Creation of avian wetland habitat: Motivation and rewards

Approximately 1,055 acres of wetlands were impacted by a large tailings impoundment project, requiring construction of a wetland mitigation site under the Clean Water Act. The goals of Kennecott’s Wetland Mitigation Plan (WMP) were to (1) provide compensatory wetland; (2) preserve, restore, enhance, and create new aquatic habitat suitable for migratory birds; and (3) facilitate operation, maintenance, and long-term monitoring. The WMP, which focused on improving the habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, defined design criteria for the site. Detailed design included fencing to minimize livestock and human disturbance, water structures, ditches, dikes, and maintenance facilities for 2,500 acres consisting of open water, mud flats, saline playas, uplands, and marshes. In 1996, site features were constructed, and five ponds covering 320 acres were filled the following winter. Preliminary observations are encouraging: significantly more shorebirds and waterfowl have begun using the site than before implementation of the WMP.