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parts of the study area visible from the accessible roads. Rotating observers through the routes <br />will minimize observer biases. <br />The survey routes will consist of ten to twenty mile sections of road with each route selected <br />randomly from the possible routes. Two survey routes will be selected in each bridge segment, <br />one route on each side of the river. The routes will be defined by starting on the West side of the <br />bridge segment (on the bridge road) and traversing through the segment to the road bounding the <br />bridge segment on the East. The route traveled will be determined using a random number <br />generator and a set of decision rules. <br />Route selection will occur by selecting the starting road randomly from each possible road <br />leading into the segment from the bridge road. If there are three roads leading East from the <br />bridge segment road, each road will be labeled from 1 to 3 and a random selection form 1 to 3 <br />will determine which road to start on. Selection of the route will start on the West side but the <br />survey of the route should alternate the direction of survey. The route will follow along the <br />starting road until an intersection is reached. At each intersection a random direction will be <br />choosen to continue the route with the following guidelines: 1) The survey route can not leave <br />the study area, 2) the survey route can not go West, 3) the survey route can not go down dead <br />ends less than 0.5 mile, and 4) the survey can not continue on 1 road for more than 2 miles. Each <br />survey route will be one realization of the many routes that could be selected using this method. <br />By applying consistent methodology, the probability of crane detection should not change over <br />time for a segment. Each segment will have a different probability of detection depending on the <br />landscape. The probability of detection for a segment will be estimated using the observations of <br />whooping cranes along the segment. The probability of detection for a segment could be <br />estimated using observations of decoys or another species that are more abundant and are <br />detected at the same rate. <br />The ground survey design has several assumptions. We are assuming the crane groups are not <br />attracted or repelled by roads, i.e. roads do not bias the observation. We are also assuming that <br />the index of whooping crane use of the study area is proportional to true population use. <br />Survey Detection Rates <br />Whooping crane decoys and actual whooping cranes will be used to document the accuracy of <br />whooping crane detection from the aerial survey. Crane decoys will be placed throughout the <br />study area by cooperators and the detection by the survey crew will be recorded when it is <br />known the crew surveyed in the vicinity of the decoy. This information will be used to estimate <br />detection probabilities for the ground survey routes. <br />X B.2 Confirming Whooping Crane Sightings <br />The confirmation of whooping crane sightings is designed to minimize the transfer of erroneous <br />sighting information to the USFWS. The volunteer coordinator will facilitate a screening <br />process and provide reliable sighting information to USFWS. <br />IILB.3 Tracking Whooping Crane Movement <br />March 12, 2001 <br />Draft Protocol 3 <br />