Lessons learned from monitoring Streaked Horned Larks at airfields in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound: Implications for future airport projects
Start Date
2-11-2019 5:00 PM
End Date
2-11-2019 6:00 PM
Abstract
Streaked Horned Larks (SHLA) have an affinity for wide-open spaces with little or no tree cover, which includes several regional airports in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound. Their status as a threatened species can add complexity and prolong the schedule of maintenance projects during the SHLA breeding season. In collaboration with airport managers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff, ESA biologists have surveyed for and monitored SHLA at local airfields in support of runway rehabilitation and other necessary maintenance activities. We describe lessons learned including: 1) Is it better to compress construction schedule then restrict equipment access to avoid impacts to sensitive streaked horned lark habitat?; 2) How to maximize field observations using GIS and iPAD tablets; 3) What is considered “harassment” during construction and how do we best assess “take”?; and 4) What avian deterrents worked or didn’t work during construction? SHLAs rely on periodically disturbed grassland for nesting, and airports contribute, for better or for worse, to their current habitat range and essential life functions.
Subjects
Animal ecology, Conservation biology, Transportation
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33783
Lessons learned from monitoring Streaked Horned Larks at airfields in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound: Implications for future airport projects
Streaked Horned Larks (SHLA) have an affinity for wide-open spaces with little or no tree cover, which includes several regional airports in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound. Their status as a threatened species can add complexity and prolong the schedule of maintenance projects during the SHLA breeding season. In collaboration with airport managers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff, ESA biologists have surveyed for and monitored SHLA at local airfields in support of runway rehabilitation and other necessary maintenance activities. We describe lessons learned including: 1) Is it better to compress construction schedule then restrict equipment access to avoid impacts to sensitive streaked horned lark habitat?; 2) How to maximize field observations using GIS and iPAD tablets; 3) What is considered “harassment” during construction and how do we best assess “take”?; and 4) What avian deterrents worked or didn’t work during construction? SHLAs rely on periodically disturbed grassland for nesting, and airports contribute, for better or for worse, to their current habitat range and essential life functions.
