Teton Raptor Center

WY MAINTAIN FERRUGINOUS HAWK POPULATIONS IN WESTERN WY

THE PROPOSED STUDY ADDRESSES THE CRITICAL NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ON THE IMPACTS OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON RAPTOR POPULATIONS IN THE POWDER RIVER BASIN OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING. THE EXPANSION OF BOTH CONVENTIONAL OIL AND GAS FIELDS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS POSES POTENTIAL THREATS TO SENSITIVE BIRD SPECIES, PARTICULARLY FERRUGINOUS HAWKS AND GOLDEN EAGLES. THIS STUDY AIMS TO CONDUCT A THOROUGH BEFORE-AFTER ANALYSIS OVER NINE YEARS, FOCUSING ON BREEDING DYNAMICS AND NESTING BEHAVIOR OF RAPTORS IN THE FACE OF EXTENSIVE ENERGY EXPANSION. THE STUDY AREA, SPANNING 6,000 KM2, INCLUDES A LARGE OIL FIELD, SEVERAL LARGE WIND FARMS AND SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF BOTH DEVELOPMENT TYPES OVER THE NEXT DECADE. THE PROJECT S SIGNIFICANCE LIES IN ITS POTENTIAL TO INFORM CONSERVATION AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT BY ASSESSING THE SEVERITY AND SCALE OF IMPACTS ON BREEDING RAPTORS. THE STUDY WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXISTING PROTECTIVE MEASURES, SPECIFICALLY EXEMPTIONS TO TIME-LIMITING STIPULATIONS FOR NESTING RAPTORS. THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT INVOLVES PARTNERSHIPS WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ENERGY OPERATORS, AND CONSULTANTS, ENSURING DATA CONSISTENCY AND FACILITATING ONGOING FIELDWORK. THE STUDY S UNIQUE ASPECTS INCLUDE THE LARGE-SCALE AND CONCURRENT DEVELOPMENT OF OIL AND GAS FIELDS AND WIND ENERGY, CREATING A TIMELY OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE LANDSCAPE-LEVEL EFFECTS ON RAPTORS. THE PROPOSED TWO-PHASE PROJECT AIMS TO COLLECT BASELINE DATA ON RAPTOR OCCUPANCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, TEST DIFFERENT SURVEY METHODS, AND ANALYZE STATISTICAL POWER IN PHASE I (2023-2025). PHASE II (2026-2031) INVOLVES ONGOING MONITORING AND ANALYSIS TO ADDRESS KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON RAPTOR REPRODUCTION. THE TECHNICAL APPROACH INCLUDES A GRID-BASED SITE-OCCUPANCY DESIGN AND COLLABORATION WITH OPERATORS TO GATHER SPATIAL DATA ON DEVELOPMENT. THE STUDY WILL ALSO CONTROL FOR PREY ABUNDANCE FLUCTUATIONS TO ACCURATELY ASSESS POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT ACROSS YEARS. THE PROJECT S SUCCESS IS EVIDENT IN THE EXTENSIVE COLLABORATIONS ESTABLISHED WITH KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND CONSULTANTS. THE STUDY S FINDINGS WILL NOT ONLY CONTRIBUTE VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE IMPACTS OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON RAPTOR POPULATIONS BUT ALSO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION AND DATA SHARING. THE PROPOSAL SEEKS PARTIAL SUPPORT FOR THE FINAL YEAR OF PHASE I (2025), FOCUSING ON MONITORING PROTOCOLS, PRELIMINARY ANALYSES, AND SIMULATION-BASED POWER ANALYSES TO GUIDE PHASE II. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS STUDY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SHAPE ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND PROVIDE SCIENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MINIMIZING IMPACTS ON NESTING RAPTORS IN WESTERN GRASSLANDS AND SAGEBRUSH ECOSYSTEMS.

RESEARCH, SURVEYS, MONITORING AND MODELING FOR PRIORITY RAPTOR SPECIES IN USFWS REGION 6