Effects of Aircraft on Behavior and Ecology of Molting Black Brant Near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska

摘要

The Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 transferred management of Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4 from the U.S. Navy to the Secretary of the Interior and renamed the reserve the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the NPR-A and is responsible for conducting a petroleum leasing program while protecting fish and wildlife resources. Fish and wildlife, recreational, and subsistence values, as well as mineral potential in the NPR-A, were evaluated during 1977 and 1978 (USDI 1979). The area surrounding Teshekpuk Lake was designated a Special Area by the Secretary of the Interior in 1977 (USDI 1977) primarily because of its significant value to fish and wildlife resources. In 1983, BLM developed an Environmental Impact Statement which outlined stipulations and deleted leasing in parts of the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) to protect wildlife resources. The objectives of the research program were to: (1) determine the effect of aircraft overflights and other human-induced activities on brant behavior, distribution, and habitat use in the TLSA.