15.678

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to award funding to conduct a king rail population assessment and test infrared cameras' ability to determine early brood rearing activity and success. The project will be conducted under a Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) MoA with East Carolina University (ECU). The project aims to provide vital rates of reproduction for King Rails in support of adaptive management practices at Mackay Island NWR and to conduct a 10-year resurvey of the regional population. • The project will use minimally-invasive infrared trail cameras to monitor the vicinity of nests during the hatching period. • The project will also use Autonomous Recording Units (Wildlife Acoustics) for auditory recordings. • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be substantially involved in the project, including hiring and training technicians, providing equipment and technical assistance, and assisting with data analysis and reporting. • The project will be conducted by principal investigators Dr. Susan McRae of East Carolina University (ECU) and Dr. Adam Smith of USFWS Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Branch.