Peregrine Falcon Habitat Management in Bandelier National Monument
Fettig S. 2006. Peregrine Falcon Habitat Management in Bandelier National Monument
To facilitate planning and administration of human activities in peregrine habitat, the park mapped a series of concentric zones with an associated table of activities to produce the 1994 Peregrine Falcon habitat management plan (Weaver 1994). The purpose of the concentric zones and associated table of activities was to simplify and streamline management decisions related to peregrine protection. Previous to the mapping of the zones and while the Peregrine Falcon was federally listed, all activities planned within peregrine habitat had to be reviewed by an agency biologist to ensure that neither disturbance nor adverse habitat impacts would occur. Such a reoccurring need for review was a drain on the agency staff time. A set of concentric zones surrounding all suitable nesting habitat with simple tabular activity guidelines made it possible to avoid potential impacts from disturbance with minimal staff time used for project review. The same reasoning is the basis for this habitat management plan. As with the 1994 plan, any project with site-specific and activity-specific information may be analyzed in greater detail to increase management flexibility whenever needed.