Restoration of Emergent Wetlands on Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecoregion

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1 Restoration of Emergent Wetlands on Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecoregion Project Summary: The Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan has identified six marsh bird species as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Populations of these six species are threatened range-wide due primarily to degradation and loss of robust emergent wetland habitat. This project will restore 336 acres of emergent marsh wetlands required by SGCN marshbird species within the Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area (SNWRCBWMA) in the Mississippi Alluvial Plains Ecoregion. Nesting and migrating marsh and wetland dependent bird species will benefit from the implementation of this project s AWAP priority conservation actions. Project Leader: Jacob Bokker Region II Field Biologist jbokker@agfc.state.ar.us 1201 HWY 49 North Brinkley, AR72021 Phone: (870) Participating Partners: Rob Willey Region II Habitat Biologist Arkansas Game and Fish Commission rcwilley@agfc.state.ar.us 1201 HWY 49 North Brinkley, AR Phone: (870) Karen Rowe Bird Conservation Program Coordinator Arkansas Game and Fish Commission krowe@agfc.state.ar.us 31 Halowell Lane Humphrey, AR Phone: (870) Total Project Costs: $372,870 Total SWG Funds Requested: $178,800 Total Match: $194,070 AGFC personnel time: $152,270 AGFC Funds (annual regional and moist soil maintenance funds): $41,800

2 Funding and Conservation Priorities: This project addresses two funding priorities outlined in the 2010 Arkansas State Wildlife Grants Request for Proposals. This project will: 1) protect and restore emergent wetlands and 2) restore and maintain wetland integrity for marshbird SGN. Over a two year period, this project will restore wetland integrity, form and function, on approximately 336 acres of wetlands within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecoregion and provide increased acreage of quality robust emergent wetland habitat for nesting, brood-rearing and migrating marshbird SGCN on public land. Project Need: Wetlands have declined at an alarming rate over the past century throughout the United States. Likewise, wetland dependent bird species have experienced severe declines over much of their range in the United States. Emergent marsh wetlands and their importance to associated marsh bird species are identified as a high priority for conservation in Arkansas by the steering committee of the AWAP. Threats to these species include habitat loss due to degradation, fragmentation and conversion to agriculture. Marsh bird and wetland dependant water bird species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain that have declined in number due to these habitat changes include King Rail (Rallus elegans), Sedge Wren (Cisthorus platenis), Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), American Black Duck (Anus rubripes), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea), Northern Pintail (Anus acuta), and Wood stork (Bartramia longicauda). Conservation actions for marsh bird species include the restoration and protection of emergent wetlands to provide for diverse habitat conditions. These diverse habitat conditions consist of dense, emergent vegetation interspersed with open water with a gradient of vegetation height and water depth. In order to provide this habitat condition, wildlife managers must be able to provide sufficient water at both the depth and duration required by nesting and brood rearing marsh birds. Currently AGFC managers at the SNWRCBWMA are unable to provide sufficient water at the proper times, depths and for the duration critical to grow and maintain robust emergent wetland vegetation. Managers are also currently unable to provide the appropriate water depths and open shallow water areas required by nesting, brood-rearing and migrating marshbirds. If funded, this project would create the on-demand water application and management capabilities necessary for marsh bird management on the SNWRCBWMA. Project Site: This project will occur on the Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area located in White County, Arkansas. The 4,063 acre WMA is owned and managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and lies on the west portion of the East

3 Arkansas Delta within the AWAP s Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecoregion. The SNWRCBWMA is enrolled in the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP). This site contains 8 moist soil units (1,555 acres), reforested bottomland hardwoods (2,557 acres) and 328 acres of restored native grassland prairies. The proposed project will be conducted in Moist Soil Unit (MSU) A which contains 317 acres, and MSU D which encompasses 19 acres. MSU A and D were created in These two moist soil units contain 2.72 miles of levee, 4 water control structures, and one concrete spillway that currently provide minimum water control capabilities. Extensive farming practices, prior to AGFC acquisition in 2000, resulted in top soils depleted of nutrients and a plow-line hardpan approximately 12 inches deep. In 2009 and 2010, approximately 690 acres in moist soil units were manipulated in an attempt to restore soil nutrients and break the hardpan in order to create favorable conditions for native moist soil plant production. A dependable on-demand water source and infrastructure for maintaining shallow water wetlands and their robust emergent vegetation are limiting factors within this wetland complex that prevent managers from providing wetland and marshbird SGN with appropriate water levels and vegetation types required for nesting and brood rearing. Project Goals: Over the next two years, the proposed project will restore wetland integrity, form and function on 336 acres of wetlands within the East Arkansas Delta portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Ecoregion. This project will significantly increase the public land acreage in quality robust emergent marsh habitat required by nesting and migrating marshbird SGN. The goals of this project are to: 1. Restore, enhance and maintain wetland integrity through improved water application capabilities, increased interior water control infrastructure, and precise water level management on 336 acres and create and maintain emergent wetland vegetation with an emphasis on providing an interspersion of dense, emergent vegetation with varying gradients of vegetation height and water depth. 2. Significantly increase the public land acreage of robust emergent marsh habitat available to nesting, brood rearing and migrating marshbird SGCN. Materials and Methods: In order to restore these 336 acres of emergent wetlands on SNWRC WMA, the AGFC will utilize a contractor to: 1) install 2.4 miles of 12 underground irrigation pipe. Underground irrigation pipe will connect to existing well and provide an on-demand water source for water level management on 317 acres. Contractors will also be utilized to: 1) expand interior water control capabilities by constructing one mile of levee within MSU A; 2) construct and install two water control structures, and 3) drill and install a new well and over head electricity within MSU D. AGFC equipment and personnel will construct a series of terraced micro levees using levee plows and terrace machines for interior water level management capabilities. Water

4 application enhancement and expansion of water control capabilities will be performed on MSU A during summer Installation of.75 mile of overhead three-phase electricity and install one underground well in MSU D will be performed in By Unit: MSU A (317 acres): Install 2.4 miles of 12 underground irrigation pipe, construct 1 mile of levee, and install two water control structure within existing moist soil units. Construct 4.5 miles of a series of terraced micro levees to optimize water level management for nesting and brood rearing wetland and marsh dependent bird species within the existing unit. Enhancement of water control measures will allow proper management techniques to be used in flooding, dewatering, and manipulation of moist soil plants and emergent wetlands on 317 acres. Enhancement of the on-demand water source and infrastructure for maintaining shallow water wetlands and their robust emergent vegetation will provide managers with the ability to provide wetland and marshbird SGN with appropriate water levels and vegetation types required for nesting and brood rearing. MSU D (19 acres): Install 0.75 mile of overhead three-phase electricity and install one underground well. Enhancement of water control measures will allow proper management techniques to be used in flooding, dewatering, and manipulation of moist soil plants and emergent wetlands on 19 acres. Enhancement of the on-demand water source for maintaining shallow water wetlands and their robust emergent vegetation will provide managers the ability to provide wetland and marshbird SGN with appropriate water levels and vegetation types required for nesting and brood rearing. Monitoring: Marsh bird monitoring on these two units will follow the Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocols of the National Marsh bird Monitoring Project. The protocol calls for a serious of three point count surveys throughout the breeding season and uses broadcasts of marsh bird vocalizations to elicit responses and improve detection. The protocol s procedures for measuring habitat characteristics and water depth protocol will also be followed. AGFC personnel will conduct both the marshbird and habitat monitoring. Results will be summarized annually and shared among project partners and with the national marsh bird survey coordinator. Marsh bird monitoring will also be coordinated through Dr. David Krementz, USGS Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arkansas. Habitat responses to management treatments will be monitored seasonally and that information will be shared with other habitat biologist and land managers within the AGFC and with agency partners. The marsh bird monitoring data will be entered in the Natural Resources Monitoring Partnership as required by the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan. The following AWAP SGCN will be monitored through the Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocol: King Rail, Common Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, Least Bittern, American Bittern, and Piedbilled Grebe. Yellow Rail, Black Rail and Sora Rail will also be included in the monitoring efforts in accordance with the national protocol.

5 Results of this project will be used to update the database associated with the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy at the conclusion of the project. Likewise, the project partners commit to presenting updates and /or findings from this project to the scientific community in order to facilitate updates and revisions to the AWAP and future funding priorities. Study Results and Benefits: This project will result in the restoration of 336 acres of critically important emergent wetland habitat for nesting, brood rearing and migrating marsh bird SGCN, and the collection of valuable marsh bird data on species presence and habitat use. In addition to species and habitat benefits, this site will serve as a demonstration site on emergent wetland restoration for public and private lands managers. Specifically, this project will: 1. Significantly increase the number of acres of emergent wetlands on public lands restored and intensively managed to provide nesting, brood-rearing and migration habitat for populations of marshbird SGCN. 2. Increase awareness and knowledge of private and public landowners about the need to create restore and manage emergent wetlands for secretive marsh birds. 3. Refine the suggested best management practices designed to assist landowners and land managers in the conservation of secretive marsh birds and emergent wetlands on private and public lands in Arkansas. This project will also benefit other wildlife species that rely on both moist soil and emergent wetland habitats. Additional benefits include increased forage and invertebrate production from robust emergent wetland and moist soil plants for waterfowl and wading bird species thereby helping attain the goals outlined within the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan. This on-the-ground stewardship and enhancement project will also serve as a demonstration project for private and public land managers. Project calendar: Activity Start Date Completion Date Pre-mngmt Marsh Bird Monitoring Spring 2012 Spring 2012 Marsh Bird Monitoring Spring 2012 Summer 2013 Water Level Management Enhancement Summer 2012 Fall 2013 on MSU A Installing Electricity/Underground Well MSU D Summer 2012 Fall 2012

6 Budget and Expenditures: Budget at 50:50 Match (52% state, 48% federal) Item Total Match Grant Operating Expenses Contract labor for installation of 2.4 miles of $ 90,200 $ 90, underground irrigation pipe.75 mile of 3 phase electricity line 49,000 49,000 Drilling one underground well. 13,700 13,700 Construction of 1 mile of interior levee and install one water control structure. Water control structure (2) 2,800 2,800 Levee disk for the construction of 4.5 miles of 5,400 5,400 interior terraced micro levees Survey of levees Diesel fuel for pumps and tractor 32,000 $ 32,000 Electricity for pump 4,800 4,800 Pump for well 11,000 11,000 RTV: hauling fuel and site visits for demo area 12,300 Tractor rental 10,000 5,000 5,000 AGFC personnel time (fringe benefits and 152, ,270 indirect costs included) Monitoring supplies 1,000 1,000 Total 372, , ,800

7 Qualifications of Individuals and Organizations Involved Organization: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission s mission is to wisely manage all the fish and wildlife resources of Arkansas while providing maximum enjoyment for the people. The AGFC is responsible for the effective coordination and implementation of the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan and the management and protection of Species of Greatest Conservation Need and priority habitats identified therein. The implementation of priority conservations actions on AGFC owned lands and the state. Region 2 personnel within the AGFC have recently completed emergent wetland restoration of a similar project on Rex Hancock Black Swamp WMA, which was funded through SWG. Rob Willey has served as Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Habitat Biologist since He received his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from Arkansas State University. He received his Certification as a Wildlife Biologist from The Wildlife Society in As Habitat Biologist, he manages approximately 70,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods and associated habitat types on 10 Wildlife Management Areas within the Cache River and White River basins of east-central Arkansas. Habitat manipulation, enhancement, and restoration are his primary duties. Jacob Bokker has served as Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Natural Resource Program Technician since 2005 and as area manager of Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA since Mr. Bokker received a promotion in 2010 and now serves as an AGFC Wildlife Biologist. While serving as the area manager on Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA, his responsibilities included managing 1,555 acres of moist soil habitat and emergent wetlands on a daily basis. Jacob has made many improvements to the wetland complex over the past 4 years and now will serve as the Field Biologist over this area. Karen Rowe is the Nongame Migratory Bird Program Coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. For the past two decades, Ms. Rowe has been responsible for developing and implementing conservation programs for priority non-game birds in Arkansas. These programs range from monitoring and research projects to implementing on-the ground management actions. Ms. Rowe, a Certified Wildlife Biologist, also serves as the agency representative on the Mississippi Flyway Nongame Bird Technical Section.