Voluntary Waterfowl Avoidance Area
The Mississippi flyway is one of the most important flyways in North America providing habitat for songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, especially the canvasback duck (Aythya valisineria), tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus), and scaup (Aythya spp.). During their migration, it is energetically favorable if migrating birds can rest and refuel in areas without stressors such as hunters, boats, and other human activity. Voluntary waterfowl avoidance areas provide these resting and foraging opportunities to waterfowl throughout the upper Mississippi River corridor. Resource managers request that the public voluntarily avoid designated and protected areas, specifically those that contain ample food resources for migrating waterfowl. This study evaluates boater compliance with the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area in lower navigation Pool 7 of the upper Mississippi River and evaluates how disturbances impact waterfowl.
Voluntary waterfowl avoidance areas are active during fall migration and the Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area[MBE1] in lower navigation Pool 7 is targeted to provide protection during peak migration of canvasbacks, which occurs between mid-October and mid-November. The Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area was designed to allow limited boat access, via corridors, between Lake Onalaska and the Mississippi River. Corridors were created with public input and in a manner that would be expected to minimize disturbance to resting and foraging waterfowl. In essence, there is ample space for boaters to completely circumnavigate the 3,356-acre voluntary waterfowl avoidance area without entering it.
Monitoring of the Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area is required by refuge managers to determine if disturbances exceed the threshold of one major disturbance per day, as outlined in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2006 Environmental Impact Statement and Comprehensive Conservation Plan. A major disturbance is defined as the disturbance of at least 1,000 waterfowl or 50 percent of all waterfowl present, whichever amount is less. Exceeding the threshold of one major disturbance per day could result in refuge managers implementing additional or more restrictive actions to the area. This study aims to determine boater compliance with the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area, determine changes in compliance over time, identify the type of activities and watercraft involved with intrusions into the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area, and document waterfowl disturbance resulting from intrusions.
This project is ongoing and is in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge – La Crosse District.
The Mississippi flyway is one of the most important flyways in North America providing habitat for songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, especially the canvasback duck (Aythya valisineria), tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus), and scaup (Aythya spp.). During their migration, it is energetically favorable if migrating birds can rest and refuel in areas without stressors such as hunters, boats, and other human activity. Voluntary waterfowl avoidance areas provide these resting and foraging opportunities to waterfowl throughout the upper Mississippi River corridor. Resource managers request that the public voluntarily avoid designated and protected areas, specifically those that contain ample food resources for migrating waterfowl. This study evaluates boater compliance with the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area in lower navigation Pool 7 of the upper Mississippi River and evaluates how disturbances impact waterfowl.
Voluntary waterfowl avoidance areas are active during fall migration and the Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area[MBE1] in lower navigation Pool 7 is targeted to provide protection during peak migration of canvasbacks, which occurs between mid-October and mid-November. The Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area was designed to allow limited boat access, via corridors, between Lake Onalaska and the Mississippi River. Corridors were created with public input and in a manner that would be expected to minimize disturbance to resting and foraging waterfowl. In essence, there is ample space for boaters to completely circumnavigate the 3,356-acre voluntary waterfowl avoidance area without entering it.
Monitoring of the Lake Onalaska voluntary waterfowl avoidance area is required by refuge managers to determine if disturbances exceed the threshold of one major disturbance per day, as outlined in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2006 Environmental Impact Statement and Comprehensive Conservation Plan. A major disturbance is defined as the disturbance of at least 1,000 waterfowl or 50 percent of all waterfowl present, whichever amount is less. Exceeding the threshold of one major disturbance per day could result in refuge managers implementing additional or more restrictive actions to the area. This study aims to determine boater compliance with the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area, determine changes in compliance over time, identify the type of activities and watercraft involved with intrusions into the voluntary waterfowl avoidance area, and document waterfowl disturbance resulting from intrusions.
This project is ongoing and is in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge – La Crosse District.