The Alaska
Landbird Monitoring Survey
Background
Alaska’s provides breeding habitats for 135 species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.-Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska but most northern species are inadequately monitored because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in Flight thus developed the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) to monitor breeding populations of landbirds in roadless areas in Alaska and complement data collected from the roadside BBS. The primary objectives of ALMS are to (1) monitor long-term population trends; (2) determine abundance by habitat; and (3) model distribution across Alaska. ALMS is a collaborative program whereby agencies participate by conducting standardized surveys of breeding birds and their habitats on their resource lands and contributing the data to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center for storage and analysis. ALMS and its pilot program the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey have recorded >90,000 observations of birds across more than 360 sites in Alaska.
The short-term implementation goal of ALMS is to survey a grid of 25 points within each of 100 randomly selected sample units with ALMS matching the number of BBS surveys run in each of Alaska’s BCRs and establishing new surveys in the Aleutian and Bering Sea islands, which have no roadside surveys (see Tables 1 and 2 for proposed sampling). Surveys will be conducted biennially, with 50 surveys run in alternating year. Focus is initially on selecting sample units in areas accessible by foot, vehicle, boat, or fixed-wing aircraft as these can be surveyed more cheaply and reliably over time. Each grid will be surveyed using 10-min point-transects once per summer on a biennial basis; habitat data will also be collected. Trend data will be analyzed jointly with BBS data to test for differences between roadless and roadside areas and to increase power to detect statewide trends. Additional grids will be surveyed in areas that are more difficult and expensive to access as resources become available in the future. Long-term monitoring will enable analysis of change in bird populations in relation to fire, disease and insect damage, resource development, climate-related change, and other landscape-level disturbances in these threatened forests.
Status of ALMS
Although ALMS is a new program considerable progress has already been made in establishing survey and gaining agency support. By autumn 2006 40 surveys will have been instituted in BCRs 4 and 5 combined (Table 1). ALMS also received in 2005 broad backing from nine state, federal, and non-governmental agencies which signed a MOU in 2005 supporting the program. We still need your help, however, to establish 1 to 6 new surveys on individual land units to reach the statewide goal of implementing 100 ALMS surveys by 2010. To find out more about how to participate in ALMS please see the additional information included on this site or contact the Program Coordinator.
Table 1. Target number of surveys to be conducted per year by 2010 for the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey and current participation in the program. Most sites will be surveyed every two years, so the total number of sites to be monitored will be 100 statewide.
Bird Conservation Region |
Survey effort per year |
|
Proposed |
Established |
|
BCR 1. Aleutian/Bering Sea Islands |
3.5 |
0 |
BCR 2. Western Alaska |
8.5 |
0 |
BCR 3. Arctic Plains and Mountains |
3.0 |
0 |
BCR 4. Northwestern Interior Forest |
22.5 |
17.0a |
BCR 5. Northern Pacific Rainforest |
12.5 |
10.5b |
Total |
50.0 |
27.5 |
a Number of surveys per year already established: Denali National Park and Preserve (8), Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge (1.5), Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (0.5) and Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge (7).
b Number of surveys per year already established: Chugach National Forest (3) and Tongass National Forest (7.5).
Table 2. Proposed allocation of 100 sample sites to be surveyed in a biennial rotation for the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey within each Bird Conservation Region.
| Agency |
Bird Conservation Region |
Total |
||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||
Bureau of Land Management |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
Fish and Wildlife Service |
7 |
14 |
1 |
28 |
0 |
50 |
Forest Service |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
22 |
National Park Service |
0 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
3 |
22 |
Total |
7 |
17 |
6 |
45 |
25 |
100 |
Additional information on ALMS
· Supporting agencies.—A memorandum of understanding supporting ALMS was signed in 2005 by nine federal, state, and non-governmental agencies.
· Proposed sample allocation by land management unit.—The proposed biennial sampling for individual federal resource lands in Alaska.
· Selecting areas for sampling.—A request for the information we need from you to randomly select surveys locations in accessible areas in Alaska.
· Protocol for setting up and conducting surveys.—Instructions for conducting ALMS surveys.
· Data Forms.—Forms for collecting ALMS data in the field.
Pilot program
· ALMS pilot program.—Data from the Alaska Off-road Breeding Bird Survey were used to develop the robust sampling design used in ALMS.
· Pilot data summaries.—Interactive databases of bird distribution that use 1992-1997 data collected from the Alaska Off-road Breeding Bird Survey.
Colleen Handel
U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503
907-786-3418, colleen_handel@usgs.gov
Alaska Science Center – Biological Science Office