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Research about Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2009

Summary and analysis of water-quality data for the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, east-central North Dakota, 1987-2004

The Bureau of Reclamation collected water-quality samples at 16 sites on the James River and the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, N. Dak., as part of its refuge-monitoring program from 1987-93 and as part of an environmental impact statement commitment from 1999-2004. Climatic and hydrologic conditions varied greatly during both sampling periods. The first period was dominated by drought conditions, which abruptly changed to cooler and wetter conditions in 1992-93. During the second period, conditions were near normal to very wet and included higher inflow from the James River into the refuge. The two periods also differed in the sites sampled, seasons sampled, and properties and constituent concentrations measured. Summary statistics were reported separately for the two sampling periods for all physical properties and constituents. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to further analyze some of the water-quality data. During the first sampling period, 1987-93, specific conductance, turbidity, hardness, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, nonvolatile suspended solids, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, phosphate, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, chlorophyll a, and arsenic were determined to have significantly different medians among the sites tested. During the second sampling period, 1999-2004, the medians of pH, sodium, chloride, barium, and boron varied significantly among sites. Sites sampled and period of record varied between the two sampling periods and the period of record varied among the sites. Also, some constituents analyzed during the first period (1987-93) were not analyzed during the second period (1999-2004), and winter sampling was done during the second sampling period only. This variability reduces the number of direct comparisons that can be made between the two periods. Three sites had complete periods of record for both sampling periods and were compared. Differences in variability and median concentration were identified between the two time periods. Sites representing inflow to the refuge and outflow were compared statistically for the period when data were available for both sites, 1999-2004. Of the nutrients tested - ammonia plus organic nitrogen, phosphate, and total phosphorus - no significant statistical differences were found between the inflow samples and the outflow samples. Statistically significant differences were found for pH, sulfate, chloride, barium, and manganese. Nutrients are of particular interest in the refuge because of the aquatic plant and animal life and the use of the wetland resources by waterfowl. However, the nutrient data were highly censored and there were differences in the seasonal timing of sample collection between the two sampling periods. Therefore, the nutrient data were examined graphically with stripplots that highlighted differences in the seasonal timing of sample collection and concentration differences likely related to the differences in climatic and hydrologic conditions between the two periods.

North Dakota↗
USGS2005

Regional economic effects of current and proposed management alternatives for Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). The CCP must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long range guidance and management direction to achieve Refuge purposes. Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located along the James River in east central North Dakota, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the CCP. The CCP for Arrowwood NWR must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. Special interest groups and local residents often criticize a change in Refuge management, especially if there is a perceived negative impact to the local economy. Having objective data on income and employment impacts may show that these economic fears are overstated. Quite often, residents do not realize the extent of economic benefits a Refuge provides to a local community, yet at the same time overestimate the impact of negative changes. Spending associated with Refuge recreational activities such as wildlife viewing and hunting can generate considerable tourism activity for the regional economy. Additionally, Refuge personnel typically spend considerable amounts of money purchasing supplies in the local lumber and hardware stores, repairing equipment and purchasing fuel at the local service stations, as well as reside and spend their salaries in the local community. The purpose of this study was to provide the economic analysis needed for the Arrowwood NWR CCP by evaluating the regional economic impacts associated with the Arrowwood NWR Draft CCP management strategies. For Refuge CCP planning, an economic impact analysis describes how current (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: 1) it illustrates a refuge’s contribution to the local community; and 2) it can help in determining whether local economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. Refuge personnel provided the information needed to analyze the economic impacts of the three alternatives evaluated in the draft CCP. This report first provides a description of the local community and economy near the Refuge. An analysis of current and proposed management strategies that could affect the local economy is then presented. The Refuge management activities of economic concern in this analysis are Refuge personnel staffing and Refuge spending within the local community, and spending in the local community by Refuge visitors.

Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge↗
USGS1973

High survival and homing rate of hand-reared wild-strain mallards

In the summer of 1970, 648 (329 males and 319 females) hand-reared wild-strain mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) were banded and released at the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, Edmunds, North Dakota. The females were also marked with numbered nasal saddles. Liberation was by the gentle release method, and no special effort was made to isolate or condition the ducklings prior to release. Ducklings were placed in an enclosed pond area at 25 to 45 days of age. Altogether, 627 (97 percent) ducklings reached flight age and dispersed gradually into the wild. All had left the release area by 25 November. First-year band recovery reports indicated that 68 (11 percent) of the birds were shot in 15 states. Their migration pattern was similar to that for immature wild mallards banded in North Dakota in 1970. Eighty-nine (33 percent) of a possible 270 marked females returned to Arrowwood Refuge during 1971. When consideration is given to assumed normal natural mortality and crippling loss, an estimated minimum of 43 percent of the surviving females returned to the release area. Returning birds not observed would raise this figure even higher. This potential homing rate is considerably higher than rates reported for other studies using various strains of mallards. Numerous observations of nests and broods indicated that breeding behavior and nesting success were similar to those of wild mallards in the area. The success of this release is attributed to the inherent capability of hand-reared, wild-strain mallards to revert to their wild behavior, and to the high survival to flight age and first fall migration afforded by the gentle release in a sanctuary area. Indications are that releases of this type under the described conditions can be used to increase the breeding population of mallards in a local area.

North Dakota↗
USGS1972

Techniques for establishing local breeding populations of wood ducks

A study was conducted on the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge in east-central North Dakota to further evaluate a technique for establishing nesting wood ducks ( Aix sponsa ) by releasing propagated birds and installing nest houses. No wood duck nesting had been recorded previously in the area. During May-July 1968, 253 ducklings, hand-reared at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center near Jamestown, North Dakota, were released when 9 to 16 days old into a 0.5-acre enclosure on the refuge, where they grew to flight stage and departed. Seventy-eight nest houses were installed in August on the refuge. About 76 percent of the ducks survived until late September, when southward migration began. The first-year band recovery rate by hunters of 4.7 percent was comparable to that of wild immature wood ducks. Most recoveries occurred between North Dakota and Minnesota in the north and Texas and Louisiana in the south. There were 16 nesting attempts, which produced 175 ducklings, by homing female wood ducks in the boxes in 1969. The number of nesting attempts increased to 34 in 1970, with a production of 311 ducklings.

North Dakota↗