Chapter 3: Description of Alternatives

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Common Features and Objectives for All Action Alternatives Table 3-2.-Summary of Non-complex Habitat Guidelines (Governance Committee Program Document: Attachment 4: Land Plan, Table 2) Sandpit Habitat for Interior Characteristics Least Terns and Piping Plovers Location Within 2 miles of a river channel, between Lexington and Chapman. Approximately 3 acres or greater of nesting substrate that may be extended to Size include a management zone surrounding the nesting area. Open expanse of bare or sparsely vegetated (QS percent) dry, sandy, or sand and Topography and soils gravel substrate. Security Sufficient control to avoid human disturbance to terns and plovers. Nonriparian Habitat Characteristics for Whooping Cranes Off-channel but within 3.5 miles of the centerline of the channel area, between Location Lexington and Chapman. Type of habitat Wetland or wet meadow areas. Wetlands Depressional wetlands with semipermanent, permanent, or seasonal shallow body(ies) of water. Wet meadows A generally level or low and undulating surface, dissected by swales and depressions. The area consists of a mosaic of wetland and upland soils and plants. Distance from disturbance In general, not less than 0.25-mile distant or appropriately screened from potential disturbance. Unobstructed view Good visibility in all directions. Security Sufficient control to avoid human disturbance to target species. LAND RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT Some of the lands acquired or managed by the Program may already approximate the habitat characteristics described in tables 3-1 and 3-2. In these cases, little restoration will be required, and management will focus on protecting and maintaining those habitat qualities, through efforts such as controlling disturbance factors, controlling weeds and other invasive plants, promoting desirable plant communities, and other measures. Where Program lands do not approximate the desired habitat qualities, efforts will be undertaken, within the resources of the Program and within the capacities of the specific lands, to restore or enhance habitat to more closely approximate the characteristics in tables 3-1 and 3-2. The "best-case scenario" would be to acquire lands that approximate or have the potential to approximate through restoration or enhancement the target habitat complex characteristics in table 3-1 or table 3-2. While "best efforts" will be taken to acquire such lands, the realities of budget, geography, and willing seller/lessor policy mean that it may be difficult to acquire contiguous lands meeting the size and physical characteristics described within the 13-year First Increment. For these and other reasons, the exact dimensions and proportions of the target habitat complex would not be required for lands to be considered habitat complexes. Habitat complexes may not have all of the types of habitat and habitat characteristics described in table 3-1 or table 3-2. Further, land ownership patterns in the Central Platte River area suggest that habitat complexes will generally be formed from lands acquired through multiple transactions over a period of time.