PROBLEM
The Corps has spent nearly $6 million annually since 2005 (more than $79 million total) on conservation and compliance for federally endangered Interior population of Least Terns (ILT) that breed and nest on interior river sandbars. The impacts span multiple civil works missions and cover many projects across multiple Corps divisions and districts.
SOLUTION
The Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) program and ERDC scientists led a 10-year collaboration with American Bird Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Corps divisions and districts to support ILT recovery and delisting. DOER supported a rangewide survey, developed a range-wide ILT meta-population model to evaluate population persistence across a number of management scenarios, and collaborated on conservation plans and a cost-effective post-listing monitoring plan.
IMPACT
In October 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a draft rule to remove the ILT from Endangered Species Act protection. With an approximately $2 million research investment from DOER over a 10-year period, delisting will produce lower operational expenditures and increased mission and operational flexibility. The projected return on investment for the $2 million research commitment is expected to be 20:1 over the next 10 years. 36
