Kate E. Iaquinto | Geology Reports

USGS2026

Status and trend of white-cheeked geese wintering in coastal Nestucca Valley, Oregon

The status and trend of wintering goose populations along the coast of the Pacific Northwest is relatively unstudied. We estimated the status and trends of 6 subspecies of white-cheeked geese wintering in Nestucca Valley, Oregon, USA. Surveys conducted from 2007 to 2019 revealed significant variability in weekly counts among subspecies and years. Dusky ( Branta canadensis occidentalis ) and Cackling ( B . hutchinsii minima ) Geese typically arrived by mid-October and stayed until mid-April, while Aleutian Geese showed lower autumn numbers but doubled in spring. Trends indicated a significant delay in Dusky Geese arrival in recent years, with departure dates remaining constant. Total goose use-days averaged 903,899, with notable declines over the period for Aleutian ( B. h. leucopareia ), Taverner's ( B. h. taverneri )/Lesser ( B. c. parvipes ), and Western ( B. c. moffitti ) Geese. Supporting approximately 6000 geese daily, these results underscore the importance of Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent lands for wintering geese. These findings also highlight Nestucca Valley's role as a critical late-winter staging ground, particularly for Aleutian Geese, and emphasize that continued monitoring and adaptive management are essential to sustain these populations.

Oregon↗

USGS2019

Regional protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of breeding Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers

This regional protocol provides a framework for quantifying the number of breeding pairs and productivity of Atlantic Coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) populations during the breeding season. A primary purpose of this protocol is to standardize piping plover monitoring during the breeding season. The survey techniques described herein involve repeated visual counts of adults, nests, eggs, and chicks within a defined survey site (i.e., beach) as well as visual identification of potential threats to survival and productivity. Resulting data can be compiled and analyzed across multiple geographic units (i.e., sites, states, and recovery units) to assess progress toward recovery goals, inform local management decisions, assess management effectiveness, and improve monitoring efforts. This protocol framework was developed as part of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Initiative in coordination with Ecological Services (ES) and state coordinators within the Southeast and Northeast Regions (4 and 5, respectively). Although this protocol framework is to be used primarily by NWRS to inform recovery goals, assist with local management decision-making, and meet State reporting requirements, the approach strives to assist monitoring efforts of nonNWRS partners, such as other federal agencies (e.g. National Park Service), State wildlife agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private landowners. This protocol framework and associated data management system (PIPLweb) aims to interface with existing data management and analysis tools (i.e., PIPLODES, NestStory, and PiperEx) to ensure that data collection is efficient and comparable across scales, and supports management decisions across partners. The content and structure of the protocol framework follows standards set forth in the USFWS’s How to Develop Survey Protocols: A Handbook (Version 1.0; 2013). The eight elements addressed include: introduction, sampling design, field methods, data management and analysis, reporting, personnel requirements and training, operational requirements, and references. A series of standard operating procedures (SOPs) provides greater detail on recommended methods and technical aspects of this protocol. Data entry, archival, and multi-scale analysis are handled through a secure web application (Plover Inventory and Productivity Library; PIPLweb) developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). When management activities and survey objectives are similar across management units, partners (Refuges, other federal agencies, State, NGOs, private) are encouraged to use this protocol framework to develop stepped-down site-specific survey protocols that include guidance for conducting on-the-ground monitoring and management plans.

Regional Protocol Framework↗