Platte River Management Joint Study Final Report

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? 28 migrating whooping cranes (Lingle 1987, USFW5 1986, Faanes and Johnson, in press). Thirteen instarices of knowri whooping crane mortality through 1985 resulted from col-lisions with power lines (USFWS 1986). Five of the 13 collisions involved birds in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock.. None of the mortality occurred on the Platte River. Power lines located near whooping crane roost sites and those bisecting the flight lanes between roosts and feeding areas are of major concern (Faanes 1987, Faanes and Johnson, in press). In the Big Bend reach of the Platte River, there are numerous power lines and telephoize lines crossing the river and adjacent to the channel. . Shootingis a known source of whooping crane mortality. Lingle (1987) reported that one of six known instances of mortality among whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo',flock during 1965-1984 was the result of gunshot wounds. This mortality occurred on the winter grounds. Various State and Federal resource agencies have developed a cooperative contingency plan that provides for the- protection of whooping cranes including area closures during the waterfowl hunting season (USFWS 19$6). In Nebraska, the 5ervice and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provide further protection through nearly continuous surveillance of whooping cranes during the day. Disease - Waterfowl mortality from avian cholera in the Rainwater Basin and Platte River has accurred almost annually since 1975, and has resulted in the death of an estimated 200,000 ducks and geese (NGPC, unpubl data) based on 83,344 dead birds actually recovered in the field.. The most severe outbreak-occurred in 1980 when an estimated 90,000 dead birds were recorded (NGPC, unpubl. data). Estimations are based on the professional judgment of current c.onditions at each affected wetland including the difficulty in recovering dead birds '(R. Gersib, pers. comm.). USFWS (1981) reported that avian cholera is now established in the waterfowl and American crow ( rvu brachvrhvnchos) populations which use the Platte River and Rainwater Basin. Experience with avian cholera in waterfowl elsewhere (Jensen and Williams 1964, Korschgen et al. 1978, Locke et al. 1970) indicates that after a pattern of outbreaks has been. established, the disease can be expected to recur. Kauffeld (1987). and others have established the susceptibility of sandhill cranes to avian Cholera. Two instances-(1977 and 1981) of mortality among sandhill cranes from avian cholera were reported from the Platte River by Windingstad (1988); a third instance was confirmed during March 1988 (C.A. Faanes, unpubl. data). Snyder et al. (1987) :reported the first confirmed mortality from avian cholera :infection among whooping crane's. This mortality occurred in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. There have been no known instances of mortality among whooping cranes from avian cholera in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock. The presence of the disease among waterfowl suggests indicates