Species Recovery Objectives for Four Target Species in the Central and Lower Platte River

• Description: Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• State: CO
• State: NE
• State: WY
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 6/26/2002
• Author: James M. Lutey, Subcontractor for URS Greiner Woodward Clyde
• Title: Species Recovery Objectives for Four Target Species in the Central and Lower Platte River ‎(Whooping Crane, Interior Least Tern, Piping Plover, Pallid Sturgeon)‎
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

biological opinion30 for the Missouri River is 1.13 chicks fledged per pair for a
3 -year running average. Also, the following current recruitment rates on the
Platte River for various habitats over the last 10 years were discussed at the
September 2000 workshop. These are summarized data only to compare
current productivity on the Platte River to recommendations in the literature.
Sand pits managed by power districts =1.54 plover chicks fledged/ nest31
(0.94 plover chicks fledged/pair)32
Unmanaged sand pits = 1.07 plover chicks fledged/nest3l
River dredged islands = 0.62 plover chicks fledged/nest3l
Lower Platte managed sand pits =1.50 plover chicks fledged/pair
33
Lower Platte unmanaged sand pits =1.04 plover chicks fledged/pair34
Lower Platte River sandbars = 0.65 plover chicks fledged/pair35
In 2000 and 2001, an index of lower Platte River productivity was generated by
using the number of pairs observed on the river during the summer airboat census,
and the number of fledglings observed on follow -up airboat surveys. The
estimated fledge rate for the river was 0.51 plover fledglings per pair in 2000 and
1.90 in 2001. The same methodology estimated 0.47 plover fledglings per pair at
sand pits along the lower Platte River in 2000 and 2.90 in 2002.36
A recent paper published in 200037, suggests previous estimates of fledging
success are too low for population stability. Baseline models conducted by
Plissner and Haig show that the five piping plover populations in the Great Lakes
and Great Plains are unlikely to persist, given current reproductive rates and
30 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri
River Main Stem Reservoir System, Operation and Maintenance of the Missouri River
Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project, and Operation of the Kansas River Reservoir
System. Submitted November 30, 2000, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6, Denver,
Colorado and Region 3, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota, to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Northwest Division, Portland, Oregon. 286 pp. + appendices.
31 Nebraska Public Power District data.
32 Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District data.
33 Nebraska Game & Parks Commission data.
34 Nebraska Game & Parks Commission data for years 1984, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1994,
1997, and 1998.
35 Nebraska Game & Parks Commission Data for years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990,
1991, 1994, and 2001.
36 Marcus, J. F., C. E. Grell, and S. L. Finkbeiner. 2000. Tern and Plover Conservation
Partnership, Year 2000 Final Report. Unpublished report submitted to the Nebraska
Game & Parks Commission. 21 pp. and data for 2001 surveys provided by Jeff Marcus to
Jim Lutey on December 4, 2001.
37 Plissner, Jonathan H. and Susan M. Haig. 2000. Viability ofpiping plover Charadrius
melodus metapopulations. Biological Conservation 92:163 -173.
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