Site Name: Cape Lisburne
Status: Identified State: Alaska
Priority: Global Country: US
Criteria Proposed:
Criteria Confirmed: A4ii, B4i, B4ii, D3, D4ii, D4iii, D4vi, D5 		County:
North Slope
 
Latitude: 68.66667
Longitude: -166.25
 Area (ha): 13065.0 Elevation (m):
Min 0.0  Max 200.0  Avg 0.0
 
Bird Conservation Region:
Arctic Plains and Mountains 		Endemic Bird Area:
 
Site Description:
Cape Lisburne is situated on the northwestern coast of Alaska, about 40 km northeast of Point Hope. Nesting habitat for cliff-nesting seabirds consists of about 7 km of precipitous, near-continuous sedimentary limestone and shale sea-cliffs, beginning about 1 km south of Kay Creek and ending 1.6 km west of the Cape Lisburne USAF Long Range Radar Site (LRRS) runway. The cliffs range from about 15 to 200 m high.

The information presented here is a revision, based on the original IBA nomination by Olga Romanenko (Audubon Alaska) and G. Vernon Byrd (AMNWR).

 
Ornithological Significance:
Cape Lisburne is one of only two major seabird colonies on the east coast of the Chukchi Sea (the other is the Cape Thompson area, approximately 85 km to the south). The total seabird population is on the order of 500,000 birds, primarily Thick-billed Murres, Common Murres, and Black-legged Kittiwakes.

The site is a complex of eight neighboring cliff colonies, the largest of which is the cliffs at Cape Lisburne itself; the neighboring colonies on cliffs to the south support fewer birds. Whole-colony counts of the area have not been done since the earliest surveys in 1976 and 1977, making estimation of current population size problematic. This remote, high-latitude colony is very difficult to census, and the USF&WS has focused on tracking population trends by repeatedly counting representative plots. Populations reported are best estimates based on the original whole-colony size estimate from 1976 and 1977, population trend data from plot counts from 1976 to 2007, and personal observations of the site over the same 30-year period.

A conservative best estimate for the current murre population is 450,000 individuals; of these, 70% are Thick-billed Murres and 30% are Common Murres. Thus, this site currently supports an estimated 315,000 Thick-billed Murres and 135,000 Common Murres. A best estimate for the Black-legged Kittiwake population is 30,000 individuals.

 
Criteria:
 
Species Data and Criteria :
Common Name Date Seasonal/ Daily Season # Observed Density (#/km2) Units Proposed Criteria Confirmed Criteria
Pelagic Cormorant 1978 breeding  238    Unknown     
Glaucous Gull 1978 breeding  168    Unknown     
Black-legged Kittiwake 2007 S breeding  30000    Individuals    B4i - >1% flyway/subsp. waterbird pop. simultaneously; 5% over season
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., unpubl. data. 2007. Roseneau, D.G., M.F. Chance, P.F. Chance, and G.V. Byrd. 2000. Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development on the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies, 1995-1997. Final report by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, Alaska, to the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Regional Office, Seattle, Washington (USGS Study USGS/BRD/CR-1999-0002 and OCS Study 99-0011). 147 pp. 
1992 D breeding  30000    Adults only  B4i - >1% flyway/subsp. waterbird pop. simultaneously; 5% over season
  
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., Chance, M.F., Chance, P. & Byrd, V. (2000) Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development in the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies 1995-1997. Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK. 147 pp. (MMS 99-0011) 
1978 breeding  18100    Unknown     
Common Murre 2007 S breeding  135000    Individuals    B4ii - > 1% N.A. pop. seabirds/terrestrial sp. simultaneously; 5% over season
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., unpubl. data. 2007. Roseneau, D.G., M.F. Chance, P.F. Chance, and G.V. Byrd. 2000. Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development on the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies, 1995-1997. Final report by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, Alaska, to the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Regional Office, Seattle, Washington (USGS Study USGS/BRD/CR-1999-0002 and OCS Study 99-0011). 147 pp. 
1992 D breeding  150000    Individuals  B4ii - > 1% N.A. pop. seabirds/terrestrial sp. simultaneously; 5% over season
  
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., Chance, M.F., Chance, P. & Byrd, V. (2000) Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development in the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies 1995-1997. Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK. 147 pp. (MMS 99-0011) 
1978 breeding  77500    Unknown     
Thick-billed Murre 2007 S breeding  315000    Individuals    A4ii - >1% global pop. seabirds/terrestrial sp. simultaneously; 5% over season
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., unpubl. data. 2007. Roseneau, D.G., M.F. Chance, P.F. Chance, and G.V. Byrd. 2000. Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development on the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies, 1995-1997. Final report by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, Alaska, to the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Regional Office, Seattle, Washington (USGS Study USGS/BRD/CR-1999-0002 and OCS Study 99-0011). 147 pp. 
1992 D breeding  350000    Individuals  A4ii - >1% global pop. seabirds/terrestrial sp. simultaneously; 5% over season
  
Source Text: Roseneau, D.G., Chance, M.F., Chance, P. & Byrd, V. (2000) Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development in the Alaskan continental shelf: Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson seabird studies 1995-1997. Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK. 147 pp. (MMS 99-0011) 
1978 breeding  147500    Unknown     
Black Guillemot 1978 breeding  198    Unknown     
Horned Puffin 1978 breeding  1869    Unknown     
Tufted Puffin 1978 breeding  40    Unknown     
 
Ownership
The Cape Lisburne area has complex land ownership, and the IBA area (land boundary) is currently not clearly defined. Here we present land ownership data for the coastal zone that includes the IBA site. A more precise evaluation of ownership would demand a focused effort and cooperation with USF&WS and Native corporation staff. Approximately 40% is federally owned, and is managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service as part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The Tikigaq Native Corporation owns 43%, and 17% is privately owned.
% of IBA Ownership
40.0 Federal / FWS - National Wildlife Refuge 
60.0 unset 

 
Habitat
The colony complex is on precipitous sedimentary limestone and shale cliffs, ranging from about 15 to 200 m high. Inland from the cliffs are rolling hills covered with dwarf shrub tundra; there are few tall plants, but sheltered stream canyons contain willows up to 5 m in height. The coastlines surrounding the Cape are pebble beach with occasional lagoons and marshy wetlands.

Note that categorization and percentages of habitat types presented here are estimates, and are not based on field data, remote sensing data, or other rigorous analysis of habitat types. The proposed IBA currently includes only terrestrial habitat. The marine birds that dominate this site, however, are also critically dependent on marine habitat. We aim to include a science-based delineation of essential marine habitat associated with this site in the future.

% of IBA Habitat
10.0 Barren / Bare Rock/Sand/Clay / Coastal Beach 
65.0 Barren / Bare Rock/Sand/Clay / Sea Cliffs 
10.0 Shrubland / Shrubland / Alpine Dwarf-Shrub 
10.0 Shrubland / Shrubland / Alpine Tundra 
5.0 Water / Open Water / Marine Intertidal 

 
Land Use
Land use is mainly nature conservation and research. There is some subsistence hunting and gathering of seabirds, seabird eggs, caribou, and other fauna by residents of Point Hope (40 km south of Cape Lisburne).
% of Total Use of IBA Land Use
5.0 hunting / Other 
95.0 nature conservation and research / Refuge-Wildlife Management 

 
Conservation Issues
The current and known threats to birds in the Bering and Chukchi Sea region, including Cape Lisburne, include:

*Invasive species: Shipwrecks of commercial cargo ships and other ships regularly occur and can result in the accidental introduction of non-native species. Invasive species can also be brought to islands or coasts by visiting ships (e.g. fishing, ecotourism, military, or research vessels).

*Shipping: Shipwrecks regularly occur and can result in spills of fuel oil, petrochemical cargo, or other damaging cargo, and can also result in the introduction of non-native species, such as rats.

*Climate Change: Climate change has been shown to alter food webs and is likely to change species populations and distributions; though it is important to note that this is not strictly a threat in the sense of population reduction, since some species may increase while others decline.

Specific current and known threats to birds at Cape Lisburne include:

*Potential for oil pollution from current vessel traffic supplying a small number of Alaskan coastal villages and the oil industry around Prudhoe Bay. This threat will increase if oil drilling goes ahead in the Chukchi Sea, and/or if the Bering Strait becomes a major vessel route (global warming may open ice-free shipping lanes north of Asia and North America).

Potential threats to birds across the region, including Cape Lisburne, include:

*Fishing bycatch *Fishing alteration of food webs or damaging benthic habitat *Contaminants

Level Threat
5 Invasive species / Non-native animals (other than birds) 
1 Invasive species / Non-native plants 
1 Pollution / Other 

Citation: National Audubon Society 2009. Important Bird Areas in the U.S.
Available at http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba 11/2009