge. (Section G.l) 10. Waterfowl use was down 18% from the previous year. (Section G. 3)
11. Marsh and Waterbird use increased significantly in 1991. (Section G. 4) 12. Botulism outbreak mild, only 1,500 birds lost on refuge. Section G.17)
13. Refuge staffed booths at both the county and state fairs (Section H.6)
14. Waterfowl hunting only public use activity to show increased use, other uses decreased. (Section H)
1 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1991 Weather Data at Brigham City 40 yr Avg. Prec. High Low Month Hdcrrtrs Brio. Citv Prec. Snowfall Temo Temp Jan. 1.11 1.99 .72 7.00 39 -9 Feb. .98 1.59 1.19 .05 57 3 Mar. .97 1.93 2. 10 00 64 21 Apr. 1.42 2.34 1.64 2.51 75 26 May 1.28 1.95 3.85 00 79 31 June 1. 28 1.90 1. 09 00 88 38 July .33 .34 . 16 00 98 45 Aug. .58 .71 .48 00 96 46 Sep. .94 1.14 1.63 00 92 33 Oct. 1.17 1.49 2.39 1.00 80 24 Nov. 1.08 2.03 1.77 .02 60 10 Dec. 1. 03 1.95 .66 4. 00 43 8 TOTALS 12. 17 19.36 17.68 14. 58 Refuge average is from the refuge headquarters weather station which was closed in 1983. The Brigham City average and current weather data is taken from the northwest portion of town. As can be seen, the average at the old refuge headquarters is about one- third less than in town.
Temperatures for the year were just slightly cooler than normal. The only below zero readings were the first ten days of the year, a carry-over from the extremely cold December of last year. It was a rather cool summer with few days in the high 90's and a pleasant early winter period. The last freeze of the year occurred on May 5th and the first freeze of the fall occurred on October 5th, giving us 153 frost free days, just about normal for Brigham City.
Precipitation for the year was 8 percent below normal, but only March, May, September and October received above average moisture. The wettest spell was the latter part of March with 14 days of measurable moisture, April with 17 days, and May with 21 days.
Snowfall was extremely light, only about 25 percent of normal. There was little snow on the ground throughout the year, and snow during the early winter period was almost nonexistent. It was interesting that all moisture in March was in the form of rain and a good portion of the December precipitation was also rain. The last snowfall of spring occurred on April 28th and the first snow of the winter was recorded on October 27th.
Winds were near normal this past year. The previous two years we experienced well above normal wind movement.
2 C. LAND ACQUISITION 3. Other As part of the refuge expansion proposal, continuing contacts were made with the appropriate landowners. There are many landowners who currently are willing to sell, but we are not in a financial position to begin buying until next fiscal year at the earliest. Some of the land owners are beginning to get a bit impatient, while others are rather elderly and won't be around much longer. We are working closely with the Box Elder County Farm Bureau to keep the landowners informed of our intent and status. A jointly signed letter was sent out in May and a meeting held with land owners to discuss land purchase objectives. A second meeting was held on June 27th, attended by 48 land owners to discuss easements and expansion. At this meeting Paul Hartman and Harvey Wittmier from the Regional Office were present. We are working with local officials to continue making contacts with the Congressional delegation to get funding for land acquisition.
D. PLANNING
1. Master Plan
With the final approval of the Environmental Assessment, work was begun to complete a Master Plan for the expanded refuge following the Region II format. This document is coming along, but was held up at year's end awaiting some construction design information.
2. Management Plans
Management plans written prior to the flood are outdated and do not apply to the current refuge situation. Many of these have been reviewed and some work to revise or update them was started.
While water regulation at the river with the radial gates is still rather difficult, a water plan for the year was written. 3. Public Participation
A public meeting was held at the Box Elder High School on June 5th to discuss and receive input on the draft Environmental Assessment to expand the refuge. There were 140 people in attendance and only two people or groups spoke out against the preferred alternative of refuge expansion and these were rather mild statements. Harvey Wittmier, Bob Nagle and Bob Karges were there from the Regional Office. The meeting was chaired by Manager Trout.
3 Manager Trout tells the world that the refuge is officially back in operation.
4. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource Mandates
Following the June 5th public meeting and the 3 0 day comment period on the draft environmental assessment, the final EA was completed and submitted for approval. Approximately 20 written comments were received. The public meeting and comments received required no major revisions. The EA was signed by the Regional Director on September 16th, resulting in the approval to proceed with the restoration and expansion of the refuge. Final printed copies of the EA were received and distributed in November, placing the first phase of the restoration and expansion behind us.
A second EA was completed to cover construction of a dike in the northeast corner of Unit 1. The Bear River Club came to the refuge and proposed that they be allowed to fund and construct a mile and a half long dike to impound the spill water from the State Public Shooting Grounds. Over the years, this water has channelized and instead of spreading out to create marsh habitat, it simply runs on into Unit 1. This dike would tie into the Bear River Club west dike on our boundary between the refuge and Club and angle northwesterly to some small islands just inside our north boundary. The Club estimated the dike and needed water control structures would cost around $50,000. Once the paperwork and design of the dike is approved by the Service, the Club would handle the actual construction phase thereby relieving the Service of having to bid
4 Keith Hansen mails out final copies of the approved refuge environmental assessment. the job and handle the details associated with construction. An EA was written, permits applied for and approval given to proceed. We now have the approved EA and 404 permit, but it was too late in the year for the Club to get started, hopefully next spring this work will commence to restore about 500 acres of marsh habitat at little cost to the government.
5. Research and Investigations
Sarah A. Barnum, a Coop Student, working on her Masters Degree at Utah State University spent her second summer on the refuge. Her thesis, entitled "The influence of Scale on Nest Site Selection in the Redhead and American Coot" is investigating the effects of scale on the process of habitat selection.
Sarah and refuge personnel also collected data for a study by Dr. John Kadlec of Utah State University. The study entitled "Marsh Restoration by Natural and Induced Processes" has as its objectives the following:
a. Test predictions of the location and species composition of natural pioneering vegetation.
b. Evaluate the impact of processes such as seeding in speeding up and/or controlling the direction of marsh restoration.
5 c. Document the response of invertebrates and/or vertebrates, especially birds, to the marsh restoration process. The line transacts were much easier to run this year due to the water levels in the Units and there was much more vegetation to sample. The field work of this study was completed and Sarah is now working on the data. While not directly involved with her study Sarah was involved with helping out on refuge tasks. If time permits, refuge personnel will continue to run at least some of the vegetation transacts in the coming years to track refuge revegetation. Susanne Fellows, also a graduate student at Utah State University, was on the refuge weekly throughout the summer. Susanne is working for the State Department of Natural Resources doing a study on shorebirds use and distribution in the Greater Salt Lake ecosystem. We are indebted to Susanne for a good part of our shorebird use figures on the refuge during the summer.
6. Other Refuge Biologist, Hansen was assigned to work on the national "Refuges 2003" document. After a week-long trip to Washington, D.C. to receive training and instructions, a rough draft on the economic effects of the alternatives was written and submitted in mid-December. If you think it's tough to write an environmental assessment or EA for a refuge, you should have the opportunity to try and cover nine alternatives for the refuge system in six pages or less for a document that will receive national attention!
Personnel from the Bureau of Reclamation's Provo, Utah office approached us last year with a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau and the Service and offered assistance with the redesign of the refuge. Since their traditional type projects are being phased out, they had personnel with water development knowledge available to assist. Several meeting were held last year to get the feel of things and convert their engineers and designers over to our way of thinking. They also completed an economic and demographic study regarding potential visitor use which was used in the refuge EA.
Cooperation between the agencies was even closer this year with many meetings involving a great number of different areas. The Bureau has gone out of their way to provide us with help and funding. They have taken over the design of the expanded refuge water development and at year's end are working on a "final" design. When completed this design will be ready to submit for bidding on the various components involved. Several on site tours and discussions were necessary to iron out the details of locations for water control structures, delivery canals, drains, by pass canals, etc. and to convince them we only needed 3-4 foot dikes,
6 Coop student, Sarah Barnum, measures aquatic vegetation and water quality and depth.
Graduate student, Susanne Fellows, and volunteer Norm Layton, adjust stop-logs on unit 1A. Susanne was instrumental in providing shorebird use data.
7 not 20 foot dams. The last draft we saw of the design looked excellent and we should have the final early in 1992. When approved by our engineers, the Bureau has indicated they may spend some of their construction dollars to begin a portion of the redevelopment. That sounds good from our standpoint. The Bureau is also in the process of producing a 18 minute video of the refuge and the plans for redevelopment. Several days were spent shooting footage on the refuge, historical photos were provided and interviews with the manager and volunteers filmed. This video will trace the history of the refuge, covering the period prior to the flood, flood damage, redevelopment plans and where the refuge would like to be when development is complete. A screening of the first edition was viewed in late fall and some suggestion for changes and additional shots were made. This video should also be available early in 1992. We are looking forward to this as a "sales" document for presentations to local groups, congressional staffs or anyone else we can get to.
The Bureau applied for and received $500,000 of drought relief funds to be used at Bear River MBR. Some of this money is being spent on efforts to secure water (see Water Rights section), to purchase heavy equipment (see Equipment Use and Utilization), for videography flights using a video camera system to record vegetation and water levels, and many smaller items such as self recording water gauges, etc. We are hopeful that the video flights, taken at different water levels, will allow us to complete contour maps of the impoundments. We are told technology is available through this system to achieve this goal with contour intervals in inches rather than two foot intervals which we currently have.
We have an excellent relationship with the Bureau through their Provo Office and are extremely pleased with the enthusiasm they have in the refuge development and their approach to getting things done. Where we think in hundreds of dollars, they think in thousands and seem to be able to produce.
Merrick Engineers and Architects from Denver, Colorado have a contract to do a site evaluation for the new headquarters site and produce a concept plan booklet for the interpretive center. The site evaluation has been completed and five sites were recommended and prioritized from the requirements we provided. All of the sites are within 1 1/2 miles of the Interstate Highway. The preferred site is just east of Reeders Overflow Canal on the south side of Forest Street. This site is on agricultural land above the flood plain and overlooks the overflow canal and a beautiful marsh within a stones throw. The concept plan booklet has gone through several revisions, but appears to be finalized at year's end.
8 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel The refuge staff continues to grow with the addition of three full- time personnel during the year; but Cherry Fisher, Administrative Assistant resigned on December 13th and that position is still vacant at the year's end. In addition we had two Cooperative Education Students and one Green Thumb employee working part of the year.
Vickie Roy, Wildlife Biologist came on board June 20th after completing her Master's Degree under the Coop Education program at the University of Montana. She had previous experience at Devil's Lake WMD and the National Bison Range. Vickie has been a great asset on the biological programs of the refuge.
Rich Iwanski, Heavy Equipment Operator, reported on board July 1st. Rich and family came to us from Crescent Lake NWR. He has spend a good part of his time working on getting the shop set up, buying tools and equipment as well as constructing work benches. He even got out on the refuge to grade roads and operate an excavator to help with construction of the Unit III cross dike. Rich with his experience will be a great asset to the refuge. Mark Lanier came on board December 1st as a Biological Technician from the National Elk Refuge. Mark has had experience on several other stations in the region. He has been handling the clerical work while we recruit a new Administrative Assistant, and is doing a great job. He is looking forward to another body to take over these functions allowing him to get on with other job responsibilities.
Cherry Fisher, Administrative Assistant resigned after putting almost two years in at the position. Cherry did an excellent job for the refuge. She felt she needed to get on with her personnel life and wanted to spend time with her family. She rented out her home here in Brigham City and moved into an apartment in North Ogden.
Keith Henstock, assigned to Seedskadee NWR, spent most of the spring through fall period working on the Unit III cross-dike with the excavator and dozer. This work was greatly appreciated and with the help of Rich and a rental excavator, he finished building this dike before he had to quit in the fall to return to his duties at Seedskadee.
Francis Thompson worked as a clerical assistant for about six months under the Green Thumb program. Initially Francis worked 18 hours a week and finally was allowed 20 hours. She did typing and filing.
9 A portion of the refuge staff (left to right): Keith Hansen, A1 Trout, Sarah Barnum, Cherry Fisher, Claire Caldes, and volunteers Jesse Roberts and Bob Ebeling.
Two Cooperative Education students worked through the summer months. Sarah Barnum began her second summer on April 8th and completed her work on September 27th. Robert Jess, an undergraduate, began work on June 10th and worked through October 4th. Both of these students are from Utah State University.
Refuge Personnel
Alan K. Trout, GS-12, PFT (EOD 8/27/89) Refuge Manager Claire Caldes, GS-11, PFT (EOD 8/12/90) Asst. Manager Cherry Fisher, GS-4, PFT (EOD 1/28/90-Term 12/13/91) Refuge Asst. Keith S. Hansen, GS-12, PFT (EOD 1/16/90) Biologist Vickie Roy, GS-7, PFT (EOD 6/20/91) Biologist Mark K. Lanier, GS-7, PFT (EOD 12/1/91) Biol. Tech Rich Iwanski, WG-10, PFT (EOD 7/1/91) Heavy Equip. Oper. Francis Thompson, Temp., (EOD 5/6/91-Term 11/1/91) . Green Thumb Sarah A. Barnum, GS-5, PFT (EOD 4/8/91-Term 9/27/91) Coop Student Robert Jess, GS-4, PFT (EOD 6/10/91-Term 10/4/91). . Coop Student
10 The five year staffing pattern is shown in the table below. Refuge Personnel Year PTE Green Thumb Volunteer 1991 5.80 1 10 1990 4.33 36 1989 1.00 2 1988 0 1987 1.00
Refuge personnel: Rich Iwanski (top), Mark Lanier (left), Vickie Roy (center), and volunteer Norm Layton (right).
11 A1 reached a another milestone in his career as he completed 20 years of government service on March 16th. The event was duly noted by the presentation of his pin in April by Associate Manager, Zone 1, Barney Schranck.
"Old Man Al" receives his 20 year pin from Associate Manager Barney Schranck. Several members of the refuge staff received achievement awards for their work this past year. Those receiving awards were Claire, Cherry and Keith. Rich also was presented an achievement award for his work at Crescent Lake NWR while employed there.
4. Volunteer Program As the refuge staff increased and federal funds became available, our volunteer effort diminished. Work projects they could assist with also declined in number as many of the things they had been doing were put out on contract or completed by refuge personnel.
Volunteers did make a significant contribution to the refuge, particularly in the first half of the year before the refuge staff size was increased. Bob Ebeling again provided the guidance and scheduling of the volunteer corps. Ten volunteers, three women and seven males, contributed 4,177 hours of work on the refuge.
12 The volunteers were presented several awards during the year. In February, Bob Ebeling was given the Conservation Achievement Award from the Utah Chapter of the Wildlife Society for his work on the refuge. Bob was then honored by the Department when at a ceremony in Washington D. C. in May, he was presented the Interior Department Conservation Service Award by Interior Secretary Manual Lujan, Jr. Refuge Volunteers Bob Balmer, Quinn Eskelsen, Norm Layton, Jesse Roberts, Tom Walker, and Gene Winn were presented Accomplishment Awards from the Utah Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Two television news spots were aired during the year involving the volunteers. Channel 2 from Salt Lake City interviewed and showed the volunteers at work on a news clip aired June 17th. Bob Ebeling was interviewed and a short news clip aired regarding his Conservation Service Award. The volunteers are well deserving of the recognition they received, but this recognition is little pay for the time and effort they have expended in the refuges' behalf. A barbecue with steaks was held on July 9th for the volunteers, hosted by the refuge staff. This fun filled evening was held in Box Elder Canyon with Bob Nagel from the regional office in attendance. Special t-shirts were given to all volunteers and gag type gifts representing some phase of the their work were presented to refuge volunteers Jesse Roberts, Quinn Eskelson, Norm Layton, Gene Winn, Bob Balmer and Tom Walker.
A few of the volunteers and their families at the picnic.
13 Several of the refuge volunteers were checked out and certified to operate the backhoe and dozer so that they could assist in refuge rehab jobs.
Some of the items which the volunteers assisted with or completed on their own are listed below: 1. Screened surplus property at Tooele Army Depot, Hill Air Base and Ogden Defense Depot. 2. Assisted in obtaining prices for ATV's, shop tools, and repair parts for equipment. 3. Assisted with repairs to the excavator, air boats, dozer, grader and automotive vehicles. 4. Kept heavy equipment fueled and moved to various locations where needed. 5. Hauled gravel from town to repair low areas on the tour road dike and to stock pile for future use. 6. Regulated water by removing or installing stoplogs and helping with radial gates.
7. Ran the dozer with sheepfoot to compact the newly constructed Unit 3 cross dike. 8. Planted over 600 cottonwood trees obtained from an old parking lot in Brigham City to the old headquarters site and dike locations. 9. Installed water gauges at all water control structures on the D-Line dike. 10. Took vehicles to Ogden to have 2~way radios installed.
11. Made a trip to LaCreek NWR to pick up a surplus 1985 4x4 pickup, to Brown's Park NWR to pick up a borrowed dump truck, several trips to Seedskadee NWR to pick up tools or equipment. 12. Assisted refuge and state in banding geese.
13. Kept tour route and area around fishing piers clear of trash throughout the year.
14. Worked in refuge booth at both the Box Elder County and Utah State Fairs.
15. Maintained a refuge scrapbook of news clippings.
14 16. Sorted and filed refuge slides and photos. 17. Provided monthly vehicle records and made sure oil changes and other minor repairs were made to all vehicles. 18. Built shelves and work benches in the refuge shop and kept the shop swept and cleaned up. 19. Assisted refuge staff in picking up birds killed by botulism. 20. Assisted in moving and setting up module type furniture when we moved our office. 21. Continued to provide a positive image of the refuge in the local area. 5. Funding
Funding was adequate for the projects we had planned and to cover the costs of personnel. The back log of rehabilitation projects gives us more places to put additional funding if and when it comes. A summary of refuge funding for the past five years is listed below.
Refuge Funding
Funds 'Y91 FY90 FY89 FY88 FY87 1261 1,000 166,000 55,000 10,000 40,000 1262 2 ,000 1230 9,000 9120 4,700 18,000 2821 000 5100 7 .ODD 1664 TOTALS
6. Safety
Again we made it through the year with no accidents to report. Claire serves as the station Safety Officer. With the reduced number of volunteers working this year, the potential for accidents was greatly reduced. Several safety meetings were held during the year, discussing such things as safe operations of ATV's and how to pre-check them prior to use, hypothermia, use of heavy equipment and how to complete accident forms, and operation of the refuges radial gates since all actuators are destroyed and operation is by cable and backhoe or excavator. Numerous "tailgate" sessions were also held prior to each project.
15 All refuge employees, as well as several of the volunteers, completed a training course in Defensive Driving in December. Five members of the staff attended the Basic Aviation Safety training during the year. Four Staff members completed ATV Training during the year, all staff members have now had this training. The Case 1150 dozer which was picked up surplus from Golden Spike National Historical Site had ROP's and seat belts installed. Other safety equipment purchased were fire extinguisher, first aid kits for all vehicles, hearing protection, helmets and eye protection for ATV use, and flight suits, gloves, and helmets for use in aerial surveys or other low level flights. Headache racks were constructed and installed on all refuge pickups.
7. Technical Assistance
Several trips were made throughout the northern portion of the state to assist SCS in making determination of "no significant impact" on projects they were working on with local farmers; or to provide assistance and ideas for wildlife improvements under conservation agreements.
8. Other
With the increased staff size, GSA again rented our old office space to provide working space for new employees. Both spaces are in the same complex and just a few doors apart. Additional phones were purchased and installed in the new office space. New office furniture was also ordered but not received at year's end.
Finally, in March, GSA was able to secure some shop space for us in the old Intermountain Indian School property. This had been dragging on for almost a year. The shop is a welcome addition, giving us much needed space to work in and store equipment. we have approval and GSA has been working for many months to get a chain-link storage area installed adjacent to the shop for equipment storage. At year's end, this has not been accomplished, due to financial problems of the City Bank of New York, owners of the property who have not given title to the shop area to Wheatley Woodworking who purchased it. GSA will not act until this matter is cleared up. Hopefully, we will have a fenced wareyard by early spring for storage of airboats, pumps, etc.
An administrative and operational inspection was held in August. We came through the operational inspection in fine shape, but some "problems" were detected during the administrative portion. Changes have been made in some procedures to correct those identified problems.
16 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General Habitat management was primarily water manipulation. Because of the damaged radial gates on the river control points much of the control was simply regulating impoundment depths by stoplog changes at the D-Line structures. During periods of high river flows this was a full time job, much of which was accomplished by the volunteers. While we would have liked to manage water levels to provide optimum habitat for revegetation of the refuge, this was not generally possible and we were forced to take what mother nature would give us.
Claire smiles cheerfully as she undertakes the back- breaking task of pulling boards. After a day of pulling logs, the smile goes away!
2. Wetlands
This is the fourth year in a row that run-off from the Bear River watershed has been well below normal. As a result, elevation of the Great Salt Lake has receded and currently has no effect on the refuge. We began the year with the lake at 4202.40 feet mean sea level, reached a height of 4203.00 in late May and June, and closed the year with an elevation of 4201.60. A low point of 4201.40 was reached in late October.
17 The measly spring run-off occurred early and by the end of March the river flows were dropping. Usually, we have an early peak in late April-May and then a second peak in mid to late June as the higher snow pack melts. This years peak in March was very unusual. The river did hold fairly well into May and then stayed low until September 10th when Utah Power and Light Company began releases to pull Cutler Reservoir down for bank stabilization. They began with 1,600 cfs on the 10th and increased this three days later to 2,300 cfs, with all releases halted on the 25th. For about two weeks following this the river was extremely low as Cutler refilled, then river flows were good throughout the rest of the year.
Refuge impoundments were frozen until the first of March when boards were pulled on Units 4 and 5 to help break up the ice. Within a few days these units were ice free. All units were again frozen over by November 29th.
Water in the units was generally better than last year. Unit 3 was held dry throughout the year as work progressed on the east-west cross dike. With the ice breakup and good river flows, all units with water were flushed during early March. Water levels in the units were in excellent shape through July when levels began to recede rather rapidly. Through August and early September, water quality was poor in all of the units. Unit 1 went completely dry. Water releases by the Utah Power and Light company in September allowed all units to be flushed and refilled with fresh water. Units were in good shape through the remainder of the year. We were able to spill water through the D-Line most of the year, except during late July-early September. These flows created some good habitat below the D-Line and some vegetative growth was noted late in the year.
With the run-off so early and predictions of a low water year we held all units to the maximum water levels in early spring to assure some water later in the year. It is felt that these high water levels were detrimental to vegetative growth in the units.
The river delta area in the upper end of Unit 2 had some excellent emergent vegetative growth through the mid to late summer. Alkali bulrush grew lushly in this area and there were also some good stands of hardstem bulrush. Unit 1A also showed good emergent vegetation in late summer of both alkali and hardstem bulrush. Horned and sago pondweed was abundant in all water units and by late summer was windrowed along the shorelines. The northern end of Unit 2 and the western end of Unit 1 experienced an algae bloom again this year. This bloom began in July, but was not near the magnitude of last year's bloom. It will be interesting to see if this occurs in 1992, as the Bear River Club to the north of us experienced this same phenomena for two years after the flood water receded and it has not occurred since on their area.
18 Excellent emergent growth occurred in the upper end of Unit 2. Seen here is alkali bulrush.
10. Pest Control
Salt Cedar invasion continued in 1991. Areas of units 1A, 2A, 3A, the river delta in unit 2, and the west lateral and P-line of unit 4 all showed evidence of seedling growth. The Bear River provides a constant seed source from vigorous upstream infestations. Plants can be pulled by hand if found in their first or second year of growth. Larger plants require use of a backhoe. Unfortunately the wet location of some of the larger seed producing plants makes mechanical removal difficult. Salt cedar can be expected to increase rapidly on the refuge and an aggressive control program must be an ongoing priority.
Although no insect pest control activities were carried out on the refuge, we did become embroiled in a mosquito controversy when the supervisor of the Box Elder Mosquito and Fly Abatement District met with the County Commissioners. He expressed concern that the expanded refuge proposal would prohibit mosquito spraying and as a result mosquitos would likely overrun Brigham City. With this as the lead story in the Box Elder County paper, some fence mending was needed. After a meeting with the Commissioners to explain that some control might be possible and a couple of meetings with the Abatement District to explore options, the uproar died down and everyone seemed relatively happy. No mention of this potential problem was made at the public hearing on the expansion proposal.
19 11. Water Rights The refuge has remained an active participant in the Bear River Task Force. This group appointed by the Governor to make recommendations on use of the lower Bear River water met almost every month. The initial push and apparent need for this water has subsided as cost figures for users were totaled and environmental concerns more clearly defined. Early in the year, the proposal was to construct two dams for storage of spring flows, but this has been pushed to the back burner for the time being. This proposal proved too expensive and "all of a sudden" the Salt Lake Water Conservancy District found other water sources which will meet Utah's needs until the year 2025. Box Elder County has the greatest water need at the present time. The current proposal is to raise Hyrum Dam, a Bureau of Reclamation project, and transport the water to Willard Bay just south of the refuge. Since the Bear River Task Force proposal affects more than just the refuge, Fish and Wildlife Enhancement (FWE) in Salt Lake City was the Service's contact for this committee. As a result, a meeting was held in November at their offices with refuge personnel and regional office personnel present. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a coordinated reply to the Task Force so that the needs of the refuge could be met and the environmental concerns of FWE were addressed. While the refuge would like to have some upstream storage for late summer water, FWE has some major concerns over all proposed sites. As a result of this meeting, a draft reply was laid out, which while not pleasing everyone completely, will give the Service something we can live with. Two refuge tours were given with direct application to water rights. On June 20th, fifteen members of the Utah State Water Board were given a tour of the refuge by Trout and Hansen. On September 9th the Bear River Task Force group was given a tour of the refuge. This group consisted of five vans full of people with all the refuge staff involved. Both of these tours were designed to show the groups our current water problems, discuss refuge enhancement and expansion proposal, demonstrate on the ground why the refuge needs a dependable year round water supply, and the need for additional water rights. Both of these tours went extremely well and we feel will benefit the refuge in the future as items concerning water in the state and the lower Bear River are discussed.
20 Members of the Farm Bureau looking over some of the plans for refuge development.
The Bureau of Reclamation is also assisting us in an effort to achieve additional water or water rights under their drought relief funds. They have assigned one of their employees, Jonathon Jones to look at the options that are available to us. Jonathon has made contacts with local irrigation districts to check on surplus water and times when their water is surplus with an eye toward leasing some of this water. He is checking records, investigating intra- district transfers of water, and exploring once again the proposal to get water out of Willard Bay. We are hopeful something positive will result from his efforts. A couple of areas have shown promise and some further work is being done to determine if there is a possibility of getting late summer water from some source other than the Bear River. Bio West, a private consulting firm out of Logan has been retained by both Utah Power and Light Company and the State of Utah to assess environmental effects of proposed projects. Utah and Power and Light must relicense their operation at Cutler Dam and the State is interested in putting in some dams on the Bear River. A meeting was held at the refuge office in June with Bio West, Ecological Services from Salt Lake City, State Fish and Game, Corps of Engineers and refuge personnel to discuss possible mitigation needs for these projects, where this mitigation might take place, and who should run the areas when established.
21 In October, the Premium Club was contacted by refuge personnel, the Bear River "Water Master", and personnel from State Water Resources regarding pumping from the Bear River to supply water for a hunting area. The Club understood that under their lease from Knudson they had a water right and could pump. They were informed that no pumping may be done under Knudson's right unless the river flows are 1,000 cfs or above. Seldom is the river above 1,000 cfs, except during the spring flood stage, so most of the clubs with leases from Knudson cannot get water out of the river when they need it. This was the only illegal pumping from the river we are aware of this year. Terry Gnehm, the "Water Master", has done an excellent job the past couple of years keeping tabs on river water use,
G. WILDLIFE
1. WILDLIFE DIVERSITY Sixty-nine species including geese, swans, ducks, waterbirds, shorebirds, gulls, terns, raptors, and passerines were regularly censused on the refuge during 1991. An additional 9 occasional and 9 rare species (harlequin duck, old squaw, sharp-tailed grouse, rosey finch, whimbrel, stilt sandpiper, golden plover, solitary sandpiper, semipalmated plover) were observed. Nine species that were historically abundant or common prior to the flood were not observed in 1991 (red-breasted merganser, least sandpiper, yellow warbler, American goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, kingbird spp., lark sparrow, savannah sparrow, song sparrow). Grassland habitat for many of these passerines was in an early successional stage or non existent. Seven historically abundant species (ring-necked pheasant, waterpipit, Baird's sandpiper, spotted sandpiper, western sandpiper, yellowlegs spp., long-billed curlew) were observed infrequently or at low numbers. Shallow-flooded mudflats and aquatic invertebrates provided abundant shorebird habitat throughout the season. The low numbers of these species is noteworthy.
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count was officially reinstated in 1991 (die-hard birders from local Audubon clubs conducted the count while the refuge was unstaffed). Twelve observers sighted 44 species and 8777 individuals during 19 hours of observation. Compared to the 10 year average prior to the flood, the 1991 count represents a 22% decrease in number of species and a 68% decrease in number of individuals. However, the variation of this survey can be extreme because the abundance and distribution of birds on the refuge is highly dependent on weather and ice conditions.
22 2. Endangered. Threatened. Sensitive Species Endangered species using the refuge include the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon. Bald eagle numbers peaked at 300 during spring migration. Once open water was available, eagles from surrounding areas concentrated on the refuge to feed on waterfowl and carp. A substantial number of eagles were present for most of February and March. A smaller number (approximately 40) used the refuge during the fall migration. Two peregrine falcons (possibly the same birds hatched at a nearby hack tower) were present on the refuge for all of the summer and fall months. The birds were freguently seen atop perch poles installed by refuge volunteers. At least one bird remained throughout the winter, probably preying on a flock of wintering pintails and green-winged teal. Snowy plovers, long-billed curlews, and white-faced ibis are species of special management concern that used the refuge. Approximately 7-9 snowy plovers were present throughout the nesting season, but no nests were located. Snowy plovers typically lay their cryptic eggs on large expanses of remote mudflats. Intensive survey efforts are needed to monitor this species. Nesting habitat for long-billed curlews was virtually destroyed by the flood. Although salicornia began invading many areas that received spring rains, little residual cover was available for nesting. Only 2 sightings of long-billed curlews were recorded in 1991. One of these was of a pre-fledged juvenile.
Approximately 78% of the North American population of white-faced ibis breed in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. No nesting colonies were located on the refuge in 1991, but the birds used the refuge extensively for feeding, particularly in late summer when outlying areas became dry. White-faced ibis were present on the refuge from approximately April 17 to August 30 (fig. 1). Numbers peaked in mid-May and mid-August. Historical data showed only one peak in mid-July, during breeding season. Breeding habitat was poor on the refuge in 1991, and the disappearance of white-faced ibis during the peak breeding season may indicate that the birds moved off the refuge to nest. The birds appeared to stage during the last week of August, reaching a peak number of 6160, before an abrupt departure. Prior to the flood, birds were present into mid-October and peaked at an average of 5000.
23 CO 6000
5000
4000 • 3000 1 1 2000 1 all 1 - 1000 •••" nnvnin 0 mm* lumiiiii A I-I—I i i—i i i i i i i i coror^cooinr^hw «D cd r^- CM CMOCDOOLnCDCnOCOCDOr^M-T-CDCDlDCMCDrslCn ^ o. r- oj ro: " CM > CM-Ot—1— i—COT-T—CMCMCJT— T—Qr— CMLLJT-T— << q. a. q. 5 33 7^ >^<<< Fig. 1: Number of white^faced ibis observed during weekly ground and aerial (*) surveys at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah 1991 + . Flocks of white-faced ibis are a common sight on the refuge 24 3. Waterfowl Ground surveys of waterfowl populations were conducted approximately weekly. Aerial surveys were taken monthly during spring and fall migrations. Overall waterfowl use (includes ducks, geese, swans) was down 18%, 6,401,433 use-days as compared to 7,729,490. Water conditions were generally better in 1991 than in 1990. Water levels dropped considerably by late August, but none of the units went completely dry. Sago and horned pondweeds were prolific especially in unit 4, and aquatic invertebrates were abundant. A. Ducks Duck use in 1991 remained well below pre-flood levels (fig. 2). While emergent and submergent vegetation increased significantly, lack of summer water and generally dry conditions greatly slowed habitat recovery. DUCK PEAK NUMBER AND USE-DAYS 1978-1991 YEAR PEAK# USE-DAYS 350000 300000 1978 340000 21828960 250000 1979 204000 16890288 1980 295000 19959139 1981 150000 14587537 1982 120000 24034740 1983 117000 12544740 1984 10000 3829650 1985 8360 685470 YEAR 1986 7800 240310 1987 40000 2116776 1988 67000 4742250 25000000 1989 126000 8742420 20000000 1990 86930 7204927 15000000 1991 125382 5288217 10000000 5000000 i i i * YEAR Fig. 2: Duck peak number and use-days, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Box Elder County, Utah 1978-1991. Numbers include all dabbling and diving species. 25 Duck numbers peaked at 24,000 and 125,000 during the spring and fall migrations, respectively (fig. 3). In July large groups of pintails and green-winged teal congregated on the refuge to molt. Unit 4, with its abundance of sago pondweed, was used heavily by molting birds. Duck numbers increased gradually throughout the fall as birds moved into the area to feed on protein-rich invertebrates. On November 23 a large low pressure system moved through resulting in a rapid mass exodus of birds. 140000 120000 100000 80000 40000 20000 0 u r-i—i CD oo CT 0 ir-JocoooLncDa^oroaoor^^r-cDooiocvJCDCsiaoi-nr-r-OJCMOj-J-MifMOrrrrO1—OJUJ IUJUJUJ LUOU (J-'"Z a O Q LU cntoco co oo*) K zz oQ~ DATE Fig. 3; Number of ducks observed during weekly ground and aerial (*) surveys at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah 1991. Duck numbers peaked at 24,00 during the spring migration and 125,000 during the fall migration. Most birds departed when a low pressure weather system moved through on November 23. Dabbling ducks used the refuge during both the spring and fall migrations, and also for molting in late summer (fig. 4). The absence of dabblers during the breeding season was noteworthy and probably indicative of the scarcity of quality nesting habitat. Birds may have nested north of the refuge or on other wetland areas less damaged by the flood. Overall, dabbler use was down 27% from the previous year (table 1). American wigeon and northern shoveler use declined sharply, while green-winged teal and cinnamon/blue-winged teal use increased. 26 120,000 ^ 80000 70000 60000 £ 50000 ^ 40000 < 30000 20000 .1 1 1 0 - El ii i [W|M|H|B|B|Bl[BiB|—|M|Bj—|B|lli II oog>N.cooir)^-it>- cn iv- co CM i ifMOCDOOinCDCOOOOQOON. r— CD OD LO CM CD CM CD ZD T— CM >- ; r-fMfsJZD'—T-r-Or-r-CMCMOj— T—OT-^UJ =; rD ZD V^-^-^ZDZDZDZDUJUJijJuuot-X-J^OOQ UJ LU s->—»-r>^-<<<- SUMMARY OF DUCK USE - 1991 SPECIES PEAK# DATE USE-DAYS CHANGE FROM 90 Mallard 3300 8-Aug 108778 40% Pintail 28269 15-Nov 1334826 -21% Shoveler 21400 13-Sep 993988 -70% Gad wall 7344 20-Jul 272152 -1% Wigeon 530 15-Nov 9477 -97% GWTeal 98242 15-Nov 2307648 42% Cinn/BWTeal 4801 26-Jul 85084 74% Total Dabbler Use 163886 5111953 -27% Redhead 2402 26-Jul 79061 51% Canvasback 15 3-Apr 219 9% Scaup spp. 950 23-Apr 27690 31% Goldeneye 74 12-Dec 5733 58% Bufflehead 117 23-Apr 8134 68% Ruddy duck 15500 27-Sep 913986 96% C. Merganser 650 18-Mar 16500 -94% Total Diver Use 19708 1051323 23% TOTAL DUCK USE 183594 6163276 -15% Table 1; Estimated duck use at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Box Elder County. Utah 1991. 27 Diving ducks were numerous on the refuge only during spring and fall migrations (fig. 5). Redheads, historically the most abundant species during the mid-summer breeding season, were conspicuously absent. Again, this was probably a function of birds utilizing off-refuge wetlands with more emergent vegetation for breeding. Overall diver use increased 23% (table 1). Use by all species was up, except for the common merganser which showed a marked decrease. 20003 18000 1 16000 1 14000 g 12000 1 £ 10000 t 5 8000 1 6000 1 1 4000 1 1 11 2000 1 1 . In • 0 oooofv-rocDLOiv.^,— or>cr> r^CD(NJir) B. Geese Canada goose use decreased 40% from the previous year (fig. 6). Spring rains encouraged the growth of salicornia over large expanses of previously barren mud flats, thereby expanding foraging habitat. Geese may have utilized these area more heavily making them more difficult to observe. Goose numbers peaked in late May and remained relatively stable throughout the summer and fall (fig. 7). Production was comparable to 1990; approximately 195 goslings were hatched. Fewer geese nested on main dikes, possibly an indication of improved nesting habitat on surrounding areas. In July, refuge personnel assisted State biologists in banding 250 geese. 28 CANADA GOOSE PEAK NUMBER AND USE-DAYS 1978-1991 YEAR PEAK# USE-DAYS 1978 5325 917000 1979 5325 688600 1980 6000 709265 1981 3500 660440 1982 4500 681990 1983 3000 405000 1984 700 157800 1985 3500 162428 1986 1000 47672 1987 1095 40470 1988 1840 126830 1000000 900000 1989 3365 72205 800000 1990 3800 312572 OT 700000 1991 1778 186266 ^ 600000 9 500000 u 400000 D 300000 200000 100000 0 YEAR Fig. 6: Estimation of Canada goose peak number and use-days, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Box Elder County. Utah 1978-1991. 180G 1500 | 1400 5 1200 1000 LnoDcnacnaoar^-'*3-»—cDcoincMcocMcn CD ro en i .CMOJDCDJi— T-1— fDr-t— CMCMCJi— T-O'-<"^1x1'— «— r- Q, 1— CM I >->>5;Z3IDZDIDI-I-ILULLJLIJO1-m-,^'OOC1UJLLJ 2^<< < 29 Canada geese were the only species to successfully hatch good numbers of broods in 1991. C. Tundra Swans Tundra swan use is difficult to assess on the refuge. Swans concentrate on inaccessible portions of the north end of unit 1 or on the Bear River Club marshes. Swans moving through in the spring may be present for only a few days and are thus missed in the census (fig. 8). Utah Division of Wildlife personnel flew swan surveys weekly during the fall. Peak numbers were down slightly from 1990, but use-days increased because the birds remained for most of November (fig. 9). Numbers still remain well below pre-flood levels. tjj 2t)00 T | 2000 •• E Q 1500 1000-• DC LU m 500 •• Z 3 1—l—I < > H 1 1 1—I—I 1—I 1 1—I 1 1 1 —I coi—i—i—(• n h- f) in i r- co cm in cm acooointocooroooor--J -<*• CO 00 illin CM CO CM CO I ID i- CM > >- r- CMCslUJi— T—i— OOi— t— CMCMCJr—j—• z OT— OCM QUJ cuT- UJT— < < < CO CO CO OO 3r z Z QQ DATE Fig. 8; Numbers of tundrs swans observed during weekly ground and aerial (?) surveys, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah 1991. Tundra swans, normally present during spring migration, were not surveyed in 1991. 30 TUNDRA SWAN PEAK NUMBER AND USE-DAYS 1978-1991 YEAR PEAK # USE-DAYS 1978 13000 483860 1979 25000 519182 1980 35000 1053805 1981 25000 877262 1982 62000 1200780 1983 50350 1086300 1984 100 100 YEAR 1985 850 850 1986 2000 2000 1987 720 720 1988 1040 1040 1989 1780 1780 1990 3000 3000 1991 2471 51891 YEAR Fig. 9: Estimation of tundra swan peak number and use-days, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Box Elder County. Utah 1978-1991. D. Coots Coots used the refuge during migration in the early spring and late fall (fig. 10). Very little emergent nesting habitat was available and no production was noted. Peak numbers were up from 1990, but still significantly below pre-flood levels (fig. 11). Coots staged on the refuge in early October. Vast rafts of birds were observed in unit 2. 31 -r -jtn 7000 < 6000- O 5000- sQ Z 4000 - u. Q 3000 - QC UJ 2000- CD Z 1000- 3 z -t"H l—F")™!"!^•li— —i— i 1*1*1—I*I^I—A—A 1*1"I—I—I—^—I—I 0--oocor^id co cd tojc r^T—CTicnr-- to cm loA cm iCDOOlDtOOOnOOOr^^T-COOOirJCMCDCMCDA® L ->^r5Z3!DnuJljJLUUJoUjcm^ot—i— i— roi— i— CMf^Oj-: r-:0T-(N,uj'-T-U^OOQUJUJ ^ SSS 5-5^-<<< AMERICAN COOT PEAK « AND USE-DAYS 1978-1991 YEAR PEAK# USE-DAYS 1978 37000 3101350 1979 80000 3753442 1980 80000 6094810 1981 40000 4031900 1982 100000 8387100 1983 107000 7143150 1984 72000 5010300 1985 2500 414219 1986 400 36495 1987 85 9900 1988 5975 398710 10000000 1989 1745 134580 8000000 1990 2000 92700 < 6000000 1991 6095 169135 9 UJ 4000000 2000000 YEAR Fig. 11: Estimation of American coot peak numbers and use-days, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Box Elder County.. Utah 1978-1991. 32 4. Marsh and Waterbirds Eight species of waterbirds were regularly observed on the refuge. Use-days were up 78% for this group. All species showed an increase except black-crowned night herons that may have been missed in the spring surveys (table 2). Double-crested cormorants, the only species to nest on the refuge, formed a colony on an island in unit 4. Alkali and hardstem bulrush were not tall or dense enough to provide habitat for over-water nesting birds. MARSH AND WATER BIRD USE - 1991 SPECIES PEAK# DATE USE-DAYS CHANGE FROM 90 Amer. White Pelican 4283 20-Jul 18048 81% Black-crowned Night Heron 8 12-Jul 164 -78% Double-crested Cormorant 350 20-Jul 27081 92% Eared Grebe 3000 30-Apr 85060 94% Great Blue Heron 116 26-Jul 5461 33% Snowy Egret 208 19-Aug 12144 89% Western Grebe 750 20-Jul 24178 97% White-faced Ibis 6160 19-Aug 303987 83% Total use-days for 8 species = 476123 78% Table 2; Estimated peak numberr and use-days for marsh and waterbirds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County. Utah 1991. Double-crested cormorants nesting in unit 4. 33 5. Shorebirds. Gulls. Terns, and Allied Species This group of 11 species totaled 1,589,647 use-days, a decrease of 71% from last year (table 3). Undoubtedly this decrease was the result of less intensive surveying efforts. American avocet, black-necked stilt, and Wilson's phalarope numbers were down. Estimating the large concentrations of these species that occur in the fall may have resulted in large errors. SHOREBIRD. GULL. TERN. AND ASSOCIATED SPECIES USE-DAYS 1991 SPECIES PEAK# DATE USE-DAYS CHANGE FROM 90 American Avocet 11176 12-Jul 799500 -66% Black-necked Stilt 3766 8-Aug 157733 -80% Black Tem 250 21-May 15000 28% Dowitcher spp. 625 7-May 7448 -64% Forster's tern 798 7-May 13461 77% Killdeer 86 9-Jun 5059 -46% Marbled Godwit 2834 19-Aug 61781 25% Snowy Plover 9 17-May 984 68% Western Sandpiper 4000 30-Aug 40404 -30% Willet 34 17-Apr 1312 -30% Wilson's Phalarope 25000 26-Jul 486965 -73% = Total use-days for 11 species 1589647 -71% Table 3: Estimated peak number and use-days for shorebirds. gulls,terns and associated species at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah 1991. American avocets, Wilson's phalaropes and killdeer nested on dikes, and black-necked stilts in shallow flooded mudflats. Official records were not kept, but fewer young were seen on dikes in 1991. Birds may have nested on less disturbed secondary dikes and islands. Birds probably were not as visible because of the increase in vegetation on the dikes by late summer. The California gull colony on the unit 1A dike continued to thrive. Nesting was restricted to approximately 0.25 miles on a remote area denuded of vegetation. Other species observed on the refuge but not surveyed consistently included semipalmated and black-bellied plovers, Baird's, least, and spotted sandpipers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and long- billed curlews. 34 Marbled godwits stocking up on a high-protein invertebrate meal before the long trip south. 6.Raptors As previously noted, bald eagles and peregrine falcons were frequently observed in 1991. Northern harriers were also frequently seen along dikes hunting for microtus. Golden eagles and American Kestrels were observed several times and one sighting of a prairie falcon and a short-eared owl were recorded. Turkey vultures appeared in August, just in time to make use of the abundant food supply provided by botulism die-offs. Approximately 10 vultures remained in the area for all of August and September. No vultures were known to have succumbed to botulism. 7.Other Migratory Birds Snow buntings, horned larks, meadow larks, red-winged and yellow- headed blackbirds, and common ravens were regularly observed. Tree, barn, and cliff swallows constructed nests under the old headquarters water control structures and fed on an abundant supply of midges. 8.Mammals Muskrats began to make a comeback in the fall of 1991. Newly constructed houses were observed in units 2 and 1A. Mule deer were seen occasionally along D-line and tracks were often abundant around the boneyard on the north portion of unit 1. Skunks, once abundant on the refuge, were observed infrequently. However, red fox were seen regularly on all parts of the refuge during all seasons. Fox appeared to den on upland islands on the northern portion of unit 1, moving on and off the refuge to feed. Fox also made frequent use of dikes as travel ways, and foraging and bedding sites. Red fox "high-tailing it" down D-line were a common sight. 36 10,Other Resident Wildlife Invertebrates provide a critical food source to migrating birds using the refuge. Midge populations flourished with large emergences of adults occurring throughout the spring and summer months. The large emergences of brine flies observed in 1990 occurred in much smaller numbers in 1991. In late summer large numbers of moth caterpillars appeared on the sweetclover along the dikes. Leaves were quickly stripped from long sections of dikes before the caterpillars spun cocoons and later emerged as adult. Spiders were also abundant by late summer. Vegetation, gates, signs, and refuge vehicles were quickly entombed with webs. Slii; *- ^ ^l i|| j Bear River Migratory Midge Refuge! 37 11.Fisheries Resources Carp continued to prosper in all units of the refuge. Visitors frequently marveled at the large size and vast numbers of carp spawning near water control structures. Pelicans, cormorants, terns, herons, and grebes fed on the smaller carp, but the larger fish probably prevented aquatic vegetation from becoming established in many portions of the units. Fishing for channel catfish along the river and at the old headquarters sight was popular, but litter, vandalism, and fires continued to be a nuisance. There's nothing like the pristine sight of a carp fighting the rapids of return irrigation flows! 38 16.Marking and Banding Refuge personnel and volunteers assisted Utah Division of Wildlife Resources personnel in banding 250 Canada geese in late June. Most of these birds were young of the year. Hunter Anderson, our youngest volunteer, was especially helpful chasing down geese. 39 17. Disease Prevention and Control A rather mild outbreak of botulism occurred this year with an estimated 1,500 birds lost on the refuge. All units of the refuge were effected. The adjacent duck clubs and state areas to the south of us experienced losses similar to ours. Initial sightings of sick birds began in early August. Although many sick birds were present, no dead birds were recovered until the 27th of August when a few carcasses were recovered in algae mats along the L-Line dike between Units 1 and 2. Over the next week the disease began spreading in these units. Few dead birds were recovered in Units 4 and 5 although many sick birds were evident. The majority of carcasses recovered were in thick mats of algae. These birds may have been trying to rest on the mats to get out of the water and then became trapped. Carcasses were generally not found in the typical target pattern. This was particularly true in Unit 4 in mid-September when birds were found uniformly distributed. It did not appear that these birds died while feeding on decomposing carcasses. Heavy rains on September 7 and cool weather appeared to slow down the spread of the disease. Carcasses picked up on the 11th and 13th were well decomposed and probably died prior to the cold snap. In addition, Utah Power and Light released water from Cutler Dam on the 11th, flooding the units with fresh water. Although dry mudflats were re-flooded, the weather remained cool and few birds died. Water releases were increased on the 18th, flushing the units again and filling them to full capacity. The outbreak appeared to be over at this time and no additional birds were picked up, although sick birds were observed for several more weeks. Botulism Pickup of Dead Birds Number Estimate of Species Picked UP % Total Loss Northern Pintail 142 13. 3 G. W. Teal 495 46.5 Cin/Blue W. Teal 72 6.8 Northern Shoveler 258 24.2 Mallard 31 2. 9 Gadwall 18 1.7 American Wigeon 26 2. 4 Common Goldeneye 1 .09 Canada Goose 1 .09 Total Waterfowl 1,044 97. 98 American Avocet 5 47 Bonaparte's Gull 2 18 Franklin's Gull 1 09 40 California Gull 5 .47 Marbled Godwit 1 .09 White-faced Ibis 5 .47 Black Tern 2 .18 Total Other Birds 21 1.95 Grand Total 1,065 99.93 H. PUBLIC USE 1. General Total visitation to the refuge was down about 40 percent from a year ago to 7,000 visitors. Part of this drop can be attributed to the fact that last year many people came out just to see the damage caused by the flood. Perhaps we also have a better handle this year on visitor numbers due to the installation of a traffic counter on the tour route and increased staff spending more time on the area. The people who came out this year were there for wildlife observation and not just sightseeing. 41 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations The station staffed a booth at the Box Elder County Fair in Tremonton during August. This booth was staffed by refuge personnel and volunteers for the four day event. The booth consisted of a panel on wetlands, leaflets and some bird mounts. Many people stopped by to ask questions about the refuge and our plans for rehabilitation. Refuges also had a booth at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City in September from the 4th through the 15th. This booth was basically the same as the one at the county fair, except for the addition of a "know your ducks" wing board which was a big success. Personnel from Ouray NWR and Fish Springs NWR staffed the booth two days each and we had it for the other six days. Once again the volunteers put in a good amount of time. The fair hit a rainy spot in the weather and attendance was down from previous years, but a great number of people were informed about the refuges in Utah and the mission of the Service. Volunteers, Norm and Geniel Layton, enjoyed passing on the good word about the refuge. 42 7. Other Interpretive Programs Three presentations on wildlife and the refuge, utilizing a slide program, were presented to 90 students in kindergarten and first grade at the Foothill Elementary School here in Brigham City. Claire gave two presentations to the Utah Air Boaters Association, one each at their spring and fall meetings. In March, she gave an update on refuge rehabilitation and prospects for funding, while the September presentation concerned hunting prospects and hunter access facilities on the refuge. In May, A1 was a guest at the Brigham City Kawanis Club and presented a program on refuge restoration and expansion needs and the prospects for achieving these needs. Also during the same month he made a repeat performance for the Logan Rotary Club. Considerable time was spent during the spring reviewing manuscript and identifying and captioning photographs for an article on the refuge. This article appeared in the May-June issue of "Defenders" put out by Defenders of Wildlife. The article and photos were from a visit made by Jim Clark, a free lance writer, to the refuge last year. Jimmy Dean, editor of the "Defenders" kept the fax and phone hot for about a week with questions regarding the article just prior to printing. The article concerned flood damage to the refuge, the efforts of the volunteers, and the need for rehabilitation of the refuge. Jim wrote an excellent, factual article. 8. Hunting With improved habitat conditions on the refuge waterfowl hunting improved from last year. The number of hunters this year increased 33 percent to an estimated 450 hunter visits. Weather through much of the season was warm and pleasant, but hunting was generally good with large numbers of birds present and limits were not unusual. The area open to hunting remained the same as last year. Units 1A, Unit 2 and all areas below the D-Line dike were open. Airboats were permitted outside the D-Line only. Other boats were allowed in Units 1A and 2. The waterfowl season for our area opened at noon on October 5th. For the first time in history the State was split into zones for waterfowl hunting, the refuge being in Zone 1. The duck season ran from October 5th through December 2nd with a limit of four birds, no more than three of which could be mallards but only one hen, two 43 redheads or two canvasback or one of each, and one pintail. The possession limit was twice the daily bag limit. Goose season ran from October 5th through January 4, 1992 with a daily limit of five geese, but only two dark species. Possession limit was six geese, but no more than four dark geese. 9. Fishing Fishing use was down substantially from last year, with only an estimated 550 visits as compared to last year's 2,500. The peak of the use occurred in late June and early July when some nice channel cats were caught. Perhaps, the low river levels were responsible for the light use through the late summer-fall period. All fishing occurs in the river at the old headquarters site. 11. Wildlife Observation It is estimated from the traffic counter readings that 6,000 visitors drove the tour route around Unit 2 to observe wildlife. The road was in good shape most of the year, but there are some wet, soft spots which necessitated closing the route for a few days following heavy storms. Generally visitors were able to see good numbers of species and birds. One bus tour of the refuge was given to 67 sixth grade students from Brigham City. Claire and Rob presented a slide program at the school and escorted the classes on the bus tour. 17. Law Enforcement At year's end three members of the staff have law enforcement authority. These staff members completed the refresher training at Marina, Arizona in January and February and requalified with their sidearms in late summer. Spot checks of hunters were made during the hunting season with only two tickets written, one a juvenile and the other for an unplugged shotgun. Several warnings were given for hunting off the dikes. Both A1 and Claire participated in the "Operation Wasatch" law enforcement sting in March. This operation was aimed at taxidermists in the northern half of the state and involved raiding shops where illegal wildlife species were present. A total of over 20 shops were visited and mounts and/or records confiscated. 44 I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction Funds were available from a "Director's Grant" to issue a contract for some limited public use facilities at the old headquarters area. In January, Sheri Fetherman and Frank Bryce, from the Regional Office, visited the refuge to discuss this development and offer suggestions for what we might be able to accomplish. As a result of the January meeting, Frank Bryce and Ernie Husmann from Denver and Fred Liljegren from the Bureau of Reclamation visited the refuge in May to provide additional suggestions. This group along with refuge personnel toured recreational facilities at Strawberry Reservoir to look at some ideas we might use. The upshot of all this led to plans to erect a pavilion and "clevis" decomposing type comfort station, along with boardwalks and a physically challenged fishing shelter on the existing boat docks. Specifications were written up for the refuge to purchase a pavilion which would be erected under contract along with the comfort station, boardwalk and accompanying parking area. The pavilion and comfort station were to be located on a three foot fill to get it above the flood plain. When the bids were opened, there were only enough funds to construct the mounds, erect the pavilion and construct the comfort station. A bid was let in the amount of $89,862 to Fife Rock Products Company from Brigham City to do the work. The refuge purchased a 35 foot diameter hexagon prefab pavilion from RCP Shelters for an additional $9,585. In October, a preconstruction conference was held in the refuge office with refuge personnel, Ernie Husmann and Fife. Work commenced the next week. Fife did an excellent job under this contract and the work was completed by year's end, except for some painting which will be put off until the weather warms up. Due to the cost of the bids, the refuge will have to do some work next year to make the parking lot more useable by filling some holes and hauling a little gravel. The refuge will also construct the physically challenged fishing shelter on the south end of the existing boat docks. The boardwalk will have to be put off for a while. 45 Pavillion ready for use with the installation of physically challenged parking facilities and sidewalks. Unisex restroom constructed under contract at old headquarters area. 46 2. Rehabilitation In February a contract for $20,000 was let for delivering pit run gravel. This gravel was to be spread on the tour route, but the dike was so soft we were unable to do this without damaging it. The gravel was then stockpiled in the old headquarters shop area for future use. As mentioned earlier, Keith Henstock from Seedskadee NWR spent a good part of his time this past year working at Bear River. While his main assignment was completion of the cross dike in Unit 3, he assisted with many other projects and repairs. The dirt work on the three and a half mile cross dike was completed in mid-October. The refuge rented an excavator from Wheeler Equipment in Salt Lake City for a week to assist in completing this project as Keith had projects to complete at Seedskadee before winter. There still remains additional sloping and compaction work along with installation of water control structures to have it functional. Ripraping will also be needed. We appreciate Keith's willingness to spend his time here on this project and Seedskadee Refuge for allowing his help. The dike would not have been completed without his effort. The auto route received some work this year. Gravel was placed in the wettest spots and the road was graded several times during the year. We hired Whitaker Construction to grade the route in April, then maintained it with refuge equipment. Bayside Rentals had a contract last year to repair and reinstall the radial gates at the headquarters site and on Whistler Canal. The gates at headquarters were patched and reinstalled, but the two at Whistlers were never done. When pressured to complete the contract, the contractor attempted to patch the skins of the two gates with asphalt coating and a rubberized fabric. When told this would not be allowed, he became upset. He said the gates were not in the contract and he was just trying to help out. When shown the gates were included in the contract and payment would not be made until the gates were done, he claimed a refuge volunteer, told him he did not have to do those two gates. When payment was still not forthcoming, he filed a lawsuit against the volunteer in State Court in May. After a couple of months of legal maneuvering, the suit was thrown out of State Court when it was determined it should have been filed in Federal Court. Legal action against the volunteer ceased when the case was not refiled. To clear this mess up, the Service deducted the two gates at Whistler off the contract amount and paid Bayside Rentals for the work completed on the headquarters gates. The two gates for Whistler are still laying on the bank. 47 Bayside Rentals and the refuge volunteers reinstalling the radial gates at headquarters. In July, A1 Bevilacqua, Don Garratt and Frank Waynick from Regional Office Engineering spent two days on the refuge reviewing needs and gathering information needed to write specs for water control structures and radial gate repairs. Specifications were written and an invitation to bid was issued to replace the catwalks and install highway type guard rails on the 24 water control structures outside the old headquarters area. This project was popular with construction firms as numerous companies were given tours of the project and many others had questions answered over the phone. The bid was to have been opened on December 31st, but an extension was given until January 14, 1992. A separate invitation to bid will be issued early in 1992 to replace the bridge decking at headquarters with new, wider prefab concrete slabs, install new radial gates with electric actuators and install highway type guard rails. 48 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement We received our first piece of new equipment in mid March with the delivery of a John Deere Backhoe-Loader, Model 4IOC with cab and air. This tractor was obtained off military specs for $42,828. We have used it for many tasks during the year and are pleased with its performance. It was parked at the old headquarters area over the 4th of July weekend when someone had "fun" breaking out the front, side and back windows. This glass replacement cost us just over $1,000. Vandalism of the John Deere Backhoe. 49 Our refuge vehicle fleet showed a great change during the year as six vehicles were added and two disposed of. At years end we have ten motor vehicles on our records. Changes are listed below: Additions to Vehicle Fleet 1972 IHC 1 1/2 Ton Stake Bed Truck Transferred from Bear Lake NWR 1982 Chevrolet 4X4 1/2 Ton PU Transferred from Seedskadee 1985 Chevrolet 4X4 3/4 Ton PU Transferred from LaCreek NWR 1984 Chevrolet 4X4 3/4 Ton PU Transferred from Seedskadee 1991 Jeep Carryall Purchased from GSA $11,272 1991 Dodge 4x4 3/4 Ton PU Purchased from GSA $12,524 Reductions to Vehicle Fleet 1980 Dodge 4X4 3/4 Ton PU Sold by GSA 1983 Chevrolet Stationwagon Sold by GSA A 1981 Jeep was offered for sale by GSA at the same time as the two above vehicles. The Jeep was bid on unseen and sold, but when the buyer came to pick it up, he refused to take it, claiming it was not as advertized. GSA finally refunded his money and it will be readvertized in their next sell offer. Other major equipment purchased was a Honda 4x4 ATV with front and back racks, a 200 gallon slip in fire pumper unit and an automotive lift for the shop. Many smaller items for the shop were purchased or obtained from surplus sources including such items as an air compressor, cutting torch, welder, table saw, cut-off saw, router, drill press, electric drills and miscellaneous hand tools. While the shop is a long ways from being stocked, we now have the basics to make some repairs with the tools we have on hand. The motor grader, which was picked up from the Department of Labor last year, had some transmission problems when obtained. In June, repairs were made and the grader, though an older model, appears to be a fairly good piece of machinery. Another large expense was a complete engine overhaul of the excavator on loan from Seedskadee which we have been using for the last year and a half. The engine was pulled, completely gone through and put back in the machine in late December. The cost of this overhaul was $8,600. Acquisition of new heavy equipment looks promising for next year. We spent time gathering information for specs on several pieces of equipment. It appears that the Bureau of Reclamation will purchase some pieces for us out of drought relief funds. They are looking at a front end loader, tractor for mowing, and semi and low boy trailer. We will also purchase an excavator, dump truck and dozer from Service restoration funds. 50 5. Communication Systems A new mobile radio base station was purchased and installed in the shop. New mobile radios were installed in all vehicles acquired during the year. After months of effort, a repeater antenna was installed on an existing tower on Little Mountain just west of Ogden. This repeater gives us radio access from Salt Lake City on north and also provides a phone patch from most of the mobile units installed in the vehicles. New Merlin phones were purchased and installed in the additional office space. These phones are on the same lines as those in the current office. 6. Computer Systems To meet the demands of increased staff size a new Dell 316SX computer and Panasonic monitor was purchased. This now gives us three computers for office use and two printers, a dot matrix and laser. Even so, it still seems there are times when someone is waiting to use one of the computers. J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs Two Cooperative Educational students from Utah State University worked on the refuge this past year. Sarah Barnum assisted with refuge projects when not engaged with her Master's study and Robert Jess was involved in a number of refuge activities during his tenure. 3. Items of Interest Several meetings and tours that don't seem to fit elsewhere will be mentioned here: A1 and Claire attended a project leaders meeting at Billings, Montana in February. In September, Vickie accompanied them again to Billings for the fall project leaders meeting. A1 and Claire attended a Trumpeter Swan meeting in Salt Lake City in February to discuss proposed reintroduction of this species into Utah. No birds will be released at Bear River MBR. Fish Springs will be the site of the releases due to the fact that they are closed to swan hunting. Cherry and A1 attended the Administrative Workshop held in May in Denver. 51 A1 made a trip to St. George, Utah in December with FWE personnel to meet with community leaders of that area to discuss the possible creation of a Desert Tortoise Refuge to try to alleviate the problems this species is causing to economic expansion in the area. When informed the Service had no funds to create such a refuge, the idea died, at least for the time being. Milt Suthers, Land Management Specialist, from the Regional Office visited the refuge in April for a familiarization tour and discussion of potential refuge options on the expanded refuge area. John Kadlec from Utah State University visited the refuge numerous times during the year, but a couple of meetings were held in the refuge office to discuss a botulism research proposal he is working on. We are hopeful that something will come of his proposal and some new studies on this old problem can commence. Numerous meetings were held during the year with the staff of Representative James Hansen to discuss refuge needs and progress of funding. Meetings were held both at the Congressman's Ogden office and also at the refuge office. A refuge tour was given to Bill Simons from Hansen's Washington office and Howard Ragtrip from the Ogden office to provide a first hand view of refuge funding needs and to discuss restoration and expansion. Two Audubon group tours were given during the year, including an airboat tour of the delta area of Unit 2. A group from the Washington Audubon Society was taken out in August. Then in October a group including Glen Olsen, Western Regional Director; Bob Turner, Utah Regional Director; Dusty Dunstan, Acquisition Office; Wayne Martinson, Legislative Lobbyist; Alice Lindahl and Pat Briggs from the Cache Valley Audubon group and Max Jamison, a director for the Bear River Club was given. In November, Claire made a presentation to the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society at Utah State University regarding employment within the Service and plans for the refuge. A1 has been involved with the Workforce Diversity Planning Team and was assigned to write a portion of the plan which was developed. As part of this assignment, he attended a workshop held in Estes Park, Colorado in December. Claire attended two sessions of "MAPINFO" training, the first at Fort Collins, Colorado the week of June 14-21 and the second in Bismark, North Dakota the week of July 22-26th. Both A1 and Claire completed the 504 training in Jackson, Wyoming in September. Claire attended a meeting in Salt Lake City, involving other Federal agencies, concerning a proposed environmental education 52 youth camp. The camp would be held at the Utah State University Forestry Camp located in Logan Canyon late in the summer of 1992. Here is an excellent opportunity for the Service to make initial contact with minority students to encourage them to prepare for a career with the Service. While Service funding for this project does not appear forthcoming this fiscal year, we will continue to work with this group and offer whatever assistance we can. Meetings with State personnel, the City of Perry and the refuge continue to try to resolve the problem of gaining access to state lands just north of the refuge boundary near the Interstate Highway south of Perry. The City of Perry does not want to provide access through their leased lands near the sewer lagoon and access from any other area is not very practical. Access from the south would have to be through the refuge's Unit 5 which is closed to hunting and it would be a difficult one and one half mile walk to reach the state land. Access from the north and west is blocked by private hunt clubs. This past season the refuge did provide a walk way from the south and allowed boats to come down the Reeder Overflow channel. Neither of these options are too suitable for hunter access. The access problem remains largely unsettled and may remain that way until this land is acquired during the refuge expansion. As an Eagle Scout project six goose nesting platforms were constructed and erected in Units 1A and the upper end of Unit 2. The structures are single post type with a wooden box filled with straw. They were installed too late to be used this year. 4. Credits Sections A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, and J were written by Hansen; section G by Roy. Trout and Caldes reviewed and edited the manuscript. Roy assembled the report. Photos were taken by refuge volunteers and personnel. 53