• SCIENCE NEWS: High Plains RC&D Using Creative Approaches to Remove Eastern Red Cedar in Oklahoma

• MAPPING PROGRAMS: Long-Billed Curlew Study in Western Nebraska Showing Progress

• CONSERVATION INITIATIVES: PLJV and USDA Partner to Study Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Shortgrass Prairie Birds

• IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A Joint NAWMP Plan Committee and Science Support Team Meeting in Calgary

SCIENCE NEWS: High Plains RC&D Using Creative Approaches to Remove Eastern Red Cedar in Oklahoma

By definition, a tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with a clear apex.

But we see trees as good; trees in fact are great. They provide shade, oxygen, beauty and oftentimes a place for young lovers to leave their initials. So, who would want to cut down a tree? When would tree removal be considered the right thing to do? Mention tree removal and most cringe at the thought. The bottom line though is that sometimes cutting down trees has a place in the health of the overall ecosystem.

The practice of tree removal can actually help improve habitat for certain songbirds. In northwest Oklahoma, the High Plains RC&D is currently using a multitude of ways to rid the landscape of Eastern Red Cedar (ERC), which, when it invades grasslands, becomes one of the greatest threats to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. When ERC finds its way into riparian areas it chokes off native vegetation, negatively affecting priority birds and their habitat. When ERC grows it literally crowds out almost everything else, creating a bird-less, desert inside of a woodland.

In the past, prescribed fires have kept ERC in check, but recent drought conditions have severely limited that process. Tom Lucas, head of the High Plains RC&D in Oklahoma, has started a company that removes ERC from people’s properties and in turn sells the trunk fibers to oil and gas companies in order to line drilling pipes. The money raised through this process is being used to build a “gassifier” plant, which will burn ERC. Lucas says ERC has had a positive influence on local economic development. “The ERC removal business has created 73 new businesses and more than 200 jobs.”

Lucas has also been working together with Dr. Brad Venuto and Dr. Pat Starks of the National Grazinglands Laboratory in Ft. Reno (a USDA-Agricultural Research Service facility) in conducting research on ERC. Dr. Jack Eckroat, retired NRCS, is also still active in the project, having mapped the cedar canopy in 18 counties.

“It was apparent that we knew very little about the enemy we were fighting,” says Lucas. “Utilizing satellite data we can now determine the tonnage of cedar that exists on individual tracks, and even better, we can predict what will be there in 10 years, if nothing is done.”

The team has discovered a great deal of information regarding ERC’s age, size, weight and how they grow. Calculations are being done on the interruption of precipitation that occurs when rain falls on the leaves and needle bed below, or evaporates before it hits the ground. Called the “interruption of precipitation,” Lucas says they measured a field 1,200 feet wide and 180 miles long. In just one year, in that one strip of land, researchers determined 972 million gallons of water never reached the ground because of ERC.

Lucas is also participating in a groundbreaking study along the Cimarron River, in which ERC infestation is being removed with the help of Oklahoma City water managers because of its direct effect on the city’s water reservoirs.

“We are also very close to determining cedar water usage and the affect they have on groundwater availability,” says Lucas.

MAPPING PROGRAMS: Long-Billed Curlew Study in Western Nebraska Showing Progress

One of the Playa Lakes Joint Venture’s priority species, and one of its most “charismatic birds,” the Long-Billed Curlew, is being tracked in western Nebraska. For the very first time, transmitters have been attached to curlews to record where they’re going, and to determine the connections between summering and wintering birds.

Classified as a “species of conservation concern” and “nationally imperiled” by the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan (USSCP), the PLJV views the Long-Billed Curlew as a regional priority as part of the regional shorebird plan. Within the Central Plains and Playa Lakes Region, the Long-Billed Curlew is considered an example of a priority species due to low population numbers and/or dependence upon regional uplands, grasslands, and other habitats. A 2006 population assessment by the USSCP put the Long-Billed Curlew numbers between 55,000 and 123,000.

Currently, an estimated 17 percent of all Long-Billed Curlew in the U.S. breed within our Joint Venture and breeds as far south as Milnesand, along the U.S. and New Mexico border. Spring migration is a critical time for shorebirds, especially for those breeding in the Arctic, where there is a short window of time for successful reproduction. It is important for shorebirds to arrive on the breeding grounds in adequate body condition so nesting may be quickly initiated. In addition to breeding, the Long-Billed Curlew also migrates through many of the PLJV states, using PLJV lands as vital migratory habitat.

"Curlews only spend roughly one-fourth to one-third of their time in Nebraska," says Joel Jorgensen, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "This study is very important in trying to connect the dots, and to us figuring out where the curlews are spending the rest of their time."

Like many other migratory birds, one critical piece of information lacking in order to conserve it is detailed knowledge of the places and routes it uses during migration. The Western Nebraska Long-Billed Curlew Study, in cooperation with Iowa State University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the Sandhills Task Force and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has the following three objectives to answer that question: 1) to refine survey methodology for Long-Billed Curlew nesting in Nebraska and provide an estimate of the number breeding in the state; 2) to estimate nest success and chick survival; and 3) define the breeding habitat associations for Long-Billed Curlew in Nebraska.

Between the 2008 and 2009 surveys, a total of 315 Long-Billed Curlews have been counted, using 39 different survey routes. The research team also located seven active nests and one depredated Long-Billed Curlew nest. Thirty-eight percent of the nests were found to be successful in hatching chicks. Between May 17 and June 8, eight adult curlews were fitted with radio transmitters. Two of the female curlews deployed on May 19 with satellite transmitters are currently wintering in northeast Mexico. Both transmitters continue to send daily location data and are expected to last up to two years.

"This study has also provided us with a powerful outreach tool to bring attention to birds such as the Long-Billed Curlew, which normally may not receive much public coverage," says Jorgensen. "We've had thousands of hits to our Web site and I consider that a great success."

CONSERVATION INITIATIVES: PLJV and USDA Partner to Study Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on Priority Shortgrass Prairie Birds

In 2003, a multi-agency effort initiated the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to quantify environmental benefits of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), and Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP). This project is part of the Wildlife Component of CEAP, which was created to quantify effects of conservation programs on wildlife in agricultural landscapes.

The Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Farm Service Agency (FSA) designed this CEAP project to evaluate the effects of the CRP on priority birds in the shortgrass prairie Bird Conservation Region (BCR18). The PLJV is uniquely qualified and equipped to conduct regional bird analyses, such as evaluating the effects of habitat change or conversion on bird population goals, developing spatially explicit models that locate suitable/critical bird habitat, and spatially targeting on-the-ground conservation efforts to maximize benefits to birds.

Many studies have investigated the effects of CRP on grassland birds, typically by comparing abundance measures, diversity indices, or nest success on CRP fields with other habitat types. Yet no studies quantified the effects of CRP on regional bird populations, explicitly asking the question ‘How many birds does CRP support?’ PLJV, NRCS, and FSA developed this CEAP project to address that question. For eight priority species they estimated: 1) how many birds CRP currently supports, 2) how many birds would be supported if CRP acres were replaced with cropland, and 3) how do those numbers compare to the regional population goals?

Priority bird species included in this analysis are those, which use CRP and/or cropland habitat within BCR18 during the breeding season and for which adequate density data are available. The Landbird Team identified a total of 18 priority species for BCR18, of which 10 occur in CRP and/or cropland habitat. Density data were available for seven of the 10 species so this analysis includes a total of seven priority bird species. These seven species include the Cassin’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Mountain Plover, Ring-necked Pheasant and Swainson’s Hawk.

The effects of CRP on the seven priority species varied widely with some species showing substantial benefit (in terms of population goals) while others show no benefit. The contribution of CRP to the population goals of the species ranged from 0 to 28 percent. The species showing the greatest benefit from CRP was the Grasshopper Sparrow, with CRP contributing 27.5 percent of its population goal in BCR18. Lesser Prairie-Chicken also benefited considerably from CRP, which contributed over 10 percent of its population goal. CRP also contributed 8 to 9 percent of the population goals for Cassin’s Sparrow, Lark Bunting, and Ring-necked Pheasant. Swainson’s Hawks showed a smaller benefit from CRP (5 percent)—this species uses grassland and cropland habitat types at similar rates. One species, Mountain Plover, showed no benefit from CRP (the species does not use CRP habitat), but instead showed an increase in population goal (3 percent) when CRP was converted to cropland (the species uses fallow cropland).

In this CEAP project, PLJV went to great lengths to incorporate as many habitat parameters as possible when evaluating the effect of CRP of priority shortgrass prairie birds, including spatial and landscape characteristics. Our analysis indicates that for two priority bird species, CRP is making substantial impacts on their populations in BCR18—Grasshopper Sparrow and Lesser Prairie-Chicken. The large benefit of CRP to Grasshopper Sparrow is related to its use of grassland with moderate grass heights, a limited habitat type in the shortgrass prairie. This makes CRP, as currently administered and managed, an important source of habitat for the species. The positive effect of CRP on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken is primarily attributed to the large amounts of native grass plantings that occur in Kansas. This ‘native’ CRP not only provides suitable habitat for this species of high concern (a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act), but the CRP fields also serve to expand and connect otherwise fragmented blocks of native habitat which are critical to the species’ survival.

Comparing the overall effect of CRP among the states, CRP in Kansas often produced the most benefit for priority birds. This benefit is largely attributable to that fact that nearly all CRP grass in Kansas is planted with native species, as opposed to the mostly non-native CRP grasses in the other states. CRP proved beneficial to Lesser Prairie-Chicken, an area-sensitive species, in two ways. First it provided suitable habitat through native CRP plantings and, second, it created large blocks of suitable habitat by connecting otherwise fragmented small blocks of native habitat. Overall, CRP is positively affecting a variety of priority bird species in the shortgrass prairie. Although some species benefit more than others, in general, CRP is providing an alternative suitable habitat typically preferred over otherwise present cropland.

“The USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is focusing on documenting various environmental benefits of conservation actions taken by farmers and ranchers across the country,” says Charlie Rewa, NRCS Resource Inventory & Assessment Division. “In the short-grass prairies, this CEAP assessment shows that lands enrolled in the CRP are providing significant contributions to the habitat needs of grassland nesting birds such as grasshopper sparrows and lesser prairie-chickens, species that have experienced significant population declines in recent decades.”

CRP is particularly important in connecting and enlarging existing blocks of fragmented prairie habitat. This is a critical landscape component (i.e., habitat corridors and buffers) for both area-sensitive and ground birds such as the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. To maximize benefits of CRP to grassland birds, we recommend that CRP be delivered in a strategic approach that focuses on the following three central factors: 1) species of greatest conservation need, 2) spatial targeting of acres, and 3) managed native plantings.

CRP should be spatially targeted according to its context within the landscape (i.e., Is a field surrounded by cropland, urban development, or native habitat?) and according to spatial habitat requirements of priority species (i.e., Does the species require large blocks of habitat or does it tolerate habitat fragmentation?). This process answers the question, ‘Where is CRP needed to benefit a species’? PLJV suggests development of a Decision Support Tool (DST) that evaluates CRP fields, crop fields, and the habitat requirements of bird species (including spatial parameters) against the landscape through a Geographic Information System. PLJV developed and used such a DST for this CEAP project to identify suitable habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chickens.

CRP delivery should be aimed at benefiting species that are of highest conservation concern, as well as species for which action will benefit the most number of species. Priority species can be identified, as they were in this CEAP project, by consolidating federal, regional, and state species conservation lists and determining which species occur in the planning area. PLJV developed the Species for Management Action (SMA) database to identify species in BCRs 18 and 19, and this tool can be used by managers within BCR18&19 to set priorities.

View a detailed species-by-species analysis.

A Joint NAWMP Plan Committee and Science Support Team Meeting in Calgary

by Anne Bartuszevige, PLJV Science Director

I attended the joint NAWMP Plan Committee and Science Support Team meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Aug 24 – 27. Two joint ventures (Prairie Habitat and Prairie Pothole) presented their triennial reports to the Plan Committee. Both joint ventures provided a great overview of their activities over the last three years as they relate to waterfowl. Both PHJV and PPJV presented an impressive array of scientific research and conservation delivery. Because I’m new to the PLJV and to JVs in general, this was a great opportunity to learn what other JVs are doing.

Attendance also allowed me to learn what exactly constitutes a triennial report to the Plan Committee, important information because PLJV is scheduled to present their report at the next meeting in February 2010. The Science Support Team had an agenda full of progress reports on a number of science priorities. A presentation was made by a post-doc who is a Smith Conservation Fellow on some preliminary results of a migration model. One application of the migration model is to help guide local and regional management decisions regarding habitat placement and capacity allocation to best conserve migratory waterfowl. This is an exciting project because it will provide spatially explicit data over heterogeneous landscapes to guide conservation. Finally, I had a great time meeting folks in the waterfowl conservation world; they are a fun and unique group.

Also in the News:

• Obama Administration Begins Naming State Executive Directors for the Farm Service Agency
• Wind Creates Energy, Problems for Oklahoma
• CDOW Seeks Input on Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation Strategies
• USGS Opens Landsat Archive to the World
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Survey Counts More Ducks in 2009
• Gone With the Wind? Wind turbines may be wrong answer for wildlife
• USDA Helps With Conservation Options
• Farm Offers Tours of PrairieLlandscape
• Craig-Area Wildlife Officer Wins North American Honor
• Wyoming: No Turbines in Grouse Areas
• Farmer, Ranchers Oppose Water Bill
• Ogallala Aquifer Water Currently Acceptable
• Colorado Lt. Gov. Unveils Kids' Outdoor Bill of Rights
• Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces First National Sign-Up for New Conservation Stewardship Program

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