Managing Water for Birds—a Tool for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

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Authors

Cassandra D Smith

Abstract

The “Water for Birds Tool” is a spreadsheet-based model (using Microsoft Excel) designed for resource managers to assess the spatial extent and types of bird habitats in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The model quantifies the areas of open water, partial water, and water depths on a monthly timescale during the irrigation season (April–July) from 2021–2024. This model combines previously published datasets and incorporates new measurements collected by partners. Results show that the relation between the amount of bird habitat and the extent (partial and open water) of Malheur Lake varies by bird guild. The Donner und Blitzen River supplied all or most of the surface water inflow to Malheur Lake during the analysis years, emphasizing the importance of informed management of the river. Additional gaging of inflows and diversions, and better estimates of recharge and irrigated areas, can help refine estimates of water use on the refuge.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32942/X2N03N

Subjects

Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, Natural Resources and Conservation, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Water Resource Management

Keywords

Water management, bird habitat, Malheur Lake, habitat model

Dates

Published: 2024-10-22 23:39

Last Updated: 2024-10-23 06:39

License

CC BY Attribution 4.0 International

Additional Metadata

Language:
English

Conflict of interest statement:
None.

Data and Code Availability Statement:
https://doi.org/10.5066/P1AJAYVS