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1997). <br />However, within the Central Platte study area, between 1988 and 1998 (with the exception of <br />1996) most piping plovers (52 to 79 percent) nested at sand and gravel pits (Table 1 -3). <br />Alternatively, during the same period 12 to 100 percent of piping plovers nested at mining <br />sites along the, lower Platte River. Lingle (1993a) believes nesting has increased on sand and <br />gravel mining sites since 1985 and that hatching rates are much higher there than on riverine <br />sites. Unfortunately, not all sand and gravel mining sites produce fledglings, or the fledging <br />rate is low. Lackey (1994) provided management/operation guidelines for sand and gravel <br />mining operations along the Platte River that, if followed, would improve the fledging rate of <br />piping plovers nesting on sand and gravel mining sites. Spoil pile nesting habitat is normally <br />short-term due to vegetation succession or human encroachment. In any year, more suitable <br />mining sites were used along the central Platte River than the lower Platte River. As <br />discussed previously, the high usage rate of sand pit habitat may be an indication that <br />adjacent riverine habitat is limited. Numbers of piping plovers were less correlated with size <br />of the sand pits on the central than the lower reach of the Platte River. <br />The number of active mining operations, as well as the total size, areas of sand and gravel, <br />and surface areas of water at each site did not remain constant during 1988 to 1991. New <br />sand pit lakes were created (n =7), spoil piles became vegetated (n =4) or developed with <br />housing (n =1), and features of active sites changed as mining progressed. However, size of <br />the operation, amount of exposed'sand and gravel, and surface area of water were strongly <br />correlated. In a later study, it was found that sand pit sites used by piping plovers along the <br />lower Platte River had greater areas of water and were larger than unused sand pit sites (FWS <br />1997). <br />Pallid Sturgeon <br />Macrohabitat characteristics of the pallid sturgeon have only recently been described. Much <br />of the microhabitat research to date has characterized habitat where pallid sturgeon have been <br />located, which frequently represents an environment that has been substantially changed from <br />historic conditions. Most of this information has been collected for the Missouri River <br />upstream from Nebraska. However, Ed Peters of the University of Nebraska is currently <br />conducting studies to describe habitat used by the pallid sturgeon in the lower Platte River. <br />Pallid sturgeon in the Platte River may or may not occupy the same habitat as pallid sturgeon <br />inthe upper Missouri River. <br />Macrohabitat characteristices of 24 radio - tagged pallid sturgeon in the Yellowstone and <br />Missouri rivers in Montana and North Dakota were described by Bramblett (1996) as <br />follows: a) most often found in sinuous channels with islands or alluvial bars present; <br />b) straight channels or irregular meanders were rarely used; c) seral stage of islands or bars <br />was most often subclimax (i.e., young cottonwood and willow forest); d) the alluvial bar use <br />areas were most often found in the midchannel; and e) significant preference was exhibited <br />0 <br />