This approach also benefits the terns in that it will reduce the possibility that the species could be jeopardized by a catastrophic event such as an oil spill. For 2000, the immediate goal is to move the colony to East Sand Island, closer to the mouth of the Columbia. The advantage of moving the colony to East Sand Island is that the terns nesting there appear to have a more varied diet than those at Rice Island. Research conducted during the 1999 pilot project found that salmon made up only 44 percent of the diet of terns relocated to East Sand Island, compared to 77 percent for those remaining at Rice Island. Other sites have been considered but require additional assessment.
Terns prefer to nest in sandy areas, clear of debris.
To help attract terns to East Sand Island, the Corps will maintain four acres for nesting on the island, which were initially cleared of vegetation and debris in 1999. A team from OSU will then use decoys and recorded calls to attract terns to the island, while other workers contracted by the Corps will chase birds off Rice Island as well as neighboring Miller Sands Spit and Pillar Rock Island throughout the nesting season. The Corps has filed an Environmental Assessment stating that its 2000 tern management plan will be consistent with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, noting that the agency does not plan to use lethal measures to displace the birds and that the number of terns in the region is rapidly increasing. While WDFW supports the Corps' plan, the agency also recognizes its responsibility to protect Caspian terns and will be monitoring the situation closely in the Columbia River and in areas such as Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor and Puget Sound. WDFW will continue to insist that studies be conducted on the distribution, number and diet of birds in all areas and that contingencies be developed to ensure that the tern relocation efforts do not result in significant predation on salmonids outside the Columbia.