Planning Update

Planing update # 4                                                                                                                     December 1998

GREETINGS!

This is the fourth in a series of updates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to keep you informed of the planning progress for the proposed Alameda National Wildlife Refuge.

WHAT'S NEW
The draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) are complete for the proposed Alameda National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The draft documents have been sent to those who requested them, and the comment period is now open. The documents are also posted on our website at www.r1.fws.gov/planning/plnhome.html/ . This update describes the upcoming open house, explains how to provide comments on the draft documents, summarizes the management alternatives, and includes an updated schedule.

Based on response from postcards some of you returned to us, you will either receive the draft CCP and EA and planning update or just the planning update. If you have not received copies of any of the documents you wish to review, please contact us or visit one of the local Alameda or Oakland libraries or our website.

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

The open house will give you an opportunity to ask questions and submit comments in an informal setting. The open house will begin with a short presentation about the draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment. Staff from local Service offices and the Regional Office in Portland, Oregon will be available to discuss the alternatives.

WHEN: January 14, 1999, 6:30 pm to 9:00 p.m.

HERE: Alameda High School Cafeteria, located on Central Avenue between Walnut and Oak Streets.

DIRECTIONS TO open house
If you are traveling on Highway 880 (Nimitz Freeway), take the High Street exit. Go west toward Alameda. After crossing a small bridge, continue several blocks to Central Avenue. Turn right and drive approximately 10 blocks to 2200 Central Avenue. This is the address of the Kofman Auditorium, a large
building with tall columns. The cafeteria is located in the building next to the auditorium (no address on front).

PARKING

Limited parking is permitted on site. A parking lot is available 1½ blocks north on Walnut. Please make sure that your car is parked in a legal space; cars parked illegally will be towed.

SUBMITTING COMMENTS

If you have questions or concerns, please bring them to the open house or send us a letter or e-mail message. The comment period is open through February 16, 1999, so make sure we receive your comments on the draft CCP and EA by that date.

Please provide written comments to Charles Houghten, Chief, Division of Refuge Planning (ARW/RPL), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232-4181. Please send e-mail comments (with "Alameda NWR" typed in the subject line) to r1planning_guest@fws.gov. If your comments are attached to an e-mail message, submit as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.

PLANNING DOCUMENTS

The draft Comprehensive Management Plan presents an overview of the Service's proposed management approaches to wildlife and habitats, public uses and wildlife-dependent recreation activities, and facilities. This plan corresponds to Alternative C, the preferred alternative, in the draft Environmental Assessment. The proposed management actions only apply to lands and waters within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The purpose of the proposed Refuge is to protect and enhance migratory birds and other wildlife,

particularly threatened and endangered species; and to provide opportunities for environmental education.

The proposed Refuge would be managed for the conservation and management of native fish and wildlife species and their habitats. Wildlife species identified as endangered or threatened will be the primary management focus, with a special emphasis on stewardship of the California least tern nesting colony. Management actions, including expanding the colony, would be taken to assure that the Alameda least tern colony continues to be one of the most successful breeding sites in California. Habitat management will

emphasize keeping most of the currently unvege-tated areas free of vegetation to deter predators, removing exotic species of plants, and restoring wetland habitat. Predators of least terns will be managed by an integrated program of preventative and selective humane control methods.

The following goals of the proposed Alameda Refuge reflect the core mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect wildlife resources of national importance while providing compatible opportunities for the public to appreciate and enjoy the natural heritage of the region

Goal 1. Preserve, restore, and enhance endangered and threatened species, including the California least tern.

Goal 2. Preserve, maintain, and enhance habitat for migratory birds, and protect important foraging, nesting, and roosting habitats from disturbance.

Goal 3. Protect important haul-out, roosting, nesting, and foraging habitat on Breakwater Island and other shoreline habitats.

Goal 4. Restore and preserve biological communities in vegetated habitats of the proposed Refuge.

Goal 5. Provide an opportunity for environmental education, wildlife-dependent recreation, and other compatible and safe public use.

Management alternatives

Four alternatives for management of wildlife and habitat are analyzed in the draft Environmental Assessment. All alternatives except the no-action alternative would establish a national wildlife refuge of the same size (978 acres) but would differ in the type of management.

The alternatives analyzed included: Alternative

A--No Action, Alternative B--Establish a national wildlife refuge with a minimum level of management, Alternative C--Establish a national wildlife refuge and optimize Wildlife Management and Wildlife-Dependent Public Uses (Preferred Alternative), and Alternative D--Establish a national wildlife refuge and maximize public use with moderate wildlife management.

Under the no-action alternative, the Navy would continue the level of management activity being conducted immediately prior to and after base closure in April 1997. This is essentially the status quo, as it includes management actions that the Navy is continuing during the "caretaker" or transition phase between an operating naval air station and disposal of the property. Implementing this alternative is not considered viable because the 1993 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations require the Navy to cease military use of the former NAS Alameda. This alternative is required by National Environmental Policy Act and included for purposes of establishing baseline conditions for comparison with the other alternatives. A national wildlife refuge would not be established under this alternative.

Navy management actions include tern monitoring, colony site preparation, herbicide control of weedy tarmac vegetation immediately adjacent to the tern colony, and predator management. No public use facilities or programs would be developed and no public access would be allowed. 

Under Alternative B, the Navy would transfer approximately 978 acres (565 acres of land and 413 acres of water) to the Service, and the Alameda National Wildlife Refuge would be established. The Refuge would continue wildlife protection and habitat management programs similar to those that occurred under the Navy's caretaker management following base closure. Predator management would continue as in Alternative A. A fence would be constructed along the northern boundary. No habitat restoration activities or wildlife monitoring programs would be initiated. Minimal public use would be planned.

Breakwater Island would be closed to human access. Boats would not be allowed within 600 feet of Breakwater Island, and a 600-foot wide open water buffer area around it would be closed to public access (Figure 1) . Recreational boating would be allowed outside the closed area.

Under Alternative C, the preferred alternative, the Navy would transfer approximately 978 acres (565 acres of land and 413 acres of water) to the Service, and the Alameda National Wildlife Refuge would be established.

Additional least tern habitat would be created. Most tarmac areas would be maintained free of vegetation. The northern boundary would be fenced and the eastern boundary fence would be realigned to follow the actual Refuge boundary, and raised from its current height of 4 to 6 feet to a uniform 8 feet. Native vegetation would be restored in wetlands and uplands. Grassland in the northwest corner of the proposed Refuge would be expanded by up to 14 acres.

Open water areas within the Refuge would be closed to boating to protect tern foraging areas and wintering waterfowl, except for a 500-foot wide marked channel for boat passage only (Figure 2). Additional preventative measures to make habitat around the tern colony less attractive to predators would be implemented. Public use facilities would be developed, an environmental education and interpretation program would be created, wildlife-dependent recreation would be promoted, and compatible nonwildlife dependent recreation would be allowed.

The majority of the Refuge would be closed to public use except for the Perimeter Trail (seasonally open), guided interpretive tours during tern nesting season, organized environmental educational activities, and the 500-foot wide boat corridor.

Under Alternative D, the Navy would transfer approximately 978 acres (565 acres of land and 413 acres water) to the Service, and the Alameda National Wildlife Refuge would be established. The main difference between this alternative and Alternative C is that more open water areas would be open to public use (only the area within 600 feet of Breakwater Island would be closed to public use--see Figure 3), additional nonwildlife-dependent recreational activities would be allowed, and fewer wildlife enhancement projects would be implemented.

WHAT'S NEXT

The draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment will be finalized at the end of the comment period when all comments have been received, reviewed, and after appropriate revisions are incorporated. The Service's California/Nevada Operations Manager in Sacra-mento will select an alternative, and public notice

of the decision will be announced no earlier than June 1999.

other news

1998 breeding season
Overall, the Alameda California least tern colony was stable in 1998. This year 243 pairs constructed 248 nests. This compares to 243 pairs and 258 nests in 1997. Reproductive success, how-ever, was the lowest its been in 3 years, with only 90 chicks successfully fledged. Except for 1995 (when only 73 chicks were fledged), the Alameda colony has consistently produced at least 00 fledglings during this decade. A combination of factors contributed to this summer's lower reproductive success.

California least terns,

An early factor was a nesting season that started later than usual, at the end of May, due to predator disturbance. Predator management diminished this threat. The most significant factor for low fledgling numbers was a food shortage, probably related to El Nino. In 1998 renesting attempts were low, adults spent less time "attending" (spending time at) nests and feeding chicks, and many chicks died of hypothermia - all signs of low food availability. Tern monitor, Laura Collins was struck by how nurturing the terns are as a species, and credits the terns' "determination to feed their young" for the successful fledgling of 90 young terns, despite the odds.

Low food supply and lowered breeding success were not unexpected. Tern biologists feared the 1997-98 El Nino would produce similar calamities as occurred following the 1992-83 El Nino, which was accompanied by large reductions in northern anchovies, the terns' favorite food.

Anticipating this food shortage, a study of chick feeding rates and their relationship to reproductive success was initiated this year at least tern

who to contactl INFORMATION ON-LINE

colonies throughout the state in the summer 1998. Observations were conducted at Alameda for 5 days in July by a researcher from Oklahoma State University. Once the report is completed, we will understand how Alameda's 1998 breeding season year fits into the big picture. Biologists usually do not become overly alarmed by such naturally caused food shortages and resultant breeding declines. Least terns are relatively long-lived birds - individuals are known to live 20 years or more - so populations are adapted to withstand such periodic shortages in food supply, as long as the fish populations eventually recover.

Weed wacking party

The Friends of Alameda Wildlife Refuge (FAWR) celebrated their second anniversary by pulling, shearing, and otherwise attacking exotic plants around the tern nesting colony site on Saturday, November 21. About a dozen volunteers pulled weeds from cracks in the tarmac and

cut down pampas grass and other tall plants. Their efforts will reduce perching and hiding places for predators, and will contribute to tern nesting success in future seasons.

Who to Contact

If you have comments or questions, please write or call us at the following locations:

Information on Proposed Alameda NWR Management

Marge Kolar, Project Leader
San Francisco Bay NWR Complex
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 524
Newark, California 94560
(510) 792-0222; fax (510) 792-5828

Joelle Buffa, Wildlife Biologist
San Francisco Bay NWR Complex
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 524
Newark, California 94560
(510) 792-0222; fax (510) 792-5828

Information on Proposed Alameda NWR Planning

Cathy Osugi, Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
911 NE 11th Avenue, 3rd Floor West
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
(503) 231-2231 or (800) 662-8933 Fax (503) 231-6161

Information on Alameda County Endangered Species Issues

Ken Sanchez, Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3310 El Camino Avenue, Suite 130
Sacramento, California 95821-6340
(916) 979-2752; fax (916) 979-2770

Information on Land Acquisition

Steve Dyer, Realty Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2233 Watt Avenue, Suite 375 Sacramento, California 95825-0509
(916) 979-2085; fax (916) 979-2092

Planning information on-line

Check out the planning home page. We'll be offering electronic versions of some of our planning documents, as well as a glossary and some useful links.

Website Address:

www.r1.fws.gov/planning/plnhome.html/

E-mail address:

r1planning_guest@fws.gov

(For e-mail messages, please type "Alameda NWR" in the subject line). If your comments are attached to an e-mail message, submit as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption.

Let us know if you have a change of address or would like to add or delete an address. Unless we hear from you, your name will remain on the mailing list for all future Planning Updates. Call (800) 662-8933 for changes and additions.