BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT PROTECTION OF BALD EAGLE NEST TREE CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA

In February of 2000, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) was contacted about a potential bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest in a tree that was in eminent danger of falling into the Missouri River as a result of stream bank erosion. This tree is located at approximate river mile 796.5, near St. Helena, in the NWl/4 of Sec. 28, T93N, R54W, Cedar County, Nebraska. Personnel from the Corps visited the site along with the landowner on March 9, 2000, and confirmed that the nest was a bald eagle nest. During the site visit, measurements of the eroding riverbank were also taken and it was determined that the nest tree was approximately 20 feet from the actively eroding bank. For this reason, the Corps proposes to stabilize the riverbank adjacent to the nest tree in order to prevent it from eroding into the river. The purpose of the project is to protect the newly built nest and tree from erosion in order to insure the successful reproduction of bald eagles, which are a Federally listed threatened species. Because this tree is located so close to the actively eroding riverbank, the Corps believes that the bank must be stabilized as soon as possible in order to prevent the bank from eroding to a degree beyond which the tree could no longer be saved without damage occurring to the roots. A biological assessment (BA) is prepared to facilitate compliance with the Endangered Species act of 1973. The purpose of this BA is to evaluate the potential effects of the proposed action on the Federally listed threatened bald eagle, and to determine whether bald eagles or their habitat are likely to be adversely impacted by the proposed action