DESPITE THE VISIBILITY OF HERONS AND EGRETS AND THE FAMILIARITY THAT BIRDERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS…

Assistance award details

Assistance award identifier

ASST_NON_F26AF02553_014

FAIN

F26AF02553

Recipient

OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Awarding agency

Department of the Interior

Funding agency

Department of the Interior

Assistance listing (CFDA)

15.634

Total obligated

$129,384

Period

Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2029

Fiscal year

2026

Place of performance state

OK

Source file

FY2026_All_Assistance_Full_20261006.zip

Description

DESPITE THE VISIBILITY OF HERONS AND EGRETS AND THE FAMILIARITY THAT BIRDERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS HAVE WITH THESE SPECIES THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECENT SURVEY OR A STATEWIDE SURVEY TO DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION SIZE AND RELATIVE SPECIES COMPOSITION OF WADING BIRD COLONIES IN OKLAHOMA. THIS PROJECT WILL BE A TWO YEAR NEARLY STATEWIDE SURVEY OF WADING BIRD COLONIES WITH A FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING COLONIES THAT SUPPORT LITTLE BLUE HERONS AND SNOWY EGRETS WHICH ARE SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED IN OKLAHOMA.WADING BIRD COLONIES WITH MORE THAN 25 NESTS OF EGRETS HERONS AND IBISES AND POTENTIALLY CONTAINING NESTING CORMORANTS AND ANHINGAS WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND MAPPED. AT EACH COLONY DATA WILL BE COLLECTED REGARDING THE ESTIMATED SIZE OF THE COLONY SPECIES COMPOSITION AND ABUNDANCE AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS THE NESTING SUBSTRATE DEAD OR LIVE TREES PROXIMITY TO THE NEAREST RIVER RESERVOIR OR WETLAND COMPLEX AND WHETHER THE COLONY OCCURS ON AN ISLAND PENINSULA OR SHORELINE. COLONIES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PROJECT WILL BE RESURVEYED DURING THE SECOND YEAR TO EXAMINE FLUCTUATIONS IN COLONY SIZE AND COMPOSITION AND POTENTIAL CHANGES IN LOCATION. PRIOR TO THE INITIATION OF THE FIELD SURVEYS BIOLOGISTS AND OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS E.G. BIRDERS ANGLERS AND BOATERS WILL BE INTERVIEWED TO IDENTIFY COLONY LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED OR SUSPECTED IN RECENT YEARS. THESE LOCATIONS WILL SERVE AT THE INITIAL SURVEY SITES AND THEY WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY SURVEYS OF RESERVOIRS WITH SUITABLE WADING BIRD HABITAT AND DOCUMENTED USE BY LITTLE BLUE HERONS AND SNOWY EGRETS BUT WITHOUT CONFIRMED COLONY LOCATIONS.DATA ANALYSES WILL INCLUDE AN EXAMINATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL VARIABLES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOCATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF THE TWO FOCAL SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL EQUIP THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE WITH INFORMATION AND DATA THAT ARE