Summary

Description

As part of the continuing U.S. Department of the Interior Drainwater Investigation, a monitoring program has been proposed to determine current and future effects of selenium and DDE to fish and wildlife commonly referred to as Phase IV. Reproductive and nesting success studies of colonial waterbirds were proposed as part of later phases of the Salton Sea Drainwater Investigation. Due to declining numbers, nesting attempts, and poor reproductive success, selection of species for monitoring efforts was considered limited. In 1991, the USFWS initiated an effort to document all nesting colonies in the Salton Sea drainage, collect baseline contaminant data on food items and as many colonial waterbird species as possible, in preparation for a large scale biomonitoring program of the sea. The goal of the investigation was to select one or two species of colonial waterbird for use in a long term monitoring program meeting the following requirements 1 widely distributed throughout the Salton Sea, 2 evidence of drainwater contaminant impacts, and 3 general life history of species well documented. This paper presents the results of this initial investigation.