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 TULSA, OKLA. - The multi-agency team that pulls together each year to protect the interior least tern warns the public that there are stiff consequences for posing harm to these endangered birds or their habitat. “Least terns can be safely viewed from the river bank and are interesting to watch as they dive for fish, but please avoid disturbing nesting birds. Every year we have nesting sites that are abandoned due to human disturbance. ATVs, people, and pets can disturb nesting adults and crush eggs and chicks. The penalties for violations of the Endangered Species Act can be up to a $100,000 fine and/or a year in jail,” said Kevin Stubbs, biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Least terns are small birds with a black crown, snowy white underside and forehead, grayish back and wings, orange legs, and black-tipped yellow bill. They arrive here this time each year to nest. They look for sand that is free from plants to make shallow indentations called scrapes where their eggs are laid. Islands and sandbars throughout Oklahoma and the Red River area in Texas are popular spots for the birds. Unfortunately, they are also popular places for predators and prowlers, both wild and human. “Annual surveys show that in addition to nest losses by predators, human activities on the islands and sandbars severely inhibit tern survival,” said Everett Laney, biologist for the Corps of Engineers. Each year, several agencies go to great lengths to grant terns the protection afforded by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species List. Representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Power Administration, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority work together to protect the terns and preserve the authorized purposes of water resources projects to the maximum extent possible. |