HNF-63012 Rev. 0 Hanford Site Ecological Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2017 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-09RL14728 P.O. Box 650 Richland, Washington 99352 Approved for Public Release Further Dissemination Unlimited HNF-63012 Rev. 0 Hanford Site Ecological Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2017 Date Published December 2018 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-09RL14728 CI P.O. Box 650 Richland, Washington 99352 By Lynn M. Ayers at 7:03 am, Jun 26, 2019 Release Approval Date Approved for Public Release Further Dissemination Unlimited TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof or its contractors or subcontractors. This report has been reproduced from the best available copy. Printed in the United States of America HNF-63012 Rev. 0 Page Intentionally Left Blank Approved for Public Release Further Dissemination Unlimited HNF-63012, REV. 0 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Purpose and Scope .......................................................................................................... 1-3 1.2 Regulatory Basis ............................................................................................................... 1-3 1.3 Hanford Site Physiography .............................................................................................. 1-4 1.3.1 Climate ................................................................................................................ 1-6 1.3.2 River Dynamics .................................................................................................... 1-8 1.3.3 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................ 1-8 1.3.4 Vegetation........................................................................................................... 1-8 2.0 Resource Monitoring .......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Counts 2016 .......................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.1.2 Methods .............................................................................................................. 2-2 2.1.3 Results ................................................................................................................. 2-6 2.1.4 Discussion ........................................................................................................... 2-7 2.2 Steelhead Redd Counts 2017 ......................................................................................... 2-11 2.3 Bald Eagles ..................................................................................................................... 2-14 2.3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2-14 2.3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 2-17 2.3.3 Results and Discussion ...................................................................................... 2-22 2.3.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................... 2-28 2.4 Burrowing Owls .............................................................................................................. 2-30 2.4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2-30 2.4.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 2-33 2.4.3 Results ............................................................................................................... 2-38 2.4.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 2-43 2.5 Ferruginous Hawk Nesting Territory Occupancy and Productivity Surveys 2017 ......... 2-44 2.5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2-44 2.5.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 2-45 2.5.3 Results ............................................................................................................... 2-47 2.5.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................... 2-47 2.6 Rookeries ....................................................................................................................... 2-49 2.7 Roadside Bird Surveys 2017 ........................................................................................... 2-51 2.7.1 Objectives and Scope ........................................................................................ 2-56 2.7.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 2-56 2.7.3 Roadside Bird Survey Results ............................................................................ 2-57 2.7.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................... 2-61 2.8 Townsend’s Ground Squirrel Monitoring ...................................................................... 2-62 2.8.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2-62 2.8.2 Ground Squirrels on the Hanford Site .............................................................. 2-62 2.8.3 Habitat Suitability Modeling of Townsend’s Ground Squirrels ........................ 2-63 2.8.4 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 2-69 2.8.5 Methods ............................................................................................................ 2-69 2.8.6 Results ............................................................................................................... 2-73 2.8.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 2-76 i HNF-63012, REV. 0 2.9 Hanford Site Bat Monitoring .......................................................................................... 2-77 2.9.1 Objectives and Scope ........................................................................................ 2-78 2.9.2 Methods and Results ........................................................................................ 2-78 2.10 Vernal Pools ................................................................................................................... 2-82 2.10.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2-82 2.10.2 Historical Overview of the Vernal Pools on the Hanford Site ........................... 2-85 2.10.3 2017 Monitoring Methods ................................................................................ 2-86 2.10.4 Summary and Conclusions ................................................................................ 2-90 2.10.5 Management Actions and Proposed Future Monitoring ................................ 2-116 3.0 References .......................................................................................................................... 3-1 FIGURES Figure 1-1. Map and General Features of the Hanford Site ...................................................................... 1-5 Figure 1-2. The Hanford Site within the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion ..................................................... 1-6 Figure 1-3. Soils on the Benton County Portion of the Hanford Site (BNWL-243) ................................. 1-10 Figure 1-4. Upland Vegetation on Hanford Site DOE-Managed Lands (HNF-61417) .............................. 1-11 Figure 2-1. Aerial Survey Areas for Fall Chinook Redds Used Historically and in 2016 ............................ 2-3 Figure 2-2. Fall Chinook Survey Sub-areas Adjacent to Groundwater Contamination Plumes ................ 2-4 Figure 2-3. Visual Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Counts 1948 to 2016................................. 2-8 Figure 2-4. A Comparison of Five-Year Flow History in the Hanford Reach Prior to a Year of High (top panel) and Low (middle panel) Number of Returning Fall Chinook Salmon (bottom panel) .......... 2-10 Figure 2-5. Columbia River Flows in the Hanford Reach in Spring 2017 ................................................. 2-13 Figure 2-6. Protected Bald Eagle Night Roosts for Fiscal Year 2017 ....................................................... 2-16 Figure 2-7. Locations Monitored for Bald Eagle Night Roosting During Fiscal Year 2017 ...................... 2-18 Figure 2-8. Area Surveyed by Boat