More Colorado landowners sign voluntary mountain plover agreement in 2004

by Todd Malmsbury

More than twenty landowners have signed agreements this year to support ongoing state and federal efforts to conserve mountain plovers—small, insect-eating birds that nest on fallow and freshly cultivated farmland on Colorado’s eastern plains.

The landowners have inked voluntary memorandums of agreement in support of the state’s mountain plover conservation effort, an important part of Colorado’s ambitious, long-term Conservation Plan for Grassland Species.

The agreements will provide Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) biologists and bird conservationists from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory access to private property on which they will conduct research and identify mountain plover nests with flags. Flagged nests are easier to see, and this decreases the likelihood that farmers will run over them with tractors and other heavy equipment while cultivating their land, wildlife officials said.

Last year, about a dozen landowners signed the mountain plover agreement. DOW officials said more landowners are starting to see the value of helping to conserve and recover wildlife, which helps prevent the need to list species under the Endangered Species Act. Mountain plovers narrowly missed being listed for federal protection last year. In September, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) withdrew plans to list the birds after deciding their populations had stabilized. The birds are currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

“It’s just been a very concerted effort to work with landowners and agricultural organizations in underlining the importance of this project,” said Ken Morgan, private lands habitat specialist for the DOW.

Ralph Morgenweck, regional director of the mountain-prairie region for the USFWS, said the support and cooperative efforts by landowners across Colorado’s Front Range has undoubtedly helped reduce nesting mortalities in cultivated fields, which will result in more mountain plovers producing more young.

“These stewards of the land who work to conserve not only a way of life in the West, but also our natural resources are to be commended for their innovative approach to conservation,” Morgenweck added.

The plan to conserve mountain plovers in Colorado is being lauded at the national level as a model of cooperation, involving state and federal government agencies, private landowners, and conservation groups.

Morgan said outreach efforts through agricultural groups and one-on-one meetings with landowners have been successful. Wildlife officials believe that by working with private citizens and non-governmental organizations they can conserve grassland species and ensure that land stewardship remains in the hands of local citizens.

“It’s one of the more innovative solutions that have come along in quite a while in terms of conservation efforts on private land for declining species. Working in concert with private landowners, rather than through regulatory efforts, we’re able to accomplish a lot more,” said Francie Pusateri, grasslands species coordinator for the DOW’s species conservation section.

Because their buff-colored feathers seem to blend into the landscape, mountain plovers are often referred to as “ghosts of the prairie.” The birds are natives of the Great Plains, and their coloration helps protect them from prairie predators. Wildlife biologists estimate the current total population of mountain plovers in the United States to be between 10,000­12,000. Colorado has an estimated twenty-one mountain plover nesting grounds, including sites at the Pawnee National Grasslands and South Park.

Mountain plovers are a species of concern in Colorado. Last year, the DOW allocated more than $400,000 to efforts aimed at conserving their habitats. The agency has budgeted $560,000 for mountain plover inventory, research, habitat development, and landowner outreach projects for the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

The bulk of the program’s funding, some $400,000, comes from the state’s Species Conservation Trust Fund. A portion of its financial support also comes from Great Outdoors Colorado state lottery fund.

The USFWS, one of several federal agencies involved in the effort, has contributed funding and technical support to the mountain plover conservation plan.

Landowners interested in participating in the Mountain Plover Conservation Program should call the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s toll-free number, (877) 475-6837, from April 16­July 4, at least 72 hours before cultivating their fields.

For more information on the mountain plover and the DOW’s Conservation Plan for Grassland Species, visit: http://wildlife.state.co.us/species_profiles/mountainplover.asp; http://dnr.state.co.us/news/press.asp?pressid=2629