Manipulate vegetation and maintain closed structures for shorebirds mid-summer habitat

Suitable shorebird habitat is limited during the summer and fall as birds migrate south postbreeding. Providing shallow water and mud flat habitat will benefit a variety of shorebird species. Optimal conditions are created when water levels are slowly reduced through evaporation, which allows for propagation of invertebrates (typically insect larvae) used as food by shorebirds. Manipulation of vegetation, preferably through rolling, creates open conditions required by this suite of birds as a means to detect and avoid predators, and provides nutrient inputs for invertebrate production.