Contact: Copper River Delta Institute
PO Box 1460, Cordova, Alaska 99574
Tel. 907 424-7212
Fax 907 424-7214
E-mail: dwlogan@fs.fed.us
Orca Inlet, Copper River Delta Shorebird Unit,
Alaska, United States.
Geographic Coordinates: 60º30' N, 145º 00' W.
Area
of Site: 151,256
hectares (584 square miles)
Copper
River Delta Land Description:
The Copper River Delta Shorebird Reserve Unit is
comprised of a large proportion of tidal and submerged lands in Orca Inlet,
near Cordova, Alaska and extensive intertidal and freshwater wetlands and
barrier islands near the mouth of the Copper River. It includes delta islands, and mainland areas with extensive
marsh areas adjacent to tidal channels.
Numerous stream drainages and ponds are distributed east and south of
the Copper River Highway to Flag Point on the west of Copper River Delta. This marshy area continues on the east side
of the Copper River ending at the unit boundary adjacent to the west shore of
Martin River Slough.
Wetland habitats extend from the foot of the Chugach
Mountains to the tidal flats inside the barrier islands. The Delta adjoins an extensive area of
outwash plains and braided stream channels emanating from the three major
glaciers. Between the mountains and the
estuarine area is a belt of sedge meadows, ponds, willow and sweetgale shrubs,
and vegetated wetlands bordered with alder and cottonwood growths along stream
courses. Many of the streams join tidal
channels which are below the level of the former tidally influenced
wetland. Since the 1964 earthquake
which uplifted the area nearly 6 feet, shrub and deciduous trees have been
growing vigorously on the better drained sites. Occasionally, young spruce trees survive on the edge of
sloughs and along the upper reaches of the tidal channels. The result is an area of great diversity
which offers essential habitats for shorebirds and other wildlife from early
spring through late fall.
Land Use:
A five party MOU (separate
from the WHSRN MOU), signed in 1986, exists for the cooperative management of
this site. Much of it is managed by the
Chugach National Forest (U.S. Forest Service). Additional land is managed by
the city of Cordova, State of Alaska, Eyak Corporation, and the Chugach Alaska
Corporation. Forest Service lands on
the Delta are managed, through the Cordova Ranger District, for the conservation
of fish and wildlife and its habitat, in accordance with the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).
Protection:
The Copper River Delta Cooperative Agreement was signed in 1962. In 1978, the State of Alaska legislature designed much of the tidal, submerged and adjacent uplands as the Copper River Delta Critical Habitat Area. This designation requires the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to "protect and preserve habitat areas especially crucial to the perpetuation of fish and wildlife, and to restrict all other uses not compatible with that primary purpose". Documentation of the diurnal and seasonal patterns for shorebirds use will lead to the identification of key feeding and roosting areas for protection. Modeling of the tidal regimen under various wind, current and stream flow scenarios may offer potential predictions of contaminant trajectories relative to shorebird habitat use. This could help to identify measures to cope with potential man caused disasters. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Public Law 96 - 487 was also passed in 1980.
A five party MOU, signed in
1986, established the Copper River Delta Fish and Wildlife Management Area,
enlarging the former agreement. The
current agreement facilitates cooperation between State and Federal agencies in
research and management programs on the area.
The 1990 Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Copper River Delta
Shorebird Unit (CRDSU) focuses attention on the Delta as a key staging area for
shorebirds and represents the combined concerns of public agencies, private
corporate land managers, and local city government.
As of 1998, the Copper River
Delta Shorebird Unit boundaries do not include Controller Bay, a large bay
located at the far east end of the delta that includes the Bering River Delta. Radio telemetry work by Dr. Mary Anne Bishop
has found that this area is the first landfall for many migrant Pacific flyway
shorebirds arriving to the Copper River Delta.
In addition, Bishop’s aerial surveys have found that almost 25% of the
shorebirds observed each spring occur in Controller Bay. It is recommended by the Copper River Delta
Institute (CRDI) that WHSRN should include consideration of Controller Bay in
the Copper River Delta Shorebird Unit or as a separate entity.
Current Threats:
Natural phenomena such as
earthquake uplift and tsunamis have occurred in the past, but effects of these
events have not been evaluated.
Potential effects from current and future development of natural
resources could occur if debris or leached chemicals should accumulate and
prevent shorebird feeding on intertidal invertebrates. Gulf of Alaska oil spills and those that
might occur within Prince William Sound could adversely affect habitat and
large populations of several shorebird species if prevailing winds and tidal
currents sweep contaminants onto the flats of the Copper River Delta. Excessive local air traffic, heavy repeated
ATV and airboat use or concentrated foot traffic on the productive mud flats
may adversely affect invertebrates, and interfere or discourage shorebird use
in some areas.
Major
Causes of Disturbance:
Biology: What Shorebird Species Use This Site?
Possibly the most important shorebird concentration
site in the world. During the 1992
season as many as 1.1 million shorebirds have been observed at one time using
the Copper River Delta during the peak migration (April 25 - May 15). Western Sandpipers and Dunlin, the two most
abundant species of shorebirds on the Pacific coast, stop over each year before
flying north and west to their breeding grounds. The spring use of estuarine mud flats behind the barrier sandbar
islands is, by far, the most impressive use of Copper River habitats by
shorebirds. Their success in obtaining
necessary energy reserves on the Delta greatly influences their reproductive
success elsewhere in Alaska and/or Siberia.
Important too, are the upland marsh wetlands for other shorebirds
species breeding here.
Delta ponds and neighboring marshes offer habitat
and nesting sites for Short-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers, Greater
Yellowlegs, Common Snipe and Red-necked Phalaropes. Other habitats offer suitable sites for Spotted Sandpipers and
Semipalmated Plovers. Less common Delta
breeders include Dunlin and Lesser Yellowlegs.
Recent Management & Research Activities:
Cordova Ranger District staff members and a broad
base of cooperators conduct plant association and ecology work, management
studies, and fish and wildlife habitat improvement projects over broad areas of
the Delta. Investigators participate in
research projects ranging from big game to waterfowl and shorebirds. The broad based effort helps to maintain up
to date information regarding the status and welfare of wildlife and fishery
resources, and their habitats.
Since 1990, the Copper River Delta Institute (USDA
Forest Service) has conducted migratory shorebird research, working in
partnership with a host of cooperators and funders from the Chugach National
Forest, Tongass National Forest (Stikine and Yakutat areas), U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Park Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, Exxon Corporation, and BP Exploration. The study is focused on the temporal and
spatial use patterns of shorebirds, principally Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) and Dunlin (Calidris alpina pacifica) on the Copper
River Delta. Dr. Mary Anne Bishop,
Research Avian Ecologist, Copper River Delta Institute, is the principal
investigator for these studies.
The Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival is a highlight
each spring. Since 1990, the CRDI has
sponsored this event in cooperation with the Chugach National Forest, Cordova
Chamber of Commerce, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and other supporters. The festival includes workshops taught by
Alaskan ornithologists familiar with shorebird biology and identification, as
well as many other activities.
The Copper River Delta Institute of the U.S. Forest
Service is working to develop a significant data base for managers to better
understand how to effectively administer habitats for migratory
shorebirds. Research objectives are to:
1. Determine the phenology, length of stay, relative
abundance and species composition of shorebirds using the Copper River Delta
during migration.
2. Monitor spatial and temporal distribution in
relation to habitat type and major uses and identify key concentration areas.
3. Develop a reliable and cost-effective methodology
for monitoring long-term trends in shorebird abundance on the Copper River
Delta.
4. Evaluate for management the importance of various
habitats and the Copper River Delta as a whole for migrating shorebirds.
5. Assess the role of the Copper River Delta within
linkages to the Pacific Coast - Western Hemisphere migration systems.
6. Support international cooperation in conducting
shorebird studies through close coordination with other agencies and shorebird
areas.
Information Relating to WHSRN
The area is mainly state owned, with some private
holdings.
Date Copper River Delta Joined WHSRN: May 1990
Dedication Ceremony:
§
Alaska
Airlines, AK
§
ERA
Aviation, AK
§
Eyak
Corporation, AK
§
Cordova
Travel Service, AK
§
Cordova
Times, AK
§
KLAM
Radio, AK
§
British
Petroleum, AK
§
Alyeska
Pipeline, AK
§
ARCO
Alaska Inc., AK
§ Cordova, AK Contact: Cordova Chamber of Commerce, AK, PO Box 99, Cordova, AK 99574. Tel: 907-424-7260.)
Local
Activities
§
Copper River Shorebird
Festival - typically the first weekend in May, plus adjoining days.
The festival has birding workshops, field trips, and community events
and fair. It is coordinated by the Cordova Chamber of
Commerce.
Bibliography
Bishop, M.A., and S.P. Green. 1994. Shorebird Migration
on the Copper River Delta. 1991-1993. Final Report Natl. Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Project No. 91-75.
Copper River Delta Institute USFWS, Cordova, AK
Bishop, M.A., N. Warnock, and M. Takekawa. In
review. Differntial migration by
Western Sandpipers.
Isleib, M.E. 1979.
Migratory Shorebird Populations on the Copper River Delta and Eastern
Prince William Sound, Alaska. Studies
in Avian Biology No. 2: 125-129.
Iverson, G.C., S.E. Warnock, R.W. Butler, M.A.
Bishop, and N. Warnock. 1996. Spring Migration of Western Sandpipers Along the
Pacific Coast of North America: a Telemetry Study. Condor 98:10-21.
Johnson, O.W., N. Warnock, M.A. Bishop, A.J.
Bennett, P.M. Johnson, and R.J. Kienholz, 1997. Migration by Radio-Tagged Pacific Golden Plovers from Hawaii to
Alaska, and the Subsequent Survival. Auk 114(3): 521-524.
Senner, S.E. 1979.
An Evaluation of the Copper River Delta as Critical Habitat for
Shorebirds. Studies in Avian Biology
No. 2: 131-145.
Warnock, N. and M.A. Bishop. In review. Spring Stopover Ecology of Migrant Western
Sandpipers.