Brown Pelican Roost Site Enhancement and Protection

This project will restore critical nonbreeding pelican habitat by enhancing and protecting coastal roosts along the central California mainland. Specifically, this project will target improvements to the roost site at Breakwater Island, located in San Francisco Bay adjacent to Alameda. This is the largest roosting area and the only known night roost in the San Francisco Bay area (U.S. Navy 1997). It is used primarily in late summer through fall—July through November or December—when the pelicans move northward from breeding areas in southern California and Mexico. Methods to protect this roost include placing buoys to keep boaters a safe distance from the island, installing signs, developing public outreach and education programs, and adding enforcement patrols.

Ten buoys will be needed to adequately delineate the restricted area. Eight signs with lettering large enough to be read from a distance will be deployed to notify boaters of the restricted areas. In addition, an interpretive sign will be placed at the mouth of the Navy Seaplane Lagoon, which is gradually being developed into a marina and from which the majority of the recreational boats originate. The sign will educate boaters on the sensitivity to disturbance of the roosting pelicans and the need to stay out of the restricted area. Other potential sites, such as the Davenport Pier, will be considered for roost site enhancement work during project design and development.

Brown Pelican Entanglement Reduction Education and Outreach Program

The goal of this project is to benefit the brown pelican population injured by the M/T Command spill. Entanglement in fishing lines and the hooking of pelicans by fishers are major factors affecting brown pelican survival. This project will reduce entanglement in pelicans and other seabirds by educating fishers how to minimize their negative interactions with seabirds while fishing. The program will provide information in the form of brochures, signs, and wildlife guides that heighten public awareness about the potential hazards to the endangered brown pelicans and other seabird species that are vulnerable to being hooked by fishing tackle or to becoming entangled in monofilament line. Additionally, information will be provided about the effects of human disturbance to seabird breeding colonies (e.g., nest abandonment) and measures that can be taken to avoid injuring seabirds. The program will involve producing a minimum of 10 signs that will be placed at problem areas.