Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Marine Predators

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Justification

• Emblematic and readily observable

• Management interest driven by conservation concerns or iconic status

• Apex predators as indicators of ecosystem health

• Renown productivity of Glacier Bay

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Justification

• GLBA jurisdiction over uplands, marine waters, outer coast to 3 miles

• Permitting authority for commercial, private party entries

• Administrative and research traffic

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Objectives

• Determine long-term trends in the abundance and spatial distribution of marine birds and mammals within GLBA proper using grid-based sampling of at-sea surveys

• To describe spatial distribution of monitored species

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Technical Approach… has evolved…

• Evaluated USGS all-species approach

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program May 6, 2009

Technical Approach… has evolved…

• Evaluated USGS all-species approach– Strong: distribution info, relative abundance– Weak: abundance estimation, trend detection for spp.

• Park: robust trends for a few key species• Polled an expert panel; ID candidate species

to capture range of niches• Most marine mammals covered elsewhere;

emphasis on seabirds

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Technical Approach: BLKI

• Long-lived colony nester

• Year-round resident

• Questions about local, large-scale declines

• Legacy GLBA protocol

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

American Bird Observatory

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

American Bird Observatory

Photographic Sampling

Logistics and Budget

• CESU Task Order (UAF, $28,000 FY11)– Review lit, legacy protocol– Analyze legacy, 2011 images– Recommendations

• Second Task Order ($64,000 FY12)– Design chapter, SOPs for data

processing, reporting

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Working under the umbrella

• Finish KIMU, BLKI first• Move on to next

species… – Bald eagle– Barrow’s goldeneye– Glaucous-winged gull– Pigeon guillemot– Surf scoter– Sea otter

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

What we’re learning

• Sampling benefits compared to other species:– Colony nesters; loose aggregations; high visibility

• Large annual variation in counts: Breeding effort or photographic sampling?

• Productivity very difficult to monitor (chick, egg visibility)

• Approach: adults and nests at multiple colonies, annually

• Investigate identification of an index?

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

American Bird Observatory

Photographic Sampling

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

Program Delivery

• White paper in final preparation, publish NRTR 2012

• New FY12 Task Order• 2012 Resource Brief• ~2,000 slides digitized,

catalogued, returned to GLBA

Southeast Alaska NetworkInventory and Monitoring Program

brendan_moynahan@nps.gov 364.2621