Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation

Description

The intent pf the award is to make a single source award is to conduct invasive plant control and botanical inventories on islands owned or managed by Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). An island botanical inventory is a comprehensive list of vascular plants that includes the relative abundance and distribution of each species. This data is essential for planning habitat management actions and useful for identifying long-term ecological changes. When conducting botanical inventories, the surveyor visits the island multiple times during the growing season, searches all habitats, records all species using Haines and Vinning 1998 nomenclature, produces an island specific field guide, and imports data into a MS Access database. This opportunity is authorized under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a-754; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661-667(e); Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S.C. 709a. Maine Coastal Islands NWR Complex¿s invasive plant control and botanical inventories carries Teddy Roosevelt¿s conservation legacy forward and help fulfills both the Refuge and Service missions of enhancing migratory bird populations. We protect and manage 8,700 acres along the Maine coast, including 70 marine islands that support nesting common eiders and over 7,000 pairs of breeding seabirds. Specifically, MCINWR supports 97% of the Arctic terns breeding in the lower 48 states, and 93% of the Atlantic puffins and 85% of the razorbills breeding in the US. Coastal areas in Maine are not only a significant site for nesting seabirds, but also the second most important region for migratory landbirds (second to the Adirondacks, Buler et al 2012). This effort also supports the Service¿s goal of maintaining and restoring the Biological Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental Health of Refuge lands. Botanical surveys document rare plants and habitats on Refuge islands and identify invasive species that may threaten their survival. Non-native invasive plants also degrade colonial seabird nesting habitat. By incorporating all known plant community data and studying the effects of new management actions, we can move the Refuge¿s goal of creating efficient and effective tools for enhancing migratory bird nesting habitat forward.

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