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Riparian Bird Conservation Objectives

HABITAT PROTECTION

• Prioritize riparian sites for protection and restoration.• Promote riparian ecosystem health (i.e., a self sustaining functioning system)

RESTORATION

• Increase the value of ongoing restoration projects for bird species.• Ensure that large landscape-scale management and flood control projects maxi-

mize benefits to wildlife while benefiting agriculture and urban populations

CULTIVATED RESTORATION

• Design and implement cultivated restoration projects that mimic the diversity and structure of a natural riparian plant community

MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

• Implement and time land management activities to increase avian reproductive success and enhance populations

• Protect, enhance, or recreate natural riparian processes, particularly hydrology and associated high-water events, to promote the natural cycle of channel movement, sediment deposition, and scouring that create a diverse mosaic of riparian vegetation types

MONITORING AND RESEARCH

• Provide data on pressing conservation issues affecting birds.• Maximize the effectiveness of ongoing monitoring and management efforts.• Expand research and monitoring of selected special-status species to address

pressing conservation issues.• Use information gathered in avian monitoring to improve the effects of agricul-

tural and land management techniques on birds

POLICY

• Encourage regulator and land management agencies to recognize that avian productivity is a prime criterion for determining protected status of specific habitats, mitigation requirements for environmental impacts, and preferred land managed practices.

• Increase protection and management actions to benefit severely declining or locally extirpated bird species in California.

• Promote federal, state, and local government flood control policies that will benefit wildlife in tandem with community safety

Several portfolio sites have been identified by the Plan: (1) the Salinas River, (2) Vandenberg Air Force Base and, (3) priority streams and rivers. The Salinas River is the region’s largest river flowing through the largest intermountain valley in the state. Habitat patches along the river are important for the restoration and recolonization potential they provide for some of the last breeding areas known for the Least Bell’s Vireo. Vandenberg Air Force Base supports some of the most extensive riparian habitat along the Central Coast. The base is considered a priority due to its high avian diversity.

Finally, a number of streams and rivers have been prioritized on factors such as landscape integrity, species richness of targeted species, and the presence of sycamore alluvial woodlands. These sites include Pescadero Creek, Scott Creek, Uvas Creek, lower Salinas River, Arroyo Seco, Nacimiento River, Big Sur River, Arroyo de la Cruz, San Simeon Creek, San Antonio Creek and Santa Ynez River.

The Santa Clara River is the only portfolio site selected for the region. It is the largest unchannelized river in southern California. The Santa Clara River Enhancement Plan, developed by the USFWS, the California Coastal Commission, and several southern counties, seeks to protect the natural resources and wildlife along the river and

proactively avoids the listing of any new species. Recent efforts to develop areas along the river’s reach may further jeopardize the habitat.

Several Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Plans have been developed to address requirements for the designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The recovery plans described below address issues related to endangered species-specifically, the light-footed clapper rail, California Least Tern, Brown Pelican, and Steelhead.

The ESA’s fundamental purpose is “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endan-gered species and threatened species.” In accordance to the ESA, industrial, commercial, residential, and rec-reational use values of the regional ecosystem are sec-ondary to listed species preservation (Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 194 (1978)). Any change in this standard of protection is subject only to the invo-cation of the Endangered Species Committee. The ESA requires the federal government (NMFS and US Fish and Wildlife) to protect endangered species “whatever the cost” (Hill, 437 U.S. at 184). The ESA does not afford administrative agencies responsible for management dis-

cretion to balance multiple uses found in ecosystems, such as recreational and com-mercial use, with species protection.

As Chapter Two indicates, coastal wetlands (of the marine interface) have been signifi-cantly degraded and severely reduced in size during the past century. The remaining wetlands are small and isolated, and in poor condition. Historically, extensive wetlands existed in each sub-region of southern California.

Protection of the last remnants of healthy wetland ecosystems will be required to protect the endangered species described below. The protection of birds is especially important because they play important roles in the ecology of the Southern California Bight. The abundance and distribution of birds in southern California is one indicator of the general health of coastal and marine systems. Ecological theory predicts that in a stable ecosystem, those species occupying high trophic levels maintain native species diversity and community structure (Paine 1966). Upper trophic level animals, such as pelagic birds, are indicators of the health of the marine environment.

(a) Light-footed clapper rail recovery plan

The light-footed clapper rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) is one of three clapper rail subspecies in California. The light-footed clapper rail is distributed in coastal salt marshes from Santa Barbara County, California to San Quintin Bay, Baja California, and Mexico. Within its historical range, the amount of suitable habitat for the species has been severely reduced by conversion of marshes for human uses. By 1915, ornithologists were noticing the scarcity of the light-footed clapper in southern California. Early losses in Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties were attributed to over-hunting and over-harvesting of the bird. Major losses of the subspecies occurred primarily because of destruction of wetland habitat; the dredging and filling of marshes of southern California is the primary cause of the decline in abundance. The bird was added to the federal list on 13 October 1970 (35 Federal Resister 16047-16048).

(4) Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Plan

Pied-billed Grebe and Chicks

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During the last century, coastal wetlands known to have supported large populations of light-footed clapper rails have been significantly reduced, e.g., San Diego Bay (reduced from 2,450 acres to 360 acres), Mission Bay (2,400 acres to 21 acres), and the Los Angeles - Long Beach salt marshes (6,800 acres to 70 acres). Dredging, fill-ing, diking and other construction activities have eliminated most of the rail population (300 breeding pairs) at El Estero Bay, Ensenada, and Baja California. Currently, there are no “secure” marshes that are managed to maximize the size of the population of the rail. The future of the rail, like many other wetland-dependent species, remains uncertain.

From 1982 to 1992, approximately 100,000 acres of wet-lands in southern California were lost each year. Because the rail is dependent on coastal salt marshes that have been severely altered by human activity, entire local populations have been extirpated. The rail population at San Quintin (about 500 breeding pairs) is described as the last stronghold for the species in Mexico.

In 1985, the revised recovery plan by the USFWS was completed. The recovery plan was originally published in 1979. Between 1979 and 1985, the USFW funded a number of studies designed to enhance our understanding of the life history of the rail. Studies also addressed the habitat needs of the rail.

Habitat Needs

In general, the presence of small freshwater streams, ponds, and rushes is beneficial for rail nesting, foraging, and cover. The nest location of the light-footed clapper rail is most often associated with clumps of pickleweed (Salicornia spp). Typical incubation nests of the light-footed clapper rail are found in Upper Newport Bay and Anaheim Bay in Orange County, exist near or on the ground, and are composed almost totally of dried stems. Excessive runoff, poor water quality, habitat destruction, and severe storms adversely affect the marsh community and, therefore, bird reproduction.

The clutch size ranged from 4-8 eggs (mean 5.5) in 1980 for nests in Upper Newport Bay and Anaheim Bay, where the bird has been observed and studied. Incubation lasts from 21-25 days in these two marshes. Data on nest success is limited, but field biologists in the 1970s found that 86% of 28 active nests at the Tijuana Marsh successfully hatched at least one egg. Nest success in studies conducted of Upper Newport Bay and Anaheim Bay varied from 60-74% with 14-45% of the eggs known to have been unhatched. Losses of eggs resulted from eggs being washed away by high tides, and some eggs failed to hatch for unknown reasons. Rats and other predators also destroyed nests.

To increase the breeding population of the rail, the plan (1985) recommends

• The protection of all existing habitat;• Increasing the carrying capacity and stability of existing habitat;• Increasing the size of particular population units;• Creating and stocking new habitat, and • Protecting and managing the population of the birds south of the US-Mexico

border.

The rail requires a healthy marsh ecosystem with cordgrass or pickleweed for nesting and escape cover; abundant food in the form of crabs, clams and other salt marsh invertebrates; tidal flats interspersed with salt marsh vegetation as feeding areas; and limited human disturbance. These conditions prevail in coastal salt marshes that have,

for example, a tidal prism adequate to provide an appropriate salinity range of the water and soil, a daily flush of nutrients, and to prevent stagnation. Rails seem able to tolerate a limited level of human use of their habitat, provided such use does not result in habitat degradation or loss of birds.

As marshes continue to be destroyed in southern California, the remaining marshes are further isolated. Because the rail is such a sedentary species, additional isolation of marshes can reduce gene flow and result in decline in genetic diversity in the rail population.

Recovery Plan Recommendations

The recovery plan, as required by the ESA, discusses and outlines the actions and circumstances that, if implemented, will make possible consideration of reclassification of this subspecies to threatened status. The plan notes that this is highly unlikely given the additional land developments that influence the abundance and distribution of the subspecies. The prime objective of the recovery plan is to increase the rail breeding

population to at least 800 pairs within 4,000 ha. of adequately protected, suitably managed secure wetland habitat, consisting of at least 50% appropriate marsh vegetation in at least 20 complexes. This would be achieved by preserving, restoring, and/or creating approximately 10,000 acres of habitat. The subspecies would be considered for reclassification to threat-ened status if these criteria are met.

The plan identifies key habitat areas targeted to achieve this objective, including the Goleta Slough, Kandall-Frost Ecological Reserve, upper Newport Bay, Anaheim Bay, Santa Margarita River Estuary, South Bay Marine Reserve (in San Diego County), and Tijuana Marsh. Moreover, the recovery plan:

• Identifies various water quality problems related to marsh habitats; • Supports the restoration of tidal influence to coastal ponds; • Proposes the introduction of cordgrass (Spartina foliosa), which is a preferred marsh

habitat for the rail;• Identifies degraded marshes, such as the Carpinteria, San Joaquin marsh, and

Sweetwater Marsh, as potential restoration areas for the bird; • Describes the need to control human disturbance; • Describes the potential benefits to the rail of developing or restoring low marsh

habitat in particular wetland locations throughout southern California, and • Recommends that additional protection and preservation of marsh habitats in Baja

California will be required to protect the rail.

The recovery plan prepared by the USFWS provides a realistic picture of the changes needed to address the management, restoration, and preservation of important wet-lands needed for the recovery of the light-footed clapper rail. However, these objectives will be difficult to achieve given the trends in development and associated water quality issues in California.

(b) California least tern recovery plan

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service created the California Least Tern Recovery Plan in 1985 in an effort to protect remaining tern colonies and to conserve vital habitats for the species. The Recovery Plan was developed following the endangered listing of the tern by the California Fish and Game (CDFG) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service (CDFWS). It was intended to protect the species from extinction and to return the breeding population to a stable status. The reduction of the California coastal population to approximately 775 breeding pairs prompted direct protection and management efforts to restore and maintain the California breeding population to a “secure level”. Twenty nesting sites were identified

Mallard male

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Least Tern adult feeding chick

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as critical habitat that demanded focused action to protect tern colonies through habitat conservation.

From mid-April to mid-May, the migratory California Least Tern colonies arrive to feed and nest in California’s coastal wetland ecosystems. Their historic breeding range stretches along the Pacific coast from the San Francisco Bay to San Jose del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico. The placement of nests in developed coastal areas made them particularly vulnerable to destruction or predation from human presence, small mammals and other preda-tors. Encroaching coastal development and loss of essen-tial habitat had decimated their numbers to an alarming low and prompted their federal endangered species list-ing.

In 1909, approximately 600 breeding pairs were observed on a 3-mile stretch of beach in the county of San Diego. Intense coastal development and the filling of coastal estuaries and wetlands displaced increasing numbers of tern colonies along the coast. Human pres-ence and unintentional destruction of nesting areas imperiled the sensitive species. By the 1940’s, most terns were gone from the beaches of Orange and Los Angeles counties. Continuing loss of both nesting and feeding habitat and high levels of human disturbance at remaining colonies has caused their continued decline to the present time.

Nesting sites are concentrated in the South Coast; 28 sites are situated between the northern boundary of Santa Barbara County and San Jose del Cabo in Baja California, Mexico.

The placement of nests depends on the availability and abundance of adjacent feeding areas. The terns are piscivores and actively forage shallow estuaries and lagoons for small fish. Changes in the configuration, biological resources or quality of wetland areas negatively affect tern colonies that are already imperiled.

The primary objective of the Plan is to direct protection and management efforts needed to restore and maintain the breeding population of California Least terns to a “secure” level. Fish and Wildlife defines this secure population as having at least 1200 breeding pairs distributed among colonies in at least 20 coastal wetland ecosystems. The unifying goals under this plan include: (1) protect existing habitat, (2) preserve feeding areas, (3) create or restore habitat, (4) nest site management, (5) protect colonies, and (6) identify research needs. The following table summarizes the goals and objectives that make up the California Least Tern Recovery Plan.

Recovery Plan Goals and Priorities for the California Least Tern

Preserve and Manage nesting areas of existing colonies

Develop and implement least tern management plans for secure nesting areas

Blair IslandU.S. Naval Air StationSan Elijo LagoonMugu LagoonSanta Margarita River MouthHuntington State Beach Least Tern Natural AreaUpper Newport Bay Ecological ReserveLos Pensaquitos Lagoon

Goal Priority Habitat Area

Preserve and manage nesting areas for currently insecure colonies

Acquire and manage nesting habitat now in private ownership

Preserve adequate nesting habitat

Develop least tern nesting area at bay-front end of D Street Fill

Identify special site protection problems of certain insecure colonies and implement corrective action as needed.

Develop and implement management plans to establish secure nesting areas for colonies on public lands

Select and develop secure, alternate nesting areas for vulnerable existing colonies

Secure and manage a minimum of 5 least tern nesting sites in Mission Bay

Agua Hedionda LagoonLos Pensaquitos Lagoon

Batiquitos Lagoon

Sweetwater marsh

Ormond BeachPlaya del ReySan Diego International AirportSan Gabriel RiverTerminal Island, Reeves FieldSanta Clara River MouthGrand Caribe Island, Coronado Cays

Tijuana River EstuaryNaval Training Center, San DiegoNorth Island Naval Air StationChula Vista Wildlife Reserve

Oakland Municipal AirportOther colonies as needed

Crown Point SanctuaryFAA Island SiteSouth Fiesta Island breeding areaEstablish two additional sites

Provide adequate nesting habitat in former or potential breeding areas

Construct and manage new nesting sites in protected areas

Acquire potential breeding habitat, construct adequate breeding sites, develop and implement least tern management plans

Develop or refine management techniques for providing adequate nesting sites and implement techniques where needed

Seal Beach NWR, Anaheim BaySunset Aquatic ParkBolsa Bay Ecological ReserveUpper Newport bay Ecological ReserveSilver Strand, south end of ocean side

San Dieguito LagoonMouth of Santa Ana River, southeast area

No sites were identified

Bullock’s Oriole maleand female

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Marsh Wren

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