2002-03-06 P & R Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Joan Galli Non-Game Wtldlife Specialist 1200 Warner Road . St. Paul, l\.1N 55106 .." JdJrieaFoid. BiJllMuseum 0/ NtitvroJ llistDr, - - 10 C/w.rch Street S.E. College a/Namral Resources Minneapolis. MN 55455-0104 612-624-7083 FOJ:: 612-626.7704 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA . January- 23, 2002 Dear Joan, Thank you for inviting me to today's meeting. I'm sorry that I bad to leave before the meeting concluded but I had a meeting back on campus for which I couldn't be late. Perhaps you will find the following hasty summary of my thoughts after the meeting helpful in thinking about next steps. We spent a great deal of time talking about water skiing but I think: we would be wise to keep other possible explanations in mind. The following are nine alternatives, . . pr~ented llJ_allthab.etic..1lrder, and .my.assessment af.the likeliQOOd.tha.t each is theu primary cause of abandonment. Importantly, I've suggested steps that could be taken to either eliminate each potential cause or at least to obtain data that would help us to determine whether each alternative might be contributing to the heron/egret abandonment. To maximize the probability of successfully maintaining this colony now, and to maximi=?:e our ability to prevent colony abandonment in the future, we should seriously consider all of these possibilities. It is likely that someone will suggest that there is insufficient evidence to identify the primary cause of abandonment and that no restriction on lake use should be imposed until such time as we have conclusive data. I would suggest that we used that philosophy in 2001 with the result that once again there was no successful breeding in this colony. Given the status of this colony as one of the largest, ofa relatively small number of metro area colonies, this is a matter of great concern for the entire north metro area. For the health of the metro area ecosystem we cannot afford to wait another year for all the necessary data to be obtained before we act. We must make an educated guess and take action. In my opinion, the most likely explanation is that the colony has been abandoned due to direct human influence in the form of human disturbance (noise and physical presence) in close proximity to the colony. . We should work with the community to encourage the adoption of a no-wake zone north of the bog poles. ,.