## F9 TO UPDATE TOC! {#f9-to-update-toc .Appendix-H2 .unnumbered}

Appendix D6 Create/Enhance/Protect California Brown Pelican Roost
Habitat

D6.1 Goals and Nexus to Injury D[6-1](#goals-and-nexus-to-injury)

D6.2 Background D[6-1](#background)

D6.3 Project Descriptions and Methods
D[6-1](#project-descriptions-and-methods)

D6.4 Environmental Benefits and Impacts
D[6-2](#environmental-benefits-and-impacts)

D6.4.1 Biological D[6-2](#biological)

D6.4.2 Physical D[6-3](#physical)

D6.4.3 Human Use D[6-3](#human-use)

D6.5 Likelihood of Success/Feasibility
D[6-4](#likelihood-of-successfeasibility)

D6.6 Performance Criteria and Monitoring
D[6-4](#performance-criteria-and-monitoring)

D6.7 Evaluation D[6-4](#evaluation)

D6.8 Budget D[6-4](#budget)

Appendix D6

Create/Enhance/Protect California Brown Pelican Roost Habitat

# Create/Enhance/Protect California Brown Pelican Roost Habitat

## Goals and Nexus to Injury

The goal of this action is to restore non-breeding California brown
pelican habitat by enhancing and protecting coastal roosts along the
Southern California mainland. Eggshell thinning and elevated levels of
DDT have been documented in California brown pelican eggs in the
Southern California Bight (SCB) (Kiff 1994, Fry 1994). Section 5.1.1
provides a detailed description of seabird nexus to the injuries of the
Montrose case.

## Background

Number range CHAPTERCommunal roost sites are essential habitat for
California brown pelicans (Gress and Anderson 1983). The primary roost
sites for brown pelicans in the western United States are offshore rocks
and islands on the outer coast and sand islands within large estuaries
(Briggs et al. 1987, Jaques 1994). Intense shoreline development,
wetland filling, and other habitat alteration has eliminated much of the
natural onshore roost habitat. Loss of historical roost habitat from
human encroachment has been partially offset by the addition of
artificial structures, such as jetties, breakwaters, and floating
structures. Pelicans now rely heavily on these types of structures for
roost sites in California (Jaques et al. 1996). Few roosts along the
mainland fall under the jurisdiction of natural resource agencies, and
several major roost sites on privately owned structures have been lost
in recent years.

The basic requirements for California pelican roosts include (1)
terrestrial substrates where pelicans can keep their bodies dry while
resting and maintaining their plumage, (2) a buffer from mammalian
predators and human disturbances, and (3) presence of prey resources
within energetically efficient distances (Jaques et al. 1996). Human
disturbance at many existing roost sites in Southern California is high
relative to other portions of their range. The most frequent cause of
this disturbance is recreational activities and the most heavily
disturbed habitats used by pelicans are estuaries (Jaques and Anderson
1987)

## Project Descriptions and Methods

The goal of this action is to improve roost sites for California brown
pelicans along the Southern California mainland. Several methods are
being considered to improve roosting locations, including creation,
enhancement, and protection. Site selection and specific methods would
be determined through further project development and consultation with
appropriate stakeholders. All projects would have a complementary
interpretive element such as educational panels or displays.

Roost site creation projects would fill in gaps in the availability of
large-capacity, high-quality roosts along the Southern California
coastline. Potential creation projects that would be explored include
placing a large barge or roosting structure in outer Santa Barbara
Harbor, Aqua Hedionda (San Diego County), and Batiquitos Lagoon (San
Diego County). In 2005, the American Trader Trustee Council installed a
floating platform in the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge to
provide a secure roosting location for California brown pelicans. A
monitoring program has been developed to evaluate the success of the
project. This project will provide valuable information for the creation
of additional roost sites in Southern California.

Roost site enhancement projects would be designed to increase the
capacity and quality of existing roost sites. Potential enhancement
projects include adding rock riprap to the tops of selected jetties, and
breakwaters where pelican use is limited by high tides and large waves.
Potential sites include the Zuniga Point jetty, the Channel Islands
Harbor breakwater, and the Ventura Harbor breakwater.

California brown pelican roost site protection would be aimed at
reducing human disturbance at selected coastal wetlands, breakwaters,
jetties and offshore rocks through educational outreach panels and
signs. Installation of fence barriers to prevent disturbance of favored
pelican roost habitat at the tips of selected jetties would be
considered if the local harbor districts would support this measure.
Potential sites include the Santa Clara River mouth, Malibu Lagoon,
Ventura Harbor, Channel Islands Harbor, and the outer tips of King
Harbor, Dana Point, and Oceanside Harbor.

Specific roost site enhancement projects would be developed and
evaluated in future environmental documentation prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

## Environmental Benefits and Impacts

### Biological

Benefits

Improvements in the existing network of communal roosts along the coast
would have a positive influence on the energy budgets of California
brown pelicans by reducing the energy costs associated with (1)
commuting between prey locations and roosts, (2) flushing and relocating
due to human disturbance, and (3) using suboptimal microclimates within
roosts. The costs of migration would also be reduced by the increased
availability, quality, and capacity of stopover sites. Cumulative energy
reductions should result in improved body condition of individual birds.
Expected population-level effects from improving the condition of
individual birds are increased juvenile and adult survival, and
increased reproductive success of pelicans in California. Juvenile
survival and adult reproductive success are the primary life history
parameters affecting the SCB California brown pelican metapopulation
(Gress and Anderson 1983).

Other bird species that occur in association with roosting pelicans are
likely to benefit from the proposed roost projects as well. Bird groups
that would benefit from the increased availability of island habitat and
reduced human disturbance in coastal environments include gulls, terns,
cormorants, shorebirds, herons, egrets, and ducks. The suite of species
receiving benefits would vary with the type of roost treatment and
project site. The restoration projects would inform and enrich the
public through associated interpretive displays and would help foster an
awareness and stewardship ethic that should result in reduced
disturbance to roosting California brown pelicans and other coastal
waterbirds at other locations.

Impacts

The environmental consequences of increased California brown pelican use
of lagoons and other roosting areas may include impacts on water quality
if guano accumulation exceeds the circulation ability of the affected
lagoons. However, in some locations brown pelican guano in the vicinity
of roosts could provide a desirable source of nutrient enrichment and
may enhance local food webs.

Negative aspects of California brown pelican use of harbors for roosting
include the increased risk of contact with environmental contaminants
such as oil, the increased likelihood of injury due to scavenging (e.g.,
entanglement in fishing line, puncture from fishing hooks, etc.), and
the development of nuisance issues. However, this action is not expected
to result in major increases in pelican use of harbors. Rather, the goal
would be to improve the quality of resting time within harbors.

### Physical

Benefits

This action would not result in benefits to the physical environment.

Impacts

This action would not result in impacts to the physical environment.

### Human Use

Benefits

Public enjoyment of California brown pelicans would be increased by
projects that allow the public to view communal roosting groups without
causing disturbance.

Impacts

Restoration projects would be designed to minimize impacts to
recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and kayaking. Because
California brown pelicans are very susceptible to human disturbance,
projects would be sited in areas that are compatible with human uses.
Potential impacts to navigation would be evaluated for each
site-specific project.

Pelican roost site creation projects would be associated with variable
degrees of liability, and some projects would require ongoing management
oversight. Careful site selection, project design, selection of raw
materials, and adequately funded maintenance programs would offset
potential liability costs. Signs, posts, or fences may need to be
replaced during the projected life of the project due to fading,
corrosion, or vandalism. Vegetation on any earthen islands that are
created may need to be periodically controlled or removed.

## Likelihood of Success/Feasibility 

California brown pelicans respond readily to novel roost sites as long
as key habitat elements are provided. These key elements have been
described in this document and in Gress and Anderson (1983) and Jaques
and Anderson (1987). All projects that involve physical manipulation of
habitat are likely to succeed. The successes of projects that rely on
alteration of human behavior include a wider range of uncertainties.
Projects that provide the most secure island habitat in areas that
harbor reliable food resources would be expected to receive the highest
level of use and would function as communal night roosts as well as
daytime use areas. Projects conducted under this plan would be designed
and implemented using the best available expertise and information on
brown pelican habitat selection, microclimate preference, and behavioral
ecology. Monitoring results from similar projects, such as the American
Trader Trustee Council floating dock project, would be used to improve
the success of future projects.

Education and awareness programs, including displays, signs, and
brochures, nearly always attract public attention. Informational and
warning signs to protect seabirds have a high probability of reducing
human behaviors that are detrimental to the resource.

## Performance Criteria and Monitoring

Performance criteria would be developed for each specific project.
Success would be based on increases in roost attendance and increases in
population abundance.

To monitor the success of restoration efforts, a combination of aerial
surveys and ground-based observations at roosts would be conducted for
the duration of the project, as appropriate. Ground-based observations
at selected roost sites would be designed to monitor the response of
pelicans to individual roost treatments. The amount of time spent
observing each site would vary according to the type of roost, the type
of project, and the questions that need to be addressed. A monitoring
plan would be designed for each particular project prior to
implementation.

## Evaluation

The Natural Resource Trustees for the Montrose case (Trustees) have
evaluated this action against all screening and evaluation criteria
developed to select restoration actions and have concluded that this
action is consistent with these selection factors. The Trustees
determined that this type of action would benefit California brown
pelicans injured as a result of DDT contamination. Future environmental
documentation would further develop and evaluate potential roost
projects.

## Budget

The costs of potential projects vary considerably depending on the
method used to improve pelican roosting habitat and the site selected.
For example, the costs of the installation and monitoring of the
American Trader floating dock in San Diego Bay totaled \$47,000. An
example of a larger construction project would be raising the height of
Zuniga Point jetty in San Diego Bay by 1.5 meters (5 feet) to provide a
dry roosting location for pelicans during high tides. The estimated cost
for this larger project is \$2,000,000.