Government Contract | Alabama
Stewardship of Coastal AL Beach Nesting Bird Habitat

Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1)Conduct stewardship activities to reduce human disturbances that contribute tonest failure.Project implementers will install symbolic (temporary post and rope) and/or exclusionary fencing aroundselected nesting areas prior to the start of the nesting season to reduce human ingress and disturbance.While on site, implementers will also work to educate and guide beachgoers away from sensitive nestingareas. Implementers will also engage the public by providing opportunities to observe birds from asafe distance using viewing scopes into nesting areas for the public to observe adults incubating eggsand/or feeding small, flightless chicks from a safe distance. These activities will serve to encourageprotective behavior by the public, further reducing disturbance. Implementers will be required to obtainany required permits and/or written permissions from private landowners prior to conducting certaintasks. 2)Conduct monitoring in support of adaptive management at project sites todetermine nesting and fledging success.Nesting activity, nest success, brood success, and predator activity are to be monitored followingPruner et al. (2011), or other appropriate scientific method as approved by ADCNR, that facilitatesconsistent data collection across similar projects in the Gulf region. In addition to bird numbers andbreeding productivity, monitoring should also quantify and assess the number of acres and/or linearfeet addressed by fencing, education, and predator reduction; and quantify and assess habitat quality,degree of predator activity, extent of human disturbance, and number of people reached with outreachand education activities. These data will help inform the Trustees understanding of coastal ecosystemhealth and the extent of human-induced threats, as well as threats from natural disturbances such ashurricanes, flooding, or storm surge. In addition, special attention shall be given to the proximity ofnests, eggs, chicks, and adults outside the posted project areas. Project implementers shall coordinateroutinely with ADCNR and Department of the Interior experts to discuss adaptive management of postedareas (e.g., shifting or expanding a posted area).3)Deploy species-specific decoys.Project implementers will obtain and deploy species-specific decoys to attract target bird species tosuitable nesting areas (e.g., lower risk of human disturbance or predation in areas that contain naturalcover and forage access for adults and chicks). Decisions regarding specific deployment locations willbe made in coordination with ADCNR and DOI experts on an annual basis prior to deployment.