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The distribution of the greater sage-grouse (hereafter sage-grouse; Centrocercus urophasianus) has declined to 56% of its pre-settlement distribution (Schroeder et al. 2004) and abundance of males attending leks has decreased substantially over the past 50 years throughout the species’ range (Garton et al. 2011, Garton et al. 2015, WAFWA 2015). Livestock grazing is a common land use within sage-grouse habitat, and livestock grazing has been implicated by some experts as one of numerous factors contributing to sage-grouse population declines (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Schroeder et al. 2004). However, there are also numerous mechanisms by which livestock grazing might benefit sage-grouse (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Crawford...
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Habitat restoration efforts to conserve wildlife species are often conducted along a range of local site conditions, with limited information available to gauge relative outcomes for habitat suitability among sites and identify those that may lead to the greatest returns on restoration investment. We leveraged existing resource selection function models to generate heatmaps of spatially varying habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) based on a suite of habitat restoration actions deployed across crucial habitats within six remaining satellite populations. We first simulated expected change in model covariates (habitat features) from a suite of restoration actions...
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Habitat restoration efforts to conserve wildlife species are often conducted along a range of local site conditions, with limited information available to gauge relative outcomes for habitat suitability among sites and identify those that may lead to the greatest returns on restoration investment. We leveraged existing resource selection function models to generate heatmaps of spatially varying habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) based on a suite of habitat restoration actions deployed across crucial habitats within six remaining satellite populations. We first simulated expected change in model covariates (habitat features) from a suite of restoration actions...
Emerging applications of ecosystem resilience and resistance concepts in sagebrush ecosystems allow managers to better predict and mitigate impacts of wildfire and invasive annual grasses. Soil temperature and moisture strongly influence the kind and amount of vegetation, and consequently, are closely tied to sagebrush ecosystem resilience and resistance (Chambers et al. 2014, 2016). Soil taxonomic temperature and moisture regimes can be used as indicators of resilience and resistance at landscape scales to depict environmental gradients in sagebrush ecosystems that range from cold/cool-moist sites to warm-dry sites. We aggregated soil survey spatial and tabular data to facilitate broad-scale analyses of resilience...
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Invasive annual grasses are a primary, severe, and challenging threat to habitat conservation and restoration for sage-dependent wildlife across federal, state and private lands. Successful management solutions for sagebrush rangelands are likely to be multiphasic, involving some sequence of interventions such as herbicides, seeding of competitive natives that also create habitat, and temporarily altering land use, in an adaptive-management approach. The proposed work tests different herbicides and options for applying them with different seeding and land uses, across a gradient of climate and soils in Interior Regions 5 and 7.This research will examine the efficacy of management options for controlling cheatgrass...
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a. Develop a regional map showing the highest probability pathways of wildfire spread under current conditions.b. Design regional networks of fuel breaks to reduce future wildfire size in large remnant tracts of priority GSG habitat. Networks will be designed by modeling fire spread with fuel breaks using Circuitscape (http://www.Circuitscape.org/), a wildlife connectivity software based on electrical circuit theory applied to a raster map, and consulting with agencies and tribes about regional priority habitats in southern ID and OR, northern NV,and northwestern UT.c. Deliver GIS layers and maps showing suggested networks of fuel breaks to federal and state agencies, and tribes. This will allow fire managers to...
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Conifer encroachment is one of the most significant threats to sagebrush habitats and the species that rely on them. Removal of encroaching conifers is beneficial for Greater Sage-Grouse, but impacts on other sagebrush-obligate species are not well understood. This project aims to quantify the impact of conifer removal on sagebrush songbird abundance and reproductive success. Work has been initiated through a previously-supported (by IR5/7 SA) Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit project across six conifer-removal and six conifer-remaining (control) plots of ca. 55 ha each. Initial results suggest that conifer removal benefits both abundance and nesting success of sagebrush-obligate species (Brewers Sparrows...
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Using a solutions-oriented, multi-agency collaboration, we propose to pilot a large-scale assessment of an alternative (herding, electric- and virtual-fence) grazing strategy designed to mimic pre-colonial grazing patterns by bison, to ascertain their value for local- and regional-scale assemblages ofsagebrush- and grassland-associated birds in Montana. A fundamental goal of most wildlife-based grazing programs is to foster a mosaic of patches that represent the broadest possible spectrum of habitat types that benefits different sagebrush- and grassland-associated birds in different parts of the landscape (for example, western meadowlarks, vesper sparrows, and thick-billed longspur in open, heavily grazed areas;...
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Covering 120 million acres across 14 western states and 3 Canadian provinces, sagebrush provides critical habitat for species such as pronghorn, mule deer, and sage-grouse – a species of conservation concern. The future of these and other species is closely tied to the future of sagebrush. Yet this important ecosystem has already been affected by fire, invasive species, land use conversion, and now, climate change. In the western U.S., temperatures are rising and precipitation patterns are changing. However, there is currently a limited ability to anticipate the impacts of climate change on sagebrush. Current methods suffer from a range of weakness that limits the reliability of results. In fact, the current uncertainty...
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Conifer removal and management is a key tool for restoring sagebrush ecosystems and Greater Sage-Grouse populations, though the response of other sagebrush-obligate birds, including Pinyon Jays, to conifer management has not been well-studied. Quantifying the response of avian species to conifer management will inform conservation delivery to ensure that agencies achieve sagebrush bird and habitat objectives while minimizing impacts on Pinyon Jays in the sagebrush/pinon-juniper woodland ecotone. The results of this project will address key science needs on Pinyon Jays and directly inform more effective conifer management throughout the eastern Great Basin. Without these data, we will be unable to provide science-based...
We surveyed for pygmy rabbits, Brachylagus idahoensis, in Summer 2003 in Nevada (USA) to better determine the distribution, habitat, and soil patterns of this potentially threatened species. Pygmy rabbits and/or their sign (burrows and fecal pellets) were observed at 261 of 643 survey sites and their known distribution was extended 12 km to the south. Data on topography, soil, lithology, and hydrology were compared between sagebrush habitats where pygmy rabbits and/or their sign was present and absent. A predictive equation was produced and used as a model for characterizing habitats where pygmy rabbits were present. This model successfully explained the occurrence of pygmy rabbits and/or their sign on 56.7% of...
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations throughout much of their range have been declining. These declines have largely been attributed to the loss or deterioration of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat. In response government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service are cost-sharing on management practices designed to improve habitat conditions for sage-grouse. Little is known regarding sage-grouse response to various sagebrush management techniques. We studied the effects of reducing sagebrush canopy cover using 2 mechanical (Dixie harrow and Lawson aerator) treatments and 1 chemical (Tebuthiuron) treatment on greater sage-grouse use...
Pathogens and herbivores can severely reduce host fitness, potentially leading to altered succession rates and changes in plant community composition. Thus, to predict vegetation dynamics under climate change, it is necessary to understand how plant pathogens and herbivores will respond. Pathogens and herbivores are predicted to increase under climate warming because the amount of time available for growth and reproduction will increase. To test this prediction, we used a warming experiment in which heaters were suspended over a natural montane meadow for 12 years. In the summer of 2002, we quantified damage by all the observable (aboveground) pathogens and herbivores on six of the most common plant species (Artemisia...
Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) comprises up to 99% of the winter and 50% of the summer diets of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis). Few animals specialize on such plants as sagebrush, which contain high levels of plant chemicals that can be toxic. We investigated the nutritional requirements of pygmy rabbits and their ability and propensity to consume sagebrush alone and as part of a mixed diet. We compared diet choices of pygmy rabbits with that of a generalist forager, the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). Pygmy rabbits had a moderately low nitrogen requirement (306.5 mg N/kg0.75/d), but a relatively high energy requirement, needing 750.8 kJ digestible energy/kg0.75/d to maintain their body mass...
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Future climates are simulated by general circulation models (GCM) using climate change scenarios (IPCC 2014). To project climate change for the sagebrush biome, we used 11 GCMs and two climate change scenarios from the IPCC Fifth Assessment, representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 (Moss et al. 2010, Van Vuuren et al. 2011). RCP4.5 scenario represents a future where climate policies limit and achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations to 4.5 W m-2 by 2100. RCP8.5 scenario might be called a business-as-usual scenario, where high emissions of greenhouse gases continue in the absence of climate change policies. The two selected time frames allow comparison of near-term (2020-2050) and longer-term...
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Future climates are simulated by general circulation models (GCM) using climate change scenarios (IPCC 2014). To project climate change for the sagebrush biome, we used 11 GCMs and two climate change scenarios from the IPCC Fifth Assessment, representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 (Moss et al. 2010, Van Vuuren et al. 2011). RCP4.5 scenario represents a future where climate policies limit and achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations to 4.5 W m-2 by 2100. RCP8.5 scenario might be called a business-as-usual scenario, where high emissions of greenhouse gases continue in the absence of climate change policies. The two selected time frames allow comparison of near-term (2020-2050) and longer-term...
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Future climates are simulated by general circulation models (GCM) using climate change scenarios (IPCC 2014). To project climate change for the sagebrush biome, we used 11 GCMs and two climate change scenarios from the IPCC Fifth Assessment, representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 (Moss et al. 2010, Van Vuuren et al. 2011). RCP4.5 scenario represents a future where climate policies limit and achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations to 4.5 W m-2 by 2100. RCP8.5 scenario might be called a business-as-usual scenario, where high emissions of greenhouse gases continue in the absence of climate change policies. The two selected time frames allow comparison of near-term (2020-2050) and longer-term...
The objective of the project is to improve the infrastructure of the Red Rim Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) as well as conduct habitat improvements. Two windmills will be upgraded to solar pumps and panels. Six and a half miles of fence will be converted from woven wire to wildlife friendly fencing and 8 miles of fence will have single strand conversion to meet BLM and WGFD wildlife standards (i.e. the bottom wire is too low or the top wire is too high). An exclosure will be erected around a riparian area to keep cattle out, sagebrush will be thinned (approx. 140 acres), weeds will be treated (approx. 200 acres) and native grasses and legumes sown (approx. 170 acres). The Red Rim WHMA is located southwest...
Projections of contemporary and future climate niche for Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis).
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North American sagebrush-steppe ecosystems have decreased by about 50 percent since European settlement. As a result, sagebrush-steppe dependent species, such as the Gunnison sage-grouse, have experienced drastic range contractions and population declines. Coordinated ecosystem-wide research, integrated with monitoring and management activities, is needed to help maintain existing sagebrush habitats; however, products that accurately model and map sagebrush habitats in detail over the Gunnison Basin in Colorado are still unavailable. This research employs a combination of methods, including (1) modeling sagebrush rangeland as a series of independent objective components that can be combined and customized by any...
map background search result map search result map Red Rim Wildlife Habitat Management Area Improvements Remote Sensing Sagebrush Habitat Products for the Gunnison Basin in Colorado (percent bare ground) Forecasting Future Changes in Sagebrush Distribution and Abundance Designing Regional Fuel Breaks to Protect Large Remnant Tracts of Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southern ID and OR, Northern and Central NV, and Northwestern UT (TNC) Precipitation (Mean: Annual) - 2070-2100 - RCP8.5 - Max Temperature (Maximum: July) - 2020-2050 - RCP4.5 - Mean Temperature (Mean: July - Sep) - 2070-2100 - RCP8.5 - Min Assessing annual grass management effectiveness in the sagebrush biome Impacts of Conifer Removal on Sagebrush Songbirds Assessing Traditional and Emerging Grazing Strategies for Creating a Mosaic of Diverse Habitat Patches for Grassland- and Sagebrush Associated Birds Effect of conifer treatments and landscape management on sagebrush obligate songbirds and Pinyon Jays in the Great Basin Maps of habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) satellite populations in Southwestern Colorado Maps of habitat suitability improvement potential for the Pinon Mesa Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) satellite population in Southwestern Colorado Maps of habitat suitability improvement potential for the Pinon Mesa Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) satellite population in Southwestern Colorado Impacts of Conifer Removal on Sagebrush Songbirds Maps of habitat suitability improvement potential for the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) satellite populations in Southwestern Colorado Remote Sensing Sagebrush Habitat Products for the Gunnison Basin in Colorado (percent bare ground) Assessing Traditional and Emerging Grazing Strategies for Creating a Mosaic of Diverse Habitat Patches for Grassland- and Sagebrush Associated Birds Designing Regional Fuel Breaks to Protect Large Remnant Tracts of Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southern ID and OR, Northern and Central NV, and Northwestern UT (TNC) Effect of conifer treatments and landscape management on sagebrush obligate songbirds and Pinyon Jays in the Great Basin Forecasting Future Changes in Sagebrush Distribution and Abundance Assessing annual grass management effectiveness in the sagebrush biome Precipitation (Mean: Annual) - 2070-2100 - RCP8.5 - Max Temperature (Maximum: July) - 2020-2050 - RCP4.5 - Mean Temperature (Mean: July - Sep) - 2070-2100 - RCP8.5 - Min