TOWHEE/TORTOISE SURVEY CHINA LAKE CA

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The purpose of this Agreement is to provide for surveys of nesting Inyo California towhees (Pipilo crissalis eremophilus), a Federally listed threatened species and for in-fill surveys of desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS China Lake) as discussed in the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) dated September 2000. The Inyo towhee nests on the installation primarily in riparian areas (springs and riparian corridors) on the eastern side of the North Range. Some of these areas are designated as critical habitat for the towhee. Nesting surveys will be focused on selected sites within this area of the installation. The findings of this effort will provide information on nesting bird numbers that will aid in conservation of this species, support the INRMP update, and provide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with valuable information to aid with a potential delisting of the species. In contrast to towhees, desert tortoises occupy much of the habitat on the installation. Since tortoise densities have not been established for much of this habitat, the focus of this effort would be to begin in-fill surveys of areas that have not been previously surveyed for tortoise and to populate a tortoise tracking database to incorporate annual in-fill surveys and future impromptu or project-specific surveys. These surveys shall follow presence/absence survey protocols established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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