Skip to main content
Advanced Search

Filters: Tags: GRASSLANDS (X) > partyWithName: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Legacy Region 6, Science Applications (X)

33 results (226ms)   

Filters
Date Range
Extensions
Types
Contacts
Categories
Tag Types
Tag Schemes
View Results as: JSON ATOM CSV
thumbnail
To better inform conservation efforts targeted at reversing grassland bird declines and ensure self-sustaining populations of at-risk species such as the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a better understanding of broad-scale habitat availability for grassland birds is needed. his project will evaluate the utility of NDVI and phenology-based metrics in estimating lesser prairie-chicken reproductive habitat quality remotely over broad spatial scales.1. Evaluate the influence of grazing, fire, and precipitation on NDVI-related metrics in the Central and Southern Great Plains.2. Identify NDVI-related metrics that best distinguish lesser prairie-chicken reproductive habitat from non-habitat. 3. Relate...
thumbnail
The US Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) has experienced some of the highest rates of grassland loss in North America over a time that coincides with dramatic declines in grassland songbird populations yet increasing abundance of most grassland-nesting duck species except for northern pintail. To provide more insight into this contradiction, we propose to capitalize on long-term databases to evaluate how a key population driver nest survival for North American ducks has responded to system changes in the region including landscape and climatic factors. Outcomes of these analyses will contribute to testing primary conservation planning assumptions for the PPJV a vital component of the PPJV Strategic Habitat Conservation...
thumbnail
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;...
thumbnail
Grassland loss to woody encroachment is widespread and ongoing. Mechanical removal of Eastern Red Cedar (ERC) is the most cost-shared practice to address this threat. Cost-share is provided based on acres with different levels of infestation. Delineation of the different levels of infestation is time consuming butrequired to ensure the appropriate amount of cost-share is provided and contractors are not over/under compensated. The Rangeland Brush Estimation Toolbox(RaBET) is geospatial tool that can accurately automate this process. Unfortunately,wet-meadows and other wetland features cause the tool to overestimate woody cover. This project will provide funds to finish the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). This...
thumbnail
This project will support the use of the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data to calculate current populations, population trend, and ultimately desired population objectives for the priority species outlined in the IR 5/7 SHC Plan. Benchmarks will be estimated to highlight grassland and sagebrush habitat needed to support desired populations as outlined in the Partners in Flight Plan by 2050. The BCR specific population targets provide a solid foundation to continue to build and refine the R6 SHC Teams Work towards effective planning and ultimately effective on-the-ground conservation delivery. A $55,000 investment supports conservation priorities for both Grassland and Sagebrush Ecosystems.
thumbnail
RaBET (Rangeland Brush Estimation Toolbox for Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs)) is an online ArcGIS toolbox that generates accurate geospatial and tabular data describing canopy cover at the tract level to streamline landowner agreements (USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife PFW) and/or NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts for brush management. Priority MLRAs cover 33.8 million acres with 20.6 million acres of grasslands. This project supports the integration of RaBET into project planning and contract development and is projected to increase the number of contracts and acres impacted by 25% (23,750 acres) in these MLRAs in Kansas and Nebraska through NRCS EQIP alone, based on 2020 enrollment....
thumbnail
This project will develop demographic and population data from existing databases, including state creel surveys, annual sampling efforts, and state Natural Heritage programs for a suite of species (aquatic, terrestrial, pollinator) that inhabit the sagebrush-steppe and grassland ecosystem. Collecting this information is a vital first step toward understanding these species response to climate change, including changes in water quality/quantity, flooding recurrence, and persistence of instream and riparian habitats in sagebrush and grassland systems over time. Support for this foundational work will enable the FWSIR5/7 Sagebrush Ecosystem Team to develop population models and associated threat-based models to inform...
thumbnail
Grassland birds have declined more rapidly than any other group of land birds in North America in the last 50 years, with populations of Spragues Pipit, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspur, and Bairds Sparrow having declined 65-94% during this period. Developing strategic conservation plans for grassland birds requires an understanding of their individual population ecology, along with their community dynamics amongst species. Few studies have focused on understanding how adult density during the breeding season relates to nesting performance (e.g., nest density and nest success) and how abiotic and biotic factors influence these individual demographics. This proposed work complements concurrent studies...
thumbnail
Recovery of the endangered pallid sturgeon is comprised of interrelated programs (including, Conservation Propagation and Stocking Program (CPSP), and Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP) with numerous contributing agencies. These programs are in need of improved database architecture to integrate and share the capture, tagging, propagation, stocking, genetics, and other critical data to meet program and population monitoring requirements and to measure progress toward recovery. A range-wide relational database architecture or decision support system is needed to manage and integrate the large amounts of data collected by numerous partners and programs in order to evaluate progress toward downlisting...
thumbnail
Grassland birds have declined more rapidly than any other group of land birds in North America in the last 50 years with populations of Spragues Pipit, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspur, and Bairds Sparrow having declined 65-94% during this period. This cross-programmatic collaborative project will expand on a growing network of Motus automated receivers (stations) to provide the first fine-scale quantitative assessment of the migratory period for regional priority grassland songbirds which will inform key knowledge gaps about migration routes and stopover locations. Data collected via Motus automated telemetry tracking will allow the FWS and partners to inform full-life cycle models to reveal limiting...
thumbnail
Grassland birds have declined more rapidly than any other group of land birds in North America in the last 50 years, with populations of Spragues Pipit, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspur, and Bairds Sparrow having declined 65-94% during this period. This proposed cross-programmatic collaborative project between Migratory Birds and Refuges will expand on a growing network of Motus automated radio telemetry receivers (stations) to provide the first fine-scale quantitative assessment of the migratory period for regional priority grassland songbirds, which will inform key knowledge gaps about migration routes and stopover locations. Data collected via Motus automated telemetry tracking will allow the FWS and...
thumbnail
Populations of lesser prairie-chickens are proposed for listing as threatened or endangered. Lesserprairie-chickens require relatively intact, large grassland dominated habitats for population persistence. Successful conservation efforts require knowledge of potential landscape thresholds and grassland patch configuration affecting lesser prairie-chicken populations. We will use existing population survey, lek location, and data from >700 previously marked lesser prairie-chickens to determine the potential for the presences of large-scale landcover thresholds that influence occupancy and persistence of lesser prairie-chickens as well as testing effects of gradients of grassland composition and configuration within...
thumbnail
This collaborative project will result in the first fine-scale quantitative assessment of the migratory period for regional priority grassland songbirds (Spragues Pipit, Chestnut-collared and McCowns Longspurs, Bairds and Grasshopper Sparrows, and Lark Bunting). Data collected via automated telemetry tracking will inform full-life cycle models to reveal limiting factors and identify critical habitat for these species throughout the annual cycle, particularly migration.
thumbnail
Pilot Aquatic Grassland Prioritization Tool Focused on Topeka Shiner and Cogeners. Objectives: 1) Identify data sets and develop methodology building on existing analyses of priority watersheds and fish habitat selection criteria across grassland ecosystem 2) Assess need and feasibility to develop decision tool for strategically addressing measureable, cross-programmatic conservation aquatic grassland benefits. Programs (Fish Habitat, Fish Passage, Partners and FAC, ES and NWR) and partners (Midwest Landscape Initiative and Great Plains FHP) can use this tool to support decisions for committing resources within and across grassland ecosystems to priority areas with multi-species benefits (initial focus on Topeka...
thumbnail
Pollinator surveys are currently being conducted in North Dakota, but we are lacking data in other areas. Given likely petitions on the horizon, having baseline data for pollinators will be essential for an informed response. Additionally, these data will be important for habitat prioritization. Given the complexity and difficulty for comprehensive identification of all key pollinators and the urgency of threatened petitions, initial projects should likely focus on bees and butterflies. Results of these surveys will also help guide where and how to sample several at risk species in different habitat types across several states. Ultimately this information could inform a national pollinator survey database development.PI:...
thumbnail
The GET is a cross-programmatic, cross-regional team consisting of US Fish and Wildlife Service grassland ecosystem conservation practitioners.GET mission: We will work within and across US Fish and Wildlife Service programs and with external partners and partnerships to deliver strategic conservation actions and information for the grasslands biome and FWS trust species within the biome.GET vision: Our vision is a healthy, functional grasslands biome that supports wildlife and people.GET Principles: We bring people together for conservation - we engage people with diverse perspectives; listen to understand past and present circumstances, and then work together to address challenges; we co-develop and acquire science...
thumbnail
Identify, gather, and combine available data sets throughout the MR, Mississippi River, and their tributaries to develop a range-wide species status assessments to support USFWS 12 month findings for Sicklefin and Sturgeon Chub. Evaluate and analyze the combined data sets for potential relationships between system drivers (e.g., chub populations and annual hydrologic and water temperature changes, presence of low-head dams, point and non-point source water quality, dredging, water intakes, etc.). Initial analyses will include single-factor analyses for each environmental driver at spatial scales deemed appropriate based on identified, potentially isolated, populations. These analyses will then be conducted at the...
thumbnail
FY2023R6 SA (Science Applications), in cooperation with project collaborators and watershed stakeholders (watershed coordinators, Montana State University, MTDRC, EPA, conservation districts, TU) created the River Conditions Tool (RCT) to drive conservation actions via real-time stream gage data with predetermined aquatic, riverine, drought management science. Many watersheds Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado are in need of the various conservation science benefits this RCT expansion provides.Continuing this project in new watersheds would be an opportunity to create relationships with new partners and help underserved communities by providing landowners, land/watershed managers, scientists, and recreationalists...
thumbnail
Robust assessments of nesting periods and durations for many grassland-nesting birds in the Great Plains are lacking. The timing of management practices (e.g., grazing, haying, mowing, burning) will invariably have different benefits or impacts to different guilds of birds. Our goal is to inform decisions about timing of management practices with research to provide an improved quantification and understanding of contemporary nesting season patterns for grassland birds. Results from this project could aid program managers through improved assessments of tradeoffs from the timing of management actions for various priority birds in the Great Plains.
thumbnail
Project the future probability of occupancy of WBB in the continental U.S. based on changing temperature and precipitation for 2055 and 2085, across scenarios representing levels of the other most important stressors to Western bumblebees (e.g., status quo pesticide use, reduced pesticide use; status quo habitat, reduced habitat based on future development projections). Based on occupancy predictions and a bootstrap approach, enumerate the number and location of populations (defined based on grid cells as in prior bumble bee SSAs) across the distribution in the continental U.S. under the above scenarios. Identify areas where management of stressors are most likely to lead to conservation of populations versus local...
map background search result map search result map Expansion of pollinator surveys in grassland states River Conditions Tool (RCT) Geographic Expansion Expansion of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System network for assessing movements, distribution, and survival of priority grassland songbirds in the Great Plains Future scenario occupancy for the Western bumble bee species status assessment Patterns of greenness (NDVI) in the Southern Great Plains and their influence on the habitat quality and reproduction of a declining prairie grouse Compilation, synthesis, and analysis of extant sickelfin and sturgeon chub distribution, population, and habitat data to inform species status assessments and 12-month finding and support pallid sturgeon recovery Developing a Decision Support System for the Pallid Sturgeon Recovery Program Amplifying Brush Management for the Birds - RaBET tool development in collaboration with NRCS and ARS Expansion of the Motus network Dedicated individual to develop and refine the BBS trend data by state portion of Bird Conservation Regions (11, 17, 18, 19) to develop population objectives Develop demographic and population data from existing databases, including state creel surveys, annual sampling efforts and state Natural Heritage programs for a suite of species that inhabit the sagebrush-steppe and grassland ecosystem Regional Landscape-scale Prioritization and Decision Tool for Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Conservation Opportunity in LR6 Grassland Ecosystem Grassland Ecosystem Team (GET) Assessing phenology of grassland-nesting birds to inform timing of grassland management Motus network development on National Wildlife Refuges for tracking declining grassland songbirds Evaluating patterns of long-term system change and demographic response for grassland nesting ducks in the US Prairie Pothole Region Wetland Mask to Improve Woody Cover Mapping Identification of landscape thresholds and patch dynamics for lesser prairie-chickens Informing Multi-scale Strategic Habitat Conservation for Priority Grassland Birds in the Northern Great Plains Assessing Traditional and Emerging Grazing Strategies for Creating a Mosaic of Diverse Habitat Patches for Grassland- and Sagebrush Associated Birds Identification of landscape thresholds and patch dynamics for lesser prairie-chickens Wetland Mask to Improve Woody Cover Mapping Amplifying Brush Management for the Birds - RaBET tool development in collaboration with NRCS and ARS Expansion of pollinator surveys in grassland states Informing Multi-scale Strategic Habitat Conservation for Priority Grassland Birds in the Northern Great Plains Assessing Traditional and Emerging Grazing Strategies for Creating a Mosaic of Diverse Habitat Patches for Grassland- and Sagebrush Associated Birds Patterns of greenness (NDVI) in the Southern Great Plains and their influence on the habitat quality and reproduction of a declining prairie grouse Developing a Decision Support System for the Pallid Sturgeon Recovery Program Expansion of the Motus network River Conditions Tool (RCT) Geographic Expansion Motus network development on National Wildlife Refuges for tracking declining grassland songbirds Evaluating patterns of long-term system change and demographic response for grassland nesting ducks in the US Prairie Pothole Region Future scenario occupancy for the Western bumble bee species status assessment Expansion of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System network for assessing movements, distribution, and survival of priority grassland songbirds in the Great Plains Regional Landscape-scale Prioritization and Decision Tool for Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Conservation Opportunity in LR6 Grassland Ecosystem Compilation, synthesis, and analysis of extant sickelfin and sturgeon chub distribution, population, and habitat data to inform species status assessments and 12-month finding and support pallid sturgeon recovery Dedicated individual to develop and refine the BBS trend data by state portion of Bird Conservation Regions (11, 17, 18, 19) to develop population objectives Assessing phenology of grassland-nesting birds to inform timing of grassland management Develop demographic and population data from existing databases, including state creel surveys, annual sampling efforts and state Natural Heritage programs for a suite of species that inhabit the sagebrush-steppe and grassland ecosystem Grassland Ecosystem Team (GET)