Foraging Habitat. Short-term flooding and/or saturation of field soils will be conducted September through March to induce invertebrates to the surface for crane forage.
Foraging Habitat. Habitat that provides foraging opportunities for northern spotted owls, but without the structure to support nesting and roosting (USFWS 1992b). Owls often forage in forest conditions that meet the definition of nesting/roosting habitat, but also use a broader range of forest types for foraging. For purposes of this Agreement, foraging habitat is defined as maintaining the following minimum criteria:
Foraging Habitat. Aquatic habitats that support fish and waterfowl are essential to maintaining healthy prey populations for bald eagles. The FWC monitors and manages freshwater habitats and fish populations in more than one million acres of lakes, rivers, and streams, and provides funding to restore and enhance these habitats. Several federal and state agencies in Florida work together to maintain quality aquatic habitats. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the five water management districts monitor and regulate water quality (nutrient input) and quantity (minimum flows and levels) to maintain healthy conditions for aquatic plants, fish, and other wildlife. The FWC and DEP also work together to monitor, restore, and control aquatic plants through permit reviews, chemical, mechanical, or biological control of invasive exotic species, and through enhancement projects to improve habitats for fish and other wildlife. These combined habitat management efforts are expected to provide suitable eagle foraging habitats in Florida in perpetuity. Bald eagles frequently feed at landfills, and some eagles have been killed by secondary pentobarbital poisoning from feeding on carcasses of euthanized animals. For this reason, it is imperative to incinerate or quickly bury the bodies of euthanized animals. Land Acquisition Continued acquisition of private lands is one of several strategies for preserving bald eagle habitats in Florida. Approximately 28% of Florida’s land area is publicly owned or protected under perpetual conservation easements, and these lands support about 33% of the bald eagle nests in the state. Conservation easements can be used to set aside private lands from future development and are an important component of the conservation of bald eagles. The FWC, local governments, other state agencies, and private organizations acquire habitat through a variety of programs. The FWC will support legislation as part of the Florida Forever successor program to allocate sufficient funds necessary to acquire and manage suitable or potentially suitable habitat for imperiled species and bald eagles. Acquiring, managing, and restoring additional lands that support bald eagle habitats should remain a state priority so long as the acquisitions are compatible with priorities for imperiled species. - 16 - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Bald Eagle Management Plan Chapter 4: Recommended Conservation Actions ...
