Endangered species: Protection helps life thrive
By Dolly A. ButzJournal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, May 25, 2008
Construction continues on a sandbar being created in the Missouri River near the Highway 19 bridge south of vermillion South Dakota. The sandbar is one of several that have been created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide habitat for the least turn and the piping plover. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
SIOUX CITY -- The piping plover and least interior tern, two birds protected by the Endangered Species Act, are thriving at Ponca State Park in Ponca, Neb., three years after the completion of a habitat restoration project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the project in 2004 using dredged sandy material from the backwaters to create a sandbar habitat for the birds. The conversion of the Missouri River from a slow moving river, to a fast moving river through the building of dams and channelization, has significantly eroded away the sandbars over the years.
The piping plover and least interior tern started nesting on the island before construction ended in 2005, according to Mike George, Missouri River Recreation project manager.
"We took the opportunity to use that old sediment to create these islands, not sure whether the birds would use them or not," he said. "It just created a brand new island as far as the birds were concerned."
The restoration of the birds' sandy habitat was a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Ponca State Park Habitat Restoration Project had been on the table for several years as a cost share, according to George, but he said the project would not have been possible without funding from the federal government.
"The endangered species, the terns and plovers, we receive funding for them, so we were actually able to do the project at 100 percent federal cost," he said. "That's what really benefitted the birds."
Last week the U.S. Department of Interior announced that the polar bear would become the latest animal to be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. The decision was due to the bears melting sea-ice habitat.
Placing a species on the endangered or threatened list takes time and research. In Iowa and the tri-state region, despite the removal of the Bald Eagle, that list isn't exactly shrinking.
What's does endangered mean?
There are state and federal lists of endangered and threatened species. State lists include federal endangered and threatened species, as well as any species that might be rare in a particular state.
An endangered species is any species of fish, plant life or wildlife which is in danger of extinction because of its dwindling population or changing environment. A threatened species is one that could become endangered in the near future.
The pallid sturgeon and Topeka shiner, both federally listed as endangered, can both be found in Siouxland in addition to the piping plover and least interior tern.
Daryl Howell, a zoologist for the Iowa DNR, said Iowa's transformation from a prairie state to an agriculture state has been a contributing factor in the decline of some species in the state.
"We're looking at species that were common or should be in Iowa, that have maybe declined because of habitat loss," Howell said.
Listing a long process
Jody Millar, assistant supervisor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rock Island, Ill., Ecological Field Office, which also serves Iowa, said listing a species as threatened or endangered is a "science-intensive and public-intensive process." If data shows that a particular species has approached the threshold of being in danger of extinction, a listing is proposed, according to Millar.
"It's a public involvement process where data is shared and put before the public, and a decision is made whether or not an animal or plant qualifies as an endangered species," she said.
Millar said both adding a new species to the list or taking one off can take a year or more.
Howell said the Topeka shiner was the last species that lives in Northwest Iowa to be classified as endangered. The fish was added to the federal list in 1998, allowing the state to receive federal funds to protect its habitat.
"We were able to get some federal funds to do some habitat restoration on some streams in West Central Iowa," Howell said.
The bald eagle is the most recent species to lose its endangered status. It was removed from the federal list on August 9, 2007.
In 1996 Iowa had 54 active bald eagle nests in 20 counties. That number has increased over the past decade, according to the DNR. In 2006, 77 of Iowa's 99 counties possessed bald eagle nests.
Howell said bald eagle nests were last reported in Woodbury County in the late 1990s and Plymouth County in 2003.
When the state had very few bald eagles, Howell said the state purchased land where they were nesting. He said educating the public was also key in preserving the species.
"A lot of it was just the education because there were still some birds being shot," he said. "The other was just trying to work with the land owners to ensure that they understood the importance of the species being on their property."
Piping plover
Habitat: Due to the loss of habitat along the Missouri River, piping plover nests are limited to two locations -- Iowa Public Service site near Sioux City and Mid-American power plant fly-ash site in Council Bluffs.
Threats: Conversion of the Missouri River from a slow moving river to a fast moving river, disturbance of nesting areas during nesting season (May through early August), changes in nesting grounds.
Pallid sturgeon
Habitat: Large rivers with rocky or sandy bottoms.
Threats: Modification of river habitat through dam construction and development of commercial navigation.
Topeka shiner
Habitat: Upper Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers with a few scattered populations in the northwest and east-central streams. Found in areas with sandy bottoms.
Threats: Siltation, impoundments on small streams.
Least interior tern
Habitat: Nests on sandbars and barren areas along rivers. Two nests are located near Sioux City and Council Bluffs.
Threats: The loss of nesting habitat along rivers due to construction of reservoirs.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the project in 2004 using dredged sandy material from the backwaters to create a sandbar habitat for the birds. The conversion of the Missouri River from a slow moving river, to a fast moving river through the building of dams and channelization, has significantly eroded away the sandbars over the years.
The piping plover and least interior tern started nesting on the island before construction ended in 2005, according to Mike George, Missouri River Recreation project manager.
"We took the opportunity to use that old sediment to create these islands, not sure whether the birds would use them or not," he said. "It just created a brand new island as far as the birds were concerned."
The restoration of the birds' sandy habitat was a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Ponca State Park Habitat Restoration Project had been on the table for several years as a cost share, according to George, but he said the project would not have been possible without funding from the federal government.
"The endangered species, the terns and plovers, we receive funding for them, so we were actually able to do the project at 100 percent federal cost," he said. "That's what really benefitted the birds."
Last week the U.S. Department of Interior announced that the polar bear would become the latest animal to be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. The decision was due to the bears melting sea-ice habitat.
Placing a species on the endangered or threatened list takes time and research. In Iowa and the tri-state region, despite the removal of the Bald Eagle, that list isn't exactly shrinking.
What's does endangered mean?
There are state and federal lists of endangered and threatened species. State lists include federal endangered and threatened species, as well as any species that might be rare in a particular state.
An endangered species is any species of fish, plant life or wildlife which is in danger of extinction because of its dwindling population or changing environment. A threatened species is one that could become endangered in the near future.
The pallid sturgeon and Topeka shiner, both federally listed as endangered, can both be found in Siouxland in addition to the piping plover and least interior tern.
Daryl Howell, a zoologist for the Iowa DNR, said Iowa's transformation from a prairie state to an agriculture state has been a contributing factor in the decline of some species in the state.
"We're looking at species that were common or should be in Iowa, that have maybe declined because of habitat loss," Howell said.
Listing a long process
Jody Millar, assistant supervisor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rock Island, Ill., Ecological Field Office, which also serves Iowa, said listing a species as threatened or endangered is a "science-intensive and public-intensive process." If data shows that a particular species has approached the threshold of being in danger of extinction, a listing is proposed, according to Millar.
"It's a public involvement process where data is shared and put before the public, and a decision is made whether or not an animal or plant qualifies as an endangered species," she said.
Millar said both adding a new species to the list or taking one off can take a year or more.
Howell said the Topeka shiner was the last species that lives in Northwest Iowa to be classified as endangered. The fish was added to the federal list in 1998, allowing the state to receive federal funds to protect its habitat.
"We were able to get some federal funds to do some habitat restoration on some streams in West Central Iowa," Howell said.
The bald eagle is the most recent species to lose its endangered status. It was removed from the federal list on August 9, 2007.
In 1996 Iowa had 54 active bald eagle nests in 20 counties. That number has increased over the past decade, according to the DNR. In 2006, 77 of Iowa's 99 counties possessed bald eagle nests.
Howell said bald eagle nests were last reported in Woodbury County in the late 1990s and Plymouth County in 2003.
When the state had very few bald eagles, Howell said the state purchased land where they were nesting. He said educating the public was also key in preserving the species.
"A lot of it was just the education because there were still some birds being shot," he said. "The other was just trying to work with the land owners to ensure that they understood the importance of the species being on their property."
Piping plover
Habitat: Due to the loss of habitat along the Missouri River, piping plover nests are limited to two locations -- Iowa Public Service site near Sioux City and Mid-American power plant fly-ash site in Council Bluffs.
Threats: Conversion of the Missouri River from a slow moving river to a fast moving river, disturbance of nesting areas during nesting season (May through early August), changes in nesting grounds.
Pallid sturgeon
Habitat: Large rivers with rocky or sandy bottoms.
Threats: Modification of river habitat through dam construction and development of commercial navigation.
Topeka shiner
Habitat: Upper Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers with a few scattered populations in the northwest and east-central streams. Found in areas with sandy bottoms.
Threats: Siltation, impoundments on small streams.
Least interior tern
Habitat: Nests on sandbars and barren areas along rivers. Two nests are located near Sioux City and Council Bluffs.
Threats: The loss of nesting habitat along rivers due to construction of reservoirs.
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jus a start wrote on May 28, 2008 12:45 PM:
hyperion goes in then no more bald eagles etc in the area and who knows what else disappears. "
Shawn wrote on May 25, 2008 7:05 AM: