 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Conservation Planning for Grassland Birds
The Bismarck HAPET Office has developed a variety of spatial planning tools to assist in identifying priority landscapes for conservation of grassland birds in the Prairie Pothole Region.
Grassland Bird Conservation Area (GBCA) Model
The Grassland Bird Conservation Area (GBCA) model is a conceptual model refined from Partners in Flight’s bird conservation area concept and adapted for application of remotely sensed data. GBCAs are comprised of a core of compatible habitat (e.g., grassland) surrounded by a matrix of compatible and neutral habitat (e.g., agricultural land) with little hostile (e.g., forest, urban) landcover. Three types of GBCA cores (Figure 1) have been identified to meet differing levels of area sensitivity in grassland birds and to address regional differences in opportunities for grassland preservation and restoration. Type 1 cores contain a minimum of 640 acres of grassland; Type 2 cores contain a minimum of 160 acres of grassland, and Type 3 cores contain a minimum of 55 acres of grassland. GBCA cores must have minimum dimensions of 1 mile by 1 mile, ½ mile by ½ mile, and ¼ mile by ¼ mile, respectively.
Figure 1. GBCA cores for the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and northeastern Montana.
For more information about the Grassland Bird Conservation Area model, contact
Mike Estey
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Region 6 Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET)
3425 Miriam Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58501
701-355-8540
Breeding Bird Survey Models
The Bismarck HAPET Office pioneered the development and application of empirical conservation planning models created using stop-level Breeding Bird Survey data and landcover information. These models provide insight into landscape-level habitat selection by grassland birds; when applied to the broader landscape, they identify areas with high probability of use by grassland birds (Figure 2), which can then be targeted for conservation action.
BBS models are developed using georeferenced BBS data and high-quality landcover information in conjunction with regression analyses and information-theoretic model selection techniques. Resulting models are biologically and statistically sound and are strikingly consistent with results of other models and findings of local research projects.
Figure 2. Relative probability of detecting Northern Harrier in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota.
The following files contain further information about conservation planning for grassland birds:
Reynolds, R. E., T. L. Shaffer, J. R. Sauer, and B. G. Peterjohn. 1994. Conservation Reserve Program: benefit for grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 59:328-336.
Niemuth, N. D., M. E. Estey, and C. R. Loesch. 2005. Developing spatially explicit habitat models for grassland bird conservation planning in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. Pages xx-xx in Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference 2002, C.J. Ralph and T.D. Rich, eds. USDA Forest Service GTR-PSW-xxx, Albany, CA. (in press)
Niemuth, N. D. 2003. Identifying landscapes for greater prairie chicken translocation using habitat models and GIS: a case study. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31:145-155.
Niemuth, N. D. and M. S. Boyce. 2004. Influence of landscape composition on sharp-tailed grouse lek location and attendance in Wisconsin pine barrens. Ecoscience 11:209-217.
For more information about spatially explicit models for grassland birds, contact
Neal Niemuth
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Region 6 Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET)
3425 Miriam Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58501
701-355-8542
