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Bird Conservation
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Important Bird Areas
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IDAHO'S IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS PROGRAM
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Idaho's Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program was launched in 1996 as a partnership between Idaho Partners in Flight and the Idaho Audubon Council. Since 1997, the IBA Technical Committee has encouraged and reviewed nominations for potential IBAs. To date, 55 sites have been officially recognized as Important Bird Areas in Idaho, representing 3.8 million acres of public and private wetland and upland habitat throughout the state. The monitoring phase of the Idaho IBA program is underway, with monitoring at several IBAs being conducted either by biologists responsible for the management of the area, or by volunteers. These monitoring efforts, which are intended to collect basic information about the IBAs, will create an inventory of bird species present at each site, at a minimum, and will likely lead to further investigations.The Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG - http://www.fishandgame.idaho.gov), where the IBA Program is now housed, has recently initiated a coordinated all-bird monitoring program, the Idaho Bird Inventory and Survey (IBIS), that will initiate more extensive monitoring at all wetland IBAs and select upland IBAs across the state. Under the IBIS program, monitoring was initiated at five wetland IBAs in 2004, with 20 more being added in 2005. In addition, proponents are being sought to work toward conservation and stewardship of IBAs. These individuals and organizations will be champions for bird conservation at particular sites and will work cooperatively with each site's land manager or landowner.
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American White Pelican at Blackfoot Reservoir, by C. Moulton
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Blackfoot Reservoir |
| State: |
US-ID |
| Counties: |
Caribou
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| Site Status: |
Identified |
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Young Great Blue Herons on Gull Island at Blackfoot Reservoir, by R. Sallabanks
The habitat surrounding Blackfoot Reservoir is a mix of dryland grain fields and native sagebrush steppe with aspen pockets and basalt outcrops. The reservoir has several islands, covered mostly with native sagebrush habitat, but also with some willow riparian. Gull Island is used by nesting American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, California Gulls, and herons. The reservoir is storage for irrigation water, thus can experience low water by late summer. The reservoir is also important as a fishery for stocked rainbow trout and native Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Gull Island, a 2.5 hectare island in Blackfoot Reservoir, supports the largest nesting colony (1400 nests in 2005) of American White Pelicans in Idaho. This island also supports one of the largest nesting colonies of Double-crested Cormorants (300+ nests) and California Gulls (6,000+ nests) in the state. An active Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-heron, and Snowy Egret rookery can be found here as well. The reservoir itself is also used by waterfowl, waterbirds, and shorebirds during the summer, and possibly migration.
This reservoir can be drastically lowered for irrigation needs. This is especially a problem in drought or low water years. This impacts the fishery and possibly reduces the bird's food base. Low water can also leave the nesting island exposed to increased disturbance or predation. Fisheries managers are concerned about pelican and cormorant impacts on stocked rainbow trout, and on native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (a species of special concern in the state). Sportsmen are also concerned about bird impacts on recreational fishing in the reservoir. To address this issue, fisheries biologists conducted a two-year study on pelican and cormorant food habits on the reservoir. They found that these birds do have a significant impact on stocked fish, and have adjusted fish stocking timing to alleviate this problem. To reduce impact of pelicans on Yellowstone cutthroat trout, various methods of bird deterrence have been implemented during the sensitive trout migration period.
| Contact: |
| Colleen Moulton |
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
600 S. Walnut Street
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| Boise, ID 83707 |
| phone: 208-287-2751 |
| email: colleen.moulton@idfg.idaho.gov
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