National Park Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Natural Resource Program Center 

Upper Columbia Basin Network 

Osprey Monitoring Protocol 

Narrative Version 1.0 

Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/269 
ON THE COVER 

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) landing on a nest at Lake Roosevelt NRA 

Photograph from Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, courtesy of Jeffrey Joh (SCA Intern) 
Upper Columbia Basin Network 

Osprey Monitoring Protocol 

Narrative Version 1.0 

Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/269 

Lisa K. Garrett 

National Park Service, Upper Columbia Basin Network 

105 East 2nd St. Suite #5 

Moscow, ID 83843 

Thomas J. Rodhouse 

National Park Service, Upper Columbia Basin Network 

20310 Empire Ave. Suite A100 

Bend, OR 97701 

Gordon H. Dicus 

National Park Service, Upper Columbia Basin Network 

105 East 2nd St. Suite #6 

Moscow, ID 83843 

Paulina F. Tobar-Starkey 

National Park Service, Upper Columbia Basin Network 

105 East 2nd St. Suite #7 

Moscow, ID 83843 

December 2010 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

National Park Service 

Natural Resource Program Center 

Fort Collins, Colorado 
The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that 

address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National 

Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and 

environmental constituencies, and the public. 

The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource 

management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse 

audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management 

applicability. 

All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the 

information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended 

audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal, 

high-level peer review based on the importance of its content, or its potentially controversial or 

precedent-setting nature. Peer review was conducted by highly qualified individuals with subject 

area technical expertise and was overseen by a peer review manager. 

Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not 

necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the 

Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or 

recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. 

This report is available from the Upper Columbia Basin Network website 

(http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/units/UCBN) and the Natural Resource Publications 

Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM). 

Please cite this publication as: 

Garrett, L. K., T. J. Rodhouse, G. H. Dicus, and P. F. Tobar-Starkey 2010. Upper Columbia 

Basin Network osprey monitoring protocol: Narrative version 1.0. Natural Resource Report 

NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/269. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. 

NPS 963/106166, December 2010 

ii 
Change History

Original 

Version # 

Date of 

Revision Revised By Changes Justification New Version #

1. Version numbers increase incrementally by tenths (e.g., version 1.1, version 1.2, ...etc) for 

minor changes. Major revisions should be designated with the next whole number (e.g., 

version 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 ...). Record the previous version number, date of revision, author of the 

revision, identify paragraphs and pages where changes are made, and the reason for making 

the changes along with the new version number. 

2. Notify the UCBN Data Manager of any changes to the Protocol Narrative or SOPs so that the 

new version number can be incorporated in the Metadata of the project database. 

3. Post new versions on the internet and forward copies to all individuals with a previous 

version of the Protocol Narrative or SOPs. A list will be maintained in an appendix at the end 

of this document. 

iii 

Contents 

Page 

Figures and Tables ........................................................................................................................ ix 

Appendixes ................................................................................................................................... xi 

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... xiii 

Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... xv 

Background and Objectives .......................................................................................................... 1 

Rationale for Monitoring Osprey Populations at Lake Roosevelt NRA .......................... 1 

Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 6 

Survey Design ............................................................................................................................... 9 

Survey Design Rationale .................................................................................................. 9 

Pilot Datasets .................................................................................................................... 9 

Target Population ............................................................................................................ 10 

Survey Frequency and Timing ........................................................................................ 10 

Response Design ............................................................................................................. 12 

Occupied Nests .................................................................................................... 12

Productivity........................................................................................................... 12

Nest Site Characteristics....................................................................................... 13

Change Detection ............................................................................................................. 13

Management Response Trigger ...................................................................................... 13 

Summary of the Benefits of the Selected Design ........................................................... 14 

Field Methods ............................................................................................................................. 15 

Field Season Preparations and Field Schedule ............................................................... 15 

Locating and Observing Nest Activity ........................................................................... 15 

v 
Contents 

Page 

Helicopter Surveys .............................................................................................. 15

Ground-based Surveys.......................................................................................... 16

Osprey NestWatch Volunteer Program .......................................................................... 17 

Data Entry and Management .......................................................................................... 19 

After the Field Season .................................................................................................... 19 

Data Handling, Analysis, and Reporting .................................................................................... 21 

Overview of Database Design ........................................................................................ 21 

Data Entry ....................................................................................................................... 22 

Quality Review ............................................................................................................... 22 

Metadata Procedures ....................................................................................................... 22 

Sensitive Information ...................................................................................................... 23

Data Certification and Delivery ...................................................................................... 23 

Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 23 

 

Annual Status Summary ....................................................................................... 23 

Trend Analysis ..................................................................................................... 23

Reporting ........................................................................................................................ 27 

Data Archival Procedures ............................................................................................... 27 

Protocol Testing and Revisions ...................................................................................... 28 

Personnel Requirements and Training ........................................................................................ 29 

Personnel Requirements ................................................................................................. 29 

Roles and Responsibilities .............................................................................................. 31 

Training and Calibration ................................................................................................. 32 

vi 
vii 

Contents Page

Operational Requirements .......................................................................................................... 33 

Annual Workload and Schedule ..................................................................................... 33 

Citizen Science / Volunteer Partnerships ........................................................... 33

Equipment Needs ............................................................................................................ 35

Budget ............................................................................................................................. 36 

Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................... 37 

Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................... 43 

Figures 

Page 

Figure 1. Conceptual model developed to illustrate the external and internal sources of stress on 

osprey populations at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (lentic system) ........................ 4 

Figure 2. Locations of osprey nest sites during 2009 survey along the Kettle Falls Section of 

LARO ........................................................................................................................................... 18 

Figure 3. Draft version of the UCBN osprey monitoring project database user interface ......... 21 

Figure 4. A simulated 25% decline in osprey nest occupancy over 20 years, with a stochastic 

component introduced by drawing from a binomial error distribution, provides a realistic 

illustration of how osprey observation data may be presented over time ................................... 25

Figure 5. Photo of the 17 foot 90 horsepower Hewescraft boat, located at LARO, available for 

osprey monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 35 

Tables 

Table 1. Osprey survey method schedule from 2011 through 2018 .......................................... 10 

Table. 2. Osprey nesting chronology, Willamette Valley, Oregon.............................................. 12 

Table 3. Description of an occupied nest ................................................................................... 12 

Table 4. Example of annual summary information for the LARO osprey population ............... 23 

Table 5. Breeding success of Ospreys in the West Kootenay during 2006, compared to the nineyear average and range of values for 1997-2005 ........................................................................ 24 

Table 6. Roles and responsibilities for implementing the UCBN osprey 

monitoring program .................................................................................................................... 31 

Table 7. Annual schedule of major tasks and events for the UCBN osprey 

monitoring protocol .................................................................................................................... 34 

Table 8. Equipment list for monitoring osprey nests at LARO ................................................. 35 

Table 9. Detailed 2010 UCBN annual budget for osprey monitoring . ...................................... 34 

ix

Appendixes 

Page 

Appendix A. Index of Standard Operating Procedures ...............................................................45 

Appendix B. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Coulee Dam section) ........................47 

Appendix C. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Gifford section) .................................49 

Appendix D. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Kettle Falls section) ..........................51 

Appendix E. GPS coordinates of nest sites checked during the 2009 survey and 

occupancy status ..................................................................................................................................53 

xi

Executive Summary

The mission of the National Park Service is “to conserve unimpaired the natural and cultural 

resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment of this and future 

generations” (NPS 1999). To uphold this goal, the Director of the NPS approved the Natural 

Resource Challenge to encourage national parks to focus on the preservation of the nation’s 

natural heritage through science, natural resource inventories, and expanded resource monitoring 

(NPS 1999). Through the Challenge, 270 parks in the national park system were organized into 

32 inventory and monitoring networks. 

The Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN) has identified 14 priority park vital signs, 

indicators of ecosystem health, which represent a broad suite of ecological phenomena operating 

across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Our intent has been to develop a balanced and 

integrated “package” of vital signs that meets the needs of current park management, but will 

also be able to accommodate unanticipated environmental conditions in the future. Osprey 

(Pandion haliaetus) abundance is a particularly high priority vital sign for Lake Roosevelt 

National Recreation Area (LARO). Osprey monitoring is a critical element in the suite of 

information needed by LARO managers to adequately understand and manage park ecological 

condition. Indicator species help researchers and resource managers by providing information on 

the overall condition of an ecosystem. For several reasons raptors can be extremely useful 

indicators of environmental change. Raptors occupy most ecosystems, cover large home ranges, 

are often migratory, top predators in complex food webs, and are sensitive to environmental 

contaminants and other human disturbances (Bildstein 2001). Ospreys are an excellent example 

of an indicator species, and have been proposed as a worldwide sentinel species for monitoring 

environmental contaminants in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries (Grove et al. 2009). 

This protocol details the why, where, how, and when of the UCBN’s osprey monitoring program. 

As recommended by Oakley et al. (2003), it consists of a protocol narrative and a set of standard 

operating procedures (SOPs), which detail the steps required to collect, manage, and disseminate 

the data representing the status and trend of osprey populations at LARO. The protocol is a 

“living” document in the sense that it is continually updated as new information acquired through 

monitoring and evaluation leads to refinement of program objectives and methodologies. 

Changes to the protocol are carefully documented in a revision history log. The intent of the 

protocol is to ensure that a seamless and scientifically credible story about osprey populations 

and their supporting habitat and environmental conditions can be told to park visitors and park 

managers alike. The story is already beginning to unfold. Two years of pilot data have been 

collected and park rangers have begun incorporating results from the osprey monitoring into 

their interpretive programs. The next few years of monitoring results are eagerly awaited, as 

outstanding questions related to status in osprey nest occupancy and productivity are answered 

and the current location of nest sites can finally be described. From there, the focus will shift 

toward trend analysis, in which biologically meaningful declines or increases will be detected. 

xiii 

Acknowledgments 

Funding for this project was provided through the National Park Service Natural Resource 

Challenge and the Servicewide Inventory and Monitoring Program. We thank the resource 

management staff at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area who provided assistance with 

pilot data collection efforts, logistical support with boats and housing, and thorough and 

constructive comments on earlier versions of this protocol. Kathi Irvine provided helpful advice 

regarding the treatment of survey and analysis decisions. 

xv

Background and Objectives

Rationale for Monitoring Osprey Populations at Lake Roosevelt National 

Recreation Area 

Indicator species help researchers and resource managers by providing information on the overall 

condition of an ecosystem. For several reasons raptors can be extremely useful indicators of 

environmental change. Raptors occupy most ecosystems, cover large home ranges, are often 

migratory, top predators in complex food webs, and are sensitive to environmental contaminants 

and other human disturbances (Bildstein 2001). The osprey is an excellent example of one of 

these indicator species. 

Many characteristics of osprey make them ideal biological indicators. Ospreys roost and nest on 

poles or snags and they build massive and conspicuous stick nests typically adjacent to fishbearing waters (Henny et al. 1978), making them ideal candidates for assessing changes in nest 

occupancy and productivity. Ospreys feed almost exclusively on live fish captured at or near the 

water’s surface (Bent 1937) and individual pairs show variation in the ability to tolerate human 

activity (Van Daele and Van Daele 1982). Ospreys are long-lived, mate for life, and typically 

return to the same nest each year (US Geological Survey 2003). One of the largest birds in North 

America, osprey were historically reported as numerous and widespread. Through the mid1970’s, osprey populations drastically declined as a result of pesticide use. Most populations, 

following the ban of several pesticides, have since recovered and, to some extent, adapted to 

human-dominated landscapes, nesting on power poles, cellular towers, and channel markers 

when suitable natural nest sites are scarce (Ewins 1997, US Geological Survey 2003). Ospreys 

are currently found throughout the Columbia River system, including along Lake Roosevelt, 

where this protocol is focused. 

North American osprey populations began to drastically decline in the early 1950s and declines 

continued through the early 1970s (Reese 1972, Poole 1989). Environmental pollutants such as 

Dieldrin, Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have 

been listed as the primary cause of declines. These pollutants bioaccumulate in the aquatic flora 

and fauna and, since fish constitute 99% of an osprey’s diet, pollutants accumulate rapidly in 

osprey tissue. At high levels, these contaminants cause eggshell thinning and decreased egg 

viability (Ames 1966, Wiemeyer et al. 1978, Steidl et al. 1991). With restrictions and bans on 

many of these pollutants in the 1980s, osprey numbers have rebounded and are flourishing in 

many areas (Titus and Fuller 1990). However, the presence of contaminants still remains a 

concern in many areas, including in Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LARO). Several 

recent osprey-contaminant studies in the region have detailed the spatial extent and level of 

contamination (Elliott et al. 1998, 2000, 2001, Henny et al. 2003, 2004, Henny et al. 2008, 

Henny et al. 2009a). Flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), are emerging 

contaminants and have shown increasing concentrations in osprey eggs in recent years, with 

possible effects on reproductive success (Henny et al, 2009b). 

LARO was established as a unit of the national park system in 1946 by the Secretary of the 

Interior. With the Secretary’s approval, an agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation, the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the NPS designated the NPS as the manager for the Coulee Dam 

National Recreation Area. The area included Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir formed 

1
behind Grand Coulee Dam, and the "freeboard" lands that were purchased at and above 1,310 

foot elevation. Through over 50 years of changes, including a name change to Lake Roosevelt 

National Recreation Area in 1997, the NPS now manages approximately 47,438 acres of the 

81,389 acres of total water surface and associated shoreline, and 12,936 acres of the 19,196 acres 

of total freeboard land. Also, in 1990, two adjacent Indian Tribes were included in the Lake 

Roosevelt Cooperative Management Agreement. The Colville Confederated Tribe and the 

Spokane Tribe of Indians manage the remaining water surface and freeboard land. 

The LARO General Management Plan (NPS 2000) defines the 3 major purposes for the 

recreation area: 

• Provide opportunities for diverse, safe, quality, outdoor recreation experiences 

for the public. 

• Preserve, conserve, and protect the integrity of natural, cultural, and scenic 

resources. 

• Provide opportunities to enhance public appreciation and understanding about 

the area’s significant resources. 

LARO offers a variety of recreation opportunities in a diverse natural setting on a 154- mile-long 

lake bordered by 312 miles of publicly owned shoreline. Visitation at the park has fluctuated 

between a high of 1,784,420 (1990) to a low of 1,081,112 (1996) and has averaged 1,374,797 

between 1990 and 2004. LARO has 5 marinas, 3 with campgrounds, and numerous overnight 

and day-use campgrounds and points of access around the lake. The recreation area includes the 

lower reaches of many rivers and streams including the Spokane and Kettle Rivers. 

The osprey is a common breeding resident in LARO and is at risk of environmental 

contamination. Contaminants found in the sediments of the Upper Columbia River consist of 

heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc, and organic 

contaminants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxins), polychlorinated 

dibenzofurans (furans), and PCBs (Environmental Protection Agency 2006). Known and 

potential sources of contaminants in LARO include mining and milling operations, smelting 

operations, pulp and paper production, sewage treatment plants, and other industrial activities 

(Environmental Protection Agency 2006). One of the largest sources of contamination in LARO 

is the TechCominco Smelter, located along the Columbia River approximately 16 km (10 mi) 

north of the US border. This smelter has been discharging pollutants for over 100 years, making 

it the single largest source of heavy metal contaminants in the Upper Columbia River 

(Environmental Protection Agency 2006). 

In the spring of 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an agreement 

with Teck Cominco (now called Teck) to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study 

(RI/FS) of the Upper Columbia River, which includes Lake Roosevelt. Typically, an RI/FS is 

conducted after EPA designates an area a Superfund site. Such a designation, and the actions that 

follow, are guided by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability 

Act (CERCLA). Created in 1980, this federal law enables EPA to clean up hazardous waste sites 

and compel responsible parties to conduct or fund EPA directed cleanups. 

2
Lake Roosevelt, however, was not declared a Superfund site. Instead, the 2006 agreement 

reached with Teck allows EPA to carry out an RI/FS and other CERCLA processes without a 

Superfund designation being imposed. 

Given the extent of contamination in Lake Roosevelt, avian piscivores such as osprey are 

particularly at risk of bioaccumulation. As a top predator, osprey is one of the most vulnerable 

members of the aquatic ecosystem with regard to contamination effects. Studies have shown that 

many contaminants of concern biomagnify from fish to osprey eggs, sometimes by factors of 10-

200 (Henny et al. 2003). 

Increased human recreational activity is an additional stressor on osprey populations in LARO. 

While reservoirs and man-made nesting structures such as telephone poles and artificial 

platforms benefit osprey, high levels of human activity in the vicinity of occupied nests may be 

adversely affecting successful reproduction (D’Eon and Watt 1994). The effect of human 

disturbance on osprey is dependent on several factors including the timing, frequency, and 

intensity of disturbance and the degree of osprey habituation. Recreational activity at LARO has 

been steadily increasing over time, and in 2005, LARO attracted over 1 million visitors. Most of 

these are summertime watercraft users, and because osprey typically nests on or near the 

lakeshore and forage exclusively over open water, an inherent conflict exists. 

In addition to bioaccumulation and human disturbance, Figure 1 illustrates the relationships 

among other external and internal sources of stress to osprey populations in the upper Columbia 

Basin. Competition for food with other piscivore species (e.g., double-crested cormorant 

(Phalacrocorax auritus), Northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) and nest predation from 

raccoons (Procyon lotor) and great-horned owls (Bubo virginianus) can influence osprey 

population dynamics (Ewins 1997). While osprey are fairly well adapted to anthropogenic 

disturbances (Henny and Kaiser 1996, US Geological Survey 2003), changes in land cover/land 

use, climate, and/or invasive species that result in loss of nesting habitat may impact osprey 

populations at LARO. In particular, the absence of large snags in the intensively managed forests 

surrounding the northern portion of the Lake may result in fewer available nests and limit osprey 

populations. Severe wind storms and unusually cold, wet springs during the nesting season may 

result in the nests, with contents, being blown from the more exposed snags or result in nesting 

mortality due to exposure (Johnson et al. 2008). These factors, in addition to manipulation of 

water levels, hydroperiod, and flushing rate, influence the integrity of the lake itself (see Figure 

1) and can impact bird communities indirectly through effects on fish and ability of osprey to 

capture fish in deep water (osprey capture fish near the surface). 

3
Osprey

Abundance, Nest 

Success, Population 

Growth Rate, Toxic 

Residues 

Human 

Recreational Use

Fish 

Phytoplankton 

and 

Zooplankton

Core Parameters

(DO, pH, Temp)

Inorganic 

Nutrients

Sediments

Benthos

Output Input

Climate

Pollution 

(Toxics)

Land Cover / 

Land Use Hydroperiod

Manipulation 

of Water Level

Flushing 

Rate

Other Piscivore Species 

(bald eagle, otter, doublecrested cormorant)

Macroinvertebrates

Plants

Management

Invasive 

Species

Competition

Disturbance

Habitat Loss

Toxics

Bioaccumulation

Figure 1. Conceptual model developed to illustrate the external and internal sources of stress on osprey 

populations at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (lentic system).

4
Ospreys are known to consume a variety of fish species so species of fish is not as important as 

size of prey species (Vana-Miller 1987). Although ospreys usually select benthic-feeding fish 

because they are easier to capture, any medium-sized (15-35 cm) fish feeding in shallow water 

can be part of the diet. The diet in ospreys can change among and within years due to prey 

availability but the size of the prey appears consistently in the same size range. 

Reservoirs, such as Lake Roosevelt, frequently contain fisheries composed primarily of nonnative fishes. The illegal or intentional introduction of non-native game and forage fishes has 

been widespread (Rahel 2002). Important introduced fish species in the region include walleye, 

centrarchid sunfishes, brook and brown trout, carp, tench, large- and smallmouth bass, yellow 

perch, and black crappie. As part of mitigation offset for anadromous salmonid returns blocked 

by hydropower dams (Scholz et al. 1985), large numbers of kokanee (resident, non-anadromous 

sockeye salmon) and rainbow trout continue to be released annually to Lake Roosevelt. These 

fisheries have failed to meet management goals in terms of production, perhaps due to predation 

(including walleye; Baldwin et al. 2003), downstream entrainment in Grand Coulee Dam, and 

hatchery practices (McLellan et al. 2004). Despite this altered fish community, Lake Roosevelt 

appears to harbor a stable or growing population of burbot, a native species thought to be in 

decline regionally (Bonar et al. 2000). 

Ospreys are currently listed as a “monitor” species in Washington State with status intended for 

the protection of nesting locations (WDFW 2009a, WDFW 2009b). The osprey is no longer 

federally listed as threatened under the ESA, although the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Land 

and Resource Management Plan (LRMP), as amended by the 1995 Northwest Forest Plan, does 

reference the osprey and prescribe a protective buffer of approximately 660 feet around each 

identified nest site (Energy Northwest 2005). The Gifford National Forest is located in the 

southern Cascade Mountains of Washington State. 

Well articulated desired future condition statements have not yet been developed for the osprey 

populations at LARO. However, the mission statements for the NPS as a whole and for LARO 

clearly state the intent “to conserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of 

the national park system for the enjoyment of this and future generations” (NPS 1999). We 

assume that desired future conditions for LARO will include a robust population of osprey that, 

when nesting, provides visitors a visual experience as they boat or recreate at the beaches in the 

recreation area. We also assume that current osprey nesting densities are minimally acceptable, 

and that an increase in osprey density is a reasonable goal for park management. Some form of 

artificial nesting structures constructed along the shoreline of LARO has been suggested to 

stimulate nesting and could be used as a tool to increase the population density of piscivorous 

birds. Also, retention and recruitment of large snags along the lake shore, where hazards can be 

mitigated, may also prove beneficial for the LARO osprey population. However, before any 

effort to increase osprey nesting populations is attempted park managers should determine if 

osprey populations along the shores of LARO have been exposed to contaminants such as would 

be introduced by pesticide or heavy metal contamination in their prey base. Efforts to increase 

osprey productivity or nesting success should be predicated on reasoning that the existing 

population is healthy and is only lacking suitable nesting structures in order to nest and fledge 

additional young. 

5
Monitoring of osprey is a critical element in the suite of information needed by LARO managers 

to adequately understand and manage park ecological condition. Though there have been several 

studies over recent years examining the presence of contaminants within LARO, little 

information is available regarding osprey in the area and few studies (if any) have researched the 

potential impacts of these contaminants on osprey and other avian wildlife (Henny 2005). The 

Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN) Inventory and Monitoring (I & M) Program seeks to 

support LARO staff by developing a simple and effective long-term monitoring protocol that 

will provide timely information on osprey nesting distribution, abundance, and productivity. We 

will assist LARO in the identification of desired target values for occupancy and productivity, 

and conservative thresholds that, if crossed, might trigger management action. Because of the 

complexity of land ownership and management responsibilities in the Lake Roosevelt area, NPS 

management options are limited. However, osprey declines exceeding established thresholds 

may be used to garner support among other area stakeholders to support additional research or 

alternative management strategies. 

Objectives 

The overarching goal of the UCBN osprey vital signs monitoring program is to inform park 

resource managers about the status and trend of osprey populations at LARO. The primary 

objective of current osprey population management at LARO is to prevent a decline in current 

density levels. Knowledge of nest site characteristics and determining patterns in nesting area 

occupancy and reproductive success is important in the conservation and preservation of osprey 

populations. 

Given the lack of available ecological data on osprey nesting ecology in LARO, the following 

fundamental questions continue to drive much of the UCBN’s inquiry into osprey population 

ecology: 

• What is the number of nests occupied in LARO? What is the trend in nest occupancy? 

• What is the trend in productivity as measured by the number of young produced per 

occupied nest in LARO? 

• What are the habitat characteristics of osprey nest sites at LARO? 

• What volunteer programs can park managers implement to engage park staff and visitors 

in a greater appreciation for natural resources within LARO? 

In light of these questions and the broader goals outlined above, this protocol will address the 

following specific measurable monitoring objectives: 

1) Determine status and trend in the number of occupied osprey nests within 1500 m of Lake 

Roosevelt. Justification: Currently little information is available concerning osprey nesting 

activity in LARO. Osprey nests are relatively easy to locate and observe. Locating nests will 

provide information regarding nest structure and it will also help to identify critical areas for 

increased protection.

2) Determine status and trend in productivity (expressed as the number of young per occupied 

nest) for monitored osprey nests at LARO. Justification: Productivity is essential to maintaining 

a healthy population. Contaminants and human disturbance at LARO may be affecting osprey 

6
7

productivity. Knowing the level of productivity of this area will help managers better understand 

population condition and proceed to address issues of management concern. 

3) Determine status and trend in osprey nest site characteristics including nest tree metrics and 

habitat characteristics to evaluate changes in nesting habitat association for monitored osprey 

nests at LARO. Justification: Currently little information is available concerning habitat 

characteristics of osprey nest sites in LARO. Collecting data on nest site characteristics will 

provide information regarding nest trees and use of artificial nest structures at LARO. 

4) Increase appreciation and understanding of osprey breeding biology and nest site requirements 

at LARO through the recruitment of park staff, local birdwatchers, and school groups in 

collecting and reporting osprey nest site data. Justification: Currently one of the long-term goals 

of the resource staff is to increase public appreciation and understanding for the natural 

resources at LARO. The challenge is to help visitors understand that the national recreation 

area offers more than just fishing and boating opportunities. With a well-planned and welldelivered volunteer monitoring program for observation of osprey nests, visitors can collect and 

report data on osprey nest sites that will provide a means to increase public understanding and 

appreciation of osprey breeding biology. 

Survey Design 

Survey Design Rationale 

The objectives and survey design were developed, revised, and refined through a process that 

involved site reconnaissance, pilot data collection and analysis, and thoughtful consideration of 

park and network information requirements. The development team consisted of this document’s 

authors, and the LARO resource manager. 

This protocol is designed to support annual surveys of all occupied and accessible osprey nest 

locations within 1500 m of the Lake Roosevelt shoreline, and therefore does not involve a 

sampling design per se. We chose to survey the entire population of occupied and accessible 

nests rather than draw a random sample of nests. The decision to census is based on the fact that 

the total number of occupied and accessible nest sites is less than 30 nests making a census 

feasible. Also, the resource manager indicated the need to know about the productivity at 

particular nests in management areas of interest, and it was impossible to predict which nests 

would be involved in projects in any given year. Consequently, we wanted to know nest 

condition and nesting status at as many sites as possible, annually. If the nesting population 

increases considerably, we will add additional crews or volunteers in order to complete surveys 

and annual reports on time. Survey schedules, use of volunteers and biologists from other 

organizations, areas covered by aerial and ground surveys, record keeping systems, ways of 

collecting reports from others, and annual data summary methods will be adapted to fulfill our 

objectives and take advantage of available technologies. 

A decision to monitor all occupied and accessible nest sites followed naturally from a 

consideration of the direct one-to-one connection between the number of occupied nest sites and 

osprey productivity. The rate of recruitment of osprey into the established population at LARO is 

not known at this early stage in the monitoring effort, however, a study in the West Kootenay 

region of British Columbia indicated the average number of young per occupied nest was 1.07 

(Arndt 2007). Henny and Wight (1969) calculated that an annual productivity of 0.95 – 1.30 

young was necessary in order to maintain a stable population. 

Pilot Datasets 

Records obtained from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) indicate that 

osprey nest sites along LARO were monitored on an intermittent and opportunistic basis by state 

biologists from 1971-2000. A standard monitoring protocol was not followed but the location of 

nest sites was recorded along with the type of nest structure. The most nests located within any 

one year were 12 with several years having data recorded for only 1 nest location. 

GPS coordinates obtained from WDFW inventory data were used in an initial aerial survey 

flown in a fixed wing Cessna 206 to locate occupied nests in 2007. The primary objectives of 

this survey were to fly the entire length of the reservoir to determine the feasibility of completing 

a fixed wing survey in one day, and also to determine if the number of nest sites with known 

GPS coordinates from the WDFW surveys could be located from the air. Coordinates from the 

WDFW 1971-2000 inventories were uploaded to Garmin 76CSX GPS units. These previously 

inventoried nest locations were circled by the aircraft and observers on board attempted to assess 

whether the nest was occupied. Six nests were located using the historical data, and of these 6 

9 
nests, only 3 appeared to be occupied. The aerial survey was conducted on August 9, 2007 which 

is later than ideal to determine nest activity. Martell et al. (2001) found that the range of 

departure dates for osprey from the Willamette Valley, Oregon to their wintering grounds along 

the west coast of Mexico was from August 28-September 24. By early August most osprey 

young will have already fledged and nest activity will be decreasing (Table 1). The nesting 

chronology for LARO may be a little later (10-14 days) than in the Williamette Valley shown in 

Table 1, because it is located at a more northern latitude and elevation. 

In 2008, LARO personnel conducted foot and boat surveys to locate occupied nests. This survey 

was conducted by Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns and was scheduled 

opportunistically by the LARO resource manager to gain information on osprey nesting activity 

to inform protocol development. Surveys were conducted periodically from July 24–August 1, 

2008. Ten occupied osprey nests were observed. GPS coordinates were obtained for all occupied 

nests and the type of nest structure was recorded. Photographs were also taken of nest structures 

during this 2008 pilot data collection effort. 

In 2009, LARO personnel conducted foot and boat surveys, using 2008 known nest site data, to 

locate occupied nests. Once again, this survey was scheduled opportunistically and SCA interns 

conducted the surveys from July 6-14, 2009. Nine of 26 nests surveyed were occupied and 4 

nests contained at least 1 fledgling. The occupied nests were concentrated in the south end of 

Lake Roosevelt, between Keller Ferry and Porcupine Bay on the Spokane River. 

Target Population 

The target population for estimating the status and trend of osprey populations at LARO includes 

all occupied nests (known nests from previous years plus newly located nests during the midMay survey for occupancy) identified and mapped within 1500 m of the shoreline of LARO. 

This population will include most, if not all, of the nesting ospreys that use Lake Roosevelt for 

their primary source of food. A study conducted in Yellowstone National Park (Swenson 1981) 

found that the distance to water of osprey nests varied from 2 to 1,430m with the mean at 121m. 

Two aerial surveys will be conducted once every 3 years that will aid in gaining information on 

new nest sites and any nest sites where access may be an issue. Ground-based surveys will be 

conducted during years when the aerial surveys are not scheduled to provide supplemental 

information to the aerial monitoring program. 

Survey Frequency and Timing 

Triennial helicopter surveys will be scheduled to document new nest sites and record 

productivity of nesting ospreys (Table 1). On years when aerial surveys are not scheduled 

supplemental information will be collected by foot, car, and boat to find laying pairs of osprey 

and to count fledglings. 

Table 1. Osprey survey method schedule from 2011 through 2018. 

YEAR 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 

Survey 

Method Helicopter Ground Ground Helicopter Ground Ground Helicopter Ground 

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11 

Two visits to nest sites during the breeding season are required in order to determine 

reproductive success of a nesting osprey pair (Postupalsky 1974). The first visit, made during 

early incubation, will be to determine if the site is occupied. Melquist (1974) determined that 

egg-laying and incubation commences during the month of May and that clutches are usually 

complete by the middle of May in populations of osprey in northern Idaho and northeastern 

Washington. This first survey, scheduled annually in mid-May, is the “activity” survey and is 

used to establish the number of occupied osprey nests in the target population. All known nest 

sites from the target population will be checked during this mid-May annual survey to determine 

occupancy. We will also search for new nests during this annual “activity” survey. When the 

initial survey is conducted during the 38-day incubation period, there should be an adult 

incubating on the nest essentially 100% of the time. If you are too early or too late, then it 

becomes difficult to determine what is going on at each nest. Timing of the first and second 

surveys is critical. 

A second visit, called the “productivity survey,” will be made just prior to the time that young 

fledge, and is to determine the outcome of nesting or the number of young fledged. Young will 

be counted when they are large enough to be seen from a distance, but not so late in the season 

that they have left the nest. The best time is just prior to the earliest known fledging dates for the 

particular region. The most relevant dates that we have established are July 8-15th, which is 

reported for an osprey population in Oregon (US Geological Survey 2003) shown in Table 2. If 

feathered nestlings are observed, and a determination can be made as to how many there are, or 

if a determination can be made that the nesting attempt failed, no further visits are required. If 

the number of nestlings is uncertain, downy nestlings are observed, or outcome is uncertain, 

additional visits are required. The goal is to determine the number of feathered nestlings. Late in 

the season if a nest fails, sometimes pairs will build a new nest (often called a frustration nest) 

near their old nest. These nests should not be counted as occupied nests. Biologists or volunteers 

will return weekly until outcome of nesting is determined and the number of feathered nestlings 

is counted. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for checking nests from a helicopter are 

included in SOP #9 and from land or water are included in SOP #4.

Once every 3 years, a helicopter survey (SOP # 9) will replace the annual ground-based 

“activity” and “productivity” surveys. The methods for using helicopters in conducting nesting 

surveys of osprey populations is well-established (Carrier and Melquist 1976) and will enable 

data collection to occur over a large study area in a short period of time. It is probable that 

conducting surveys from the air may increase the likelihood of detecting a higher number of 

occupied nest sites. 

One of the primary objectives of this protocol is to increase appreciation and understanding of 

osprey breeding biology and nest site requirements at LARO through the recruitment of park 

staff, local birdwatchers, and school groups in collecting and reporting osprey nest site data. 

Keeping this objective in mind, helicopter surveys conducted once every 3 years, will provide a 

means of possibly obtaining a larger sample size of occupied nests that in subsequent years can 

be visited by volunteers. 
Table 2. Osprey Nesting Chronology, Willamette Valley, Oregon (US Geological Survey 2003). 

Osprey Nesting Chronology, Williamette Valley, Oregon 

Arrival at nest sites March 20 – April 15 

Clutch completion April 13 – May 20 

Hatching May 21 – June 27 

First flight of young July 15 – August 21 

Departure to wintering grounds August 20 – September 25 

Response Design 

Our terminology and data summary methods are based on Postupalsky (1974, 1983) and 

Steenhof and Newton (2007) who both recommended standard terminology for describing 

occupied nests and for calculating productivity. 

Occupied Nests 

Postupalsky (1974) noted that the term "occupied" has been applied in different ways by 

different authors, and concluded that only nests with evidence of actual pairs be counted as 

occupied. Following Postupalsky (1974), the following definition is used to determine if a nest is 

occupied (Table 2). 

Table 3. Description of an occupied nest (Postupalsky 1974). 

An occupied nest is defined as any nest at which one of the following activity patterns is observed during 

a given breeding season: 

a) Young were raised; 

b) Eggs were laid; 

c) Two adults are present on or near the nest, regardless of whether or not it had been repaired 

during the season under consideration, provided there is no reason to suspect that this pair had 

already been counted elsewhere; 

d) One adult is observed sitting low in the nest, presumably incubating; 

e) One adult and one bird in immature plumage at or near a nest, if mating behavior (display flights, 

nest repair, coition) was observed. 

f) A recently repaired nest with fresh sticks (clean breaks), or fresh boughs on top, and/or droppings 

and/or molten feathers on its rim or underneath. Such evidence is acceptable especially late in 

the season in cases where no earlier check was made. 

All of the above observations indicate the known or inferred presence of 1 pair of birds 

associated with a nest. One adult near an empty, unrepaired nest or two adults seen together 

during the breeding season with no known nest is not sufficient evidence for an occupied nest. 

(Postupalsky 1974). 

Productivity 

Productivity is the number of young that reach the minimum acceptable age for assessing success 

and is usually reported as the number of young produced per occupied nest in a particular year 

(Postupalsky 1983). Postupalsky (1983) recommended counting young when adults are no longer 

brooding consistently, and young are large and dark (fully feathered). Our goal is to determine 

the number of feathered nestlings, but occasionally downy nestlings may be present during the 

second visit to a site. When this happens, an additional visit will be made to the nest site several 

days later to determine if the chicks are fully feathered or until they fly (fledge). Productivity is 

12 
calculated as the number of young produced divided by the total number of occupied nests 

(young/occupied nest). 

Nest Site Characteristics 

Information collected on nest tree site characteristics will assist park managers in determining 

the location and type of structure that osprey are using for their nests along the shoreline of 

LARO. Nest site covariates that are recorded at occupied nest sites include: nest height (m), tree 

height (m), tree diameter at breast height (cm), distance to water (m), species of tree, and height 

and diameter of the 4 nearest trees that reach at least the lower canopy height of the nest tree 

(Edwards and Collopy 1988). Additional information on methods for collection of nest site 

characteristics is described in SOP #4. 

Change Detection 

Given the history of osprey population declines world-wide in response to environmental 

contamination, and the current level of contamination and human disturbance present in Lake 

Roosevelt, we have focused our analytical attention on detecting declines rather than increases, 

although our protocol will support change detection in both directions. Power to detect change is 

a function of sample size (occupied nests), magnitude of the minimum detectable change, and 

acceptable error (Type I and Type II error; Gerodette 1987). We have no ability to adjust the 

sample size, and have chosen to accept a higher Type I (false-change) error in order to minimize 

the Type II (β, or missed-change) error, reducing the “conservationist’s risk” (Irwin 2006; 

Morrison 2007). Because we are observing most and potentially all members of the target 

population (mapped and accessible established nests), there will be little or no uncertainty in 

status estimates of occupancy or productivity, and therefore no requirement for power analysis or 

sample size calculations for status. Change detection will be restricted to the absolute increase or 

decrease in the number of occupied nests observed during the incubation period, and in the ratio 

of the total number of fledglings produced per year to the total number of occupied nests within 

the target population. We have taken a simulation approach to estimating power to detect 

declines for fixed sample sizes (occupied nests), and with Type I error (α or false-change error) 

fixed at 20%. In our case, year (time) is the variable that influences power, rather than sample 

size (number of nests) within years. Based on our simulations, power (1-β) to detect 50% 

declines in the number of occupied nests over 20 years with non-parametric Mann-Kendall tests 

will be approximately 95%. 

Management Response Trigger 

Following each annual osprey nesting cycle the UCBN and LARO staff together will consider 

the direction and magnitude of change, and resulting management response required for any 

annual change in occupied osprey nests. If the number of young osprey per occupied nest is 

consistently below the 0.95 minimum (the recognized production standard for maintaining a 

stable population of ospreys) for several years, additional investigations into contaminants, food 

habits studies, etc. will be conducted to better understand the nature and extent of the decline. It 

should be noted that the osprey population in the lower Columbia River and Willamette River 

have been producing around 1.5 to 1.6 young per occupied nest (Henny et. al. 2008). These 

populations have shown large population increases in recent years. 

If declines are detected, the UCBN in conjunction with the resource management staff at LARO 

will discuss causes of these declines, including consideration of natural population cycles, 

13 
14 

weather, productivity, contaminants, changes in fish distribution or abundance, habitat changes 

or any other significant evidence. The result of the discussion will be to determine if the 

population of ospreys at LARO warrants expanded monitoring, or some additional research. 

At the end of each 5-year interval in monitoring we will conduct a trend analysis and submit a 5-

year status and trend report. 

Summary of the Benefits of the Selected Design 

• The design directly reflects the study objectives. 

• Using helicopter surveys every 3 years is an efficient method for monitoring all established 

nest sites and increases the likelihood of encountering newly occupied sites. Helicopter survey 

information will provide pertinent information to park management for the entire population 

of known and accessible osprey nests at LARO. 

• The availability of GPS technology combined with high visitation at LARO creates an 

opportunity to engage volunteers and park staff in monitoring occupied nests from year-toyear. 

• Measured covariates at occupied nest sites will assist in the interpretation of spatial and 

temporal patterns of osprey population density. 

• The field techniques are easy to learn and use. 
Field Methods 

Field Season Preparations and Field Schedule 

The first task is to revise procedures based on the experiences and results from the previous year. 

After any revisions are completed, preparation involves reviewing last year’s data and adding 

any new nest site locations, gathering equipment, and fulfilling permitting and compliance 

requirements. Permits for LARO will be provided through the NPS research permit and reporting 

system (http://science.nature.nps.gov/research/ac/ResearchIndex). GPS devices will be loaded 

with all known osprey nest site locations before the start of each survey. Batteries and spare 

batteries must be charged for all GPS units, including backup units. Paper data entry forms will 

be updated and photocopied. SOPs should be thoroughly reviewed by directing staff well in 

advance of training and field work. 

Arrangements must be made by February each year for issuing a contract for helicopter rental if 

an aerial survey is scheduled. Refer to SOP #9 for details on obtaining the services of a 

helicopter and pilot. Equipment needs are relatively modest, and once 2 pairs of image 

stabilization binoculars and sufficient GPS units are purchased, replacement will be infrequent. 

If ground-based surveys are scheduled, arrangements must be made in coordination with LARO 

staff if boat or housing assistance is required. Equipment needs are relatively modest, and once 

sufficient binoculars and GPS units are purchased, replacement will be infrequent. An equipment 

list is included in SOP # 1. Special vehicle needs posed by this protocol include a vehicle with a 

towing capacity of at least 4,000 lbs. to tow a boat and trailer. Prior arrangements should be 

made with the resource manager at LARO for the use of a boat or a towing vehicle. 

Locating and Observing Nest Activity 

Helicopter Surveys 

Helicopters used for osprey surveys will seat a pilot and 2 passengers. Observation of nestlings is 

easier with the doors off the helicopter. In order to avoid observer fatigue, the pilot should plan 

on landing and taking 15-20 minute breaks every 90 minutes or so during the course of the 

survey. The Project Leader must be aware of observer fatigue because a tired observer may not 

make accurate assessments of the occupancy of a nest or the number of young counted. 

To facilitate maneuverability and control of the helicopter it is advised to approach nests into the 

wind when possible. During the productivity survey, one observer will keep watch on the 

location of adult birds while the other observer will record nestling numbers. Always approach a 

nest structure so you remain in full sight of the incubating bird. During all survey flights, 

approach known nests slowly (≤ 30 kilometers per hour) and maintain at least 300 m between the 

helicopter and the nest. Avoid hovering directly over the nest to minimize the potential of 

flushing the osprey from the nest. 

Once an observer has visually located a nest structure, they should instruct the pilot to slowly fly 

toward the nest until the observer can determine if the nest is occupied. If you observe an 

incubating adult/subadult on the nest, ask the pilot to slowly turn the helicopter away from the 

nest and leave the area immediately to minimize disturbance to the incubating osprey. If you do 

15 
not observe an incubating osprey, look for other signs of occupation including nest building or 

territorial behavior (undulating, copulating, and vocalizing). Once you determine the status 

(occupied, unoccupied, etc.) of the nest, proceed with the survey to the next known nesting site 

or continue to scan the survey route for any new nest sites. 

Record all information regarding the nest site on the field data forms (SOP # 9, Tables 8-9) or 

the survey map immediately after making observations. Be sure to complete information on 

survey times, landing locations, crew, pilot, aircraft (SOP #9, Table 10) and also record weather 

information for the day of the survey (SOP #9, Table 11). At the end of the day, summarize your 

survey results, and develop a strategy if additional helicopter time is needed to survey additional 

sections of the study area. 

The “activity” survey in mid-May is complete after determining the status of all observed nests. 

The “productivity” is complete in mid-July after determining the number of young per occupied 

nests, identified from the activity survey. 

Flight lines will be designated for the triennial helicopter survey so that all areas without 1500m 

of the reservoir are searched for new nest sites. The helicopter pilot will be instructed at the 

beginning of the survey that it is important to locate new nest sites as well as document nesting 

activity at nest sites occupied during previous data collection efforts. An effort will be made to 

detect as many new nest sites as possible by helicopter. 

Ground-based Surveys 

Driving directions to Lake Roosevelt are included in SOP # 4. Nest sites will be located using 

GPS waypoints, following procedures outlined in SOP # 3. Field crews will consist of teams of 

at least 2 people and each team will be assigned to a set of known nest sites and given a map, 

similar to Figure 2 and Appendix B-D, along with a set of GPS coordinates for each nest site 

(Appendix E). When a nest site is located team members will establish an observation point from 

which to watch the nest for signs of osprey activity. Field crews will systematically survey the 

whole area within 1500 m of each shoreline of the lake for nesting ospreys. This will include 

evaluating the old nests for occupancy during the initial survey each year or flight every 3 years, 

and locating other new nests. 

Once on site, nest site observation is fairly straightforward. Spring and summer weather 

extremes can cause challenging conditions, and all team members must arrive prepared with 

warm clothes and rain gear, sun hats, and plenty of water. Before the start of each field session, 

nest locations will be organized into convenient and efficient routes through the study area, 

according to the number of field teams available. These routes will be illustrated on hard copy 

maps provided to each team. GPS units employed by the UCBN typically allow navigation 

accuracies of 1-3 m. 

Crew training will occur in the field prior to each observation occasion under the direction of 

UCBN and/or park staff, as detailed in SOP # 2. Nest site characteristics will be recorded for 

each new nest added to the database during the initial spring survey once nest site occupancy is 

established (SOP #4). 

16 
Osprey NestWatch Volunteer Program 

Beginning in 2010, volunteers and park management will be asked to participate in the “Lake 

Roosevelt NestWatch Program.” The osprey observation program will assist UCBN project staff 

with details on annual osprey nest activity. Volunteers will be asked to visit their chosen nest(s) 

at least once every other week from May until the ospreys leave in late summer for their annual 

migration to southern Mexico. Ideally, volunteers should have identified a nest near their home 

or office, or be willing to drive to one often. Details for the start-up and close out to the Osprey 

NestWatch program each year are contained in SOP #10. Volunteers should have access to the 

internet to report their findings and to receive updates on what is happening with other nests 

around the lake. 

Volunteer osprey monitors will receive an information package at the beginning of April each 

year with information on the “Lake Roosevelt NestWatch Program”, links to the website, and 

other useful information. Volunteer observers will be asked to complete an online form, provided 

as a web link from the UCBN osprey vital sign webpage, to report nest site observations 

(http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/monitor/osprey/osprey.cfm). Information included 

in the online observation form includes: nest site name, survey date, observer name and phone 

number, survey method (ground/vehicle or boat), number of adults observed, number of 

nestlings observed, and osprey behavior observed (e.g., adult in incubation posture, adult feeding 

young, adult bringing food to nest, etc.). 

Because UCBN nest surveys are conducted only twice during the breeding season, once during 

nest initiation and incubation and once to count chicks, volunteers will assist in the collection of 

additional observations on a more frequent basis for a subset of nests. These additional 

observations will be added to the overall database but do not replace the annual activity or 

productivity survey conducted by UCBN field crews. Nest information from the osprey 

NestWatch program will be entered directly into an Access database and this information will be 

merged at the end of the season with the information obtained by UCBN survey crews. 

17 
Figure 2. Locations of osprey nest sites during 2009 survey along the Kettle Falls Section of LARO. 

18 
19 

Data Entry and Management 

Pilot osprey data in 2007-2009 were collected with paper forms. Paper data sheets make it much 

easier to prevent data loss and their use facilitates participation by volunteers in the entire field 

process. This protocol version is designed around the use of paper data sheets and internet access 

for capturing volunteer observer information. 

Paper data entry is relatively straightforward, and data sheet templates are included in SOP # 9 – 

Tables 7-10 for helicopter surveys, and Appendix 1-2 of the SOP document for ground-based 

activity and productivity surveys. The basic structure involves a document with discrete choices 

for observers to record nest site activity. Data sheets, with known nest site GPS coordinates and 

nest site photos, will be prepared for each field team prior to entry into the field. Blank 

spreadsheets will be available to accommodate any addition of new nest site locations. 

The preferred order of field operations and data entry steps are as follows: 

1. Locate nest site 

2. Record species 

3. Record GPS coordinates and nest site location (if this is a new nest site location) 

4. Record nest site observations 

5. Record nest site characteristics (if this is a new nest site) 

6. Take a nest site photo (if this is a new nest site location) 

7. Add any necessary comments in the “notes” column 

8. Review data entry before moving to the next nest site location 

Data sheets will be inspected by team leaders and the project leader at the end of each field day, 

as a key step in the quality assurance and quality control process (QA/QC). Data entry from 

paper forms into the working copy of the osprey project database (a Microsoft Access database, 

described in detail in SOP # 5) will be performed by UCBN staff or volunteer(s) in an office 

setting after completion of field work, and will also be treated as an additional opportunity to 

conduct QA/QC. Validation rules programmed into the database will help detect logical 

inconsistencies, such as out of range data (e.g. 20 osprey young, instead of 2 osprey young). 

Paper data sheets will be archived by the UCBN on a short-term basis only, up to 3 years, which 

will allow sufficient time for all possible QA/QC problems to be resolved. The UCBN will 

maintain the master database as the official record of protocol data, following procedures 

established in the UCBN Data Management Plan (Dicus and Garrett 2007) to ensure the master 

database is properly archived and remains compatible with applicable software. 

After the Field Season

Following field work, equipment should be stored in the UCBN headquarters. Currently most 

equipment is stored at the UCBN headquarters in Moscow, ID, but this may change if LARO 

resource staff begins to take on more responsibility in planning and implementing field work 

with SCA interns. Electronic equipment, including GPS units, should have the batteries removed 

during winter months to prevent corrosion and leaking, and will be stored in plastic bins in the 

UCBN office. All osprey waypoints, which are temporary for a single season, should be deleted 

from GPS units at the end of each field season prior to winter storage. Data entry should begin as 

soon as possible in order to address outstanding QA/QC problems before memories fade and 

personnel change. 

Data Handling, Analysis, and Reporting

While the following section outlines procedures for osprey data handling, analysis, and report 

development, additional details and context for this chapter may be found in the UCBN Data 

Management Plan (Dicus and Garrett 2007), which describes the overall information 

management strategy for the network. The UCBN monitoring plan also provides a good 

overview of the Network’s information management and reporting plan (Garrett et al. 2007). 

Overview of Database Design 

A customized relational database application, implemented in Microsoft Access, has been 

designed to store and manipulate the data associated with this project. The design of this 

database is consistent with NPS I&M Natural Resource Database Template version 3.2 and 

UCBN standards (NPS 2007). The database will continue to undergo revisions, which will be 

reflected in both this protocol narrative and the data management SOP. The general database 

strategy is to use a blank version of the protocol database (a “working copy”) to enter, errorcheck, and validate a given season’s data, then migrate that data to the read-only “master 

version” of the protocol database. This strategy protects validated data from corruption, and the 

master version will facilitate multi-year analyses. The underlying data structure (tables, fields, 

and relationships) will always remain the same in both versions, and they will have very similar 

front-end database applications (“user interface” with forms, queries, etc.) accessed through a 

user-friendly “switchboard” (Figure 3). The user interface of the working copy database will 

serve data entry, quality control, and validation needs. The user interface of the master database 

application will serve analysis and summarization needs, including specific reporting and 

exporting format needs. Details of the database, including a description of core and peripheral 

tables and a logical model of table relationships, are presented in SOP # 5. 

Figure 3. Draft version of the UCBN osprey monitoring project database user interface. 

21 
Data Entry 

Entry of data from paper field sheets to the database will be accomplished each season shortly 

after completion of field work. The database’s data entry form resembles the layout of the paper 

field sheet, and has built-in quality assurance components such as pick lists and validation rules 

to test for missing data or illogical combinations. Data entry is viewed as an important step in the 

overall QA/QC process, and care should be taken to review both the input from the paper forms 

and the resulting entries in the database. 

Quality Review 

After the data have been entered and processed, all data will be reviewed by the Project Leader 

for quality, completeness, and logical consistency. The working database application will 

facilitate this process by showing the results of pre-built queries that check for data integrity, 

data outliers and missing values, and illogical values. The user may then fix these problems and 

document the fixes. If all errors and inconsistencies cannot be fixed, the resulting errors will be 

documented and included in the metadata and certification report. 

Metadata Procedures 

Data documentation is a critical step toward ensuring that datasets are useable for their intended 

purposes well into the future. This involves the development of metadata, which can be defined 

as structured information about the content, quality, and condition of data. Additionally, 

metadata provide the means to catalog datasets within intranet and internet systems, making data 

available to a broad range of potential users. Metadata for all UCBN monitoring data will 

conform to Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and NPS guidelines and will contain 

all components of supporting information such that the data may be confidently manipulated, 

analyzed, and synthesized. For long-term projects such as this one, metadata creation is most 

time consuming the first time it is developed – after which most information remains static from 

one year to the next. Metadata records in subsequent years then only need to be updated to reflect 

current publications, references, taxonomic conventions, contact information, data disposition 

and quality, and to describe any changes in collection methods, analysis approaches, or quality 

assurance for the project. 

Specific procedures for metadata development and posting are outlined in the UCBN Data 

Management Plan. In general, the Project Leader and the Data Manager (or Data Technician) 

will work together to create and update an FGDC- and NPS-compliant metadata record in XML 

format. The Project Leader will update the metadata content as changes to the protocol are made, 

and each year as additional data are accumulated. Edits within the document will be tracked so 

that any changes are obvious to those who will use it to update the XML metadata file. At the 

conclusion of the field season, the Project Leader will be responsible for providing a completed, 

up-to-date metadata questionnaire form to the Data Manager. The Data Manager will facilitate 

metadata development by creating and parsing metadata records, and by posting such records to 

national clearinghouses as described below (See Data Archival Procedures). 

22 
Sensitive Information 

Part of metadata development includes determining whether or not the data include any sensitive 

information, which includes specific locations of rare, threatened, or endangered species. Prior to 

completing metadata, the Project Leader and Park Resource Manager will work together to 

identify any sensitive information in the data. Their findings will be documented and 

communicated to the Data Manager. Sensitive information is not being collected in the osprey 

monitoring program at this time. 

Data Certification and Delivery 

Data certification is a benchmark in the project information management process that indicates 

1) the data are complete for the period of record; 2) they have undergone and passed the quality 

assurance / quality control (QA/QC) checks; and 3) that they are appropriately documented and 

in a condition for archiving, posting, and distribution. Certification is not intended to imply that 

the data are completely free of errors or inconsistencies which may not have been detected 

during QA/QC reviews. 

To ensure that only data of the highest possible quality are included in reports and other project 

deliverables, the data certification step is an annual requirement for all tabular and spatial data. 

The Project Leader is primarily responsible for completing certification. The completed form, 

certified data, and updated metadata will be delivered to the Data Manager according to table 6 

in the Operational Requirements section. Additional details of the certification and delivery 

processes are included in SOP # 6. 

Data Analysis 

Annual Status Summary 

Status results will be summarized after each year of data collection. Standard summary 

information will be presented for nesting ospreys at LARO with content similar to that shown in 

Tables 3 and 4, and will include the number of nests checked, number of occupied nests, number 

of osprey young, and average number of young per occupied nest. A summary of nest tree 

characteristics (means and standard errors) will also be provided for occupied nest trees. Nest 

tree characteristics reported will include: nest height (m), tree height (m), tree diameter at breast 

height (cm), distance to water (m), species of tree, and height and diameter of the 4 nearest trees 

that reach at least the lower canopy height of the nest tree (Edwards and Collopy 1988). 

Table 4. Example of annual summary information for the LARO osprey population. 

Results of Osprey Survey 2009 

Number of Nest Sites Checked 9 

Number of Occupied Nests 4 

Number of Osprey Young 6 

Average Number of Osprey Young per Occupied Nest 1.5 

Trend Analysis 

After 5 years of data collection (2 years of helicopters surveys and 3 years of ground-based 

surveys), evidence of change in the two key metrics of number of nests occupied and number of 

23 
fledglings per occupied nest will be evaluated with the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, which 

uses a simple rank-based correlation coefficient, Kendall’s tau, to determine if nest occupancy is 

correlated with time (Helsel and Hirsch 1991, Higgins 2004). Simple summaries will be made 

with the multi-year averages, as shown in Table 4. A table similar to Table 4 will be generated 

for the LARO 5-year annual status and trend report. 

Table 5. Breeding success of Ospreys in the West Kootenay during 2006, compared to the nine-year 

average and range of values for 1997-2005 (Arndt 2007). 

Indicators of Breeding Success 2006 

1997-2005 

mean 

(range) 

Number of occupied nests 27 34 

(21-56) 

Number of young 29 44 

(15-96) 

No. young per occupied nest 1.07 1.23 

(0.71 – 1.71) 

Graphical tools will also be used to display biologically important changes in osprey numbers 

and productivity over time. For example, a simple line graph of a time series of occupied nest 

counts can be effective. Figure 4. illustrates a simulated trend of a 50% decline in osprey nest 

occupancy over 20 years, with a stochastic component introduced by drawing from a binomial 

error distribution, provides a realistic illustration of how osprey observation data may be 

presented over time. The dashed line represents a Poisson regression line (for count data) fitted 

to the nest counts over time. In this example, the estimated annual rate of decline was 3.4%. The 

estimated correlation coefficient τ between the number of occupied nests and year was -0.53 

(p=0.002). This figure was drawn from one iteration of our power analysis simulation described 

previously, showing how nest counts may vary from year to year, but also show an overall trend. 

A generalized linear model using a log-linear transformation suitable for counts (i.e., a “Poisson” 

error structure) was plotted over this time series to illustrate our approach to obtaining an overall 

estimate of mean trend over time. See SOP #6 for more details. 

24 
25 

5 10 15 20

4 6 8 10 12

Osprey Occupied Nests - A Simulated Trend

Years

Nests Occupied

Figure 4. A simulated trend of nest occupancy. 

Reporting

A summary will be produced annually, with a more detailed status and trend report produced 

every 5 years. The annual summary will: 

• List project personnel and their roles. 

• List nest site locations and observations recorded during the current year. 

• Provide a summary history of the number of occupied nests and productivity as measured 

by the number of young per occupied nest. 

• Provide status and trend (after 2014) estimates for the osprey population at LARO. 

• Provide a summary of additional nest tree characteristics, including mean nest height (m), 

tree height (m), tree DBH, distance to water (m), and species of tree. 

• Provide map(s) of annual nest site locations. 

• Evaluate data quality and identify any data quality concerns and/or deviations from 

protocols that affect data quality and interpretability. 

• Evaluate and identify suggested or required changes to the protocol. 

The annual summary will be developed and formatted according to the natural resource report 

series template for natural resource technical reports with instructions located at 

http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM/index.cfm. A 1-2 page resource brief will be 

prepared for public consumption, and provided to park interpretive staff for distribution to 

interested visitors. A template for the resource brief is included in SOP # 6. An NPS template for 

producing maps with ESRI ArcGIS or ArcView software is available at 

http://imgis.nps.gov/templates.html. 

Osprey nest site locations will be reported to the LARO resource managers as early in the nesting 

season as possible. Reported information will include GPS locations and location maps so that 

resource managers can direct boat vehicle traffic or visitors away from a nest site, if necessary. 

A more in-depth status and trend analysis and report will be produced approximately every 5 

years, or as the importance of emerging information warrants. This report will provide greater 

analytical and interpretive detail, and will evaluate the relevance of findings to long-term 

management goals. The report should also evaluate operational aspects of the monitoring 

program, such as whether the observation period remains appropriate. The timing of the spring 

arrival of birds at the nest site could conceivably change over time in response to climate change. 

The 5-year status and trend report will use the NPS Natural Resource Publications Natural 

Resource Technical Report (NRTR) template, a pre-formatted Microsoft Word template 

document based on current NPS formatting standards. This template, guidelines for its use and 

documentation of the NPS publication standards are available at the following address: 

http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM/index.cfm. This osprey protocol is also an 

excellent example of the NPS Natural Resource Report formatting standard, which is very 

similar to the NRTR template. 

Data Archival Procedures

Paper data sheets will be archived for 3 years, which allow ample time to complete QA/QC and 

certification steps for digital data. Long-term archiving will only be used for digital data. 

27 
28 

Once the annual data certification has been completed, the UCBN Osprey database and related 

UCBN reports will be archived on the UCBN server, posted to the UCBN website, and posted to 

the national web-accessible secure Integrated Resource Management Application (IRMA) hosted 

by the NPS Washington Areas Support Office (WASO) or National I&M program. The IRMA 

application incorporates functionality previously handled by separate databases into a single web 

interface that comprises: 

• The master database for natural resource bibliographic references 

• The master database for biodiversity information including species occurrences and 

physical or written evidence for the occurrence (i.e., references, vouchers, and 

observations) 

• A centralized data repository with a graphical search interface. 

A review of archive and expendable data products will be undertaken by the Project Lead and 

Data Manager during season close-out each year. An example of an expendable data product is 

an intermediate draft of an annual report that was saved during report preparation.

Protocol Testing and Revision

The draft version (version 1.0) of this protocol was developed and tested in 2009. Subsequent 

protocol testing will occur during each field season and evaluation of existing protocols and 

recommended revisions will be documented in annual reports and during season close-out. 

Revisions to this protocol and the SOPs will be documented by version numbers in the change 

history on page iii. We anticipate there may be revisions to the detailed instructions to field 

crews. Additional SOPs added in the future may include methods for collection of feathers for 

testing of contaminants or collection of prey items for analysis. Population boundaries will be 

revised only if osprey distributions and management priorities shift significantly, and should be 

done only in consultation with park management and careful consideration of statistical 

consequences. Analytical techniques may change, particularly if statistical distributions change 

in shape such that other parametric tools can offer more power in trend detection. This possibility 

should be considered and evaluated frequently with goodness-of-fit tests. All revisions will be 

carefully documented using the protocol development and revision log in SOP # 7 and the 

change history log at the front of each SOP and this narrative. 
Personnel Requirements and Training

Personnel Requirements 

This monitoring project requires, at a minimum, participation and leadership from the UCBN 

Coordinator/Project Leader and the Network Data Manager, and a biotech who is a skilled field 

team leader and can provide expertise in field operations. The roles and responsibilities outlined 

in Table 6 of this protocol can be provided by these 3 individuals. However, additional assistance 

from park staff will ease the annual workload generated by this effort and ensure a high quality 

information product. This monitoring effort is unique in its emphasis on participation by 

volunteers, and, assuming that we can sustain this participation over time, additional professional 

personnel are not necessary. The UCBN Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) program coordinator must 

also participate in the organization and supervision of citizen science volunteers. Currently the 

UCBN communication specialist is serving as a VIP coordinator for network activities, and is 

supported by the LARO VIP coordinator for this particular project (SOP #10). Volunteers must 

be provided a job description, given identifying t-shirts and/or hats, and signed up with the 

appropriate VIP forms (including parental approval forms for minors). Volunteer hours 

accumulated during osprey field work will be included in the UCBN (10-150) year-end VIP 

report. Details on the UCBN volunteer program are included in SOP #10. 

The field crew will consist of the Project Leader and a UCBN biotech and/or a seasonal Student 

Conservation Association (SCA) intern from LARO. Field assistants must be able to work 

outdoors, learn GPS and data entry, and identify ospreys. Project Leaders and biotech’s must 

have these skills, and an understanding of project objectives and experience with field work and 

GPS. During 2 years of pilot work conducted during the development of this protocol, we 

successfully trained and used SCAs to collect field data. We will actively pursue this approach to 

sustain this monitoring effort in the future. Data management staff must be able to handle the 

described GPS/GIS and database tasks. The Project Leader will conduct the described annual 

summaries, power analyses, and trend analyses. 

Experience during the 2008 and 2009 field seasons provided a good estimate of staff time 

required for field sampling. In 2008, observations were completed at 13 osprey nests and 17 

eagle nests with 1 team in 7 full days. The entire team consisted of a LARO biotech and a SCA 

intern. Based on this experience, we expect that a typical team will be able to accomplish 

adequate training and complete observations at 30 nests in 7 days. This protocol will require 

approximately 2 weeks of field time annually. One week in mid-May to determine occupancy of 

established nest sites and survey for new nest sites and one week in mid-July to determine the 

number of young fledged at occupied nest sites. A few additional days may be required if the 

weather limits nest site observations or if the number of young cannot be determined on the first 

visit to the nest site in July. Once several years of data have been collected, the addition of nest 

sites from year-to-year will probably be limited, due to the annual availability of additional new 

nest site trees or structures. The population of nesting ospreys is limited to available nesting trees 

or structures, which are not increasing substantially from year-to-year. 

We are incorporating a strong citizen science and/or volunteer component to this protocol. The 

UCBN data manager, in cooperation with the Project Leader and VIP coordinator, designed a 

webpage for the “Osprey NestWatch Program” which was launched in April 2010. LARO staff 

29 
and volunteers will find information on this website about the NestWatch program objectives, 

ecological background on ospreys, and a weblink to online data collection tools. It is our 

expectation that the information delivered through the Osprey NestWatch program will increase 

public and staff appreciation and understanding for the natural resources at LARO.

30 
Roles and Responsibilities 

Table 6. Roles and responsibilities for implementing the UCBN osprey monitoring program. Current or 

anticipated staff and volunteers for 2010 are named here. 

Role Responsibilities Name / Position 

Project Leader • Project oversight and administration 

• Track project objectives, budget, requirements, and 

progress toward meeting objectives 

• Facilitate communications between NPS and 

cooperator(s) 

• Coordinate and ratify changes to protocol 

• Plan and execute field visits 

• Assist in training and safety instruction of field crews 

• Acquire and maintain field equipment 

• Perform data summaries and analyses 

• Maintain and archive project records 

• Project operations and implementation 

• Oversee data collection and entry, verify accurate data 

transcription into database 

• Complete an annual field season report 

• Certify each season’s data for quality and 

completeness 

• Complete reports, metadata, and other products 

according to schedule 

UCBN Program 

Manager or designated 

UCBN ecologist/biologist 

Field Team 

Leader 

(BioTech) 

• Collect, record, enter and verify data UCBN Biotech, SCA 

Intern, Volunteer, Citizen 

Scientist (need only 1 

person to fulfill this role) 

Data Manager • Consultant on data management activities 

• Facilitate check-in, review and posting of data, 

metadata, reports, and other products to national 

databases and clearinghouses according to schedule 

• Maintain and update database application 

• Provide database training as needed 

• Consultant on GPS use 

• Work with the project leader to analyze spatial data and 

develop metadata for spatial data products 

• Primary steward of Access database and GIS data and 

products 

UCBN Data Manager 

Park 

Resource 

Manager 

• Consultant on all phases of protocol implementation 

• Facilitate boat logistics planning and coordination 

• Communicate management plans and associated 

information to the project leader 

• Review reports, data, and other project deliverables 

LARO Resource 

Manager 

31 
32 

Training and Calibration 

All team members will train together. At the start of each field season, the Project Leader will 

train crews in the field during the annual “activity” survey and again during the “productivity” 

survey. Under the guidance of an experienced team leader, each team will practice locating GPS 

points and correctly filling in an osprey nest monitoring datasheet. Experience in 2008 and 2009 

leads us to believe this can be accomplished during 1 morning of training, with the caveat being 

that all nest site observers have received some preliminary exposure to the project by being given 

copies of the protocol and SOPs to read prior to field training.
Operational Requirements 

Annual Workload and Schedule 

The annual workload of this monitoring program is outlined in Table 6 of the preceding section 

on Roles and Responsibilities. Table 6 provides a good overview of the general roles and tasks 

(responsibilities) required to complete all aspects of this program following rigorous and 

comprehensive information management practices as outlined by the UCBN Data Management 

Plan (Dicus and Garrett 2007). The budget in Table 9 demonstrates that adequate resources have 

been allocated to data management, analysis, and reporting activities. The SOPs provide a 

comprehensive step-by-step description of the annual workload and tasks required for 

completion, including data management tasks and product delivery. Annual preparation for 

osprey monitoring begins in January with the arrangement for helicopter surveys, boats and/or 

lodging at LARO for the mid-May activity survey. Recruitment of volunteer citizen scientists 

begins earnestly in April each year but park staff will be kept informed of the Osprey NestWatch 

program year-round through the UCBN bi-annual newsletter and attendance by UCBN staff at 

LARO park meetings. An evaluation of the protocol and any necessary changes must be made by 

April each year. Field work commences in mid-May, and data entry and QA/QC procedures 

begin immediately in August after the second nest site visits are completed. Table 7 provides 

additional details of the annual schedule. 

Citizen Science / Volunteer Partnerships 

It is worth underscoring the importance of planning for citizen science or volunteer participation 

as early as possible before the field season, and certainly no later than April preceding spring 

field work. Network and park staff will coordinate closely on this, determine primary contacts 

for outreach with outside volunteer organizations, and solicit commitments and schedules well in 

advance from interested groups. 

33 
Table 7. Annual schedule of major tasks and events for the UCBN osprey monitoring protocol. 

Month Administration Field Data 

Management/Reporting 

January 

UCBN annual report and work plan 

complete, Begin recruiting and 

hiring if a biotech needs to be 

hired. Arrange for helicopter survey 

and / or boat and lodging at LARO 

for mid-May activity survey 

February Administer and modify existing 

agreements, if necessary 

Provide GPS and other 

training to UCBN and 

park staff as needed 

March Prepare maps, field data 

sheets, and GPS 

equipment 

April Begin recruiting 

volunteers 

May Activity survey - make 

first visits to existing nest 

sites to observe activity 

(mid-May) and record 

any new nest sites. 

June Volunteers begin to send 

in observation reports 

Data entry and 

verification from the midMay activity survey 

July Productivity survey - 

make second nest site 

visit to observe number 

of young produced per 

occupied nest (mid-July). 

Follow-up nest site visit 

for productivity of latenesting birds, if 

necessary (late-July). 

August Data entry and 

verification from the midJuly productivity survey 

September Preliminary analysis of 

current year’s results, 

Annual resource brief 

prepared for UCBN 

Science Advisory 

Committee meeting 

October UCBN annual report and work plan 

drafted. Budget preparation for new 

fiscal year 

Field season report 

complete 

Metadata production, 

quality review. 

Data certification 

complete; Data archival 

and posting 

November Analysis, reporting, and 

close-out 

December Close-out complete 

34 
Equipment Needs 

Equipment needs are modest for this protocol. The list of equipment is included in Table 8. GPS 

units need to be maintained and replaced, if necessary, during the late winter/early spring well in 

advance of field season. A LARO-maintained NPS boat (Figure 5) equipped with all necessary 

state and federally regulated safety equipment including life preservers, flares, fire extinguisher, 

lights, etc. is available to the osprey monitoring crew and arrangements need to be made in 

January/February with the LARO resource manager for using this boat. The Project Leader has 

taken the NPS Motorboat Operator Certification Course and is qualified to operate this boat. 

Additional UCBN staff may be asked to take the Motorboat Operator training depending on 

annual needs. LARO has limited housing options but local motel arrangements can be made in 

Coulee Dam or Kettle Falls to accommodate field crews. 

Table 8. Equipment list for monitoring osprey nests at LARO. 

Observation Equipment Navigation and Recording 

Equipment 

Safety 

Equipment 

Binoculars GPS units 2-way radios 

Hard copies of SOPs PDA or weatherized data entry forms First aid kit 

Digital camera Backup copies of data forms Boat safety 

equipment 

Guidebook to the identification of 

ospreys Mechanical pencils and clip boards 

Water, 

sunglasses, 

sunscreen 

Maps of nest site locations from 

previous year Clinometer (nest site characteristics) 

DBH Tape (nest site characteristics) 

Compass 

Rangefinder (nest site characteristics) 

Figure 5. Photo of the 17 foot 90 horsepower Hewescraft boat, located at LARO, available for osprey 

monitoring. 

35 
Budget 

Table 9. Detailed 2010 annual budget for osprey monitoring in the UCBN. 

UCBN Osprey Monitoring Budget Time allotted 

% of 

time 

spent 

on DM* 

Cost in 

dollars 

DM* 

Cost in 

dollars 

(2009) 

Expenditures 

Permanent NPS Personnel 

Program Manager (GS12) and 

Project Leader 

Project Coordination: 1 week 

prep for sampling, 2 weeks 

sampling, 2 weeks data 

analysis and report 

35% $3,500 $10,000 

Data Manager (GS11) 1 week database 

management, 1 week data 

archiving 

100% $3,400 $3,400 

Seasonal Personnel 

BioTech 2 weeks sampling, 1 week 

data input and QA/QC 

35% $1,050 $3,000 

Park Personnel 

Interpretive Staff 2 weeks school group 

recruiting and training 

In-Kind 

support 

Resource Management Staff 1 week resource management 

support (SCA interns) 

In-Kind 

support 

Volunteers (Citizen Scientists) 

NPS Staff and Volunteers 30 additional hours of 

observation (10 volunteers X 

30 minutes/day X 6 days) 

In-Kind 

support 

Operations/Equipment 

GPS units ($450.00/unit)*** 4 units $1,800 

Rangefinder Binoculars*** 

($2,000/unit) 

2 units $4,000 

NPS Boat (LARO) In-Kind 

support 

Travel (permanent employees) $2,000 

Other (contingency) $500 

Helicopter survey (every 3 years) 16 hours flight time $15,000  

TOTAL $7,950**  $24,700 

* DM = data management 

** More than 30% of the osprey protocol budget is dedicated to data management, analysis, and reporting activities. 

*** Start-up expenses for equipment (not recurring). 

****Not included in annual budget total (recurring every 3 years) 

36 
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Titus, K., and M. R. Fuller. 1990. Recent trends in counts of migrant hawks from northeastern 

North America. J. Wildl. Manage. 54(3): 463-470. 

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US Department of Interior, Washington, DC. 

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Rep. 82 (10.154). 

Van Daele, L.J. and H.A. Van Daele. 1982. Factors affecting the productivity of ospreys nesting 

in west-central Idaho. Condor 84:292-299. 

Washington Department Fish Wildlife (WDFW). 2009a. Priority habitat and species (PHS) list. 

Available from http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/phspage.htm (accessed 8 August 2009). 

Washington Department Fish Wildlife (WDFW) 2009b. Washington State Monitor List. 

Available from http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/state_monitor.htm (accessed 8 

August 2009). 

Wiemeyer, S. N., D. M. Swineford, P. R. Spitzer, and P. D. McLain. 1978. Organochlorine 

residues in New Jersey osprey eggs. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and 

Toxicology 19: 56-63. 

Glossary of Terms Used by the UCBN I & M Program 

Failed Nest is an occupied nest from which no young were fledged due to any cause including 

no eggs were laid, eggs were destroyed, eggs failed to hatch, or young hatched but died prior to 

fledging (Postupalsky 1974). 

Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently 

developed for flight. It also describes the act of raising chicks to a fully grown state by the 

chick's parents. A young bird that has recently fledged but is still dependent upon parental care 

and feeding is called a fledgling. 

Logistic Regression is a form of regression analysis used to model binomial counts of 0-1, such 

as “occupied” and “unoccupied” nests. Logistic regression assumes the response variable Y has 

a binomial distribution, and the natural logarithm of the odds ratio (i.e. the logit transformation 

or “link function”) of occupied to unoccupied nests (in our case) can be modeled by a linear 

combination of covariate parameters. 

Mann-Kendall Test is a non-parametric test for correlation between a variable of interest such 

as occupied nest counts and time. The Kendall’s τ (“tau”) correlation coefficient is calculated by 

subtracting the number of concordant pairs (e.g., when both data points at time t are positive 

relative to data points at time t-1) and dividing this by the total number of pairs. The estimated 

correlation coefficient ranges from -1 to 1 and is interpreted the same as with Pearson’s 

correlation coefficient r, where 1 indicates perfect positive association, -1 perfect negative 

correlation, and 0 indicates absence of correlation. 

Occupied Nest is a nest with evidence of actual pairs (Postupalsky 1974). 

Poisson Regression is a form of regression analysis used to model count data. Poisson 

regression assumes the response variable Y (e.g., occupied nest counts) has a Poisson 

distribution, and assumes the logarithm of its expected value (i.e., the mean value) can be 

modeled by a linear combination of unknown but fixed parameters (i.e., covariates). A Poisson 

regression model is sometimes known as a log-linear model. 

Power analysis: The power of a statistical test is the probability that the test will reject a false 

null hypothesis, or in other words that it will not make a Type II error. As power increases, the 

chances of a Type II error decrease, and vice versa. The probability of a Type II error is referred 

to as β. Therefore power is equal to 1 − β. Power is a function of effect size or minimum 

detectable change, variance of the parameter (e.g. standard error of the mean), and sample size. 

A power analysis determines the probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis given 

fixed values of effect size, variance, and sample size. 

Productivity is the number of young fledged per occupied nest. Productivity is calculated as the 

number of young produced divided by the total number of occupied nests (young/occupied nest). 

Status is a measure of a current attribute, condition, or state, and is typically measured with 

population means. 

43 
44 

Temporal variation is variation in a population parameter, such as a mean, over time. For our 

purposes this typically refers to variation seasonally or annually. 

Trend is a measure of directional change over time and can occur in some population parameter, 

such as a mean (net trend), or in an individual member or unit of a population (gross trend).

Vital Signs are a subset of physical, chemical, and biological elements and processes of park 

ecosystems that are selected to represent the overall health or condition of park resources, known 

or hypothesized effects of stressors, or elements that have important human values. The elements 

and processes that are monitored are a subset of the total suite of natural resources that park 

managers are directed to preserve "unimpaired for future generations," including water, air, 

geological resources, plants and animals, and the various ecological, biological, and physical 

processes that act on those resources. Vital signs may occur at any level of organization 

including landscape, community, population, or genetic level, and may be compositional 

(referring to the variety of elements in the system), structural (referring to the organization or 

pattern of the system), or functional (referring to ecological processes). 
Appendix A. Index of Standard Operating Procedures 

(Bound as a separate volume) 

SOP 1: Preparations for the Field Season 

SOP 2: Training Observers and Osprey Identification 

SOP 3: Finding GPS Waypoints 

SOP 4: Measuring Nest Site Characteristics and Recording Nest Site Observations 

SOP 5: Data Management 

SOP 6: Data Summary, Analysis, and Reporting 

SOP 7: Protocol Revision 

SOP 8: Field Safety and Job Hazard Analysis 

SOP 9: Aerial Surveys 

SOP 10: Osprey Nest Watch Volunteer Program 

This appendix is available from the Upper Columbia Basin Network website 

(http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/units/UCBN) and the Natural Resource Publications 

Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM). 

45 

Appendix B. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Coulee 

Dam section) 

47 

Appendix C. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Gifford 

section) 

49

Appendix D. Map of nest site locations in LARO (2009 Kettle 

Falls section) 

51

Appendix E. GPS coordinates of nest sites checked during the 

2009 survey and occupancy status. 

Nest ID Species Lake Section UTM X 

(Easting)

UTM Y 

(Northing) 

UTM 

Zone 

Datum Status 2009 

C_03 Unknown Coulee Dam 370700 5306446 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_04 Unknown Coulee Dam 373199 5313519 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_05 Unknown Coulee Dam 373112 5313761 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_07 Unknown Coulee Dam 374356 5326513 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_09 Unknown Coulee Dam 381434 5309149 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_14 Unknown Coulee Dam 405205 5308979 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_16 Unknown Coulee Dam 408981 5310390 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_17 Unknown Coulee Dam 415548 5301773 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_18 Unknown Coulee Dam 415688 5301520 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_19 Unknown Coulee Dam 373026 5314534 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

G_01 Unknown Gifford 414592 5350304 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

G_02 Unknown Gifford 411688 5354819 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

G_03 Unknown Gifford 412847 5341338 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_01 Unknown Kettle Falls 413826 5376420 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_04 Unknown Kettle Falls 418006 5386738 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_05 Unknown Kettle Falls 418152 5390848 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_06 Unknown Kettle Falls 419223 5392554 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_07 Unknown Kettle Falls 431742 5409142 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

K_08 Unknown Kettle Falls 431878 5409739 11N NAD83 Not occupied 

C_01 Osprey Coulee Dam 352846 5313950 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_02 Osprey Coulee Dam 369515 5306571 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_06 Osprey Coulee Dam 374164 5317955 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_08 Osprey Coulee Dam 374164 5308886 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_10 Osprey Coulee Dam 387027 5302947 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_12 Osprey Coulee Dam 390643 5301951 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_13 Osprey Coulee Dam 401627 5306929 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_15 Osprey Coulee Dam 406169 5310267 11N NAD83 Occupied 

K_03 Osprey Kettle Falls 418127 5386567 11N NAD83 Occupied 

C_11 Bald Eagle Coulee Dam 390059 5303608 11N NAD83 Occupied 

K_02 Bald Eagle Kettle Falls 416602 5384725 11N NAD83 Occupied 

K_09 Bald Eagle Kettle Falls 435168 5412115 11N NAD83 Occupied 

53

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other information about those resources; and honors its special responsibilities to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and 

affiliated Island Communities. 

NPS 963/106166, December 2010
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