Post on 14-Dec-2015
Mariana Islands Range Complex - - Marianas Islands Training and Testing - Farallon de Medinilla range Aerial bombardment, missile ex, gunnery ex, naval surface firing.
200 ac, 1.7 mi long, 0.3 mi at widestSpecies present: Endangered Micronesian Megapode
Migratory Birds: Greater Frigate - limited population size
Red-footed BoobyMasked BoobyBrown Booby
Migratory Bird Act: Take of Migratory Birds by DoD, 2007
• National Defense Authorization Act- Secretary of the Interior prescribed regulations to exempt Armed Forces from incidental take, regulations were developed by FWS in coordination and cooperation with DoD allowing take for military readiness.
• Any action that “…may result in a significant adverse impact on a population of migratory bird species, then they must confer and cooperate with the Service to develop appropriate and reasonable conservation measures to minimize or mitigate identified significant adverse effects”.
Conservation Measures to benefit Megapodes
• Targeting restricted • Megapode life history research on
Saipan and Sarigan islands• Megapode surveys on FDM• Quarterly seabird monitoring on
FDM • Removal of rats from FDM- not
possible
Conservation recommendations completed from earlier EIS• Removal of goats and pigs on
Sarigan and Anatahan Islands
Micronesian Megapode
197 counts Feb 1997-Aug 20148,786 brown booby15,878 masked booby57,304 red-footed booby
Results of analysis are non-significant. Noisiness of counts preclude definite conclusions on long-term trends.
An underlying fluctuation in counts for the 3 species appears as an increasing and decreasing pattern. • Environmental factors ie:
• El Nino, Climate Change• Severe storms/typhoons• Disturbance due to
training
Red-footed counts
Tinian39 sq miles12 mi long, 5 mi wide5 miles from Saipan Island
Military Lease Area 15,400 ac
Species present: Endangered Micronesian Megapode Threatened Mariana fruit bat
• 1914 forests were cleared for sugarcane production
• World War II battle site and base• Current population less than 3,000
• Critical habitat likely to be proposed for all MLA
Tinian, 1945• 1914 forests were cleared for sugarcane production • World War II battle site and base• Current population less than 3,000
Mariana fruit dove
Bridled white-eye
Collared kingfisher Rufous fantail
Micronesian honeyeater
Species present: Endangered Micronesian Megapode Threatened Mariana fruit bat• 9 forest bird species• White tern• Red-tailed tropic bird
Tinian Monarch – island endemic Listed as Endangered 1970 Island wide estimates
1996 - 105,3001984 - 95,916
Delisted in 2004 2008 - 56,300
Petition to list Tinian Monarch by the Center for Biological Diversity (2013)
2013 - 91,420
Guam• 212 sq miles• 30 mi long, 9 mi wide• 53,709 ac JRM managed for natural
resources
• 1994 Agreement to avoid declaration of Critical Habitat: Undeveloped lands included as ‘Overlay Refuge’ in the Guam National Wildlife Refuge
2 Listed bird species present • Mariana swiftlet• Mariana moorhen
ESA Consultations include all species including extirpated
• Mariana crow• Guam Micronesian kingfisher• Guam rail
Critical Habitat likely to be proposed for all ‘Overlay Refuge’ lands
Guam Micronesian kingfisher-+150 individuals in zoos
Guam rail – doing well in captivity, 2 experimental populations on neighboring islands
Mariana crow - declining population on Rota Island
Brown treesnakes accidentally introduced after WWII, responsible for the extinction or extirpation of 13 of the 22 native breeding birds and 2 of 11 native lizards.
Current Navy projects: • Artificial lure development for BTS trapping• Characterization of BTS sex pheromone• Indirect transfer of toxins to non-target organisms through scavenging• Assessment of target and non-target bait take around swiftlet caves• BTS surveys at 3 swiftlet caves• Extracting BTS eDNA from soil samples• Low-density detection of BTS – refining radio telemetry movement • Effects of large meals on BTS movement and detectability• Developing a predator-proof nest box for cavity nesting birds
Guam Micronesian kingfisher• Not present in the wild• -+150 individuals in zoos
Kingfisher Recovery Habitat