James E Lyons

Qualitative value of information for the effects of prescribed fire in Gulf of Mexico marshes: Expert judgment scores from a 2020 adaptive management workshop

This data set was collected as part of a structured decision-making workshop designed to identify sources of uncertainty and articulate alternative hypotheses about prescribed fire in high marshes of the Gulf of Mexico. Workshop participants independently scored alternative hypotheses based on a standard rubric using an online system. Following the workshop, we used the scores to compute QVoI for each participant. We used QVoI to prioritize the sources of uncertainty based on their magnitude of uncertainty, relevance for decision making, and reducibility.

Categories: Data; Tags: Ecology, Gulf of Mexico, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Biology, All tags... adaptive management, decision support methods, Fewer tags

Using value of information to prioritize research needs for migratory bird management under climate change: a case study using federal land acquisition in the United States

Abstract (from Biological Reviews): In response to global habitat loss, many governmental and non‐governmental organizations have implemented land acquisition programs to protect critical habitats permanently for priority species. The ability of these protected areas to meet future management objectives may be compromised if the effects of climate change are not considered in acquisition decisions. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change on ecological systems are complex and plagued by uncertainty, making it difficult for organizations to prioritize research needs to improve decision‐making. Herein, we demonstrate the use of qualitative value of information analysis to identify and prioritize which sources...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

These datasets were compiled during the development and application of an adaptive management framework for the conservation and recovery of Eastern Black Rails in the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Region. The study is conducted in cooperation with the Eastern Black Rail Working Group of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. U.S. Geological Survey and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture are working with partners to test alternative methods of manipulating coastal marsh and other wetland habitats to make them suitable for Black Rails with the long-term goal of stabilizing or reversing population declines. The objectives of this project are to develop an adaptive management framework that allows wetland managers to reduce...

Tags: Bayesian decision model, Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis, adaptive management, biota, decision analysis, All tags... endangered species, management experiment, marsh birds, structured decision making, value of information, Fewer tags

Elicited qualitative value of information scores for eastern black rail uncertainties on the Atlantic Coast from a 2020 adaptive management workshop

The eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis; hereafter rail) is a small, cryptic marshbird that was recently listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We organized a rapid prototyping workshop to initiate development of an adaptive management for rails on the Atlantic Coast. The in-person workshop spanned 2.5 days and was held in Titusville, Florida in January 2020. Workshop participants, comprised of species experts and land managers of rail habitats, chose to focus the framework on testing habitat management techniques to maximize rail occupancy, in which uncertainties could be reduced through a combination of field management experiments and coordinated monitoring. We used the...

Categories: Data; Tags: Ecology, Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis, Mid Atlantic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, All tags... USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, adaptive management, biota, qualitative value of information, structured decision making, value of information, Fewer tags

U.S. Geological Survey and partners are testing the effects of prescribed fire on Black Rails, Yellow Rails, and Mottled Ducks in the high marsh habitats of the northern Gulf of Mexico region. The study is conducted in cooperation with Mississippi State University, Illinois Natural History Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations. The objectives of this project are to develop an adaptive management framework that allows land managers to reduce our uncertainty about the effects of prescribed fire on these species and the habitats on which they depend, and give managers tools and information that will help them determine the best management actions to...

Categories: Data Release - In Progress; Tags: Bayesian decision model, Ecology, Gulf of Mexico, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, All tags... adaptive management, biota, decision analysis, management experiment, marsh birds, prescribed fire, salt marsh, structured decision making, threatened species, value of information, waterfowl, Fewer tags