-------------------------------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------
  **SSP Project Title**                  **Budget**                         

                                         **FY06**     **FY07**   **FY08**   **FY09**

  Science Support for the Upper          44,625       82,950     82,950     44,625
  ***Coosa*** Basin Phase I                                                 

  Adaptation and establishment of        45,795       33,422                 
  ***microchemical*** methods to analyze                                    
  elemental patterns in calcified                                           
  structures of ***sturgeon*** for                                          
  determining origins and movements of                                      
  freshwater sturgeon in the Mississippi                                    
  and Missouri river basins                                                 

  Development of population and habitat  43,115       83,736     87,387     43,115
  objectives for FWS Trust Resources in                                     
  the Roanoke-Tar-Neuse-Cape Fear                                           
  (***RTNCF***) Ecoregion of the South                                      
  Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative                                        
  (***SAMBI***) Project Area                                                

  ***Rattooning*** the early maturing    27,895       28,947     13,947      
  rice variety \'Spring\' as a waterfowl                                    
  management practice in the Mississippi                                    
  Alluvial Valley (MAV)                                                     

  Assessment of Bottomland Hardwood      50,000       25,000                 
  Forest Dynamics: Implications to                                          
  Ivory-billed Woodpecker \[***IBWO***\]                                    
  Habitat                                                                   
  -------------------------------------- ------------ ---------- ---------- ----------

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

                                                               **FY06**

  An ***adaptive sample*** survey design for the Ivory-billed  15,000
  Woodpecker                                                   

  Comparison of the bacterial flora and parasite infestations  9,844
  of healthy and diseased imperiled freshwater mussels from    
  seasonal ***mussel dieoff***s in the Tennessee River         

  ***Bottomland Hardwood*** Forest Management: Effects on      21,526
  Forest Breeding Birds                                        
  ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------

Brief abstracts of the proposals follow.

1\. Successful SSP proposal descriptions:

*Science Support for the Upper Coosa Basin Phase I*. Develop nonbiased
stream-fish sampling methods and a prioritized GIS inventory of manmade
culverts, dams, and other structures impeding fish passage in priority
sub-watersheds of the Upper Coosa Basin. These data will assist the
Service and partners to better protect and recover the six listed fish,
6 listed mussels, and other rare species in the Upper Coosa Basin.

*Adaptation and establishment of microchemical methods to analyze
elemental patterns in calcified structures of sturgeon for determining
origins and movements of freshwater sturgeon in the Mississippi and
Missouri river basins.* Establish elemental patterns in calcified
structures (hard-parts) of shovelnose and pallid sturgeon as correlates
of water chemistry, as a potential economical tool for defining
essential habitats, assessing life history characteristics, and
evaluating the relative contribution of different production areas to
sturgeon populations. Since little is known about the origins and
movements of sturgeon in these rivers, managers have limited ability to
monitor populations and implement effective actions to maintain or
reestablish self-sustaining populations.

*Development of population and habitat objectives for FWS Trust
Resources in the Roanoke-Tar-Neuse-Cape Fear (RTNCF) Ecoregion of the
South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative (SAMBI) Project Area.* The
objectives of this 3-year pilot project are 1) to develop population
objectives for species and abundance goals for natural communities; 2)
convert these population/abundance objectives into habitat objectives;
3) map potential conservation areas where deficits exist; and 4) step
down population/abundance objectives to individual refuges and partner
lands.

*Rattooning the early maturing rice variety \'Spring\' as a waterfowl
management practice in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV).*
Development of the 'Spring' rice variety presents an opportunity to
increase available rice, especially on private land. Using donated seed,
refuges can conduct experiments and demonstrate land management
practices needed to produce partial rattoon rice crops to replace seed
currently lost as a result of early harvest. If successful, this
practice has the potential to increase food available on private land
and prevent the need to increase farming on Refuges.

*Assessment of Bottomland Hardwood Forest Dynamics: Implications to
Ivory-billed Woodpecker Habitat*. Objectives are to (1) determine tree
mortality patterns as affected by stand type/tree species, age class,
soils, and flooding conditions; (2) determine snag decay rates by stand
type/tree species, age class, and flooding conditions; (3) determine
tree mortality and stand replacement factors for overstory trees
according to stand type/tree species, age class, and flooding
conditions; and (4) Evaluate the effectiveness and costs of various
silvicultural techniques used to create standing snags and the rates of
decay associated with these techniques. Finally, initiate consultation
with professional entomologists to determine the feasibility of
monitoring adult Cerambycids within stands of varying snag densities
and/or evaluate Cerambycid larvae abundance in naturally-created and
silviculturally-created snags.

2\. Successful QR proposal descriptions:

*An adaptive sample survey design for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.*
Early survey efforts for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker were geared towards
the objective of documenting the existence of the species. Now that the
species has been found, those objectives must change to include
estimation of important parameters such as occupancy rates and habitat
associations. Such a survey design, however, is challenging to develop
because of the extreme rarity of this species. We propose to develop,
mostly using existing Cornell field survey protocols, a survey design
that would be adaptive, allowing the investigators to learn from and
modify the design based on previously collected data.

*Comparison of the bacterial flora and parasite infestations of healthy
and diseased imperiled freshwater mussels from seasonal mussel dieoffs
in the Tennessee River.* Recurring mussel dieoffs affecting large
numbers of animals in Muscle Shoals, AL, are significantly impacting
survival of a broad range of species including what is presumed to be
the last remaining population of the federally-endangered white
wartyback pearly mussel (*Plethobasus cicatricosus*). There are
essentially no previous reports on causes of mussel epizootics, in
particular, those that are etiologically induced. Identifying pathogens
is crucial for an effective disease prevention strategy.

*Bottomland Hardwood Forest Management: Effects on Forest Breeding
Birds.* The objectives of this project are: (1) complete a comprehensive
analysis of all existing White River NWR data relating vital rates of
birds to forest conditions; (2) use this data to initiate meta-analyses
of similar data across the entire Mississippi Alluvial Valley; and (3)
generate predictive models that relate landscape-level and site-level
metrics to avian reproduction.