Beginning in 2003, the BLM Buffalo Field Office began searching for and monitoring active and inactive raptor nests in close proximity to proposed coal bed methane (CBM) wells in the Powder River Basin (PRB), located in northeastern Wyoming. The purpose of these surveys was to ensure proper mitigation of impacts from the proposed wells on local raptor populations. With this database, collected by BLM field biologists and contractors, we at the Wyoming Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit are now analyzing the data looking for patterns in nest activity and proximity to/timing of well construction. We aim to determine (1) temporal and special trends in raptor nest activity in relation to CBM development, (2) differing reactions between raptor species to an increasingly disturbed environment, and (3) additional environmental factors (besides the CBM wells) that may be influencing changes in raptor activity. The BLM will then use our findings to (1) determine whether current timing limitations for the Conditions of Approval (COA) for CBM wells are an effective management strategy, and (2) develop species-specific disturbance-free buffer zones around CBM wells.
Gallery
Swainson’s Hawk, Idaho. Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Typical raptor nesting habitat along a riparian habitat in the Powder River Basin, WY.
Development across the landscape in the Powder River Basin.
Fans on compressor stations in the Powder River Basin (used to pressurize gas for transport away from the wells)
Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Rolling sagebrush landscape in the Powder River Basin (with the Bighorn Mountains in the distance)
A federally permitted coal-bed methane well in the Powder River Basin (with the Bighorn Mountains in the background)
Bald Eagle nest, CA. Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Floodplain on the main fork of the Powder River. These old cottonwood trees are ideal nesting habitat for many local raptor species, including Red-tailed Hawks and Swainson’s Hawks.
Ferruginous Hawk in flight, Idaho. Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Raptor nest with energy development in the background. Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Ferruginous Hawk on perch. Photo courtesy of blm.gov
Ferruginous Hawk nest, located atop a rock spire in a small ravine, Powder River Basin, WY.
Reports & Publications
Project Publications
Carlisle, J.D., L.E. Sanders, A.D. Chalfoun, and K.G. Gerow. 2018. Raptor nest-site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed-methane development. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 41.2:227-243. (Link to PDF)
Contact
Jason Carlisle, Ph.D. Candidate
WY Cooperative & Wildlife Research Unit
Dept. 3166, 1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
[email protected]
office: (307) 766-2091
Anna Chalfoun, Ph.D.
Assistant Unit Leader
WY Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
Dept. 3166, 1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
[email protected]
lab: (307) 766-5415
Ken Gerow, Ph.D.
Professor and Head of Statistics, and Director, Statistical Consulting Center
Ross Hall 337
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY 82071
[email protected]
Lindsey Sanders, M.S. candidate
WY Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
Dept. 3166, 1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
[email protected]
Project Lead
Jason completed a PhD in 2017 in the Program in Ecology at the University of Wyoming. He was based in the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit within the Department of Zoology and Physiology.
Timeline
1907: Commercial construction of coal bed methane wells in the Powder River Basin began, and has continued since at an increasingly accelerated rate
1989: Coal-bed Methane Environmental Assesment, Eastern [Johnson] and Western Campbell Counties begins assessing impacts of CBM development in the Powder River Basin
Spring 2003-2011: BLM Buffalo Field Office begins raptor nest surveys in close proximity to CBM PODs (Plans of Development)
Fall 2011: Analysis of the raptor data collected thus far through the BLM monitoring efforts begins at the University of Wyoming through the Wyoming Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
Funding & Partners
Bureau of Land Management
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Collaborator Resources
BLM Wildlife Survey Protocols: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/field-offices/buffalo/wildlife.Par.34632.File.dat/WildlifeSurveyProtocol.pdf
BLM Buffalo Field Office: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Buffalo.html
BLM Raptor Metadata and Geodatabase files: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/field_offices/Buffalo/wildlife/data.html