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II. Mississippi and Ohio Rivers A. Current number of adult birds (2,200-2,500) on the Lower Mississippi River will remain stable for the next ten years. B. Essential breeding habitat (Appendix 4) will be protected, enhanced, and restored. III. Arkansas River System A. Numbers of birds on the Arkansas River system will increase to 1,600 adults. B. Essen~ia1 breeding habitat (Appendix 4) will be protected, enhanced and restored. C. The 1,600 breeding adults will be maintained in the following distribution for 10 years: Arkansas River, Arkansas - 150 adults Arkansas River, Oklahoma - 250 adults Quivira National Wildlife Refuge - 100 adults Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge - 300 adults Cimarron River Basin - 400 adults Canadian River - 300 adults Beaver/ North Canadian River - 100 adults IV. Red River System A. Number of birds in the Red River system will increase to 300 breeding adults. B. Essential Breeding habitat (Appendix 4) will be protected, enhanced and restored. C. The 300 adults will be distributed along the Prairie Dog Town" Fork where interior least terns currently occur and at other essential habitat sites yet to be determined. V. Rio Grande River System A. Current number of adult birds (500) in the Rio Grande River system will remain stable for 10 years. B. Essential breeding habitat will be protected, enhanced and restored. C. The birds will be distributed along the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers. Sten-Down Outline The step-down outline lists tasks necessary to meet the recovery objective. Steps (or tasks) are not presented in order of importance. Some steps are underway, while others may take years. before they are begun. An explanation of these Jltepsis presented in the Narrative section of this plan. Following the Narrative, the Implementation Schedule lists and sets priorities to be taken in the next three years. The step-down outline is very similar to the step-down outline in the Great LakesjNorthern Great Plains Piping Plover recovery plan (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1988a) because both species breed in the same habitat areas in the Missouri River system and require similar recovery tasks. 1. Determine current distribution and population trends of the interior least tern. 11. Assess status and distribution of breeding populations. 111. Survey sandbars, reservoir shorelines, sand and gravel'pits and other suitable habitats to determine breeding 29