Project period 2 24 23 7 31 25PROJECT title waterbird and invertebrate responses to reservoir water management around central iowathis project will support the U.S. Army corps of engineers (USACE)…

Project period 2 24 23 7 31 25PROJECT title waterbird and invertebrate responses to reservoir water management around central iowathis project will support the U.S. Army corps of engineers (USACE) effort known as the sustainable rivers program (SRP) with a focus on performing the field science and monitoring needed to quantify ecosystem responses to effects of USACE reservoir operations. The SRP s mission is to improve the health and life of rivers by modifying existing USACE DAM operations to restore and protect ecosystem benefits, while maintaining or enhancing authorized project benefits. The goal of SRP is to advance, implement, and incorporate environmental strategies at reservoirs. Activities to be performed this project will continue and expand upon existing waterbird and vegetation monitoring being conducted at red rock reservoir in marion county, iowa. This work is evaluating the operation of red rock DAM (RRD) in the context of environmental flow management, which has been altered to provide mudflat and shallow water habitat for migratory waterbirds in the delta region at the west end of the lake. Initial work has documented the benefits of this flow management to migratory shorebirds and annual vegetation whose seeds are important food resources for migratory birds. This work will expand to survey the aquatic and benthic invertebrate communities to document food resources for migratory shorebirds. Deliverables and expected outcomes will work with USACE to develop a short video focusing on the invertebrate work and seek ways to produce other outreach products to promote this study. The work to characterize the invertebrate community at a flood control reservoir in the interior U.S. Will add to the knowledge of the stopover ecology and food resources for migratory shorebirds. Collectively, hope to provide USACE with additional tools to manage environmental flows to better benefit migratory shorebirds while simultaneously realizing other ecological benefits. In addition will provide BI annual progress reports and a M.S. Thesis summarizing project findings. Intended beneficiary(IES) these include U.S. Army corps of engineers natural resource staff and engineers and members of the public who are interested in natural resources. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award none