Photo: Long-billed Curlew

"North America's largest shorebird, the Long-billed Curlew breeds in the grasslands of the Great Plains and Great Basin." Learn more about this and other birds at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds website. Photo courtesy of Tom Grey.

Information for Partners

Ecological Science

Results from research programs contribute to the biological foundation for and evaluation of bird conservation activities, and are necessary to accomplish defensible biological planning. Below you'll find information about some of the research Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) has been involved with.

Playa Research

USGS Recharge ReportRecharge Rates and Chemistry Beneath Playas of the High Plains Aquifer

June 2009. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the PLJV, conducted a review and synthesis of more than 175 publications about recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas and interplaya settings. The results from most published studies indicate that recharge rates beneath playas are substantially (1 to 2 orders of magnitude) higher than recharge rates beneath interplaya settings. The synthesis supports the conceptual model that playas are important zones of recharge to the High Plains aquifer and are not strictly evaporative pans; it yields science-based implications for the protection and management of playas and ground-water resources of the High Plains aquifer and provides directions for future research. Full report: Recharge Rates and Chemistry Beneath Playas of the High Plains Aquifer—A Literature Review and Synthesis.

 

Grassland Bird Research

Potential of CRP to Offset Impacts of Climate Change on LEPCPotential of the Conservation Reserve Program to Offset Impacts of Climate Change on Lesser Prairie-Chicken

March 2011. PLJV, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, completed a Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Effects Assessment Project to model projected changes in vegetation structure as the climate changes in the PLJV region and relate them to potential changes in Lesser Prairie-Chicken numbers. Climate change and dynamic vegetation models were used to project future climate and grassland habitat conditions within the region, including the current Lesser Prairie-Chicken range. These models provide insight as to where and what kinds of changes are most likely to occur and help resource managers target conservation efforts for maximum long-range benefits. Project report: Evaluating the Potential of the Conservation Reserve Program to Offset Projected Impacts of Climate Change on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken.


Effects of CRP on Priority Shortgrass Prairie BirdsEffects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Shortgrass Prairie Birds

June 2009. The PLJV conducted a study to quantify the effects of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on priority birds in the shortgrass (Bird Conservation Region 18) prairie. This study quantifies the impacts of CRP on regional bird populations and explicitly answer the question, "How many birds does CRP support?" The study was funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Effects Assessment Project program. Full report: Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Shortgrass Prairie Birds. USDA conservation insight: Estimated CRP Benefits to Shortgrass Prairie Birds.

 

Management of CRP for Lesser Prairie-ChickenManagement of the Conservation Reserve Program for Lesser Prairie-Chicken

2009. Oklahoma State University conducted a study to evaluate and develop recommendations for removing invasive grasses in CRP fields within the current Lesser Prairie-Chicken range. Cost estimates and the likelihood of success were also calculated. The final report includes a flow chart that can be used to easily determine the appropriate conversion process of the CRP field, if necessary, and appropriate management following conversion to a more suitable habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chicken. Full report: Management of CRP in the Southern Great Plains for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken.

 

 

Climate Change in the PLJV RegionClimate Change in the PLJV Region

February 2008. An assessment of climate change impacts in the playa lakes region was conducted by Dr. John Matthews, Climate Change Adaptation Specialist for the World Wildlife Fund. The assessment serves to inform PLJV partners of the realized and potential impacts of climate change to bird habitats and populations in the region and to recommend appropriate habitat conservation actions to compensate for these impacts. It also provides an overview of ongoing and predicted climate and weather changes and trends, and how these changes are impacting birds and bird habitats now and into the future. Assessment report: Anthropogenic Climate Change in the Playa Lakes Joint Venture Region: Understanding Impacts, Discerning Trends, and Developing Responses. Presentation: Climate Change Powerpoint presentation.

Effects of CRP on Priority Shortgrass Prairie BirdsEffects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Mixed-grass Prairie Birds

December 2007. The PLJV conducted two studies to quantify the effects of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on priority birds in the mixed-grass (Bird Conservation Region BCR 19) prairie. This study quantifies the impacts of CRP on regional bird populations and explicitly answer the question, "How many birds does CRP support?" The study was funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Effects Assessment Project program. Full report: Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Mixed-grass Prairie Birds. USDA conservation insight: Estimated CRP Benefits to Mixed-Grass Prairie Birds.