Cooperative Agreement F24AC01920

ISLANDS WITHIN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK BOUNDARY FORMERLY HOSTED BREEDING POPULATIONS OF SEABIRDSINCLUDING RED-BILLED TROPICBIRDS. SEABIRD NESTING POPULATIONS ARE DECLINING THROUGHOUT THE CARIBBEAN. MANYNESTING COLONIES FAIL DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF RATS AND MICE, WHICH EAT THE YOUNG AND EGGS OF SEABIRDS. THROUGHTHIS PROJECT, WE WILL COMPLETE AN ASSESSMENT AND CONFIRMATION OF THE OCCUPANCY OF THESE NON-NATIVE PREDATORS ONOFFSHORE CAYS WITHIN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK ADMINISTERED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (NPS) IN ST.JOHN. BY COMPLETING THIS ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED TO IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT ACTIONS FOR NONNATIVE MAMMALS, BIOSECURITY MEASURES TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OF ADDITIONAL NON-NATIVE MAMMALS, IMPLEMENTATION OFTHE SEABIRD MONITORING PLAN, AS WELL AS THE USE OF FIELD TECHNIQUES TO ATTRACT SEABIRDS TO THESE CAYS ANDENHANCE THE ISLAND AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE USFWS SOUTHEAST REGIONAL STRATEGY TOIMPROVE THE STATUS OF SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED, THE USFWS COASTAL PROGRAM STRATEGIC GOALS IN THECARIBBEAN, THE U.S VIRGIN ISLANDS SPECIES ACTION PLAN, AND THE ANIMAL DAMAGE CONTROL ACT AND THE ORGANIC ACT FORNPS. THE PROJECT WILL BE COORDINATED BY IC WITH SUPPORT FROM NPS, U.S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS), THEVIRGIN ISLANDS DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE (DPNR-DFW), AND THEFRIENDS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK, AS NEEDED, DURING THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECTOBJECTIVES.TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES, ISLAND CONSERVATION STAFF WILL COLLABORATE WITH NPS PERSONNEL TO CONDUCT A LITERATUREREVIEW OF SEABIRD ACTIVITY AND NON-NATIVE MAMMAL PRESENCE ON EIGHT OFFSHORE CAYS WITHIN THE VIRGIN ISLANDSNATIONAL PARK. WE WILL COMPLEMENT THIS LITERATURE REVIEW WITH A SITE VISIT TO A SUBSET OF THE ISLETS TO GATHERINFORMATION ABOUT NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPECIES. WHILE VISITING ISLANDS, WE WILL ALSO ASSESS EXISTINGBIOSECURITY MEASURES AND RISKS FOR THE OFFSHORE CAYS. ONCE THE SITE VISIT IS COMPLETE, WE WILL ASSESS THE USE OFAVAILABLE AND PROVEN TECHNIQUES TO ATTRACT SEABIRDS TO SELECTED OFFSHORE CAYS, SUCH AS DECOYS, SOUND SYSTEMS,AND MIRRORS, TO AUGMENT SEABIRD POPULATIONS. WE WILL ALSO DRAFT A LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEVELOPINGSTANDARDIZED SEABIRD MONITORING PLANS FOR SELECTED OFFSHORE CAYS. FINALLY, WE WILL GENERATE A REPORT WHICHINCLUDES THE LITERATURE REVIEW, FIELD AND DESKTOP ASSESSMENTS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OFINVASIVE MAMMALS IN OFFSHORE CAYS WITHIN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK.