Integrating Bird Conservation
into INRMPs
Chris Eberly
DoD Partners in Flight
9.19.12
Migratory Bird Management in INRMP
 Inventory and manage
significant/sensitive natural
resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Inventory & monitoring
Habitat conservation
Collaboration (partnerships)
Cooperation
Outreach & public access
Integration
Regulations
Inventory and Monitoring
Red - Significant potential to impact military readiness.
Orange - Moderate potential to impact military readiness.
Yellow - Minimal potential to impact military readiness.
White (Blank) - No known impact on military.
Adequately addressed in INRMP?
STATUS
ARMY
NAVY
YES
NO
47
68
54
43
MARINE
CORPS
3
3
AIR
FORCE
5
2
TOTAL
109
116
Information Available
 Total data elements (for each candidate
species, by installation) - 248
 At least some information available – 226
 Monitoring information available – 137
 Actions being taken to manage – 122
 Threat information available – 68
 All information types available – 16
Mission-Sensitive Priority Bird Species
Mission-Sensitive Priority Bird Species
Priority Species – Population Estimates
USFWS – Surrogate Species
 Draft guidance on process – July 20, 2012
 Part of Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC)
 Exec. Summary: “…FWS must join with
partners in making bold but thoughtful
choices to focus our work and resources
where they will have the greatest
conservation benefit.”
http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/
DraftTechnicalGuidanceJuly2012.pdf
Habitat Conservation
 Protection
 Restoration
 Enhancement
 Full life-cycle stewardship
 Conservation Measures
Guiding Legislation
NEPA
MBTA
BGEPA
ESA
other…
Conservation Measures
Resource Management
Threat Management
Monitoring
Energy Development
Partnerships, Communication
and Education
Facilities
Plans and Guidance
INRMP
Soil Management and Grading Plan
Species Recovery Plan
Restoration Plan
Agency Guidance/Guidelines
Mitigation Plan
Monitoring / Maintenance Plan
Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy
Resource Management Plan
Other plans…
Migratory Bird Treaty Act – Final Rule
Best Management Practices
 Generally accepted, informally standardized
methods or processes proven over time
 BMP can evolve to become better
 Adaptive learning process rather than a
fixed set of rules or guidelines
(Adaptive Resource Management)
 Promotes continuous learning and
improvement
Conservation Measures
 Avoiding or minimizing adverse effects
• “Take”
 Spatial scale
• Local
• Regional
• National
 Temporal aspects
 Cumulative impacts
 Adaptive, ongoing process
Conservation Measures
 Endangered Species Act
• Section 7 related decisions
• Candidate Conservation Agreement
 Executive Order 13186
 Bald Eagle Management Guidelines
•
Additional Conservation Measures to Benefit
Bald Eagles
 Bald and Golden Eagles
•
Advanced Conservation Practices
Conservation Measures - MBTA
Focus activities in the Non-breeding season
 Timber harvest
 Haying, mowing
 Prescribed burning
 Brush clearing
 Construction
DoD Conservation Measures
 Monitoring impacts of activities
 Bird conservation planning
 Conservation partnerships
 Avoidance and mitigation
• APP, BBCS
 Pesticide reduction
 Habitat conservation and enhancement
 Endangered Species Act consideration
 INRMP annual reviews
Collaboration
Collaboration
Cooperation
 Access to DoD lands by partners
 Survey/monitoring
 Breeding Bird Atlas – ex., NIOC Sugar Grove
 University research
Outreach / Public Access
 International Migratory Bird Day
 Earth Day
 Bird watching
 Audubon chapters, bird clubs
 Ex., NAS Patuxent River
Integration
PIF Bird Conservation Plans
Priority Bird Populations and Habitats
Pine savannah
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Federally endangered; remnant population reduced to as few as 3 breeding clans.
Prairie Warbler
Declining; native to open pine savannah; also in early succession habitat.
Bachman's Sparrow
Northern edge of breeding range; requires open, grassy understory.
Objective: Restore enough pine savannah to support 20-25 clans of Red-cockaded Woodpecker (pre 1970s
population); maintain breeding population of 2,600 Brown-headed Nuthatches.
Salt marsh
Salt-marsh Sparrow
Black Rail
Seaside Sparrow
American Black Duck
Large proportion of world population breeds here; requires high marsh with buffer,
stable water levels.
Status poorly known; requires high marsh with buffer.
Large proportion of East Coast population; wider habitat tolerance than sharp-tailed
sparrows.
Important breeding and wintering populations.
Objective: Numerical population and habitat-area objectives for priority marsh birds have not yet been determined.
Roughly 20,000 ha of marsh may be required to support 3,000 breeding pairs of American Black Ducks.
Forested wetlands
Cerulean Warbler
Poorly monitored; small populations along forested rivers.
Swainson's Warbler
Disjunct population at northern edge of range; requires dense shrubby understory.
Prothonotary Warbler Good indicator species for permanently forested wetlands; cavity nester.
Acadian Flycatcher
Habitat generalist in wet or moist deciduous forests with dense understory.
Objective: Rougly 300,000 ha of forested wetland is required to support entire habitat-species suite, including 100,000
pairs of Acadian Flycatchers and 16,000 pairs of Prothonotary Warblers.
State Wildlife Action Plans
Opportunity: Engage Partners in a Strategic
Vision for Wildlife Conservation
http://www.wildlifeactionplan.org
State Wildlife Action Plans
[Georgia]
Regulations
 MBTA
 Final Rule (“Readiness”)
 Permits
 Banding
 Depredation
 NEPA
DoD PIF Network
Working Groups
• Avian Electrocutions
• BASH
• Communications
• Education
• International
• Invasive Species
• Research & Monitoring
• Seabirds
• Species of Concern
Questions?
Chris Eberly
DoD Partners in Flight
540-349-9662
ceberly@dodpif.org
www.dodpif.org
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
January 2004