Post-disaster update: Manomet scientists lead U.S. Gulf shorebird surveys

Written by Meredith Gutowski/WHSRN

In 2010, the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences was selected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop and implement coordinated shorebird surveys along the U.S. Gulf Coast as part of the federal Natural Resources Damage Assessment. This large-scale survey effort, now several months underway, began in response to the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil disaster that spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Shiloh Schulte, an expert on American Oystercatchers (pictured with him), is currently leading large-scale, coordinated shorebird surveys for the U.S. Gulf Coast. / Courtesy of Shiloh Schulte

The shorebird surveys are being carried out by Manomet’s Shorebird Recovery Project scientists in collaboration with a myriad of federal, state, and local partners. The data they have been collecting from across all five states bordering the Gulf (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) will provide the information needed to assess the impact of this disaster on migrating shorebirds. The more than $3 million project is one of the largest wildlife damage assessments ever conducted for shorebirds.

In November 2010, journalist Beth Daley of the Boston Globe newspaper accompanied and interviewed Shiloh Schulte in Louisiana as he conducted fieldwork. Shiloh, Manomet’s American Oystercatcher Recovery Coordinator, has spent months away from his home in Maine and countless hours coordinating and collecting data around the Gulf for this time-sensitive and important damage assessment. You can read Beth Daley’s article “Returning to the scene of the grime” online, as well as watch a short video clip of her experience in the Gulf with Shiloh and others. Her article also appeared in print on the front page of the Sunday Boston Globe, 21 November 2010.

The full press release about Manomet being chosen to lead the U.S. Gulf shorebird survey is available in the WHSRN Press Room.

To learn more about Manomet’s Shorebird Recovery Project (SRP) team’s involvement and leadership in responding to the Gulf oil disaster in 2010, please visit the WHSRN Press Room and special SRP webpage.

For more information, please contact Stephen Brown (sbrown@manomet.org), Director of Shorebird Science, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.

Scientists Work to Protect Shorebirds from Gulf Coast Oil Spill (USA)

Posted by Meredith Gutowski, Conservation Specialist, Manomet

This article is also available in a different online format via PRWeb.

Plymouth, MA (PRWeb) 25 May 2010 ??? Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences??? Shorebird Recovery Project (SRP) team has been working with partners in the northern Gulf of Mexico for the past several weeks to protect important shorebird areas from the Deepwater Horizon off-shore oil spill. The oil, spewing for a month now, is a serious threat to high-priority migratory shorebird species currently nesting and raising chicks around the Gulf Coast. Of greatest conservation concern are the beach-nesting American Oystercatcher, Wilson???s Plover, and Snowy Plover.

“These shorebird species???s populations are already in decline from ongoing coastal habitat loss, disturbance from human activities, and climate-change effects,??? said Dr. Charles Duncan, Director of the SRP. ???An oil spill of this magnitude in an area as important as the Gulf could have significant long-term impacts on these vulnerable species, which need coastal habitats to survive.???

Dr. Duncan also directs Manomet???s Executive Office of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), a longstanding initiative within the SRP. Under this office???s leadership, international shorebird experts have authored science-based Species Conservation Action Plans for the most at-risk species identified in the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan. Each action plan lists the most important known breeding, migration, and wintering sites for a species. Manomet???s Meredith Gutowski, WHSRN Conservation Specialist, and Lisa Schibley, SRP Database Specialist, have mapped these sites using Google Earth, creating an interactive, multi-layer conservation tool. After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, they began overlaying this with oil-spill trajectory maps to quickly identify sites and species potentially in harm???s way.

???We???ve been sharing our map and other technical resources with federal, state, and local partners in the Gulf region to help expedite the protection of high-priority shorebirds and habitats,??? said Gutowski. ???It???s a tragic and unexpected use of this tool, but a meaningful one.??? The map also is in Manomet???s Newsroom.

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“The spill could not have happened at a worse time???the breeding season.These birds will be nesting and raising??chicks along the Gulf Coast for the next 3 months.???

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In a related effort, Manomet???s Dr. Stephen Brown, Director of Shorebird Science, and Stephanie Schmidt, Data Coordinator, have been compiling and sharing International Shorebird Survey (ISS) data with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other partners to determine the numbers of all shorebirds using Gulf Coast sites pre-spill. The ISS is a citizen-science monitoring program that Manomet began in 1972. ???Understanding shorebirds??? use prior to the impact enables wildlife management agencies to better gauge the potential scope of damage and prepare accordingly,??? explained Dr. Brown. ???The ISS data may also support mitigation measures needed for spill-related wildlife loss.”

According to Manomet???s Shiloh Schulte, American Oystercatcher Recovery Coordinator and coauthor of WHSRN???s conservation action plan for this species, ???Oystercatchers are particularly vulnerable to contamination from this spill because they live exclusively along shorelines, are short-distance migrants, and forage on oysters, clams, and other bivalves in the water.??? Oil has reached Louisiana???s Chandeleur Islands, where American Oystercatchers are currently nesting and raising chicks. Other important oystercatcher nesting areas include Florida???s Cedar Key region and the Texas Gulf coast, both still at risk. ???Northwest Florida also supports more than 1,000 oystercatchers in the winter???that???s up to 15% of the total U.S. population,??? noted Schulte.

In the early to mid 2000s, scientist Margo Zdravkovic led the??first comprehensive surveys of beach-nesting birds along the Gulf Coast on behalf of the Coastal Bird Conservation program (CBC), then part of National Audubon Society. These surveys revealed that??70% of the total U.S. population of the Wilson???s Plover, a high-priority migratory shorebird species, occurs in the Gulf region; more than 26% of the U.S. total occurs in coastal Louisiana.

Ms. Zdravkovic, Director of Conservian (the nonprofit organization now managing the CBC) and author of WHSRN???s conservation action plan for the Wilson???s Plover [in progress], was scheduled to begin the second round of surveys this May when the spill occurred. “The spill could not have happened at a worse time???the breeding season,??? said Zdravkovic. ???These birds will be nesting and raising??chicks along the Gulf Coast for the next 3 months.???

The CBC crew has been tirelessly collecting current beach-nesting data??from Florida to Louisiana to aid pre- and post-impact assessments. These targeted data complement those from Manomet???s broad, multi-year ISS dataset. The CBC is also monitoring, and helping to prevent or minimize, damage to nests and chicks from??on-shore boom placement, beach clean ups, and other well-intentioned efforts. July 2010 through February 2011, CBC will also be surveying and monitoring post-breeding shorebirds in south coastal Texas.

The Snowy Plover is a high-priority migratory shorebird species whose Pacific Coast subspecies, the Western Snowy Plover, is already federally listed as Endangered. Approximately 63% of the plover pairs currently nesting on Gulf Coast beaches are along a 60-mile stretch of southernmost Texas. ???Our surveys indicate that some Snowy Plovers remain in the Gulf region year-round,??? noted Bill Howe, Nongame Coordinator for the USFWS Southwest Region???s Migratory Bird Office and coauthor of WHSRN???s conservation action plan for the Snowy Plover [in progress].

The Gulf Coast oil spill will be a conservation concern throughout the summer and fall. At that time, many shorebird species will be either returning to the Gulf region for the winter or stopping there to rest and refuel before migrating hundreds or thousands of miles more to wintering sites further south. Dr. Duncan affirmed that Manomet???s SRP team will continue sharing its technical resources and expertise with partners to help protect or recover migratory shorebirds hemisphere-wide from the impacts of this spill.

About Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences: One of the nation???s oldest nonprofit environmental research organizations, Manomet is dedicated to conserving natural resources for humans and wildlife. Through science and public engagement, Manomet works to integrate social, economic, and environmental values into enduring, sustainable systems that will support the needs of present and future generations. Manomet???s headquarters are in Plymouth, Massachusetts (USA), with offices in Maine, Vermont, Mexico, and Chile.

Gulf Coast Oil Spill???s Impact on Shorebirds

Posted by??Rob Kluin/Manomet

Shorebird Recovery Project??Map Shows Affected Sites and Species

The Louisiana oil??spill, considered to be the worst in American history, has the potential??to impact wildlife and people in devastating proportions. Louisiana??contains 40 percent of the United States’ wetlands, including the Delta??National Wildlife??Refuge at the mouth of the Mississippi. The Gulf Coast??provides critical habitat for hundreds of species of migrant bird??species, which use this area for breeding, wintering, refueling, and??resting on their long journeys.

???The Gulf Coast is a??rich, vital ecosystem that sustains many forms of life,??? said Charles??Duncan, Director of Manomet???s Shorebird Recovery Project. ???Wildlife??species already affected by other disturbances and climate-change??effects are facing??new and serious threats. The Shorebird Recovery??Project team at Manomet is saddened by this disaster and recommits to??its mission of recovering and sustaining healthy shorebird populations??across the Hemisphere.???

Dr. Duncan noted that??the??Shorebird Conservation Action Plans??produced by expert authors and working groups??under the leadership of the Executive Office of the??Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network??demonstrate unequivocally that??the regions??of the Gulf of Mexico at risk from the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling??disaster are of enormous significance to shorebirds. ??These plans??identify two dozen sites in the Gulf, east of the Texas-Louisiana??border, that host important??populations of at least one and often as??many as three of the U.S.???s highest priority shorebird species. ??These??include both beach-nesting species such as Wilson???s Plovers and migrants??like Marbled Godwit and Dunlin. ??Virtually all of these sites??are also??home to other wildlife species of enormous economic and recreational??value as well.

Manomet???s Shorebird??Recovery Project has developed a??Google??Map??that shows identified??sites and the shorebird species associated with them for the regions of??the Gulf of Mexico that are at risk from the Deepwater Horizon oil??catastrophe.????This map will be updated to reflect new developments with??the Gulf Coast oil spill.

For more information??about Manomet and its Shorebird Recovery Project,??click here.

Shorebirds like this Wilson’s Plover are in danger from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bird conservation group releases list of critical sites most at risk from Gulf oil spill demands re-assessment of ecological impacts of U.S. Energy Policy

Posted by Robert??Johns/ABC, USA

* ABC has several recognized experts on the potential impacts of the oil spill who are available for interviews. Included among those experts is Dr. Michael Fry who is Chairman of the Federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) Environmental Studies Advisory Committee. MMS regulates and manages the development of energy and mineral resources in the Federal waters off the nation’s shores. To arrange for an interview, call Bob Johns at 202-234-7181.

Washington, D.C. ??? April 30, 2010) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, today released a list of key bird sites they say are most immediately threatened by the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. The sites have been previously designated as Globally Important Bird Areas by the organization, and are directly in the path of the advancing oil slick.

“This spill spells disaster for birds in this region and beyond,” said ABC President George Fenwick. “It is ironic that next weekend is International Migratory Bird Day. At a time when we should be celebrating the beauty and wonder of migratory birds, we could be mourning the worst environmental disaster in recent U.S. history.”

The Gulf Coast is extremely important for hundreds of species of migrants, which variously breed, winter, and rest here during migration. The population effects on birds from this spill will be felt as far north as Canada and Alaska, and as far south as South America.

The complexity of the Gulf coastline, with numerous bays, estuaries, inlets, marshes and creeks, will make cleanup extremely difficult; impacts could last for decades for much of the habitat, and some species may suffer significant long-term population declines.

“This spill tells us that we cannot take our coastline for granted. A re-assessment of our approach to offshore drilling is required in the light of this disaster that includes the development of no-go areas for oil,” Fenwick said.

ABC has produced a map of the 500 Globally Important Bird Areas in the United States, 149 of which are coastal or have a coastal component that could be affected by this and future marine oil spills. A portion of these sites are in immediate danger from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

A complete list of all ABC-designated Globally Important Bird Areas is available at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/domestic/sitebased/iba/ibalist.html

“There are costs to wildlife and their habitats for every form of energy generation, whether it is coal, oil, wind, nuclear, or any other form. Those costs must be re-assessed, not by economists, industry, or energy experts, but by biologists, ecologists, and environmental experts. The stakes are simply too great to leave to chance. We must stop playing Russian roulette with the future of our environment,” said Fenwick.

All coastal nesting species (herons, terns, skimmers, plovers, gulls, rails, ducks) are currently present on the Gulf Coast, including several species on the U.S. WatchList of birds of conservation concern. The impact to these species depends on how long the leak lasts and what happens with weather and currents. The leak could persist for weeks or months, and end up being the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

For species with long lifespans and low reproductive rates (e.g., Reddish Egrets, Least Terns), acute mortality events such as this can have long-term population-level impacts if they affect a large proportion of the breeding population. This is because the adults that survive do not produce young quickly enough for populations to recovery quickly. Species where large proportions of their populations concentrate in a few, discreet locations (e.g., species with only a few breeding colonies and species that concentrate en masse during migration stopover) are particularly vulnerable to these events.

Compounding problems for songbirds, not normally directly affected by oil spills, is the smoke billowing skywards from the burning oil that was set alight to try to minimize damage to marine life.

“Millions of our songbirds are crossing the Gulf now, and will arrive Stateside perilously weak and undernourished from their journey. The smoke may well compound their precarious situation and potentially lead to birds failing to make it to shore, or arriving so weakened that they are unable to survive,” said Fenwick.

The top ten sites at most immediate risk from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Gulf Coast Least Tern Colony
One of the world’s largest colonies of the threatened Least Tern

Lower Pascagoula River ??? including the Pascagoula River Coastal Preserve
The coastal marshes at the mouth of the river support Yellow and Black Rails, Snowy Plovers, and endangered wintering Piping Plovers

Gulf Islands National Seashore
Hosts thousands of wintering shorebirds, including endangered Piping Plover, Wilson???s Plover, and American Oystercatcher, as well as Brown Pelican, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, and Black Skimmer.

Breton National Wildlife Refuge ??? including the Chandeleur Islands
Largest tern colony in North America, predominantly of Sandwich, Royal, and Caspian Terns. Also American Oystercatcher, Brown Pelican, Reddish Egret, and endangered Piping Plover. Also an important wintering area for Magnificent Frigatebird, and stopover site for Redhead and Lesser Scaup.

Dauphin Island
An important stopover site for migrant birds including shorebirds, gulls, terns, herons, and rails.

Fort Morgan Historical Park
An important stopover site for migrant birds including shorebirds, gulls, terns, herons, and rails.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
An important stopover site for thousands of trans-Gulf migrants.

Eglin Air Force Base
Best known for its inland population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Elgin also has significant coastal habitat for shorebirds and wading birds

Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Large numbers of wading birds nest here, including White Ibis, Snowy Egrets, and herons; thousands of shorebirds use the mudflats in winter and during migration, including Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Western Sandpiper, as well as endangered Piping Plover.

Baptiste Collette Bird Islands
This artificial barrier island, created from dredge spoil is one of the many Louisiana coastal islands that could be affected. Birds found here include Caspian Tern, Brown Pelican, Gull-billed Tern, and Black Skimmer.

Map of Oil Spill in Relation to Globally Important Bird Areas (?? American Bird Conservancy)

American Bird Conservancy conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement. ABC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.