Table 41. Nests and islands/river mile 



Section 



Carter 



Fort Benton 



Loma 



Coal Banks 



PN Ferry 



Robinson 

 Bridge 



Nests/Mile 



1977 



1978 



1979 



Total 

 Average 



163 mi 



152 



.93 



111 127 152 



.68 .78 .93 



Based on survey data, the Canada goose population on this sec- 

 tion of the Missouri River appears to be prospering under current 

 conditions. Consistent population gains have been made over the 

 last 4 years with an increasing and successful nesting effort. 



The low levels of predation and nest loss due to flooding 

 indicate that river flow levels for the last 3 years have been 

 beneficial for this species. Additional effort will be directed 

 at documenting and measuring these flow levels and correlating 

 these data to the biological information to obtain data for 

 recommending optimum flow levels for Canada goose production. 

 The management of flow levels is felt to be the critical factor 

 in the maintenance of this population. 



The currently proposed hydroelectric dams at Fort Benton and 

 Carter could have very adverse effects on this population. Besides 

 the direct loss of nest sites by inundation, a change in seasonal 

 flow regulation could impact downstream habitat which the data 

 indicate is the most productive of any river section. This could 

 result from changes in river hydrology which would eliminate pre- 

 ferred island habitat, nest flooding, or dewatering of side chan- 

 nels, thus allowing access to the islands by mammalian predators. 



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