------------------------------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
                                        **Budget**                                    

  **SSP Project Title**                 **FY07**     **FY08**   **FY09**   **FY10**   **FY11**

  1). Assessing the sensitivity of      30,000       30,000     30,000                
  endangered freshwater mussels to coal                                               
  mining effluents to enhance recovery                                                
  efforts in biodiversity hotspots of                                                 
  the Tennessee and Cumberland River                                                  
  drainages                                                                           

  2). Movements and Habitat Use of      53,705       53,705     54,740     53,325     46,750
  Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon in the                                               
  Lower Mississippi River                                                             

  3). The First Step in Defining        63,000       90,000     90,000     27,000      
  Sustainable Aquascapes:                                                             
  Spatially-explicit Quantification of                                                
  Water Quantity, Timing and                                                          
  Distribution on Southeast Region                                                    
  National Wildlife Refuges                                                           
  ------------------------------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

  ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------
  **Quick Response Project Title**                             **Budget**

                                                               **FY07**

  1). Distribution, Abundance, Movements, Foraging, and        19,517
  Habitat Use of Rusty Blackbirds (*Euphagus carolinus*) in    
  the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Southeastern Coastal     
  Plain Bird Conservation Regions                              

  2). Rapid Assessment and Development of Monitoring Protocols 19,993
  for Wintering Populations of Salt Marsh Birds along the      
  South Atlantic Coast                                         

  3). Identification of the basic management unit for the      10,000
  endangered *Neotoma floridana smalli*: delineation of the    
  phylogenetic relationships among south Florida's Neotoma     
  floridana complex.                                           
  ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------

Brief abstracts of the proposals follow.

1\. Successful SSP proposal descriptions:

*Assessing the sensitivity of endangered freshwater mussels to coal
mining effluents to enhance recovery efforts in biodiversity hotspots of
the Tennessee and Cumberland River drainages*. A multi-regional study,
with Region 5. Effluent from coal mines will be studied with chemical
analyses, toxicity tests on standard organisms, and recently developed
and standardized tests using juvenile mussels, plus histopathologic
analysis of organisms after testing. The study is designed to relate
contaminant concentrations to specific toxic effects.

*Movements and Habitat Use of Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon in the
Lower Mississippi River.* The project will identify spawning areas and
cues, habitat use, and movement patterns of the endangered pallid
sturgeon and the commercially-harvested shovelnose sturgeon in the lower
Mississippi River. Not enough is known about these species in the lower
Mississippi to make recommendations for recovering the pallid or setting
harvest limits for the shovelnose.

*The First Step in Defining Sustainable Aquascapes: Spatially-explicit
Quantification of Water Quantity, Timing and Distribution on Southeast
Region National Wildlife Refuges*. The project will "provide
spatially-explicit documentation of water quantity, timing, and
distribution on four NWRs in the Southeast that are considered high
priority due to known or potential stressors such as population growth,
hydrologic manipulation, ongoing litigation, and/or recent changes in
state water law."

2\. Successful QR proposal descriptions:

*Distribution, Abundance, Movements, Foraging, and Habitat Use of Rusty
Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and
Southeastern Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Regions.* This study will
provide information regarding the role of National Wildlife Refuges and
adjacent areas in supporting wintering Rusty Blackbirds, by providing
detailed information on habitat preferences and movements.

*Rapid Assessment and Development of Monitoring Protocols for Wintering
Populations of Salt Marsh Birds along the South Atlantic Coast*. This
project will 1) test and develop wintering sampling protocols to
estimate abundance and population trend for tidal marsh sparrows and
other secretive marsh species on USFWS Refuges in the eastern US; 2)
determine the present distribution and abundance of salt marsh sparrows
and other marsh species at Cape Romain, Cedar Island, Swanquarter, and
Pea Island NWR's; 3) provide information about the winter ecology and
habitat use of salt marsh sparrows; and 4) provide preliminary
information on the effect of marsh management on salt marsh sparrow
populations, with an emphasis on prescribed burning.

*Identification of the basic management unit for the endangered Neotoma
floridana smalli: delineation of the phylogenetic relationships among
south Florida's Neotoma floridana complex.* This study will (1)
delineate the phylogenetic relationships of the *N. floridana* species
complex with emphasis on the two geographically proximal subspecies --
*N. f. floridana* and *N. f. smalli*; and (2) synthesize this
information to provide the Service with guidance in the development of a
genetically diverse captive breeding program for *N. f. smalli*, and (3)
characterize the genetic structure of historic and extant isolated and
insular populations of *N. floridana*.