TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR (GYMNOGYPS CALIFORNIANUS) TO PREDICT HABITAT USE AND POTENTIAL INTERACTIONS WITH POWER LINES: AN INNOVA

Andi Henke; Pacific Gas & Electric Company; aih2@pge.com; Michele Barlow, Mike Best, Eszter Tompos, Laura Burkholder, Glen Lubcke, Lori Nielsen, Ryan Nielson, Andrew Telander, Ryan Anderson, Joe Burnett, Mike Stake; Joseph Brandt

Portions of PG&E's electrical grid fall within the current and historical range of the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), one of the world's rarest avian species. The California condor's wingspan (~9-ft) is the largest in North America, resulting in a risk of overhead power line or utility pole contacts. Over 1.9 million satellite telemetry locations from 79 California condors in Central and Southern California were used to develop habitat use models for two condor age classes (subadult vs. adult). Models compared condor use patterns within the condor's re-introduced California range to desktop-level habitat characteristics using a generalized linear model and negative binomial regression. Model results predicted future condor movement and expansion areas across California. These predicted high-use areas along with assessments of condor movements in proximity to power lines support California condor recovery efforts. The use of these risk assessments minimizes hazards to condors from electric infrastructure design, construction, operation, and facility maintenance.

Ecology and Conservation of Birds I