Project Title: River Pathways B&M Wildlife Area, Arizona Applicant: National Audubon Society-Audubon Arizona

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1 SJV Award Application Project Title: River Pathways B&M Wildlife Area, Arizona Applicant: National Audubon Society-Audubon Arizona Project Need: Riparian habitats in the arid southwest are jeopardized by an array of human actions. Engaging youth in monitoring and conservation projects on rivers near where they live builds an awareness and a conservation ethic about riparian systems and the wildlife dependent upon them. This project will engage primarily Hispanic high school age youth in urban/suburban communities in central Maricopa County at a state wildlife area on the Gila River. Students will participate in two field trips: the first will be a training session at the Rio Salado Audubon Center, and the second will be a visit to the Gila River site. At the river, participants will monitor the regrowth of riparian habitat that has been recently restored and bird use of this habitat. Students will also participate in conservation work projects at the site. The monitoring data will contribute to needed documentation of the restoration effort. This project is an expansion of the award-winning River Pathways program funded in part by the BLM and will complement the community engagement already in place with the Tres Rios Nature Festival. Project Location: Baseline & Meridian (B&M) Wildlife Area on the Gila River east and west of 115 th Avenue, Maricopa County, Arizona. B&M Wildlife Area is owned by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and consists of 200 acres within the Gila River floodplain and river channel. In 2012 the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and City of Phoenix funded a multi-million dollar project to remove salt cedar (tamarisk) and plant cottonwood, willow, mesquite and upland desert plants on half of the site. The remaining treated area was left to regenerate on its own. Given this treatment, the area provides an excellent site for habitat restoration studies. Brief description of project site(s), including dominant habitat types. Located downstream of the City of Phoenix Tres Rios project, the Gila River has perennial flows in this reach. Cottonwood and willow strands are along the main river channel and numerous side channels. There is cattail and reed marsh habitat that has nesting Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis) and other secretive marsh birds (Least Bittern and Sora). This site is within the Lower Salt and Gila Rivers Important Bird Area that has global designation for concentration of nesting Yuma Clapper Rail. Identify the primary audience(s) targeted by the project (including ages, ethnicity, and gender, if applicable). If the project targets a specific group (i.e., landowners, legislators, elementary schools, community members, etc.), please list. A minimum of two western Maricopa County High Schools will be participants in this project. One from Buckeye and the other from Laveen, Arizona. A majority of the students are Hispanic and evenly divided male and female. Students are between the ages of 16 and 18. Describe the geographic area targeted by the project, if any. Gila River and surrounding communities of Laveen, Goodyear, Buckeye, and Avondale in Central Maricopa County, Arizona. Project Objectives and Outcomes: Clearly state one-sentence project objectives in list format. For each objective, include a detailed description of expected outcomes and explain how they address SJV and/or other bird initiative plan objectives. For monitoring, restoration, or habitat protection projects, please address the following:

2 What are the project outcomes/benefits in terms of acres, or numbers of birds? What species of birds are intended to benefit, in what way, and due to which actions? Site monitoring will document the vegetation and bird diversity changes as the treated habitat develops and will provide a snap shot in time documenting the status of the 200 acre wildlife area. The target bird species present or potentially present on the site are Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis), Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis), Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus ), Bell s Vireo (Vireo bellii), Abert s Towhee (Melozone aberti), Sonoran Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechial sonriensis), Lucy s Warbler (Vermivora virginiae), Common Yellowthroat (Geothylpis thrichas), Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), Bullock s oriole (Icterus bullockii), Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus), and Marsh Wren (Cistothorus platensis). A primary focus of this project will be the measurement of the habitat characteristics using protocols developed for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo by Halterman and Johnson. Bird area search plots will be conducted in association with the vegetation monitoring. Students will be assisted by Audubon biologists and volunteer Audubon Important Bird Area surveyors. How does the project meet the SJV Bird Conservation Plan objectives? Be specific and concise in your answer (i.e., this project will provide habitat for three pairs of Yellow-billed Cuckoos, will protect six acres of critical desert grasslands, etc.)-the project will engage area youth in habitat recovery documentation on 200 acres of riparian and marsh habitats post restoration. In addition, participants will be introduced to the diverse bird, animal and plant species found in this riparian area. The site has supported up to 6 pair of Yuma Clapper Rail and has the potential to support 1-2 pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo when the habitat matures. How will you disseminate project results, including incorporation into the Avian Knowledge Network, ebird, and/or averaves? Bird area search survey data will be entered into the Arizona Important Bird Area database administered by Tucson Audubon Society. These datasets are suitable for upload to the Avian Knowledge Network. A cumulative checklist with numbers seen of each species and that includes supplemental fly-overs and birds outside of the area search sites will be submitted to ebird. How will your project support/be used for conservation? The avian and habitat data will contribute to monitoring the Important Bird Area, yield site specific avian response to a habitat restoration project and contribute to the body of data for assessment of habitat suitability for the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Vegetation plots (Protocol modified from the Lower Colorado Multi-Species Assessment s yellow-billed cuckoo vegetation monitoring work): For each randomly selected sampling point, students will conduct measurements in three plots. o One centered on the randomly selected point. o One centered on a point 100m in a randomly selected direction from the initial point o One centered on a point 50m in a randomly selected direction from the initial point Each plot consists of two concentric circles the inner with a 5m diameter and the outer with an 11.3m diameter. In the 11.3 m circle, students will measure: o Average top canopy height

3 o Dominant and co-dominant species taller than 5m and their percent contribution to the overall canopy cover o Canopy cover (densitometer) o Distance to water o Distance to mesquite o Stem count of plants o Stem count of large woody species (categories in attached data sheet) In the 5m circle, students will measure: o Stem counts of large and small woody species (categories in attached data sheet) Belt/Line transects (Modified from BLM s woody species belt transect protocol which is currently being used in conjunction with their Multiple Indicator Monitoring protocol): Students will conduct belt/line transects that run from waters edge to the end of the floodplain. On each transect, students will measure: o o Age class and species of all trees within the belt Percent cover/composition using a line intercept protocol Bird Monitoring (Using an area search protocol): Students will conduct area searches in the vicinity of their vegetation plots. Bird survey plot location and size will be at a scale to record birds using the immediate habitat. Birds outside the designated area and flying over will be recorded as supplemental to derive a species list. This data will be combined with the data from the other groups, with the possibility of duplicative observations in mind, to produce a final list and count for the day s work. The area search data will be entered into the Arizona Important Bird Area database. Each area will be geo-referenced as a distinct survey within the project. The cumulative list corrected for duplicates and including supplemental birds will be submitted to ebird For communications, education, outreach, and birding tourism components, please address the following: How will this project directly support bird and habitat conservation and address a conservation priority within the SJV region? The project directly supports habitat conservation by documenting habitat regeneration on an Important Bird Area that is home to several of SJV s priority bird species. These findings may inform habitat improvement programs elsewhere. Further, the program provides rich outreach opportunities because it engages local youth in on-the ground monitoring and restoration work. What is the projected number of people that will be reached? 120 students are the first year target (60 students in the Fall and 60 students in the spring). What tangible products will be produced as a result of the project (i.e., brochure, manual, website, teaching materials, etc.)?the primary products produced through this effort will be a vegetation monitoring dataset and bird survey data for an Important Bird Area. In addition, Audubon staff will develop specialized data sheets and training materials.

4 How will you disseminate project results and outcomes? Methodology: Vegetation data will be provided to the Arizona Game and Fish Department in order to track habitat restoration progress on the B & M Wildlife Area. Bird survey data will be added to the Arizona Important Bird Area database and uploaded to the Avian Knowledge Network. Audubon will publicize the program and student involvement with river restoration through electronic newsletters, websites, and outreach to media. The project is a component of the National Audubon Society multi-state Western Rivers Conservation Initiative that is featured in the strategic plan and the Audubon Arizona 2012 annual report. This project has potential to become a model that can be replicated at other sites within the Western Rivers Initiative core area. Timetable: September 2013-August 2014 Map of Project Location:

5 Evaluation: Audubon staff will survey student participants to ascertain content knowledge gained through the program and changes in stewardship attitudes. In addition, teachers will be surveyed to determine the usefulness of the program to them in their classrooms and to gauge the benefit to students that they perceive. Another measure of success will be producing data that is relevant and accessible to land managers. List of partners and their contributions, letters of support: In addition to a complete list of partners and contributions, submit letters of support from all major project partners. Partners may include those contributing funds, in-kind services, land base, technical assistance, coordination, etc. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Region VI (Bill Burger) Bureau of Land Management Buckeye High School Laveen High School III. Budget Proposals that include leveraged/matching funds and partner contributions are preferred, but not required. These contributions may be cash or in-kind and originate from any source (federal or non-federal). Please note whether leveraged or partner funds are already secured or whether they pending. Arizona Game and Fish Department IBA funding is secured. BLM funding is secured.

6 Budget Categories (such as): SJV Request Applicant Contribution Partner(s) Contribution(s) (monetary) Partner(s) Contribution(s) (non-monetary value/in-kind) Total Salaries 4,000 6,000 (IBA) 1,000 (AGFD inkind time) 11,000 Materials Travel (bus) facility fee rio salado (BLM) 8000 Printing Other (specify) overhead Total 10,000 4,280 9,000 1,000 24,280