Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring and Evaluation of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2008

• Main Author: Rees, Margaret N.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Scholarship@UNLV 2008
• Subjects: Desert Ecology; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Sciences; Life Sciences; Physical Sciences and Mathematics; Blue Point; Tadpole; peregrine falcon
• Online Access: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/pli_lake_mead_wildlife/10; https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=pli_lake_mead_wildlife

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research Translocation program initiated this quarter, egg mass collections completed, tadpole rearing underway. Egg mass surveys at Blue Point Spring conducted approximately weekly; one egg mass collected from site for headstarting. Spring nocturnal surveys in progress. Coordination for potential translocation sites on BLM lands ongoing. Habitat improvements coordinated and conducted at one new translocation site on BLM lands in the Gold Butte; site scheduled to receive frogs in April. All milestones and deliverables associated with the MSHCP project on schedule. Project 2. Bald Eagle Winter Monitoring and Evaluation Winter bald eagle count successfully completed, largest count ever (116 confirmed bald eagle sightings, not counting unidentified and golden eagles). Annual Work Plan and Detailed Timelines for the associated MSHCP projects completed; all MSHCP milestones and deliverables on schedule. Project 3. Peregrine Falcon Monitoring and Evaluation Peregrine falcon monitoring activities initiated. New call-broadcast methodology under evaluation, results promising. Work plan and detailed timelines for the associated MSHCP projects completed ahead of schedule – on schedule for all MSHCP milestones and deliverables. Project 4. Assessment of Six Covered and Three Evaluation Bird Species Work on thrasher modeling ongoing. Intensive area search plots identified for MSHCP projects. Field protocols associated with MSHCP project completed; on schedule for all MSHCP milestones and deliverables. Surveys initiated early at one intensive area site to evaluate thrasher-breeding activity. Undergraduate student hired part-time this spring to assist with intensive area surveys. Project 5. Desert Tortoise Monitoring and Management. Efforts for this project have been completed under this task agreement (as modified). Project 6. Shorebird Monitoring on Lakes Mead and Mohave Twenty-one surveys of regularly monitored sites on Lakes Mead and Mohave conducted this quarter; ...