Region 3

The Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) East Lansing, Michigan, Field Office is supporting a graduate research project on the common tern (Sterna hirundo), a "species of concern" in eastern Michigan. The study focuses on factors such as predation, weather, and human disturbance that affect reproduction at two tern colonies in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. The project also is investigating the use of nesting platforms for increasing reproductive success.

The FWS Columbia, Missouri, Field Office and Missouri Department of Conservation conducted a search in the southeastern part of the State for new sites of Hall's bulrush (Scirpus hallii), another species of concern. Although no new populations were located, an impressive 2,000 plants were estimated at the one extant site in Scott County. This is the largest estimate for the species at any Missouri site and one of the largest populations in the country. The estimate confirms observations of other botanists who have noted that populations of Hall's bulrush fluctuate widely from year to year.

Region 4

The City of Wilson, North Carolina, has received FWS approval to proceed with construction of the Buckthorn Reservoir and to prepare a conservation plan for minimizing impacts on dwarf wedge mussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) populations in Turkey and Moccasin Creeks. A December 1994 biological opinion issued by the FWS under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) had recommended "reasonable and prudent measures" for protection of the endangered mussel before construction begins. In response, the city has developed a plan to relocate dwarf wedge mussels from the proposed reservoir pool area in the two creeks to appropriate habitat upstream. The species requires free-flowing habitat and cannot survive in impoundments.

City officials will secure protection for stream banks and water quality in the mussel relocation area by establishing a 200-foot (60-meter) wide buffer strip on each side of the streams above the reservoir. Dwarf wedge mussel populations in the streams will be monitored over a 10-year period to determine their stability, viability, and reproductive success. The protection afforded these streams will result in a "win-win" situation for the mussel populations and the citizens of Wilson.

Region 5

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources examined bat use around a known Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) hibernaculum during the summer of 1995. This study, funded by the Monongahela National Forest, Fernow Experimental Forest, and West Virginia Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Program, was aimed at determining if any Indiana bats remain in the vicinity of the cave during the summer. Bats were sampled using a harp trap at the cave entrance and several mist nets set nearby. A total of 837 bats of 7 species were captured between April and September, including 35 Indiana bats. The numbers of this endangered species captured by month were: June, 1; July, 5; August, 8; and September, 21. Most were males; only three females were observed.

A survey to collect additional specimens of the crystal darter (Crystallaria asperella) from the Elk River, West Virginia, for genetic analyses was conducted by night seining on September 20 and 21, 1995. FWS personnel collected two specimens of this fish in the vicinity of Clendenin in Kanawha County.

The dwarf wedge mussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) was found recently in the Pequest River in Warren County, New Jersey. During August and September, nine valves and 11 partial valves and fragments were recovered on State property by biologists from the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program and the Division of Parks and Forestry's Natural Heritage Program. Although no live dwarf wedge mussels were observed, the species' known host fish--the tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi)--was abundant throughout the study area. State biologists plan surveys of the area this spring of 1996, using ESA-section 6 funding.

Region 2

Attwater's greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) Sixty-five hatchlings of this critically endangered bird were produced by the three captive breeding flocks at the Fossil Rim Research Ranch, Houston Zoo, and Texas A & M University. Sixteen young males considered surplus to the breeding program were released into the wild at Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in August to test reintroduction techniques, and three of the birds were still alive in November. This pilot release provided much information on rearing and release techniques to improve survival rates in the future. Breeding facilities expect to produce over 100 chicks in 1996, and a release of males and females is planned to supplement the wild population at the refuge.

Region 3

Decurrent false aster (Boltonia decurrens) Staff from the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Columbia, Missouri, Field Office recently surveyed a population of this threatened plant near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The decurrent false aster grows on floodplains, and the population in question suffered extended inundation during the major floods of 1993 and 1995. It also was almost destroyed in 1994 during borrow operations for construction of a new levee.

In a joint effort of the FWS, Army Corps of Engineers, and Missouri Department of Conservation to restore the site, seeds from local plants were broadcast around the borrow site in the fall of 1994. Despite the extended flooding in May and June of 1995, several hundred plants were observed growing at the site in the fall of 1995. Many apparently resulted from the direct seeding.

Partners for Wildlife The FWS Columbia Office negotiated the terms of a new Partners for Wildlife cooperative agreement with the Missouri Department of Conservation. It commits a total of $126,000 over the next 5 years to habitat restoration for listed species or listing candidates on private lands in Missouri. Earmarked projects include habitat restoration and improvement for the Niangua darter (Etheostoma nianguae) in the Little Niangua watershed and the construction of cave gates on private lands to protect Indiana and gray bats (Myotis sodalis and Myotis grisescens, respectively). Funds also are reserved for FWS/State projects to restore or improve habitats for other listed or candidate species.

Reforestation In another habitat restoration effort, the FWS Bloomington, Indiana, Field Office received a challenge cost-share contribution from Wildlife Forever (a Minnesota-based conservation organization) and the Indiana Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation for a bottomland hardwood reforestation project. The site is located on former cropland adjacent to the Whitewater River in southeastern Indiana. The project should greatly enhance the riparian corridor for use by migratory songbirds and potentially the endangered Indiana bat.

Freshwater Mussels St. Louis, Missouri, was the site for a recent 3-day symposium on freshwater mussels. Entitled "The Conservation and Management of Freshwater Mussels II--Initiatives for the Future," the symposium was sponsored by the FWS, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Mussel Mitigation Trust, and Shell Exporters of America, Inc. Papers presented by some of the approximately 230 participants centered on four major themes: surveys and status reports, life history studies, sampling methods, and environmental impacts. Although several speakers provided evidence on the continued decline of freshwater mollusks, others reported on positive activities that may contribute to the recovery of these animals. The symposium was highlighted by the unveiling of a Draft National Strategy for the Conservation of Native Freshwater Mussels. Although revisions are needed, this timely plan will help identify critical recovery activities for native North American mussels. Proceedings of the symposium will be published; contact the FWS Region 3 Office for details.

Region 4

Stock Island Tree Snail (Orthalicus reses reses) This arboreal snail, characterized by its large, attractively marked shell, was listed in 1978 as threatened. Recent surveys have been unsuccessful in finding any Stock Island tree snails within its historical range, which includes Stock Island and Key West, Florida. With the cooperation of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Stock Island Golf Course, Key West Botanical Gardens, and U.S. Navy, the FWS is taking recovery actions to reestablish this unique mollusk into part of its historical range. The FWS South Florida Ecosystem Office in Vero Beach plans to move forward with reintroductions of the Stock Island tree snail in 1996.

Region 5

Virginia big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendii virginianus) In June 1995, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources personnel monitored populations of this endangered mammal at 11 summer colony sites in West Virginia. The censuses resulted in a total population estimate in these colonies of 6,338 bats (mostly adult females), an increase of 2.5 percent over the 1994 population level. Colonies ranged in size from 122 to 1,350 bats. One new site for this species was discovered following reports of big-eared bats observed by cavers. In September, biologists set up a mist net at the entrance of the cave, which is located in Grant County, and captured nine P. t. virginianus in about one-half hour. Bat use of this cave will be examined in more detail in 1996.

Endangered Plants Botanists located three new populations of running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) in West Virginia last summer. Two populations were in Randolph County and both contained several large sub-populations. The third site was in Pocahontas County. Four new sites for the shale barren rock cress (Arabis serotina) also were found last summer in West Virginia.

Freshwater Mussels West Virginia Division of Natural Resources biologists also conducted surveys for two mussel taxa in the upper Greenbrier River drainage that are considered "species of concern." The green floater (Lasmigona subviridis) was located at two known localities and discovered at one new site, and the presence of juveniles indicated reproduction. The elktoe (Alasmidonta marginata) was found at two new sites. These surveys were funded by the Monongahela National Forest and the West Virginia Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Program. Mussel surveys in the Middle Island Creek drainage, funded with an ESA-section 6 grant, located the endangered clubshell (Pleurobema clava) at three sites on Meathouse Fork.

Biologists discovered a new site for the endangered fanshell mussel (Cyprogenia stegaria) in the backchannel of Muskingum Island when they examined shells from a muskrat midden on the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The freshly dead mussels were 9 and 11 years of age. This further supports the theory that the upper Ohio River is an important recovery area for this species.