3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

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Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Affected Environment shorebirds, and raptors and moderate numbers of several gull species use the Study Area within Knik Arm. Four species of gull—herring gulls (Larus argentatus), glaucous-winged gulls (L. glaucescens), mew gulls (L. canus), and Bonaparte’s gulls (L. philidelphia)—are the primary marine birds using these estuarine habitats within Knik Arm. Other species, including small numbers of sea ducks, primarily greater scaup (Aythya marila) and scoters (Melanitte spp.), and occasionally dabblers, such as mallards (Anas plattyrhynchos), American wigeon (Anas americana), and green-winged teal (Anas crecca), occasionally make use of open water habitat. Arctic terns (Sterna paridisaea), listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern (USFWS 2002), are present on a regular basis on both sides of Knik Arm in early summer. Other studies have documented 24 species of marine birds within Eagle River Flats and other tidal salt marshes just north of the Study Area (USDOA 2003). There were very few observations of shorebirds using the tidal flats in the Study Area during the 2005 field survey (KABATA 2006s). On the west side of Knik Arm, a few spotted sandpipers (Actitis macularia) were observed along the shore. Several flocks of red-necked phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) and small numbers of red phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicaria) were seen flying and swimming off the western shore during migration. One group of 12 small sandpipers (“peeps”) landed on the east side flats during spring migration but flew off within a few minutes. A pair of greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) was observed at the outflow of Sixmile Creek on a number of occasions, and probably nested nearby. At Cairn Point, one semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) and a few spotted sandpipers (Actitis macularia) were observed. In comparison, during the peak spring and fall migration periods the tidal flats near Westchester Creek were host to dozens of Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica), semipalmated plovers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and hundreds of dowitchers (Limnodroma griseus), all actively foraging or resting on the mud flats. The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a raptor that occasionally forages in the off-shore and nearshore estuarine waters on both sides of Knik Arm (KABATA 2006s). A pair of osprey nested on a transmission tower south of Sixmile Creek on Elmendorf in summer 2005. 56 The waters of Knik Arm, with its heavy silt load, provide little foraging habitat for many marine birds. However, marine birds have been observed foraging along the tidal rip in Cook Inlet (Moulton 1997). This behavior was also observed with phalaropes in the fish survey conducted for this Study in August 2005 (KABATA 2005b). The scarcity of infaunal and epifaunal invertebrates in the exposed tidal flats provide little food for waterfowl and shorebirds (KABATA 2005b). Based on field studies conducted for the proposed KAC project, estuarine habitats in lower Knik Arm are primarily used by birds for moving between Upper Cook Inlet and areas farther up Knik Arm and to a lesser extent for resting or foraging. In contrast, tidal flats off Ship Creek and at Westchester Lagoon at the mouth of Chester Creek near Anchorage (outside the Study Area) provide habitat for moderate numbers of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl (KABATA 2006s). 56 Personal communication, Herman Greise, Wildlife Biologist, Elmendorf, telephone conversation with David Erikson, September 2005. 3-204 12/18/07
Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Affected Environment 3.8.8.3.4 Special status species Special status bird species were identified as an issue during the scoping process. Table 3-31 lists species that have been listed as Birds of Conservation Concern for the Southcentral and Interior Alaska Regions by USFWS and species of special concern by the State of Alaska. These lists cover the appropriate regions but include a broader range of habitat types than occur in the Study Area. Only four of the terrestrial-based species regularly occur in the Study Area—olive-sided flycatcher, gray-cheeked thrush, Townsend’s warbler, and blackpoll warbler (USGS n.d.; Sauer et al. 2005). Four species of marine-oriented birds are found near the Study Area. The terrestrial based species are all neotropical migrants that appear to nest in low densities in the Study Area, but no local abundance or trend information is available (Rothe et al. 1983; Scher 1993; USGS n.d.; Andres 2005; Sauer et al. 2005). All of these species arrive in Alaska in May or early June, forage on insects during the breeding season, and start their southward migrations in August. A major conservation concern for these species is habitat loss in both nesting and wintering areas due to logging, fire suppression, and road building. Pesticide contamination and increased predation as a result of habitat fragmentation are also concerns (Boreal Partners in Flight 1999). There are hundreds of marine bird species that have been documented to either reside in or migrate through the Upper Cook Inlet area (Scher 2002; West 2002), including ten marineassociated species that are listed as Birds of Conservation Concern (USFWS 2002). These are species that have experienced a long-term decline in abundance or are vulnerable to environmental disturbance in limited habitats. There is little known of the use of marine habitats in Knik Arm by these species, despite the area’s proximity to the major population centers of Anchorage and the Mat-Su. This can be partially attributed to the lack of public access to the east side of Knik Arm because of the military bases. Public access is also somewhat limited on the west side of Knik Arm. 12/18/07 3-205
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3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

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