2011 Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, and Outreach Report for the Lower Platte River, Nebraska

Authors

Mary Bomberger Brown, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska at LincolnFollow
Joel G. Jorgensen, Nongame Bird Program, Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionFollow
Lauren R. Dinan, Nongame Bird Program, Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2011

Citation

Brown, M.B., J.G. Jorgensen, and L.R. Dinan. 2011. 2011 Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, and Outreach Report for the Lower Platte River, Nebraska. Joint report of the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the Nongame Bird Program, Wildlife Division, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE.

Comments

Copyright © 2011 Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen, and Lauren R. Dinan. Used by permission.

Abstract

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2011). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results.

The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources, and the Nongame Bird Program (NBP), based at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), work cooperatively on Interior Least Tern and Piping Plover monitoring, research, management, and outreach in Nebraska. While the focus of our work is the Lower Platte, Loup, and Elkhorn rivers in the eastern part of the state, we address tern and plover issues across the state and region. Our joint program includes terns and plovers nesting in on-river habitats (midstream river sandbars) and in off-river human-created habitats (sand and gravel mines and lakeshore housing developments). The TPCP leads our efforts at off-river habitats; the NBP leads our efforts at on-river habitats.

The report is divided into five sections:

1. Introduction—describes the project area and summarizes conditions encountered during the 2011 field season.

2. Monitoring—describes the data we collect every year for basic demographic analysis and includes the number of nests, adults, eggs, chicks, and fledglings found in the focus area. These data are collected and summarized in a form that allows comparison across the range of each species.

3. Research—describes our research objectives, data collection, and data analyses.

4. Management—describes our actions to protect Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers and their nests from interference.

5. Outreach—describes our efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers and to promote environmental literacy.