Distribution and Movements of Brood-rearing Lesser Snow Geese in Relation to Petroleum Development in Arctic Alaska

Abstract

Environmental scientists were concerned that construction of the Endicott Project in the outer Sagavanirktok River delta, east of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, would obstruct brood-rearing movements of Alaska's largest established nesting population of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens). During 1980-84, prior to the Endicott Project, the distribution of snow goose flocks during the brood-rearing period was generally less than 5 km from the coast and 15 km from the nesting colony. Prior to development, the average distance between brood-rearing areas used during consecutive years by individual banded birds was 4.7±2.9 km (mean ±s.d.). After development commenced during winter 1984-85, the distribution of brood-rearing flocks expanded inland as far as 9 km and eastward as far as 32 km from the nesting colony. The average distance between brood-rearing areas used during consecutive years by individual banded birds was 8.0±7.5 km. The proportion of brood-rearing snow geese captured on the east side of the Endicott Road and Causeway (east of the nesting colony) during the post-construction years (1985-93) was not significantly different from the proportion using the same area before construction (1980-84). The hypothesis that the Endicott Road and Causeway obstructed eastward movements of brood-rearing snow geese can be rejected.