Draft Changed to Harrison Reclamation Co. in Farmington Bay landowners

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1 Draft Changed to Harrison Reclamation Co. in Farmington Bay landowners Additional Information on the Ten Announced Important Bird Ares (IBA) Sites in May 2004, as well as the 5 Sites Announced in For more detailed information contact: Wayne Martinson, Utah IBA Coordinator, National Audubon Society wmartinson@audubon.org or A Listing of the 15 IBA Sites. National Audubon Society, is pleased to announce ten new IBA sites in Utah: The five major bays on Great Salt Lake Farmington, Ogden, Bear River, Gilbert (or South Arm), and Gunnison (or North Arm); Provo and Goshen Bay on Utah Lake; Cutler Marsh Amalga Barrens in Cache County; the Upper Strawberry Watershed in Wasatch County; and, Lytle Preserve in Washington County. These ten new sites add to the five sites announced last year at this time: Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch, Fremont River within Capitol Reef National Park, and Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area. Additional Information on the Ten Announced Sites for 2004 Goshen Bay and Provo Bay Utah Lake is one of the most important wetland systems in Utah for waterfowl and shorebird populations in terms of actual bird use. However, not all of the lake is equally important. Approximately 90-95% of lake use occurs in both the Provo and Goshen Bays depending on lake levels. Shorebirds and migratory birds seek flat, shallow ponds on which to feed, rest, and breed. Therefore, when lake levels are high the birds tend towards Goshen Bay. However, when levels are low, as they currently are and have been in recent years, Provo Bay provides the most valuable habitat for shorebirds and migratory birds. The health of both bays is necessary in order to respond to fluctuating lake levels and provide the necessary habitat. The two greatest threats to these areas are lost upland and shoreland habitat from encroaching development, and water quality in the lake. If shorebirds and migratory birds are to succeed in their current population numbers, the bays of Utah Lake are critical to their survival. Statement by: Tom Aldrich, Waterfowl Program Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, July Goshen Bay includes 13,000+ Acres. Landowners included in the nomination are: Bureau of Land Management, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands) and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Highest five bird species counts in area: White-faced Ibis 1,390 Green-winged Teal 1,290 Wilson s Phalarope 1,260 Mallard 973 California Gull 585

2 Provo Bay includes 6,400 acres, but the nomination states that only about 1,920 acres is included because of the land dispute between the State of Utah and private property owners regarding sovereign lands. Landowners included in the nomination are: Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands) and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The following are total survey numbers, but only about 30% of these numbers are actually considered as part of the nomination at this time because of the land dispute. Highest five bird species counts in area: Green-winged Teal 14,680 Mallard 12,261 White-faced Ibis 6,247 American Avocet 4,009 Northern Pintail 3,846 Farmington Bay An excellent overview of the ecological setting, waterbird biology and habitat management of the Great Salt Lake and the surrounding wetlands is provided in Avian Ecology of Great Salt Lake by Tom Aldrich and Don Paul in Great Salt Lake: An Overview of Change. ( Edited by J. Wallace Gwynn, Ph.D., Special Publication of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 2002.) The following description of Farmington Bay is from this article. (A clarification to the quote below, Bear River Bay is the freshest region.) Farmington Bay is the next freshest region, with a salinity of approximately 60 parts per thousand (ppt) when GSL is at 4,200 feet (1,280.2 m) above sea level. It does not provide a submergent vegetation community due to the elevated salinity, but has a relatively complex plankton community compared to the south and north arms of the lake. It supports some important halophiles (for example, brine flies) in conjunction with some macroinvertebrates that tolerate diluted brine environments, but it is too saline to support a fishery. There is a significant wetlands influence in this region, often modified by the associated transitory shoreline, especially in the Layton/Kaysville Marsh area.... This effect is also visible at the south end of the bay, west of Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (WMA). The open-water reaches of this region are an important waterfowl habitat in late fall and winter. The shorelines are important to breeding and migrating shorebirds. (Also, add that Jordan River adds about 14% of the total water flows to GSL.) The Farmington Bay IBA nomination includes 12 survey areas, 121,533 acres. Landowners included in the nomination at this point in time are: Utah State Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, The Nature Conservancy, The Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation, New State. Inc. and Harrison Reclamation Co. Survey data show 11 bird species having over 1% of their world s population at Farmington Bay. Highest five bird species counts in area: Wilson s Phalarope 108,629 American Avocet 81,927 Black-necked Stilt 47,596 American Coot 32,309 Gadwall 30,642 Gilbert Bay (and Ogden Bay)

3 An excellent overview of the ecological setting, waterbird biology and habitat management of the Great Salt Lake and the surrounding wetlands is provided in Avian Ecology of Great Salt Lake by Tom Aldrich and Don Paul in Great Salt Lake: An Overview of Change. (Edited by J. Wallace Gwynn, Ph.D., Special Publication of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 2002.) The article states that, Within the GSL basin there are essentially four water regions with differing ecologies. These regions are Bear River Bay, Farmington Bay, the Gilbert Bay (southern arm) and Gunnison Bay (north arm).... The major differences between these regions is salinity, although there are other features that play roles in defining their ecological peculiarities. The Utah IBA Technical Team chose to split Gilbert Bay into two IBA nominations Gilbert Bay and Ogden Bay. This was done for the following reasons: 1. Gilbert Bay is a very large area; 2. Ogden Bay while not diked off from the rest of Gilbert Bay is an easily definable area; 3. Gilbert Bay has limited freshwater inflows and adjoining wetland areas as compared to Ogden Bay; 4. The bird usage of Ogden Bay and its surrounding wetlands is in many cases quite different from Gilbert Bay; 5. The Utah State Legislature has provided for management authority of Ogden Bay by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources while only the southern part of Gilbert Bay has been given this possibility; and, 6. The brine shrimp industry is allowed to harvest in Gilbert Bay, but not in Ogden Bay. The following description in the article by Tom Aldrich and Don Paul is however generally applicable to the area defined as Gilbert Bay for the purposes of this IBA nomination: Gilbert Bay (south arm) of GSL is the largest reach of water on the lake, with a salinity of 100 to 140 ppt at 4,200 feet (1, m) above sea level. At this salinity the lake s chemical and biological properties eliminate most in-lake predatory influences (predatory macroinvertebrates, fish, etc.) on the obligate halophiles (for example, brine shrimp and brine flies). These macroinvertebrates flourish under ideal conditions (especially at salinities in excess of 120 ppt) producing millions of pounds of potential protein for birds that have special behaviors or adaptations to exploit this food source. The lake can be unusually productive; during one study, the average production of brine fly biomass was 7.9 g/square meter (Collins, 1980). During some harvest seasons, the brine shrimp industry removes more than 13.9 million pounds (6.3 million kg) of brine shrimp cysts and detritus from Gilbert Bay (south arm) Gilbert Bay. The Gilbert Bay or South Arm IBA nomination includes 12 survey areas, 589,649 acres. Landowners included in the nomination are: Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands), Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation (for Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve), National Audubon Society, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, and Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation. Survey data show 5 bird species having over 1% of their world s population at Gilbert Bay. Highest five bird species counts in area: Ogden Bay Eared Grebe 778,260 Wilson s Phalarope 458,553 California Gull 70,501 Franklin s Gull 47,519 American Avocet 33,191 The description above applies to the western section of Ogden Bay. But on the eastern section. The Weber and Ogden Rivers provide roughly 14% of the total water quantity for Great Salt Lake. (This includes precipitation and subsurface flows.) The Weber and Ogden Rivers provide water for Ogden Bay WMA. Other smaller streams enter Ogden Bay as well. This IBA includes

4 wetlands and associated upland areas as well as riparian areas that are part of Howard Slough and Ogden Bay Wildlife Management Areas as well the shoreline and sovereign lands of Ogden Bay. The Ogden Bay IBA nomination includes 8 survey areas and 63,148 acres. Landowners included in the nomination are Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation. Survey data show 13 bird species having over 1% of their world s population at Ogden Bay. Highest five bird species counts in area: Eared Grebe 681,890 Wilson s Phalarope 335,051 Franklin s Gull 59,041 California Gull 49,722 American Avocet 33,191 Bear River Bay An excellent overview of the ecological setting, waterbird biology and habitat management of the Great Salt Lake and the surrounding wetlands is provided in Avian Ecology of Great Salt Lake by Tom Aldrich and Don Paul in Great Salt Lake: An Overview of Change. ( Edited by J. Wallace Gwynn, Ph.D., Bear River Bay is the freshest region and receives the largest volume of riverine inflow. Its near-surface salinity is similar to that of the Bear River. This system is bounded on the north and east by state, federal, and private wetlands; on the south by industry; and to the west by the Promontory Mountains. This bay is fresh enough to support a community of submergent hydrophytes including sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) and widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima). There are significant islands of emergent wetlands here, especially in the east part of the bay in the Willlard Spur.... An ecological element of vital importance to pisciverus birds in this area is the fishery that persists when the lake elevation is higher than 4,200 feet (1,280.2 m) above sea level. The avian community at Willard Spur is exceptionally complex. With its species richness, diversity and overall abundance, this area continually provides one of the most magnificent displays of bird life on the lake. Although the smallest region on the lake, it makes an exceptional contribution to the lake s avian population. The Bear River Bay IBA nomination includes survey areas and 142,268 acres. Landowners included in the nomination are Utah State Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Bear River Club and Marsh Holders Inc. Survey data show 19 bird species having over 1% of their world s population at Bear River Bay. Highest ten bird species counts in area. Note: used top ten for this area because the tenth bird listed (White-faced Ibis at 57,615 birds in one survey count) is higher than the highest fifth bird in the other four bays, (which was American Avocet in Ogden Bay at 37,159.) Green-winged Teal 200,818 Western Sandpiper 190,000 Mallard 151,814 Wilson s Phalarope 136,305

5 Gadwall 134,002 Northern Pintail 104,644 American Avocet 89,395 Northern Shoveler 76,363 American Coot 63,012 White-faced Ibis 57,615 Gunnison Bay In Avian Ecology of Great Salt Lake by Tom Aldrich and Don Paul in Great Salt Lake: An Overview of Change. (Edited by J. Wallace Gwynn, Ph.D., Special Publication of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 2002.) The following description of Gunnison Bay is from this article: Gunnison Bay is the second largest expanse of open water. The north arm is bounded by salt playas and the Locomotive Springs WMA on the north; by the Promontory Mountains on the east; by the Hogup Mountains on the west; and by the Southern Pacific Railroad causeway on the south. It is also the most remote and xeric region of the lake and, perhaps more importantly, the most saline. Salinity ranges between 240 and 280 ppt. Gilbert Bay is presently a hypersaline system dominated by halophytic bacteria; it is too salty for brine shrimp and brine flies to persist. Currently, it appears to be a salt trap with possibly 3 to 5 vertical feet (1 to 1.5 meters) of salt precipitate on the lake floor. It possesses several minor wetlands that function to support small populations of unique birds. Gunnison Island has provided a nesting habitat for an impressive number of American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and California gulls (Larus californicus) before, and since settlement of the area by Anglo-Americans. For birds choosing to nest on this remote island, the tradeoff is a predator-free nesting environment for marathon flights to forage and gather food for young. The Gunnison Bay IBA nomination includes 3 survey areas and 23,053 acres. Landowners included in the nomination are: Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Bureau of Land Management. Survey data show 2 bird species having over 1% of their world s population at Gunnison Bay. The first two bird species counts below are from Fremont Island. The other three counts are from Locomotive Springs and Salt Wells Flat. Highest five bird species counts in area: American White Pelican 24,154 California Gull 23,318 American Avocet 439 Snowy Plover 377 Black-necked Stilt 185 Cutler Marsh Amagla Barrens Cutler Marsh - Amalga Barrens area is within the Great Salt Lake watershed. It can be viewed as a higher elevation extension of the freshwater marshes, riparian areas, playas and mudflats of the nearby Great Salt Lake. For example, the American White Pelicans that feed at Cutler Reservoir nest at Gunnison Island, located on Great Salt Lake s Gunnison Bay.

6 The IBA includes approximately 10,000 acres. Landowners at this point in time include: Utah Power, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Bridgerland Audubon Society and Utah State Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (for sovereign lands). The area qualifies as an IBA based upon use by American White Pelicans, which is a state sensitive species. The area also qualifies based upon use by American Avocets and Blacknecked Stilts, which are Partners in Flight Piroity species. And it also qualifies based upon use as a congregatory site for wading birds such as White-faced Ibis and Great Blue Herons. Survey data show the following. White-faced Ibis 375 Franklin s Gull 275 American White Pelican 200 White-faced Ibis 125 American Avocet 150 Black-necked Stilt 60 Great Blue Heron 30 Upper Strawberry Watershed The Upper Strawberry Watershed provides a wide variety of valuable habitat for birds including Shrubsteppe, Sub-Alpine Conifer, Aspen, Mountain Riparian and Open Water. The Upper Strawberry Watershed qualifies as an Important Bird Area due its use by over 100 Greater Sage-grouse, 200 American White Pelican, and over 10 American Three-toed Woodpecker. These three birds are classified as Species of Concern by the State of Utah. Also because of the wide variety of non-forested and forested habitat types, a wide variety of migratory land birds are known to nest or regularly occur in the Upper Strawberry Watershed, including Partner s in Flight Priority species of Brewer s Sparrow, and Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Finally, according to survey data the reservoir also provides significant habitat for 100 Clark s and 1,200 Western Grebes as well as 60 Caspian Terns. The acreage included in the nomination is 125,880 acres and is located in Wasatch County. The primary landowner included in the nomination is the Uinta National Forest, with some land owned by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources also included in the nomination. A good contact for additional information regarding this IBA is: Jeffrey Waters, Heber Ranger District, Uinta National Forest, 2460 South Hwy. 40, P.O. Box 190, Heber City, UT (435) (Office) Lytle Preserve Lytle Preserve is situated astride the Beaver Dam Wash, approximately eight miles north of the Utah/Arizona border and two miles east of the Utah/Nevada border. It is situated within the northeastern most portion of the Mojave Desert physiographic region in Washington County. The land slopes towards and eventually drains into the Virgin River and hence into the Colorado River and Lake Mead. The dominant feature of the Preserve is the Desert Riparian Woodlands along the Beaver Dam Wash, a stream which flows year round. Dominated by Fremont Cottonwoods, this vegetation represents an important migration corridor through the desert. Some neotropical migrants nest here as well. It is one of the most unique habitats in the state in

7 terms of Mojavian Desert species. Specific species such as the Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia var.) is not found anywhere else in the state. The area qualifies as an IBA based upon survey data showing up to 100 Gamble s Quail, 15 pair of Lucy s Warbler and six pair of Bell s Vireo, which are all Utah Partner s in Flight Priority Species. Over 200 bird species have been recorded on the preserve. The Birds of Lytle Ranch Preserve Field Checklist was compiled by Merrill Webb, February The area includes approximately 700 acres. The Preserve is owned and operated by Brigham Young University as a research and educational facility. For additional information contact Ken Packer at the Monte L Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Information on the IBA five sites announced in 2003 Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge was established in It consists of 17,992 acres and is located in Juab County. From Tooele, drive south for 25 miles on UT-36, then follow the Pony Express Trail signs for 75 miles to the refuge. Refuge habitats include salt grass uplands, desert shrub, mudflats and spring fed saline marsh impoundments. The refuge provides 10,000 acres of critical wetlands. Fish Springs NWR qualifies as an Important Bird Area because of the valuable wetlands, playas and other habitat types on the refuge. Fish Springs NWR is the only significant wetland in over 50 miles and it serves as a vital stopping point for migrant birds. Survey data show that Fish Springs has significant waterfowl populations including counts of over 7,000 Northern Pintail, over 5,800 American Wigeon, over 2,800 Redhead and over 1,200 Canada Geese. Fish Springs also has large numbers of shorebird use such as 500 White-faced Ibis and 170 Snowy Plover. Furthermore, Fish Springs has recorded high numbers of songbird use such as 200 Yellow Warblers and 116 Yellow-rumped Warblers. For further information please contact Jay Banta, Refuge Manager, or Jim Graham, Refuge Operations Specialist, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge Ouray National Wildlife Refuge was established in It consists of 11,987 acres and is located in Uintah County. The Refuge is 27 miles southwest of Vernal on Highway 88. The refuge includes approximately 19 square miles of bottomlands and river surface in six naturally occurring bottoms along the shallowly entrenched Green River. The current management emphasis of the refuge is given to the riparian habitat and to function more as a migrational stop-over for migratory birds. The major habitat types on the refuge include lowland riparian, wetlands, shrubsteppe, high desert scrub, water and grassland. Ouray NWR is considered to have the most significant single stand of riparian cottonwood on the entire Green River and perhaps the entire Colorado River drainage.

8 Specific bird surveys provide lots of data including the following numbers: migrating Canada geese 3,000 in 2001; mallards 10,000 on Green River in December 2,000; bald eagles seen at a time in the past couple of years; and, American white pelicans peaking at 1,400 in mid-september to mid-november. For further information please contact Dan Alonzo, Project Leader or Diane Penttila, Biologist, Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch is private land, owned by Farm Management Company of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It consists of 200,000 acres and is located in Rich County. Public access is through fee-guided tours only, arranged through Westwings birding company of SLC, UT. (Contact westwings@sisna.com or WILD.) Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch qualifies as an IBA because of the valuable and diverse habitats on the Ranch. The eastern half of the ranch includes sagebrush-steppe, grassland, riparian, wetland, lakes, ponds, rock and juniper habitats. It is flat to rolling topography. The western half of the ranch includes mountain sagebrush, mountain shrub, aspen, mixed aspen conifer, mixed conifer, subalpine fir and mountain riparian habitats. It is mountainous. The diverse habitats result in over 260 bird species being found at Deseret Land and Livestock. The following are a few examples from survey data of the significant bird usage: more than 2,000 Sage Grouse, more than 2,000 waterfowl, more than 7,000 Canada Geese, 20 breeding pair of Long-billed Curlew, 50 breeding pair of Franklin s Gulls, 30 breeding pair of Burrowing Owl, 100 breeding pair of Virginia s Warbler and 50 breeding pair of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. For further information please contact: Rick Danvir, Wildlife Manager, Fremont River within Capitol Reef National Park The Fremont River, Capitol Reef National Park IBA site consists of 14 miles of riparian habitat for a total of 3,230 acres within the Park. It is located in Wayne County, 12 miles east of Torrey on State Route 24. The Fremont River is a lush oasis of abundant flora and fuana in an otherwise arid landscape of desert scrub and slickrock. As such it is extremely important to resident birds within the riparian area and from surrounding xeric habitats. Migrants depend on the river system as a stopover site to rest and feed before continuing their journey. There have been a recorded 165 bird species that use this area. Survey data show that Fremont River within Capitol Reef National Park has significant populations of birds including estimates of 1,000 Blue Grosbeak, 1,000 Virginia s Warbler, 1,000 Brewer s Sparrow, 1,000 Blackthroated Grey Warbler, 200 Broad-tailed Hummingbird and 50 Lewis Woodpecker. For further information please contact Tom Clark, Chief of Resource Management and Science, Ext. 144.

9 Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area. Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area is owned and managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. It was purchased in the 1930 s. It consists of 6,190 acres and is located in Millard County. Follow US50/6 west out of Delta for about 5 miles to SR Go south on S- 257 for 16 miles to gravel county road, which is marked with a sign to Clear Lake. Go east on county road for 7 miles. Refuge habitats include wetland/marsh, open water areas, uplands and some cultivated food plots. The water supply comes from springs located on the east side of the wetlands. Most of the Waterfowl Management Area is closed to public access March 1 to July 31 to protect nesting and breeding birds. Clear Lake is the 7 th largest (out of 25) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) waterfowl management areas. It is the largest waterfowl DWR management area not in close proximity to the Great Salt Lake. Survey data show that Clear Lake has significant waterfowl populations including counts of 6,000 Northern Pintail, 4,000 Redhead, 6658 Mallard, 2,472 Green-winged Teal and 2,210 American Wigeon. It also has large numbers of shorebird use including 1,900 American Avocet and 210 Black-necked Stilts. For further information please contact Lynn Zubeck, Manager for Clear Lake at , or Tom Aldrich, Waterfowl Coordinator at