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Many waterbird species utilize a diversity of aquatic habitats; however, with increasing anthropogenic needs tomanage water regimes there is global concern over impacts to waterbird populations. The federally threatened pipingplover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plovers) is a shorebird that breeds in three habitat types in the Prairie PotholeRegion of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada: riverine sandbars; reservoir shorelines; and prairie wetlands. Watersurface areas of these habitats fluctuate in response to wet–dry periods; decreasing water surface areas exposeshorelines that plovers utilize for nesting. Climate varies across the region so when other habitats are unavailable forplover nesting because of flooding,...
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This project will develop species distribution models (SDM) to evaluate current and future occurrence and density of wetland-dependent birds relative to several predictors, including land use patterns, wetland condition and connectivity, geomorphic setting and climate. These tools will suggest which wetland-dependent bird species appear most vulnerable to climate and land use change based on the expected extent of range change under various scenarios. Knowledge of natural history and habitat associations of species coupled with coefficients from regression models will provide insight into the potential reasons for species vulnerability. This information will be valuable in the development of management strategies.
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Temperate grasslands are among earth’s most imperiled ecosystems. In North America,steep declines of endemic songbird populations indicate that grassland loss and degradation may be approaching critical levels. Grasslands are agricultural landscapes largely (~85%) under private ownership with little formal protection status. Remaining bird populations depend on grazing lands that have not been converted to cropland. We combine regional data from a hotspot for grassland bird diversity (northeast Montana,USA; 26,500-km2) with continental data spanning the northern Great Plains (1,000,000- km2) to evaluate how land use and management influence bird distribution and abundance. Regionally, habitat used by seven grassland...
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Wetland hydroperiod, the length of time water is available in wetlands, is particularly sensitive to changes in precipitation, temperature and timing due to climate variation. Truncated hydroperiod has major implications for wetland-dependent species (e.g., waterfowl) and human water allocation. Researchers aim to link hydroperiod to current climatic variation and use this relationship to predict wetland hydroperiod across the moisture gradient from sage steppe to grasslands.
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Many waterbird species utilize a diversity of aquatic habitats; however, with increasing anthropogenic needs tomanage water regimes there is global concern over impacts to waterbird populations. The federally threatened pipingplover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plovers) is a shorebird that breeds in three habitat types in the Prairie PotholeRegion of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada: riverine sandbars; reservoir shorelines; and prairie wetlands. Watersurface areas of these habitats fluctuate in response to wet–dry periods; decreasing water surface areas exposeshorelines that plovers utilize for nesting. Climate varies across the region so when other habitats are unavailable forplover nesting because of flooding,...
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Map drained wetland basins in the PPR of Iowa and complete data set for the eastern (Region 3) of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Regionl. These data form the foundation for a newly launced inititative to develop an “Integrated Conservation Design Strategy for the PPR of Minnesota and Iowa.” This new initiative integrates wildlife habitat, water quality and flood attenuation objectives with wetland restoration potential maps to develop multi-objective wetland restoration plans for landscape-scale watershed.
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Sediment accumulation threatens the viability and hydrologic functioning of many naturally formed depressional wetlands across the interior regions of North America. These wetlands provide many ecosystem services and vital habitats for diverse plant and animal communities. Climate change may further impact sediment accumulation rates in the context of current land use patterns. We estimated sediment accretion in wetlands within a region renowned for its large populations of breeding waterfowl and migrant shorebirds and examined the relative roles of precipitation and land use context in the sedimentation process. We modeled rates of sediment accumulation from 1971 through 2100 using the Revised Universal Soil Loss...
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Oil and gas development in North Dakota is occurring at a rapid rate, and managers and biologists are ill-equipped to address and minimize damage from oil development and related activities on fish and wildlife habitat. This project aims to gather information on impacts to grassland birds from oil and gas development to better inform conservation managers.The 2012 pilot season was a success. Bird surveys were conducted at 18 oil wells and four control sites. Preliminary findings showed reduced densities of grassland birds near wells compared with away from wells, but the effect varied among species. Continuing work will strengthen inferences as well as attempt to assess effects on uncommon species such as Baird’s...
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Climate change poses major challenges for conservation and management because it alters the area, quality, and spatial distribution of habitat for natural populations. To assess species’ vulnerability to climate change and target ongoing conservation investments, researchers and managers often consider the effects of projected changes in climate and land use on future habitat availability and quality and the uncertainty associated with these projections. Here, we draw on tools from hydrology and climate science to project the impact of climate change on the density of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the USA, a critical area for breeding waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species. We evaluate the potential...
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Conservation of biological communities requires accurate estimates of abundance for multiple species. Recent advances in estimating abundance of multiple species, such as Bayesian multispecies N-mixture models, account for multiple sources of variation, including detection error. However, false-positiveerrors (misidentification or double counts), which are prevalent in multispecies data sets, remain largely unaddressed. The dependent-double observer (DDO) method is an emerging method that both accounts for detection error and is suggested to reduce the occurrence of false positives because it relies on two observers working collaboratively to identify individuals. To date, the DDO method has not been combined with...
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Wind power is a promising clean energy technology that has grown rapidly in recent years (EIA 2013). In spite of its environmentally friendly reputation, industrial wind energy generation can have serious impacts on wildlife. Bat and bird collision fatality rates have been alarmingly high at some wind farms. Proper siting of wind facilities may help minimize collision impacts as the wind energy industry continues to grow. Bat and bird fatality rates vary greatly among sites; however, there is no reliable method for assessing collision risk prior to development. My goal was to develop a method for predicting fatality rates based on nocturnal activity patterns measured by ground-level recording of bat and bird calls....
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Migration barriers and resulting habitat fragmentation are a major conservationconcern for freshwater fishes. Characterizing the swimming abilities of fish is vital forfishway design and identifying potential movement barriers. The objective of this studywas to assess the swimming performance of two of the most widely distributed prairiefishes, the large-bodied, large river sauger Sander Canadensis, and the small-bodied,small stream longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae. Swimming performance for bothspecies was assessed using a variety of metrics (passage success, maximum ascentdistance, maximum sprint speed) in an open channel flume over a range of velocities(sauger, 51, 80, 93 cm/; dace, 39, 64, 78, and 90 cm/s),...
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Wetland hydroperiod, the length of time water is available in wetlands, is sensitive to changes in precipitation, temperature and timing due to climate variation. Truncated hydroperiod has major implications for wetland-dependent species (e.g., waterfowl, amphibians) and human water allocation (PPP LCC Need 1). To characterize wetland hydroperiod in the Plains and Prairie Pothole Region, we first identify location and hydroperiod of wetlands using field-based and remotely sensed training data (RapidEye, Landsat). We define hydroperiod as wetland ephemerality, where ephemerality represents the persistence of a wetland across the growing season. We then link hydroperiod to climatic variation by relating climate time-series...
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Unconventional oil development in the Bakken shale region has increased rapidly as a result of new technologies. This region also supports a particularly high density and diversity of grassland bird species, which are declining across North America. We examined grassland bird response to unconventional oil extraction sites (i.e. developed with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) and associated roads in North Dakota. Our goal was to quantify the amount of habitat that was indirectly degraded by oil development, as evidenced by patterns of avoidance by birds. Grassland birds avoided areas within 149 m of roads (95% CI: 4 – 294 m), 267 m of single-bore well pads (95% CI: 157 – 377 m), and 150 m of multi-bore...
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Map drained wetland basins in the PPR of Iowa and complete data set for the eastern (Region 3) of the U.S. Prairie Pothole Regionl. These data form the foundation for a newly launced inititative to develop an “Integrated Conservation Design Strategy for the PPR of Minnesota and Iowa.” This new initiative integrates wildlife habitat, water quality and flood attenuation objectives with wetland restoration potential maps to develop multi-objective wetland restoration plans for landscape-scale watershed.
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The Invasion of native communities by cool-season introduced grasses, especially smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass in upland prairies, reed canary grass in wetlands, is on one of the most important management issues on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)-owned lands. Two adaptive management projects, the Native Prairie and Reed Canary Grass Adaptive Management Projects were funded by USGS to examine restoration efforts on NWRs and WMDs in USFWS Regions 3 and 6. This project will support the completion of two decision support tools that are essential to long-term resource management success.
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Fishery and aquatic scientists often assess habitats to understand the distribution, status, stressors, andrelative abundance of aquatic resources. Due to the spatial nature of aquatic habitats and the increasingscope of management concerns, using traditional analytical methods for assessment is often difficult.However, advancements in the geographic information systems (GIS) field and related technologies haveenabled scientists and managers to more effectively collate, archive, display, analyze, and model spatial andtemporal data. For example, spatially explicit habitat assessment models allow for a more robustinterpretation of many terrestrial and aquatic datasets, including physical and biological monitoring...
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Wetland hydroperiod, the length of time water is available in wetlands, is sensitive to changes in precipitation, temperature and timing due to climate variation. Truncated hydroperiod has major implications for wetland-dependent species (e.g., waterfowl, amphibians) and human water allocation (PPP LCC Need 1). To characterize wetland hydroperiod in the Plains and Prairie Pothole Region, we first identify location and hydroperiod of wetlands using field-based and remotely sensed training data (RapidEye, Landsat). We define hydroperiod as wetland ephemerality, where ephemerality represents the persistence of a wetland across the growing season. We then link hydroperiod to climatic variation by relating climate time-series...
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To better understand the motivations of landowners, specifically farmers, to participate in programs that improve wildlife habitat and water quality in the region. The LCC is working with U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate factors influencing landowners’ enrollment in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that improve water quality by reducing sedimentation and nutrient loading, and, landowners’ incentives to enter into sustainable agricultural systems. The outcomes of this study will provide insight into designing and developing programs, practices and messages that encourage broader participation in conservation programs and sustainable practices within the agricultural community. The long-term objectives of...


map background search result map search result map Decision Support Tools for Adaptive Management Projects in Prairie and Wetland Habitats on National Wildlife Refuges and Wetland Management Districts in USFWS Regions 3 and 6 Capture of Down-Scale Climate Change Models. Part B: The Application of High Resolution Climate Models for Avian Conservation Capture and interpretation of down-scaled climate change models to benefit avian conservation Effects of oil and gas development on grassland birds Wetland hydroperiod and climate change; implications for biodiversity and water availability Assessing landowner's / producer's attitude toward and motivations for participating in conservation programs beneficial to wildlife A multispecies dependent double-observer model: A new method to for estimating multispecies abundance Projected wetland densities under climate change: habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy Sediment Accumulation in Prairie Wetlands under a Changing Climate: the Relative Roles of Landscape and Precipitation Relationships among swimming performance, behavior, water velocity, temperature, and body size for Sager and longnose dace Cows and Plows:  Science-based Conservation for Grassland Songbirds in Agricultural Landscapes Consolidation Drainage and Climate Change May Reduce Piping Plover Habitat in the Great Plains Land use and wetland drainage affect water levels and dynamics of remaining wetlands Iowa Wetland Assessment and Restorable Wetland Inventory Phase-II Report Iowa Wetland Assessment and Restorable Wetland Inventory Phase-I Report Grassland Birds and Unconventional Oil Development in Western North Dakota Assessing Bat and Bird Fatality Risk at Wind Farm Sites using Acoustic Detectors Wetland hydroperiod and climate change: Completion Report – Phase I Using a multiscale, probabilistic approach to identify spatial-temporal wetland gradients Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership Fish Modeling Results Effects of oil and gas development on grassland birds Iowa Wetland Assessment and Restorable Wetland Inventory Phase-II Report Iowa Wetland Assessment and Restorable Wetland Inventory Phase-I Report Cows and Plows:  Science-based Conservation for Grassland Songbirds in Agricultural Landscapes Decision Support Tools for Adaptive Management Projects in Prairie and Wetland Habitats on National Wildlife Refuges and Wetland Management Districts in USFWS Regions 3 and 6 Capture of Down-Scale Climate Change Models. Part B: The Application of High Resolution Climate Models for Avian Conservation Capture and interpretation of down-scaled climate change models to benefit avian conservation Wetland hydroperiod and climate change; implications for biodiversity and water availability A multispecies dependent double-observer model: A new method to for estimating multispecies abundance Projected wetland densities under climate change: habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy Relationships among swimming performance, behavior, water velocity, temperature, and body size for Sager and longnose dace Consolidation Drainage and Climate Change May Reduce Piping Plover Habitat in the Great Plains Land use and wetland drainage affect water levels and dynamics of remaining wetlands Grassland Birds and Unconventional Oil Development in Western North Dakota Assessing Bat and Bird Fatality Risk at Wind Farm Sites using Acoustic Detectors Wetland hydroperiod and climate change: Completion Report – Phase I Using a multiscale, probabilistic approach to identify spatial-temporal wetland gradients Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership Fish Modeling Results Sediment Accumulation in Prairie Wetlands under a Changing Climate: the Relative Roles of Landscape and Precipitation Assessing landowner's / producer's attitude toward and motivations for participating in conservation programs beneficial to wildlife