St. Simons Island Wood Stork Colony Protection Plan
Sea Island Company

Pandion is conducting an ongoing study of a 50-acre colony of nesting endangered wood storks (Mycteria americana) on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Pandion has performed natural resources studies, hydrologic modeling, watershed assessments, and evaluations of biological requirements for management zones and buffers around the colony. This included GIS maps of habitat and hydrologic conditions based on field studies and remote sensing data.

Pandion began writing a Habitat Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment (HCP/EA) for the colony as part of NEPA and Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. Through extensive research and risk assessment, Pandion found that the proposed development design would not cause incidental take of wood storks. Thus, an HCP/EA was not required and Pandion instead prepared a proposal to amend the existing Wood Stork Colony Restoration Plan for the Sea Island Company.

Pandion wrote management and monitoring plans for Hydrology, Vegetation, and Wildlife, and also designed an Education plan to ensure compliance with the Wood Stork Colony Protection Measures.

In addition, Pandion designed and conducted a noise risk assessment to address the issue of the potential disturbing effect of residential construction sound on nesting wood storks.

Hydrologic Monitoring (Dec 2000 - ongoing): Pandion designed, installed and maintains a shallow groundwater monitoring network of 12 wells equipped with electrosonic water level recorders to investigate shallow groundwater dynamics in the 50-acre wood stork colony wetland. Hydrologic analyses of long-term rainfall and nesting success were completed to characterize hydrologic conditions that are necessary for successful nesting, both at the Sea Island colony and for the regional wood stork population. The results were integrated into estimates of incidental take for this endangered species.

Vegetation Management Plan for Wood Stork Colony (Jan 2001 - April 2002): Pandion designed a vegetative management plan for control of invasive native species in a wood stork colony on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Native invasive species had invaded the colony and presented a risk to nesting success by facilitating raccoon predation. Both chemical control and mechanical control plan alternatives were developed. Consultation with USFWS resulted in approval of the mechanical control plan. This plan is being used to prevent predation of nests.

Key Personnel
James Newman, PhD
Fay Baird, MS
Christian Newman, MS
Susan Marynowski, MS
Crissy Sutter, MS
Karen Hill

Period of Performance
2000 to current

Location
Georgia Coastal Barrier Island