Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan
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PRIMARY AUTHORS This final recovery plan was prepared by Kelly Hornaday, Ina Pisani, and Betty Warne of our Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. Ruth Pratt of the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office coordinated preparation of the draft recovery plan and acted as Recovery Team Manager. We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the Pacific Coast Western Snowy Plover Recovery Team in preparing this recovery plan. Special acknowledgment is also given to Nadav Nur, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, California, for his work on the population viability analysis. ii DISCLAIMER Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions that are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, publish recovery plans, sometimes preparing them with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and others. Recovery teams serve as independent advisors to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Objectives of the recovery plan will be attained and necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery plans do not obligate other parties to undertake specific actions, and may not represent the views or the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the recovery plan formulation other than our own. They represent our official position only after they have been signed by the Director, Regional Director, or Operations Manager as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. Literature Citation Should Read As Follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2007. Recovery Plan for the Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). In 2 volumes. Sacramento, California. xiv + 751 pages. An electronic version of this recovery plan also will be made available at http://www.fws.gov/cno/es/recoveryplans.html and http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff provided valuable review and comments on the recovery plan: John Grettenberger and Martha Jensen, Western Washington Office, Lacey, Washington; Carrie Phillips, Elizabeth Kelly, and Fred Seavey, Newport Fish and Wildlife Office, Newport, Oregon; Jim Watkins, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, California; Kevin Clark and Gjon Hazard, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, Carlsbad, California; Steve Henry, Steve Kirkland, and David Pereksta, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office; Diane Elam, California/Nevada Operations Office, Sacramento, California; and Grant Canterbury, Pacific Regional Office, Portland, Oregon. Robert Mesta, Bureau of Land Management Region 2 Office, Tucson, Arizona also provided valuable review and comments on the recovery plan. Jennifer Bain, Valary Bloom, Don Hankins, Larry Host, Harry McQuillen, Caroline Prose, Caralee Stevens, Glen Tarr, Kim Turner, Betty Warne, and Dan Welsh of the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, Sacramento, California also assisted in preparation of the final recovery plan. Maps of snowy plover sites in Appendix L were prepared by Brian Cordone, Cheryl Hickam, and Joni Mitchell, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, Sacramento, California. The cover illustrations for the front cover and Appendix K are used courtesy of Carleton R. Eyster, Santa Cruz, California. iv PACIFIC COAST WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER RECOVERY TEAM Sarah Allen Sean Morton National Park Service County of Santa Barbara Point Reyes, California Santa Barbara, California Tim Burr Martin Nugent U.S. Department of the Navy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife San Diego, California Portland, Oregon Jeff Chastain Gary Page C & M Stables Point Reyes Bird Observatory Florence, Oregon Stinson Beach, California Janet Didion Kerrie Palermo California Dept. of Parks and Recreation U.S. Bureau of Land Management Sacramento, California North Bend, Oregon David Dixon Daniel Pearson California Dept. of Parks and Recreation Southern California Edison Monterey, California Rosemead, California Ivette Loredo John Phillips (deceased) San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. Newark, California Coos Bay, Oregon Richard Griffiths Abby Powell U.S. Marine Corps U.S.G.S., Biological Resources Division Camp Pendleton, California Fairbanks, Alaska Jim Heaney Jim Raives U.S. Bureau of Land Management California Coastal Commission North Bend, Oregon San Francisco, California William Hornbrook Nancy R. Francine Fish Phone U.S. Department of the Air Force Eureka, California Vandenberg Air Force Base, California Tim Jensen Chris Regan Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Washington State Parks and Recreation Carmel Valley, California Olympia, Washington Ron Jurek Scott Richardson (Max Bahn, alternate) California Department of Fish and Game Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Sacramento, California Olympia, Washington Don Klusman Mark Stern California Assoc. of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Inc. Oregon Natural Heritage Program Yuba City, California Portland, Oregon v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CURRENT SPECIES STATUS: The Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) (western snowy plover) is federally listed as threatened. The current Pacific coast breeding population extends from Damon Point, Washington, south to Bahia Magdalena, Baja California, Mexico (including both Pacific and Gulf of California coasts). The western snowy plover winters mainly in coastal areas from southern Washington to Central America. HABITAT REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITING FACTORS: The Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover breeds primarily above the high tide line on coastal beaches, sand spits, dune-backed beaches, sparsely-vegetated dunes, beaches at creek and river mouths, and salt pans at lagoons and estuaries. Less common nesting habitats include bluff-backed beaches, dredged material disposal sites, salt pond levees, dry salt ponds, and river bars. In winter, western snowy plovers are found on many of the beaches used for nesting as well as on beaches where they do not nest, in man-made salt ponds, and on estuarine sand and mud flats. Habitat degradation caused by human disturbance, urban development, introduced beachgrass (Ammophila spp.), and expanding predator populations have resulted in a decline in active nesting areas and in the size of the breeding and wintering populations. RECOVERY OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this recovery plan is to remove the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants by: (1) increasing population numbers distributed across the range of the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover; (2) conducting intensive ongoing management for the species and its habitat and developing mechanisms to ensure management in perpetuity; and (3) monitoring western snowy plover populations and threats to determine success of recovery actions and refine management actions. vi RECOVERY PRIORITY: 3C, per criteria published by Federal Register Notice (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1983). RECOVERY CRITERIA: The Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover will be considered for delisting when the following criteria have been met: 1. An average of 3,000 breeding adults has been maintained for 10 years, distributed among 6 recovery units as follows: Washington and Oregon, 250 breeding adults; Del Norte to Mendocino Counties, California, 150 breeding adults; San Francisco Bay, California, 500 breeding adults; Sonoma to Monterey Counties, California, 400 breeding adults; San Luis Obispo to Ventura Counties, California, 1,200 breeding adults; and Los Angeles to San Diego Counties, California, 500 breeding adults. This criterion also includes implementing monitoring of site-specific threats, incorporation of management activities into management plans to ameliorate or eliminate those threats, completion of research necessary to modify management and monitoring actions, and development of a post-delisting monitoring plan. 2. A yearly average productivity of at least one (1.0) fledged chick per male has been maintained in each recovery unit in the last 5 years prior to delisting. 3. Mechanisms have been developed and implemented to assure long-term protection and management of breeding, wintering, and migration areas to maintain the subpopulation sizes and average productivity specified in Criteria 1 and 2. These mechanisms include establishment of recovery unit working groups, development and implementation of participation plans, development and implementation of management plans for Federal and State lands, protection and management of private lands, and public outreach and education. ACTIONS NEEDED: 1. Monitor breeding and wintering populations and habitats of the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover to determine progress of recovery actions to maximize survival and productivity. vii 2. Manage breeding and wintering habitat of the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover to ameliorate or eliminate threats and maximize survival and productivity. 3. Develop mechanisms for long-term management and protection of western snowy plovers and their breeding and wintering habitat. 4. Conduct scientific investigations that facilitate the recovery of the western snowy plover. 5. Conduct public information and education programs