The breeding range of the Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) includes the Colville River
delta where it is a common nester. Spectacled Eiders and Steller’s Eiders (Polysticta stelleri) are
listed as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Although within the
historic range of Steller’s Eiders, the Colville River delta is no longer part of its breeding range,
which has retracted westward to the Barrow area. ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. (CPAI) operates
the Alpine Satellite Development Project (Alpine Oilfield), an oil and gas development, on the
Colville River delta in areas of potential breeding habitat for Spectacled Eiders. To comply with
the ESA and to avoid disturbance of Spectacled Eiders during the nesting season, CPAI
documented the location of Spectacled Eider nests in areas slated for off-pad activities (e.g.,
tundra clean-up, surveying, spill prevention). Once active nests were identified, CPAI avoided
scheduled work activities around nest locations until after the nesting season.
CPAI contracted ABR, Inc., to conduct nest searches for eiders in areas where off-pad work
was scheduled during 1 June–1 August 2010. These areas included the CD-3 pad and airstrip, the
ice road from CD-2 to CD-3, 13 Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) spill-response equipment sites, and 3
pipeline bridges over channels of the Colville River. Except for the 3 bridge sites, all other sites
had been searched for nests and evaluated for suitable eider nesting habitat during the 2009
nesting season.
A 200-m buffer around the majority of work sites was searched for eider nests in 2010.
Because of transportation limitations on the nest searching crew, sections of the ice road were
searched within 50-m and 100-m buffers where litter was scarce (thus requiring no clean-up) or
habitat was not suitable for Spectacled Eider nesting.
