Undergrad research at Farmington Bay

Here on the shores of The Great Salt Lake are some of the greatest threats to what may be a nesting ground for half of some species of America's shorebird population. Weber State University Associate Professor John Cavitt and the field technicians of the WSU Undergraduate Research Department are investigating these hazards and providing crucial data to government entities, industries, and ecologists.

"The phragmites (a tall grass species) invasion of nesting grounds began after the floods of the 1980s," Cavitt said. "High mercury levels are preventing birds from excreting selenium, both of which are problems. Carp, perhaps raccoon and other species were introduced into Utah to provide food sources and fur for humans. Habitat incursion, mercury, selenium, nutrient loading, predation, and invasive plant and animal species are all cause for concern in the reproduction of shorebirds."

Although sources of some pollutants are difficult to identify, the source of the Great Salt Lake's hyper-eutrophia is obvious to Cavitt.

"The treated waste water from sewage treatment plants is loaded with nutrients," Cavitt said. "Local plants dump millions of gallons of nutrient-rich water directly into the lake."

Researchers from the WSU Avian Ecology Lab are monitoring these and other aspects of water bird nesting at the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area (WMA) on the east shore of the lake and at other sites.

Throughout the nesting season, teams of researchers meet at WSU's Engineering and Technology building for early-morning excursions to the nesting areas under study. These field technicians note observations of nests over time. They capture, tag and track young birds, and they conduct studies on egg predation by raccoons, ravens and skunks.

WSU's researchers also make carefully structured observations of vegetation that is affecting shorebird nesting.

"Phragmites are the tall grass that's taking over a lot of the lake's wetlands," said Jen Cary, one of the team's senior members. "It is very resistant to fire. You have to burn it, dry it out, and burn it a few more times to kill it. The birds won't nest near it, and it provides cover for predators. So it's a real problem in the WMA."

Monica Linford, the newest member of the Undergraduate Research Department's Avian Lab, said alkali bulrush is the favorite nesting cover for the avocets and black-necked stilts.

"It really is amazing to see the way these birds and the snowy plovers, and even ducks, all chose different nesting areas, all close together, each with its own distinct vegetation and cover," Linford said.

Despite the disappointment some people have experienced due to the highly-restricted access to Farmington Bay WMA and Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (MBR), a glimpse of the vulnerability of eggs and chicks will help sight-seers understand why. Both are well-camouflaged and dense within specific nesting sites. Even very careful attempts to avoid stepping on a bird or an egg often meet failure.

Also, even though the chicks of avocets and stilts walk about and even run within hours of hatching, they don't venture far from the nest. Chicks a day or two old will sit close to the ground, making them hard to see and easy to crush, and very easy to pick up and catch. It is for these reasons that these areas need protection.

Cavitt and the Avian Lab have contracted with various entities to study specific aspects of wetland health. These contracts help fund the work of the Undergraduate Research Department at nine sites from the Great Salt Lake's southwestern edge to the Bear River MBR, west of Willard Bay.

"At least 22 species of shorebirds utilize the GSL (Great Salt Lake) during migration," a document on breeding productivity provided by the Avian Lab said. "And another eight species nest in habitats associated with the lake."

This and other facts make the lake one of the most important sites in the hemisphere according to the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network.

The lab's literature said that although Utah's most recognized landmark is significant in the planet's ecology, "little effort has focused on determining the factors that support healthy, self-sustaining populations."

The document goes on to say that this knowledge is crucial for the conservation and management of waterfowl populations.

Although neither the American avocet nor the black-necked stilt, as species, are currently in danger, others under the Avian Lab's watchful eye are. The snowy plover and the long-billed curlew are classified as "Highly Imperiled" by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, as focal species by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and as priority species by Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, according to the lab's documents.

The bothersome bugs, so notorious at the Great Salt Lake, feed the birds that nest there and make the lake's ecology significant to that of the world. The Great Salt Lake may be visible from space, but it is the effort of the biologists and researchers at WSU that is turning the eyes of government, ecologists, developers, and industry toward the nests, eggs chicks, and birds on the lakes' salty, muddy - and sometimes smelly - shores.