Wildlife Hazard Assessment Final Report Wayne County Airport Smithville, Ohio CHA Project Number: 27243 Prepared for: Wayne County Commissioners 428 West Liberty Street Wooster, Ohio Prepared by: Simon Davies – Wildlife Biologist 300 S. Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46225 Phone: 317493-3721 December 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................... 4 2.0 LEGAL STATUS OF WILDLIFE SPECIES .............................................................................................. 5 2.1 Federal Regulations ................................................................................................ 5 2.2 State and Local Regulations .................................................................................... 5 3.0 WILDLIFE STRIKES .................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Collecting and Reporting Wildlife Strike Data ........................................................ 7 4.0 WILDLIFE HAZARD ASSESSMENT.................................................................................................. 8 4.1 Site Description ....................................................................................................... 8 4.2 Habitat Description ............................................................................................... 11 4.3 Adjacent land use .................................................................................................. 11 5.0 WILDLIFE ATTRACTANTS .......................................................................................................... 11 5.1 On-site Attractants ................................................................................................ 12 5.2 Off-site Attractants ............................................................................................... 13 5.3 Wildlife .................................................................................................................. 13 5.4 Wildlife-aircraft Strike Analysis ............................................................................. 14 5.5 Current Wildlife Hazard Management .................................................................. 14 6.0 SURVEY METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 14 6.1 Bird Surveys........................................................................................................... 14 6.2 Mammal Surveys ................................................................................................... 15 7.0 ANALYSIS OF SURVEY DATA ...................................................................................................... 16 7.1 Survey Results ....................................................................................................... 16 7.1.1 Bird Surveys............................................................................................... 16 7.1.2 Mammal Surveys ....................................................................................... 21 8.0 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................... 21 8.1 Bird Guilds ............................................................................................................. 21 8.1.1 Waterfowl ................................................................................................. 21 8.1.2 Blackbirds .................................................................................................. 23 8.1.3 Passerines ................................................................................................. 26 8.1.4 Columbids (Pigeons and Doves) ................................................................ 27 8.1.5 Aerial Foragers .......................................................................................... 29 8.1.6 Shorebirds ................................................................................................. 30 8.1.7 Gulls .......................................................................................................... 31 Wayne County Commissioners Wayne County Airport CHA Project No. 27243 Page 1 8.1.8 Raptors ...................................................................................................... 32 8.2 Mammals .............................................................................................................. 34 8.2.1 White-tailed Deer ..................................................................................... 34 8.2.2 Eastern Coyote .......................................................................................... 35 8.2.3 Small Mammals ......................................................................................... 37 9.0 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................ 38 9.1 Wildlife Fencing ..................................................................................................... 38 9.2 “Zero Tolearance Policy” ...................................................................................... 39 9.3 Training of personnel ............................................................................................ 39 9.4 Agricultural Management ..................................................................................... 39 9.5 Grass Management ............................................................................................... 40 9.6 Wildlife Monitoring ............................................................................................... 40 9.7 Wildlife control responsibilities ............................................................................ 41 9.8 Permits .................................................................................................................. 41 9.9 Wildlife strike reporting ........................................................................................ 41 9.10 Maintain Appropriate Supplies ............................................................................. 42 9.11 Eliminate/Reduce Wetland and Water Sources on the Airfield ........................... 42 9.12 Seasonal control efforts ........................................................................................ 43 9.13 Monitor Off-Site Attractants ................................................................................. 43 10.0 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................... 44 Wayne County Commissioners Wayne County Airport CHA Project No. 27243 Page 2 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A FAA Certalert 09-10, Wildlife Hazard Assessments in Accordance with Part 139 Requirements Appendix B Ohio Threatened and Endangered Species Appendix C 50 CFR 10.13 General Provisions, List of Migratory Bird Species Appendix D FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-32B, Reporting Wildlife Aircraft Strikes Appendix E Guidelines for Submitting Bird Remains for Identification to the Smithsonian Institution Feather Lab Appendix F Inventory of Species and Guilds Observed During the WHA Appendix G FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-33B, Hazardous Wildlife Attractants On or Near Airports Appendix H FAA Cert Alert 04-16, Deer Hazard to Aircraft and Deer Fencing Appendix I FAA Cert Alert 98-05, Grasses Attractive to Hazardous Wildlife Appendix J AOU Bird Codes Wayne County Commissioners Wayne County Airport CHA Project No. 27243 Page 3 1.0 BACKGROUND Beginning in October 2013 and extending through September 2014, a Wildlife Hazard Assessment (WHA) was conducted at the Wayne County Airport (BJJ) in Smithville, Ohio. Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, part 139, § 139.337(b) requires that a Wildlife Hazard Assessment be conducted when any of the following events occurs on or near the airport. 1. An aircraft experiences multiple wildlife strikes. 2. An aircraft experiences an engine ingestion of wildlife or substantial damage (defined as damage or structural failure that adversely affects the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft that would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component) from striking wildlife. 3. Wildlife of a size, or in numbers, capable of causing one of the events described above is observed to have access to any airport flight pattern or aircraft movement area. Although BJJ is not certified under Part 139, the Federal Register Volume 78, No .18 (January 28, 2013) clarified the WHA requirements for non-certified airports. This clarification required non-certificated, Federally obligated airports that accept a new airport development grant funded under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) must conduct a wildlife site visit or a WHA. The FAA divided these facilities into four categories based on based aircraft and total operations. The four categories were: 1. If an airports had 100 or more based turbine-powered aircraft or 75,000 or more total annual operations, the airport sponsor had to initiate a WHA within three years of receiving an AIP grant after the Federal Register notice. 2. If an airport had between 20 and 99 based turbine-powered aircraft or 30,000 to 74,999 total annual operations, a wildlife site visit must be initiated within three years of receiving a development grant after the final Federal Register notice. 3.