Spatial data for estimating whooping crane migration corridor

The whooping crane (Grus americana) is a bird species in North America currently protected under federal endangered species legislation in the United States and Canada. The only self-sustaining and wild population of whooping cranes nests in and around Wood Buffalo National Park near the provincial border of Northwest Territories and Alberta, Canada. Cranes from this population migrate through the Great Plains of North America and winter along the Gulf Coast of Texas at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding lands. These data support efforts to delineate a migration corridor for this population that can be used for conservation planning activities, including targeting conservation, mitigation, and recovery...

Categories: Data; Tags: Alberta, Ecology, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, All tags... Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, Texas, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, animal tracking, biota, birds, environment, migratory birds, Fewer tags

Characterization of whooping crane migrations and stopover sites used in the Central Flyway, 2010-2016

These data were developed to support an effort to characterize migration strategies in the U.S. Great Plains and Canadian Prairies and to explore sources of heterogeneity in their migration strategy, including space use, timing, and performance. Data come from locations and other information related to 58 marked Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) from 2010–2016. These data represent basic information about migrations of marked whooping cranes, including dates of initiation and termination of migration, time in migration, distance of migration, number of stopover sites used, and other metrics. Also included are data related to individual sites used by whooping cranes during migration.

Tags: Alberta, Ecology, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, All tags... Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Texas, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, animal tracking, biota, birds, environment, migratory birds, Fewer tags

On-a-wing and a (GIS) Layer: Prioritizing migratory bird habitat along Great Lakes shoreline

The Nature Conservancy - Great Lakes Program is leading the development of a scalable (Great Lakes wide, individual lake basin, to coastal reach within a lake basin) rule-based spatial model for ranking the relative importance of coastal lands and waters as habitat for migrating birds. Results will guide conservation actions including land acquisition, land and water management and restoration, and development of wind energy facilities. Specifically, the team will: 1) refine, create and integrate migratory bird stopover habitat models which depict the distribution of potential stopover sites along or near the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario; and, 2) develop an online portal that will deliver...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, 2012, 2013, Conservation NGOs, Decision Support, All tags... EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, Great Lakes, Great Lakes, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Private land owners, Project, Report, State agencies, Tribes, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, coastal, completed, environment, environment, migratory birds, renewable energy, upper midwest, Fewer tags

Sediment Accumulation in Prairie Wetlands under a Changing Climate: the Relative Roles of Landscape and Precipitation

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...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Climate change, Conservation NGOs, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, All tags... Federal resource managers, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Presentation, Regional & county planners, Report, State agencies, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Vulnerability Assessment, avian conservation, climate models, downscale climate models, environment, environment, migratory birds, plains and prairie potholes landscape conservation cooperative, publication, Fewer tags

Spatial and Temporal Habitat Suitability of Ephemeral Playas for Migratory Waterbirds

Land-use change, invasive species, and climate change have dramatically impaired ecosystem function worldwide. Understanding how changes to ecosystems impact species of conservation concern is essential for effective conservation delivery. Of particular importance are environments that provide disproportionate ecosystem services. Throughout the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, playas provide disproportionate ecological services, including essential stopover habitat for migratory waterbirds. Anthropogenic change to playa distribution, abundance, and function may impact the ecosystem services provided, with demographic consequences for priority species. We will address partner needs by developing a...

Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2013, BIRDS, CO-01, CO-02, CO-03, All tags... CO-04, CO-05, CO-06, CO-07, Colorado, Conservation NGOs, Datasets/Database, FY 2013, FY 2013, Federal resource managers, GPLCC, GPLCC, Great Plains, Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Informing Conservation Delivery, KS-01, KS-02, KS-04, Kansas, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Migratory Birds, Migratory Birds, NE-01, NE-03, NM-02, NM-03, Nebraska, New Mexico, OK-03, OK-04, OK-05, Oklahoma, Playas, Playas, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, Report, SD-00, Shorebirds, Shorebirds, State agencies, TX-11, TX-13, TX-19, TX-23, Texas, WETLANDS, WY-00, Waterfowl, Waterfowl, Wetlands, Wetlands, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Management, Wyoming, biota, environment, inlandWaters, onGoing, Fewer tags

B-Q Canal Rehabilitation, Wetlands Improvement, and Elk Movement Monitoring

This project will to improve the irrigated meadows on the Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Engineering and design will be provided to improve the condition of unused irrigation systems and pumps and to install additional head gates and dikes. Rehabilitation of about 7 miles of dike for the B-Q Canal; creating a grass bank at Cokeville Meadows NWR; planting and weed control will restore 1,300 acres of irrigated hay meadows on the Refuge that are currently unproductive; monitoring elk movement east of NWR. This project will improve irrigation efficiency and flooding of approximately 1,300 acres of hay meadows that are currently unproductive. These improvements will increase nesting habitat for the...

Categories: Project; Types: ScienceBase Project; Tags: Habitat, aquatic, elk, habitat conservation project, migratory birds, All tags... riparian, sage grouse, sagebrush, Fewer tags

Migrating Bird Survey Data Along the San Pedro River and its Tributaries, Southeastern Arizona, 1989-1994

Data files in this data series represent migrating bird count and habitat information collected during 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1994 field seasons at 13 riparian sites along the San Pedro River and its tributaries in southeastern Arizona, USA. At each site observations were made at up to 20 points, separated by 100 m arrayed along the riparian zone. Observation periods started at 20 minutes after sunrise, lasted for 7 minutes at each point and were completed within 4 hours. Bird detection and species identification were based on visual sighting, song, and call. Recorded observations were the number of individuals of each detected species detected using each detection method at each point and site within specified distance...

Categories: Data; Tags: Dendrocica petechia, Dendroica coronata, Icteria virens, Piranga rubra, San Pedro River, All tags... Steldigopteryx serripennis, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wilsonia pusilla, body condition, cottonwood-willow, density, geoscientificInformation, habitat connectivity, isolated oases, migratory birds, neotropical migrants, relative abundance, riparian corridors, short-distance migrants, southeastern Arizona, species richness, western landscapes, western landscapes, Fewer tags

Spatial Integration of Biological and Social Objectives to Identify Priority Landscapes for Waterfowl Habitat Conservation

The information and data presented herein serve as the supplement to the report, “Spatial Integration of Biological and Social Objectives to Identify Priority Landscapes for Waterfowl Habitat Conservation”. The purpose of this supplemental material is to encourage exploration of the methods used to develop the spatially explicit products presented in the report. The in depth step-by-step methodology is complemented with a geodatabase to facilitate future refinement of the model as new information becomes available in the future. To repeat the process of developing the spatially explicit products (or to create other composite spatial products by varying objectives and weights), follow the methodology described in...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Agriculture, American Black Duck, Biological Objectives, Black Ducks, Breeding Waterfowl, All tags... Canada, Dabbling Ground Nester Guild, Diversity, Diving Cavity Nester Guild, Diving Ground Nester Guild, Diving Overwater Nester Guild, Duck Use Days (DUD), Ducks, Ecology, Fertilizer Application, Geese, Geographic Information Systems, Geospatial Analysis, Harvest, Human Dimensions, Hunting Days Afield, Impermeable Surfaces, Mallard, Migratory Birds, Nitrogen, Non-breeding Waterfowl, North America, Northern Pintail, Obligate Wetland Birds, Percent Developed Land, Phosphorus, Scaup, Simpson's Diversity Index (SDI), Social Objectives, Spatial Value Model, Swans, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), United States, Urban Centers, Waterbirds, Waterfowl, Watershed Impairment, Wildlife Biology, Wood Duck, Fewer tags

Current and Future Projected Distributions of Wetland-Dependent Birds Across the Great Plains in Response to Climate Change

Playas and other wetlands within the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) provide essential habitat for many wetland-dependent vertebrate species and are especially important as migration and wintering areas for waterfowl and shorebirds. Playas in the GPLCC are at risk of unsustainable sediment accumulation, reduced inundation frequency, and declining hydroperiods due to agricultural intensification and a changing climate with expected decreases in annual precipitation, changing precipitation patterns, and higher summer temperatures. We propose to project distribution shifts and/or range reductions of several focal migrating shorebird, waterfowl, and waterbird species in response to climate change,...

Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2013, BIRDS, CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT MODELS, CO-01, CO-02, All tags... CO-03, CO-04, CO-05, CO-06, CO-07, Climate Change, Climate Change, Colorado, Colorado, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, FY 2013, FY 2013, Federal resource managers, GPLCC, GPLCC, Great Plains, Great Plains, Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, KS-01, KS-02, KS-04, Kansas, Kansas, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Migratory Birds, Migratory Birds, NE-01, NE-03, NM-02, NM-03, Nebraska, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Mexico, OK-03, OK-04, OK-05, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Playas, Playas, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, Report, SD-00, Shorebirds, Shorebirds, State agencies, TX-11, TX-13, TX-19, TX-23, Texas, Texas, WETLANDS, WY-00, Waterbirds, Waterbirds, Waterfowl, Waterfowl, Wetlands, Wetlands, Wyoming, Wyoming, biota, environment, inlandWaters, onGoing, Fewer tags

Final Report: Sandhill Cranes and Waterfowl of the North Platte River Valley

Advancement in Geographical Information System (GIS) data development, management, and analysis has allowed conservation practitioners to apply ecological theory into conservation delivery at broad landscape scales. This project demonstrated that process with the creation of Decision Support Tools (DST) to guide on-the-ground habitat delivery to those areas on the landscape that, if managed, will provide the greatest biological return for the conservation dollar invested. This project focused on the habitat needs of Sandhill cranes and waterfowl, as a guild, during spring migration. Understanding the species habitat relationships for these priority species/guild will allow the conservation community to more effectively...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, CRANES AND ALLIES, DUCKS/GEESE/SWANS, FY 2013, Federal resource managers, All tags... GPLCC, Great Plains, Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Migratory Birds, Nebraska, Platte River, Prairie Rivers and Streams, RIVERS/STREAM, Regional & county planners, Report, Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis), ScienceBase Great Plains LCC, State agencies, Waterfowl, Wetlands, biota, completed, environment, inlandWaters, Fewer tags

Capture and interpretation of down-scaled climate change models to benefit avian conservation

Will downscale climate data using statistical and dynamical approaches and project future climate at an 8-km grid resolution.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, Climate change, Conservation NGOs, All tags... Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Prairie Pothole Region, Presentation, Project, Regional & county planners, Report, State agencies, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Vulnerability Assessment, avian conservation, climate models, completed, downscale climate models, environment, environment, migratory birds, plains and prairie potholes landscape conservation cooperative, Fewer tags

Projected wetland densities under climate change: habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy

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...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, Climate change, Conservation NGOs, All tags... Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Prairie Pothole Region, Presentation, Publication, Regional & county planners, Report, State agencies, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Vulnerability Assessment, avian conservation, climate models, completed, downscale climate models, environment, environment, migratory birds, plains and prairie potholes landscape conservation cooperative, Fewer tags

Full life cycle vulnerability assessments for the birds of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes

Full life-cycle vulnerability assessments are identifying the effects of climate change on nongame migratory birds that are of conservation concern and breed in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. Full life-cycle analyses are critical, as current efforts likely underestimate the vulnerability of migratory land birds due to a focus on assessing only one component of the annual cycle. The approach provides a framework for integrating exposure to climate changes, sensitivity to these changes, and the potential for adaptation in both winter and summer seasons, and accounts for carry-over effects from one season to another. The results of this work will inform regional management by highlighting both local and...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, 2012, 2013, Conservation NGOs, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, All tags... Federal resource managers, Great Lakes, LCC Network Science Catalog, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Project, Report, State agencies, Tribes, Vulnerability Assessment, climate change, completed, environment, environment, migratory birds, upper midwest, vulnerability, Fewer tags

Report: On-a-wing and a (GIS) Layer: Prioritizing migratory bird habitat along Great Lakes shoreline

The Nature Conservancy - Great Lakes Program is leading the development of a scalable (Great Lakes wide, individual lake basin, to coastal reach within a lake basin) rule-based spatial model for ranking the relative importance of coastal lands and waters as habitat for migrating birds. Results will guide conservation actions including land acquisition, land and water management and restoration, and development of wind energy facilities. Specifically, the team will: 1) refine, create and integrate migratory bird stopover habitat models which depict the distribution of potential stopover sites along or near the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario; and, 2) develop an online portal that will deliver...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, 2012, 2013, Conservation NGOs, Decision Support, All tags... EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, Great Lakes, Great Lakes, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Private land owners, Report, Report, State agencies, Tribes, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, coastal, completed, environment, environment, migratory birds, renewable energy, upper midwest, Fewer tags

Assessing Bat and Bird Fatality Risk at Wind Farm Sites using Acoustic Detectors

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....

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, Bats, All tags... Document, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Landscape, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Monitoring, Plains and Prairie Potholes, Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Report, State agencies, Vulnerability Assessment, Wind Energy, completed, energy development, environment, environment, migratory birds, plains and prairie potholes landscape conservation cooperative, Fewer tags

Impacts of Climate-Driven Changes in Spring Green-Up on Migratory Birds in Alaska

Migratory birds are important for recreation and tourism, contributing to a vibrant birdwatching industry in Alaska. Every spring, hundreds of birds migrate to their summer breeding grounds in Alaska and northern Canada. Their arrival is timed with the height of the spring green-up of plants, which provide the food necessary for birds to reproduce and raise their young. However, over the last fifty years, warming temperatures in Alaska as a result of climate change have prompted an earlier transition from winter to spring. The purpose of this project was to examine whether there have been changes in the timing of spring green-up in recent years (1985-2009) and, if so, whether migratory birds are adapting their migration...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2009, Alaska, Arctic, Arctic, Birds, All tags... Birds, CASC, Completed, Landscapes, Landscapes, National CASC, National CASC, Plants, Plants, Projects by Region, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, climate change, migratory birds, plant phenology, Fewer tags

Whooping crane migration habitat selection disturbance data, 2010–2016

These data were developed to support an effort to understand how whooping cranes select stopover habitat in the presence of human infrastructure. Location and associated data came from whooping cranes (Grus americana) from the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, 2010–2016. We marked a sample of 57 whooping cranes with leg-mounted transmitters that acquired locations via the global positioning system (GPS) network and transmitted those data through the Argos satellite system. Cranes were captured either at their natal areas in and adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada or at their southern terminus along the Texas Gulf Coast, USA. Data herein include 9,347 ground locations used by whooping cranes during migration...

Categories: Data; Tags: Kansas, Migratory birds, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, All tags... Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, biota, birds, endangered species, environment, migration (organisms), plant and animal tagging, wind energy, Fewer tags

North American Breeding Bird Survey Dataset

This is the primary ScienceBase page for accessing North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. The BBS project measures bird populations on an annual basis. It has been in operation for more than 50 years, monitors 700+ types of birds, and spans the continent (map at right shows sample locations in red). More information about BBS history, methods, and past and ongoing applications of project data can be found in the "Related External Resources" section below. Accessing the Data The BBS releases its data on an annual basis. The “Child Items” section below provides links to the most recent as well as historic data releases. Each annual release includes all previously released data, plus all subsequent taxonomic...

Tags: Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Birds, Canada, All tags... Citizen Science, Migratory Birds, Migratory Species, North America, North American Breeding Bird Survey, Patuxent Programs, United States, United States of America, Wildlife Biology, abundance, avian point counts, biodiversity, population distribution, population trends, relative abundance, Fewer tags

Grassland Birds and Unconventional Oil Development in Western North Dakota

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...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, Bats, All tags... EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Landscape, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Monitoring, Plains and Prairie Potholes, Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Report, Report, State agencies, Vulnerability Assessment, Wind Energy, completed, energy development, environment, environment, migratory birds, plains and prairie potholes landscape conservation cooperative, Fewer tags

Decision-Support for Migratory Bird Management in the Face of Uncertainty

Migratory birds are responding to changes in climate in complex and sometimes unpredictable ways. The timing of breeding and migration typically coincide with the periods of peak food availability; however, these peaks are shifting as temperatures and precipitation patterns change, resulting in a mismatch in the timing of key events. The degree to which this mismatch is impacting migratory birds varies among species and regions, creating a major source of uncertainty for managers. The goal of this project is to develop tools to support migratory bird management decision-making in the face of uncertain future climate and land use conditions. In order to identify and implement the most effective management strategies,...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2017, Birds, Birds, CASC, Completed, All tags... Data Visualization & Tools, National CASC, National CASC, Projects by Region, Science Tools For Managers, Wildlife and Plants, Wildlife and Plants, climate change, decision analysis, management decision making, migratory birds, Fewer tags