LAKE COUNTY — They pop up in front of boats and swimmers, sometimes they dance, as a mating ritual, called a rush display. Western and Clark”s grebes, diving birds of the family Podicipedidae, have a pointed bill and lobed, fleshy membranes along each toe and are common on Clear Lake.
Lake County Director of Water Resources, Scott De Leon piloted a pontoon boat on Friday with a group seeking to protect the birds. Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon California Gary Langham, Director of Communications for Audubon California Garrison Frost, Professor of biology Floyd Hayes from Pacific Union College in Angwin, Lake County Deputy Director of Water Resources Pam Francis, Redbud Audubon President Marilyn Waits and biologist/birdwatcher Brad Barnwell observed the grebes on Clear Lake.
The estimated number of Western and Clark”s grebes at Clear Lake is about 13 percent of the total of the state”s population. The average number of nests located on Clear Lake are 900, ranging from 25 to 2,600, depending on the year, and the ratio is about 70 Western to 30 Clark”s, according to Langham.
Wildlife protection entities want to insure the reproductive viability of the grebes on Clear Lake, which may be made possible by a major grant Audubon California received to protect nesting Western and Clark”s Grebes in the amount of $541,000 to fund conservation, monitoring and outreach at four Northern California lakes. The funding is a multi-layered project and will come from the Luckenbach Trustee Council, which oversees the use of settlements arising from a series of oil spills that harmed grebes in the open ocean, according to Frost.
Frost stated, “A variety of strategies to reduce the impact of human interference on breeding grebes at Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor, Clear Lake, and Thermalito Afterbay on Lake Oroville, which together support 76 percent of the total number of nesting grebes in California. The project will involve identifying the key threats at each site to the grebes, outreach and education to local communities, working with agency officials to optimize conditions for the birds, and extensive monitoring.”
The plan is to educate the public about threats facing the birds. Hayes, along with grad students, will monitor and conduct research on Clear Lake to determine what the needs are regarding protection of the grebes.
Francis said it”s important for boaters to be aware that wakes may cause the nests to roll or flip, causing the eggs to sink to the bottom of the lake. It is recommended that speed be reduced to 5 mph approximately 200 feet from the shoreline. Vegetation slows the wakes and protects the nests somewhat. A wake approximately 1 foot or higher can tip the nests.
She said three major areas were identified as needing attention during the boat tour that include the south shoreline including, but not limited to, the region along Tule Point to Quercus Point, Rodman Slough and the Oaks arm.
Francis said people from this area are passionate about the lake. The goal is to adequately educate everyone, including tourists, to be respectful and mindful of the wildlife.
She said, “Many people don”t understand the impact of a boat”s wake on nesting birds. If people knew to slow down, they would do it. It”s just a matter of getting the word out. Most people would do the right thing if they knew what to do.”
A traditional grebe nest is made from tules and decaying vegetation. Hayes said the birds are notorious for opportunistic nesting.
Francis said, “Once they”re here and breeding, we want to make sure nests are undisturbed.”
The kick off meeting on Friday served as one for brainstorming about the actions that will take place over the course of the next four years or more to nurture the habitat of the grebes.
Oil Spill Mitigation Funds make it possible to protect the birds. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund pays for oil spill cleanup and the restoration of impacted natural resources when there is no responsible party. The fund is sustained by fees from the oil industry and managed by the Coast Guard”s National Pollution Funds Center.
Mandy Feder can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 32.
