Overview of USFWS Western Golden Eagle Team's Risk Assessment and Conservation Planning Program

Brian Woodbridge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

I am the Western Golden Eagle Team Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) where I facilitate a collaboration of scientists from government, non-governmental, academic, and private organizations working to develop landscape-scale risk assessments and conservation strategies for Golden Eagles in the western U.S. My primary research interests focus on ecology and management of rangeland and forest-dwelling raptors, conservation planning, and tropical forest ecology. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University and Master’s Degree in Wildlife Ecology from Oregon State University. I worked for 18 years with the U.S. Forest Service and am now in my 13th year with the USFWS. My previous research includes habitat selection by breeding Swainson’s Hawks in northern California, a long-term study of the Swainson’s Hawks demography, migration and conservation in their South American wintering grounds, habitat relationships and the effects of forest management practices on Northern Goshawks and Northern Spotted Owls, tropical forest reserve management in Chiapas, Mexico, and local population effects of electrocution mortality on Golden Eagles.

Abstract

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions 1, 2, 6 and 8 established the Western Golden Eagle Team (WGET) in June 2013 to proactively address energy-related conservation needs of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) by developing landscape-scale conservation strategies. Our conservation strategies are informed by: 1) predictive models of the relative density of exposure (eagle presence) of Golden Eagles throughout the western U.S. during three overlapping life history stages; breeding, dispersal and migration, and overwintering; 2) spatially explicit assessments of hazards including electrocution, contaminants, and collisions with vehicles; and 3) information resources to support management of Golden Eagles and their prey. Integration of our exposure models with mapping or predictive models of hazards such as proposed wind development or electrocution on power distribution structures provides a proactive risk assessment and decision support framework for evaluating siting of renewable energy development as well as potential mitigation actions.

Working in collaboration with scientists and managers from state and federal government, academic, Tribal and private organizations, WGET is developing a range of assessments and information resources intended to provide additional foundation for conservation strategies. Focusing on potential mitigation approaches, we are evaluating and modeling (for example) spatial aspects of eagle electrocution hazard and remediation, spatial attributes of Golden Eagle responses to disturbance, and the incidence and exposure routes of lead and anticoagulant rodenticides. In support of habitat-based conservation measures, we are working on extensive analyses of Golden Eagle diets, composition and variability of prey communities, and habitat management strategies for important prey species.

Effective implementation of risk assessment and decision support tools, and conservation measures is an adaptive process. To evaluate and refine these products, WGET and partners will be reliant on feedback from practitioners, incorporation of new research, and targeted field surveys to fill data gaps.

Authors

Gary Williams (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Brian Woodbridge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Todd Lickfett (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Geoffrey Bedrosian (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Topic Areas

Evaluating novel approaches (e.g., conceptual, methodological, technological) to avoiding, , Risk prediction , Raptors , U.S. - Pacific Region (USFWS Region 1) , U.S. - Southwest (USFWS Region 2) , U.S. - Mountain-Prairie (USFWS Region 6) , U.S. - California & Nevada (USFWS Region 8) , Mitigation , Methodology , Land-based

Session

04 » Raptors, including Golden Eagles, and Wind Energy, cont. (14:05 - Wednesday, 30th November, Interlocken Ballroom)

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