Birders,
I know there is a lot of interest in the nesting status of Piping
Plovers and Least Terns in Colorado this year. Water continues to rise
in Southeast Colorado Reservoirs, and flood warnings persist at
vulnerable sites along the Arkansas River east of Pueblo, especially at
Avondale in Pueblo County, and between La Junta and Las Animas. The
Arkansas River has flowed dike-to-dike in Las Animas for two months now.
As a result, we are experiencing rising water at multiple locations,
almost unprecedented in their intensity and duration. For example, the
elevation of John Martin Reservoir stood at 4,111 feet of elevation on
May 7th (45,000 acre-feet of storage). Today, the elevation is nearing
4,149 feet, with 304,000 acre-feet of water in storage. Put in
perspective, we have received the equivalent of six years of winter
storage water over a period of 8 weeks, an amount that is not far from
the average runoff of the entire San Juan Mountains in an average year.
The water level has risen 38 vertical feet. No amount of work could save
the Piping Plover nests there this year. Water is still rising. John
Martin Reservoir now extends west to Ft. Lyon. The corner at Bent County
Roads JJ and 16 was closed today as it is now underwater. Road JJ at
Vans Grove is underwater, as is JJ just west of Road 19. Adobe Creek
Reservoir is full, Horse Creek Reservoir is nearly full, Neenoshe
Reservoir is receiving water, Upper Queens Reservoir is high, and Lower
Queens has a sizeable pool. This is like the good old days of the late
1990's and early 2000's.
Many of you heard my presentation on the Status of Piping Plovers and
Least Terns at the CFO Convention in Salida in early June. I highlighted
the impact of this year's flooding in my program, and tried to put an
optimistic spin on the possible impact of flooding on our birds I
concluded with three predictions:
1. Flooding would reset everything. Since our historic drought began in
2002, vegetation has encroached on historic nest sites, rodents and
predators have impacted nesting, and our strategy has been coping with
habitat loss due to drought. Now, we need to re-calibrate everything as
lakes fill, but habitat is almost non-existent in July of 2015. Without
rising water, Least Terns were likely gone as a nesting species in
Colorado, after a 45 year run of successful nesting.
2. Suitable nesting habitat will exist in 2016, providing we deal with
salt cedar trees and other vegetation on islands in southeast Colorado
this year.
3. Maintaining a nesting culture of Piping Plovers and Least Terns in
2015 is our most important objective for the remainder of 2015, so that
the local nesting culture continues past this year. This is our _most
important immediate management task.
_I can report a little bit of good news today. Four pairs of Piping
Plovers originating at John Martin Reservoir earlier in the year found
habitat for nesting on private property in Kiowa County. Two landowners
allowed me unconditional access to their land bordering playas. I have
found four Piping Plover nests since birds were driven away from their
Colorado nesting stronghold of John Martin Reservoir. Today, the first
Piping Plover nest of 2015 hatched. I observed 3 hatch-day young, a
sight that seemed improbable just a few weeks ago. The fourth egg might
have hatched by now. Exclosure cages are working to keep coyotes from
depredating eggs so far, and there is a reasonable chance we might
actually have a break-even year after facing what has seemed to be
impossible odds.
I hope birders respect private property and the welfare of these birds
in this exceptionally tough year. If you absolutely, positively have to
see these birds, let me know, and I'll help you. A better idea: wait
'til next year.
Respectfully,
Duane Nelson
Las Animas, Bent County, CO
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