Birds, BO’s and Mitigation, Joint Region Marianas

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

Native limestone forest

Crow Recovery Habitat

Mariana crow - declining population on Rota