Habitat and Species Cooperative Restoration Program Joint Base Lewis-McChord Center for Natural Lands Management JBLM Lark Monitoring Final Report 2016 W911S8-15-2-0001 W911S8-15-2-0004 W911S8-15-2-0012 W911S8-16-2-0010 CNLM Task Orders #G1117, G1118, G1131, G1155 March 2017 Submitted to: Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fish and Wildlife Program Submitted by: Adrian Wolf, Gary Slater and Jerrmaine Treadwell Center for Natural Lands Management 120 Union Avenue Southeast Olympia WA, 98501 Phone: 360-584-2538 Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a key military installation and the most important conservation area in the Puget Trough region. The Center for Natural Lands Management strives to assist Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the conservation of its natural resources within the framework of the military training mandate. Joint Base Lewis- McChord and its conservation partners have shared interests because: Healthy natural ecosystems are essential for realistic and sustainable training lands. Rare species recovery throughout the region reduces the burden of recovery on any single landowner or site. Pest plants harm natural areas and reduce their suitability for military training. Page i Table of Contents Project Highlights ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 2 1.1 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 2 2.0 Abundance and Distribution .................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Abundance Transects .................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 Surveying Sites with Unknown Occupation Status (Occupancy Surveys)..................... 4 2.2 Results and Discussion ......................................................................................................... 5 2.2.1 Abundance Transects .................................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Occupancy Surveys ....................................................................................................... 5 3.0 Territory Mapping .................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1 Home Range .................................................................................................................. 9 3.1.2 General Use Area/Site Level ....................................................................................... 10 3.1.3 Individual Use Area/Territory Level ............................................................................ 11 3.2 Results ................................................................................................................................. 11 3.2.1 Home Range ................................................................................................................ 11 3.2.2 General Use Area/Site Level ........................................................................................ 11 3.2.3 Individual Use Area/Territory Level ............................................................................ 12 4.0 Nest Monitoring ..................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................. 16 4.1.1 Number of Breeding Pairs ........................................................................................... 16 4.1.2 Nests ............................................................................................................................ 16 4.1.3 Clutch Initiation Date .................................................................................................. 17 4.1.4 Vital Rates ................................................................................................................... 18 4.1.5 Characterizing Human Activities ................................................................................. 19 4.1.6 Communications with JBLM Airfield and Training Area Managers ............................ 19 4.2 Results and Discussion ....................................................................................................... 20 4.2.1 Number of Breeding Pairs ........................................................................................... 20 4.2.2 Nests ............................................................................................................................ 20 4.2.3 Clutch Initiation Date .................................................................................................. 21 4.2.4 Vital Rates ................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.5 Characterizing Human Activities ................................................................................. 25 4.2.6 Noteworthy Species .................................................................................................... 27 5.0 Genetic Rescue at 13th Division Prairie ................................................................................. 27 6.0 Juvenile and Adult Return Rates ............................................................................................ 29 6.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................. 29 6.1.1 Resight Data ................................................................................................................ 29 6.1.2 Return Rates ................................................................................................................ 30 6.2 Results and Discussion ....................................................................................................... 30 6.2.1 Resight Data ................................................................................................................ 30 6.2.2 Return Rates ................................................................................................................ 30 SHLA_JBLM_2016_Final_2March_2017 Page ii 7.0 Optimizing Site Co-Use ........................................................................................................... 32 7.1 Breeding Phenology and Fledgling Vulnerability ............................................................... 33 7.2 Communications with JBLM Airfield and Training Area Managers ................................... 34 7.2 Fledgling Flush Distance ..................................................................................................... 36 8.0 Habitat Management at 13th Division Prairie ....................................................................... 38 9.0 Population Management Recommendations ........................................................................ 39 9.1 Coordinate Management Actions Closely with Nest Status .............................................. 39 9.2 Continue Lark Monitoring at Occupied Sites ..................................................................... 40 9.2.1 Territory mapping ....................................................................................................... 40 9.2.2 IButtons ....................................................................................................................... 40 9.2.3 Occupancy surveys in new occupied sites .................................................................. 41 9.2.4 Target trap adults ........................................................................................................ 41 9.3 Identify Nest Predators ...................................................................................................... 41 9.4 Convert Vegetation at Airfields .......................................................................................... 41 9.5 Evaluate Effect of Disturbances ......................................................................................... 42 9.6 Survey Other Suspected and Potential Lark Locations ...................................................... 42 10.0 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ 43 11.0 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................... 44 12.0 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 48 List of Figures Figure 1. Streaked Horned Lark study sites on, and in the vicinity of, JBLM, WA in 2016. .......................... 3 Figure 2. Maximum number of Streaked Horned Lark males and total maximum number counted on abundance transects surveys at five sites on JBLM, WA, 2010-2016 ........................................................... 6 Figure 3. Streaked Horned Lark detection locations