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34 CLIMATE CHANGE ALBERTAS BIODIVERSITY SPECIES ADAPTATION PLANS Climate change adaptation plans for two Endangered grassland raptors provide practical management considerations and actions to enhance the abilities of these species to adapt to climate change. These options include siting artificial nest burrows for Burrowing Owls in well-drained locations and securing Ferruginous Hawk nests from blow down. Recoveryplansforspeciesatriskoftenmention climatechangeasariskfactoryettheyrarely providepracticalapproachesforidentifying specificclimatechangerisksorpotential managementsolutions.Doingsorequiresa detailedunderstandingofaspeciesbiologyand thespeciesresponsetocurrentconditionsand topotentialfutureclimates. Bycombiningtheoutcomesfromdetailedfield researchpage27withliteraturereviewthe BMCCAprojecthashighlightedmanagement approachesforbothBurrowingOwlsand FerruginousHawksthatcouldbeconsideredfor incorporationintospecies-at-riskrecoveryplans. Burrowing Owls Burrowing Owls will be affected by climate change in Alberta both through projected changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and through changes in habitat availability in response to projected average climate conditions. Potential management responses highlighted by Ryan Fisher and Erin Bayne 2014 in their Burrowing Owl climate change adaptation plan include habitat management to ensure availability of prey construction of artificial burrows in areas with good drainage and as a last resort when populations are low supplemental feeding of owlets during inclement weather. Because Burrowing Owls had a historical range extending further north reintroduction is a potential option but is not recommended until the factors currently limiting populations are better understood and effectively addressed. Ferruginous Hawks Field research page 29 has demonstrated that collapse of Ferruginous Hawk nests from extreme wind and rain events is a significant source of reproductive failure and one that is likely to increase in the future as extreme weather increases in frequency and intensity. In their climate change adaptation plan for Ferruginous Hawks Chris Shank and Erin Bayne 2015 also concluded that the effects of weather on the hawks primary prey item Richardsons ground squirrels is significant to the long-term persistence of Ferruginous Hawk populations because of the tight link between ground squirrel populations and hawk reproductive success. Theprimarymanagementresponseproposedin theadaptationplantoaddressexpectedincreases inextremeweathereventsistocreateartificial andnaturalnestsubstratesthatareresistantto blowout.Additionalsuggestedactionsincluding addressingotherimpactsofextremeweather eventslikenestlingsurvivalandthepotential impactsoflong-termchangeinaverageclimate conditionswillrequireconsiderablymore researchonandmonitoringofbothFerruginous HawksandRichardsonsgroundsquirrels. Photo Opposite Top The underground nests of Burrowing Owls are vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain. Photo Opposite Bottom Ferruginous Hawk nests constructed on arti- ficial nest platforms are nearly twice as likely to withstand heavy winds as those in trees.