Wetland Surveys for Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction in the Blackfoot River Valley

The US Fish and Wildlife Service plans to reintroduce trumpeter swans to the Blackfoot River valley in summer 2005. To identify the best sites for reintroduction, over 70 wetlands across the valley were surveyed in fall 2004 and subsequently analyzed for habitat suitable for adult survival and nesting. Particular emphasis was placed on the abundance of certain submergent plants which are key food species. Field work was conducted from August to October 2004. Each wetland was surveyed by land and by canoe to develop a current baseline dataset of wetland characteristics. Transects were run across areas dominated by submergent vegetation to provide a semi-quantitative estimate of the abundance of these food species. An overland survey netted information on other wetland characteristics like percent of open water, species diversity of emergent vegetation, and presence/absence of human disturbances. Out of 70 sites surveyed, 22 were determined to have suitable nesting sites, and 9 of these sites were selected as being most suitable for release sites. Hazards near these sites (intruding fence lines and power lines) will be mitigated in preparation for a July 2005 release date