PRRIP Adaptive Management Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

coordinate their water projects through the ED and EA Manager, as appropriate, to facilitate monitoring and research. I.D. National Academies of Science Review At the request of the Cooperative Agreement Governance Committee, the DOI funded an 18- month review by the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) of the science related to the target species use of the Platte River, the FWS criteria for suitable habitat and target river flows, and the science related to the geomorphology of the river. The findings and recommendations of the NRC independent peer review (NRC 2005) were considered in the development of this plan and will be one of many sources of information considered in the implementation of adaptive management. Overall, most recommendations related to monitoring and research contained in the NRC review were already in, or have been, incorporated into the Program's monitoring and research. For example, the NRC recommended that issues regarding other species of concern be considered in the Platte River area. The monitoring and research effort was modified to include additional effort for monitoring other species (i.e., species in addition to the target species). Additional funds and efforts have also been added to the monitoring and research budget to monitor water quality on Program lands. While most items identified by the NRC are addressed, there remain a few items that the NRC identified as important considerations that have not been incorporated directly in to the AMP. These issues include: 1) Monitoring throughout geographic area of the target species' range using radio telemetry or banding, 2) Contribution of contaminants to current rate of least tern and piping plover mortality, 3) Monitoring of direct human influence (e.g., harvest of wild fish) for pallid sturgeon, 4) Determine the role of the Platte River in recovery of the pallid sturgeon, and 5) Impacts of long-term climatic influences. While the Governance Committee and others may agree that these items are important aspects related to the target species, they have not been included in the Program because they were outside the scope of the Program, budgetary priorities, policy decisions, addressed by other groups, and other reasons. The Governance Committee may choose to participate with other groups on these issues in the future. Although, with respect to item 5, the Program will monitor year to year changes in weather, as these are important covariates in determining year-to-year fluctuations in monitoring and research results. I.E. Scale of Platte River Adaptive Management While the Program is designed to provide ESA compliance for existing and certain new water related activities throughout the Platte River basin upstream of the Loup River confluence, the land acquisition and management for the target bird species will occur in the central Platte River region (Lexington to Chapman, Nebraska), and Program water activities would be designed to provide benefits for the target bird species in the central Platte River region with subsequent benefits to the pallid sturgeon in the lower Platte River region (below the confluence with the September 1, 2006 Adaptive Management Plan