Lake Lowell, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
- Lake name:
- Lake Lowell, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
- Location:
- Idaho
- HydroLAKE ID:
- 9056
- GRanD ID:
- 389
- Latitude:
- 43.584629
- Longitude:
- -116.73125
- Surface area (km2):
- 27.8
- Basin type:
- reservoir
- Dam completion date:
- 1907
- Motor restrictions:
- partial
- Motor restrictions notes:
- no wake zones
- Primary emergent vegetation:
- smartweed
- Primary vegetation for nesting:
- smartweed
- Management agency:
- U.S Fish and Wildlife Service; Bureau of Reclamation; Canyon County; Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Lake use:
- irrigation
- Region associations:
- Snake River; Boise River drainage; Treasure Valley; Boise/Caldwell/Nampa metropolitan area; Lake Lowell Park
- Comments:
- This is one of three major grebe colonies in Idaho. This is one of the biggest off-stream reservoirs in the west and one of the earliest Bureau of Reclamation projects. The reservoir is a popular recreation site for the Boise-Nampa metropolitan area. However, t is impacted by Harmful Algal Blooms in the late summer.
Summary of Surveys (11)
Survey Citation:
Peterson, L. A. 1977. Colonial waterbirds in Idaho. Special Report to Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 38 pp.
-
Time period
N/A -
Source
Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
N
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 1 to 100 | presence | ? |
| Most Recent Adults | 1 to 100 | presence | ? |
| Max Nests | 1 to 100 | presence | ? |
| Most Recent Nests | 1 to 100 | presence | ? |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Peterson reports that Larrison et al. states that Western grebes breed here, no years provided.
Survey Citation:
Included as historical data in Cavitt, J. F., S. L. Jones, N. M. Wilson, J. S Dieni, T. S. Zimmerman, R. H. Doster, and W. H. Howe. 2014. Atlas of breeding colonial waterbirds in the interior western United States. Research Report, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.
-
Type
shore -
Time period
26 May 1993, 3 June 1993 -
Source
Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
N
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 101 to 500 | 200 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Adults | 1 to 100 | 18 | 1993 |
| Max Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Source (Trost) for 26 May is W. Stanley, water level drops too much. Source (Trost) for June 3 is this study. The 26 May survey is included in Cavitt.
Survey Citation:
Trost, C. H., A. Gerstell. 1994. Status and distribution of colonial nesting waterbirds in southern Idaho, 1993. 110.
-
Type
shore -
Time period
26 May 1993, 3 June 1993 -
Source
Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
N
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 1 to 100 | 50 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Adults | 1 to 100 | 6 | 1993 |
| Max Nests | 0 | 0 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Nests | 0 | 0 | 1993 |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Source for 26 May survey is W. Stanley. Proportion should be 50/200 = 25%. Source for June 3 survey is this study, Clark's at 25% proportion of total.
Survey Citation:
Stanley, W. 1993. Western Grebe Survey - 1993 Memorandum. Document on file, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa ID.
-
Type
boat -
Time period
6 July 1993, 28 July 1993 -
Source
Memorandum -
Both Western and Clarks?
N
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 101 to 500 | >400 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Adults | 101 to 500 | >400 | 1993 |
| Max Nests | 1 to 100 | 31 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Nests | 1 to 100 | 31 | 1993 |
| Max Chicks | 1 to 100 | 16 | 1993 |
| Most Recent Chicks | 1 to 100 | 16 | 1993 |
Comments:
Pair and nesting surveys between 6 July and 27 July, 1993 but doesn't say how many. Three pair surveys by boat done week of 6 July. Mentions that pair count was stopped due to "several hundred pairs present" at Upper Pool so I interpreted this as >200 pairs and estimated this as maximum >400 individual adults. On 28 July, colony was characterized, nests counted. No exact number of surveys given so I estimated this as >4 surveys done (adult, nest, and brood surveys total).
Survey Citation:
Waterbird Recreation Interaction Study. 2012. Report on file U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa ID.
-
Type
boat -
Time period
4 July 2012, 10 July 2012 -
Source
Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
N/A
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Report on boat interaction survey with grebes on a high use day (4 July) and low use day (10 July) in 2012. This survey is not a grebe count and is included here because of boat disturbance theorized as a threat to grebe nesting and grebe broods at Lake Lowell.
Survey Citation:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion for Bureau of Reclamation Operations and Maintenance in the Snake River Basin above Brownlee Reservoir. 2005. 342.
-
Time period
2003 -
Source
Biological Opinion -
Both Western and Clarks?
N/A
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
No survey, just mercury analysis of eggs as potential threat. In 2003, Western/Clark's eggs collected for analysis. At Lake Lowell, mean mercury concentrations in eggs were below levels causing population-level effects but individual eggs exceeded thresholds for effect (C. Thomas and S. Burch, in litt., 2005).
Survey Citation:
Cavitt, J. F., S. L. Jones, N. M. Wilson, J. S Dieni, T. S. Zimmerman, R. H. Doster, and W. H. Howe. 2014. Atlas of breeding colonial waterbirds in the interior western United States. Research Report, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.
-
Type
boat -
Time period
24 July 2010, 10 August 2010 -
Source
Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
N
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 101 to 500 | 444 | 2010 |
| Most Recent Adults | 101 to 500 | 444 | 2010 |
| Max Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Narrows. Direct count of pairs to determine estimated # of breeding birds. Conducted as part of Western Colonial Waterbird Survey (WCWS), a breeding survey of 18 species from May to July 2009 to 2011, resulting in this Atlas.
Survey Citation:
Mohler, J. A. 2013. Grebe survey protocol. Document on file, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa ID.
-
Time period
N/A -
Source
Protocol -
Both Western and Clarks?
N/A
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Adults | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Nests | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Max Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Most Recent Chicks | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Comments:
Protocol states that fluctuating water levels is a limiting factor to nesting, of which the USFWS has no control over.
Survey Citation:
Mohler, J. A. 2015. 2015 Grebe surveys and annual report. Document on file, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa ID.
-
Type
boat -
Time period
12 June 2015, 19 September 2010 -
Source
Annual Report -
Both Western and Clarks?
Y
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 501 to 1000 | 510 | 2015 |
| Most Recent Adults | 501 to 1000 | 510 | 2015 |
| Max Nests | 1 to 100 | 20 | 2015 |
| Most Recent Nests | 1 to 100 | 20 | 2015 |
| Max Chicks | 1 to 100 | 26 | 2015 |
| Most Recent Chicks | 1 to 100 | 26 | 2015 |
Comments:
Main takeaway from this report is the stated threat of low water levels. Three pre-nesting surveys with no count #s conducted from 12 June to 3 July. Four surveys of colony from 13 June to 5 September. Only 20 nests marked but probably more due to difficulty of access. Three brood counts from 7 August to 19 September. The data table for brood count has typo saying 2013. I entered only 7 August data because other two dates beyond breeding season. This data will be covered in historical summary of Lake Lowell so the main inclusion of this report is for the threat.
Survey Citation:
USFWS and U of I unpublished data. "2010-2021_Grebe_Summary_Historical_Data_DeerFlatNWR"
-
Type
boat; drone -
Time period
14 May 2010, 12 August 2021 -
Source
Summary -
Both Western and Clarks?
Y
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | >1000 | 1312 | 2012 |
| Most Recent Adults | 501 to 1000 | 769 | 2021 |
| Max Nests | 101 to 500 | 382 | 2021 |
| Most Recent Nests | 101 to 500 | 287 | 2021 |
| Max Chicks | 501 to 1000 | 582 | 2012 |
| Most Recent Chicks | 1 to 100 | 38 | 2021 |
Comments:
Data compiled from Grebe Data 2010 through 2015 Excel spreadsheets from the FWS shared drive at Deer Flat NWR (DFNWR), obtained by Deo Lachman in 2019. Other years’ data was compiled by Mark Lupher, volunteer at DFNWR in 2019. The 2019 to 2021 data was added on by Anne Yen in 2021. Each year in the 12 year survey varies in terms of # surveys and dates of surveys for that year. 2019 to 2021 included drone use which detected higher number of nests but does not necessarily represent increased nesting than other years. Nest detection in smartweed is very difficult by boat so nests numbers in other years could be comparably as high as 2019 and 2021 but not found.
Survey Citation:
Owens, Eddie, email 2022, personal communications.
-
Type
shore; boat -
Time period
12 July 2022, 4 August 2022 -
Source
Personal communication -
Both Western and Clarks?
Y
| Count Type | Range | Max | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Adults | 101 to 500 | 288 | 2022 |
| Most Recent Adults | 101 to 500 | 288 | 2022 |
| Max Nests | 0 | 0 | 2022 |
| Most Recent Nests | 0 | 0 | 2022 |
| Max Chicks | 0 | 0 | 2022 |
| Most Recent Chicks | 0 | 0 | 2022 |
Comments:
There were no regular weekly surveys of Lake Lowell in 2022. Eddie Owens, Refuge Manager, was able to survey twice from boat and observed courting, but no nesting nor chicks. He observed that water was very low and smartweed was at 25% of usual levels. He also walked the smartweed in late July 2022 because water was low and saw what looked like remnants of possibly old nests or stranded nests and sent me photos. I thought they looked like old nests or other waterbird nests but not fresh grebe nests.
Sources of Information
- Mohler, J. A. 2013. Grebe survey protocol. Document on file, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Nampa ID.; Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.; Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
- Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.
- Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
- Lake Lowell Park
- Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
- Lake Lowell Fisheries
- Deer Flat Upper Embankment
- Lake Lowell Water Data
- Lake Lowell Recreation
- Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) for Lake Earl