Project Title: River Pathways B&M Wildlife Area, Arizona Applicant: National Audubon Society-Audubon Arizona
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SJV Award Application
Project Title: River Pathways B&M Wildlife Area, Arizona
Applicant: National Audubon Society-Audubon Arizona
Project Need: Riparian habitats in the arid southwest are jeopardized by an array of human actions.
Engaging youth in monitoring and conservation projects on rivers near where they live builds an
awareness and a conservation ethic about riparian systems and the wildlife dependent upon them. This
project will engage primarily Hispanic high school age youth in urban/suburban communities in central
Maricopa County at a state wildlife area on the Gila River. Students will participate in two field trips: the
first will be a training session at the Rio Salado Audubon Center, and the second will be a visit to the Gila
River site. At the river, participants will monitor the regrowth of riparian habitat that has been recently
restored and bird use of this habitat. Students will also participate in conservation work projects at the
site. The monitoring data will contribute to needed documentation of the restoration effort. This project
is an expansion of the award-winning River Pathways program funded in part by the BLM and will
complement the community engagement already in place with the Tres Rios Nature Festival.
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Project Location: Baseline & Meridian (B&M) Wildlife Area on the Gila River east and west of 115
Avenue, Maricopa County, Arizona.
B&M Wildlife Area is owned by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and consists of 200
acres within the Gila River floodplain and river channel. In 2012 the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
and City of Phoenix funded a multi-million dollar project to remove salt cedar (tamarisk) and
plant cottonwood, willow, mesquite and upland desert plants on half of the site. The remaining
treated area was left to regenerate on its own. Given this treatment, the area provides an
excellent site for habitat restoration studies.
Brief description of project site(s), including dominant habitat types. Located downstream of the City of Phoenix
Tres Rios project, the Gila River has perennial flows in this reach. Cottonwood and willow strands are
along the main river channel and numerous side channels. There is cattail and reed marsh habitat that
has nesting Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis) and other secretive marsh birds (Least
Bittern and Sora). This site is within the Lower Salt and Gila Rivers Important Bird Area that has global
designation for concentration of nesting Yuma Clapper Rail.
Identify the primary audience(s) targeted by the project (including ages, ethnicity, and gender, if applicable). If the
project targets a specific group (i.e., landowners, legislators, elementary schools, community members, etc.), please
list. A minimum of two western Maricopa County High Schools will be participants in this project. One
from Buckeye and the other from Laveen, Arizona. A majority of the students are Hispanic and evenly
divided male and female. Students are between the ages of 16 and 18.
Describe the geographic area targeted by the project, if any. Gila River and surrounding communities of
Laveen, Goodyear, Buckeye, and Avondale in Central Maricopa County, Arizona.
Project Objectives and Outcomes: Clearly state one-sentence project objectives in list format. For each objective,
include a detailed description of expected outcomes and explain how they address SJV and/or other bird initiative
plan objectives.
For monitoring, restoration, or habitat protection projects, please address the following:
What are the project outcomes/benefits in terms of acres, or numbers of birds? What species of birds are
intended to benefit, in what way, and due to which actions? Site monitoring will document the vegetation and
bird diversity changes as the treated habitat develops and will provide a snap shot in time
documenting the status of the 200 acre wildlife area. The target bird species present or
potentially present on the site are Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis), Western
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis), Southwestern Willow Flycatcher
(Empidonax traillii extimus ), Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii), Abert’s Towhee (Melozone aberti) ,
Sonoran Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechial sonriensis), Lucy’s Warbler (Vermivora virginiae),
Common Yellowthroat (Geothylpis thrichas), Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), Bullock’s oriole
(Icterus bullockii), Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus), and Marsh Wren (Cistothorus platensis). A
primary focus of this project will be the measurement of the habitat characteristics using
protocols developed for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo by Halterman and Johnson. Bird area
search plots will be conducted in association with the vegetation monitoring. Students will be
assisted by Audubon biologists and volunteer Audubon Important Bird Area surveyors.
How does the project meet the SJV Bird Conservation Plan objectives? Be specific and concise in your
answer (i.e., this project will provide habitat for three pairs of Yellow-billed Cuckoos, will protect six acres of
critical desert grasslands, etc.)-The project will engage area youth in habitat recovery
documentation on 200 acres of riparian and marsh habitats post restoration. In addition,
participants will be introduced to the diverse bird, animal and plant species found in this
riparian area. The site has supported up to 6 pair of Yuma Clapper Rail and has the potential to
support 1-2 pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo when the habitat matures.
How will you disseminate project results, including incorporation into the Avian Knowledge Network, eBird, and/or
aVerAves? Bird area search survey data will be entered into the Arizona Important Bird Area database
administered by Tucson Audubon Society. These datasets are suitable for upload to the Avian
Knowledge Network. A cumulative checklist with numbers seen of each species and that includes
supplemental fly-overs and birds outside of the area search sites will be submitted to eBird.
How will your project support/be used for conservation? The avian and habitat data will contribute to
monitoring the Important Bird Area, yield site specific avian response to a habitat restoration project
and contribute to the body of data for assessment of habitat suitability for the Western Yellow-billed
Cuckoo. Vegetation plots (Protocol modified from the Lower Colorado Multi-Species Assessment’s
yellow-billed cuckoo vegetation monitoring work):
For each randomly selected sampling point, students will conduct measurements in three plots.
o One centered on the randomly selected point.
o One centered on a point 100m in a randomly selected direction from the initial point
o One centered on a point 50m in a randomly selected direction from the initial point
Each plot consists of two concentric circles – the inner with a 5m diameter and the outer with an 11.3m
diameter.
In the 11.3 m circle, students will measure:
o Average top canopy heighto Dominant and co-dominant species taller than 5m and their percent contribution to the
overall canopy cover
o Canopy cover (densitometer)
o Distance to water
o Distance to mesquite
o Stem count of plants
o Stem count of large woody species (categories in attached data sheet)
In the 5m circle, students will measure:
o Stem counts of large and small woody species (categories in attached data sheet)
Belt/Line transects (Modified from BLM’s woody species belt transect protocol which is currently being
used in conjunction with their Multiple Indicator Monitoring protocol):
Students will conduct belt/line transects that run from waters’ edge to the end of the floodplain. On
each transect, students will measure:
o Age class and species of all trees within the belt
o Percent cover/composition using a line intercept protocol
Bird Monitoring (Using an area search protocol):
Students will conduct area searches in the vicinity of their vegetation plots. Bird survey plot location
and size will be at a scale to record birds using the immediate habitat. Birds outside the designated area
and flying over will be recorded as supplemental to derive a species list. This data will be combined with
the data from the other groups, with the possibility of duplicative observations in mind, to produce a
final list and count for the day’s work. The area search data will be entered into the Arizona Important
Bird Area database. Each area will be geo-referenced as a distinct survey within the project. The
cumulative list corrected for duplicates and including supplemental birds will be submitted to eBird
For communications, education, outreach, and birding tourism components, please address the following:
How will this project directly support bird and habitat conservation and address a conservation priority within the SJV
region?
The project directly supports habitat conservation by documenting habitat regeneration on an
Important Bird Area that is home to several of SJV’s priority bird species. These findings may inform
habitat improvement programs elsewhere. Further, the program provides rich outreach
opportunities because it engages local youth in on-the ground monitoring and restoration work.
What is the projected number of people that will be reached? 120 students are the first year target (60 students
in the Fall and 60 students in the spring).
What tangible products will be produced as a result of the project (i.e., brochure, manual, website, teaching materials,
etc.)?The primary products produced through this effort will be a vegetation monitoring dataset and bird survey data
for an Important Bird Area. In addition, Audubon staff will develop specialized data sheets and training materials. How will you disseminate project results and outcomes?
Methodology:
Vegetation data will be provided to the Arizona Game and Fish Department in order to track habitat restoration
progress on the B & M Wildlife Area. Bird survey data will be added to the Arizona Important Bird Area database and
uploaded to the Avian Knowledge Network.
Audubon will publicize the program and student involvement with river restoration through electronic newsletters,
websites, and outreach to media. The project is a component of the National Audubon Society multi-state Western
Rivers Conservation Initiative that is featured in the strategic plan and the Audubon Arizona 2012 annual report. This
project has potential to become a model that can be replicated at other sites within the Western Rivers Initiative core
area.
Timetable: September 2013-August 2014
Map of Project Location:Evaluation: Audubon staff will survey student participants to ascertain content knowledge gained through the program
and changes in stewardship attitudes. In addition, teachers will be surveyed to determine the usefulness of the
program to them in their classrooms and to gauge the benefit to students that they perceive. Another measure of
success will be producing data that is relevant and accessible to land managers.
List of partners and their contributions, letters of support: In addition to a complete list of partners and contributions,
submit letters of support from all major project partners. Partners may include those contributing funds, in-kind
services, land base, technical assistance, coordination, etc.
Arizona Game and Fish Department, Region VI (Bill Burger)
Bureau of Land Management
Buckeye High School
Laveen High School
III. Budget Proposals that include leveraged/matching funds and partner contributions are preferred, but not
required. These contributions may be cash or in-kind and originate from any source (federal or non-federal).
Please note whether leveraged or partner funds are already secured or whether they pending. Arizona Game and
Fish Department IBA funding is secured. BLM funding is secured.Partner(s)
Budget Partner(s)
SJV Applicant Contribution(s)
Categories Contribution(s) Total
Request Contribution (non-monetary
(such as): (monetary)
value/in-kind)
1,000
Salaries 4,000 6,000 (IBA) (AGFD in- 11,000
kind time)
Materials 500 500
Travel
(bus) 2500 2500
facility
fee—rio 1000 4000 3000 (BLM) 8000
salado
Printing 720 280 1000
Other
(specify) 1280 1280
overhead
Total 10,000 4,280 9,000 1,000 24,280You can also read
