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Book Sage Grouse Habitat Use and Seasonal Movements in a Naturally Fragmented Landscape Northwestern Colorado

Download or read book Sage Grouse Habitat Use and Seasonal Movements in a Naturally Fragmented Landscape Northwestern Colorado written by and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations throughout North America have declined by at least 30% since the 1980's. Such declines have corresponded with habitat degradation caused by both natural and anthropogenic perturbations to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes. Several populations now occur in highly fragmented and isolated habitats throughout Colorado. Future management of sage grouse will require knowledge of the seasonal requirements in fragmented landscapes. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the ecological requirements of a small, naturally fragmented sage grouse population in northwestern Colorado. The topography of this region naturally fragmented the sagebrush habitats, thus affecting movements and habitat use. I analyzed sage grouse spatial distribution and seasonal movements (Chapter 2) to identify how this heterogeneous landscape may affect dispersion and migration. I also analyzed habitat use as it varied from the landscape to foraging site scale (Chapter 3). Radiotelemetry was used to identify movement and habitat use patterns. I provided management recommendations for this isolated population (Chapter 4) as an adaptive resource management framework, to progressively test habitat manipulations and enhancement projects. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Book Greater Sage Grouse

    Greater Sage Grouse

    Book Details:
  • Author : Steve Knick
  • Publisher : Univ of California Press
  • Release : 2011-05-19
  • ISBN : 0520948688
  • Pages : 665 pages

Download or read book Greater Sage Grouse written by Steve Knick and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-05-19 with total page 665 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range—which stretches across 11 western states and reaches into Canada—mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird’s population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.

Book Seasonal Habitat Use Movements and Vital Rates in the Parachute Piceance Roan Population of Greater Sage Grouse

Download or read book Seasonal Habitat Use Movements and Vital Rates in the Parachute Piceance Roan Population of Greater Sage Grouse written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) proposes to conduct a study of the Parachute/Piceance/Roan (PPR) population of greater sage-grouse during 2007 and 2008. The PPR is one of several small, spatially fragmented populations of sage-grouse in Colorado. The CDOW is interested in working with energy companies and other land owners and managers in the PPR area to sustain the PPR grouse population and plan for future management actions. The objectives of the study are to obtain current, baseline information on the genetic characteristics; measures of reproduction and survival rates; and patterns of habitat use and seasonal movements of sage-grouse in this population.

Book Movement and Habitat Use by Gunnison Sage Grouse Centrocercus Minimus in Southwestern Colorado

Download or read book Movement and Habitat Use by Gunnison Sage Grouse Centrocercus Minimus in Southwestern Colorado written by and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Isolated populations of the Gunnison sage grouse (Centrocercus minimus) in fragmented habitats were studied from 1994 through 1996 to examine seasonal habitat use and movements near Dove Creek, Dolores County; Dry Creek Basin/Miramonte Reservoir, San Miguel County; and Green Mountain/Fruitland Mesa, Montrose County, Colorado. Use of sagebrush habitats near Dove Creek was less ($P 0.05$) than expected based on availability except from December through February. Agricultural fields (alfalfa, beans, wheat) predominated in Dolores County and were used throughout summer. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and sagebrush mixed with Gambel oak (Quercus grambelli) were used in fall and winter. Habitat use did not differ ($P 0.05$) from availability at Dry Creek Basin, but did differ ($P

Book Radio Tracking and Animal Populations

Download or read book Radio Tracking and Animal Populations written by Joshua Millspaugh and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2001-08-14 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Radio Tracking and Animal Populations is a succinct synthesis of emerging technologies and their applications to the empirical and theoretical problems of population assessment. The book is divided into sections designed to encompass the various aspects of animal ecology that may be evaluated using radiotelemetry technology - experimental design, equipment and technology, animal movement, resource selection, and demographics. Wildlife biologists at the leading edge of new developments in the technology and its application have joined forces.

Book Wildlife Research Report

Download or read book Wildlife Research Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Validation of Winter Concentration Area Guidelines and Winter Habitat Ecology for Greater Sage grouse in the Red Desert Wyoming

Download or read book Validation of Winter Concentration Area Guidelines and Winter Habitat Ecology for Greater Sage grouse in the Red Desert Wyoming written by Caitlyn Powell Wanner and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winter in temperate zones often represents a period of greatest energetic demand for vertebrate species. Animals respond to seasonal scarcity through behavioral strategies such as migration and selecting specific habitats characteristics to maximize resource acquisition and/or minimize energy expenditures. Migration or differential habitat use in winter can complicate goals of defining and conserving core habitat for species across increasingly fragmented landscapes. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter “sage-grouse”) is a species of conservation concern endemic to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe whose populations are most threatened by anthropogenic disturbance and concomitant degradation to sagebrush communities. Conservation of sage-grouse habitat is complicated by a partially-migratory annual cycle in most populations. Seasonal ranges (spring, summer/fall, and winter) may be integrated to any degree or non-overlapping. Efforts to conserve core habitat for sage-grouse have focused primarily on breeding ranges, which may not capture the needs of sage-grouse during other seasons, with winter habitat being least protected. Greater understanding of winter habitat requirements is needed to improve conservation for sage-grouse throughout their annual cycle. My thesis focused on multi-scale winter habitat ecology of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the Red Desert of southcentral Wyoming, using GPS location data from winters 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021. My research encompassed a 1) landscape-scale validation of management guidelines for winter concentration areas as the second phase to a state-wide analysis, 2) habitat selection and behavior within home- and population-range scales as influenced by winter weather conditions, and 3) a fine-scale evaluation of microhabitat within home- and population-range scales during winter 2020/2021. My results support consideration of winter habitats in conservation plans for sage-grouse populations in rapidly changing landscapes. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic review of literature published in the last 46 years (1977–2022) on sage-grouse winter habitat selection and survival. Out of 32 compiled publications, I found that 59.4% of sage-grouse winter habitat literature was published in the last 10 years (2013–2022) and 53.1% of articles over the last 46 years reported avoidance of anthropogenic disturbance by sage-grouse during winter. The most recent recommendations for defining year-round priority habitat for sage-grouse recommend implementation of resource selection modeling for all seasonal periods. In Chapter 2, my research fulfilled the second phase of a larger effort to answer questions posed by the Wyoming Sage-Grouse Implementation Team, through the Winter Concentration Area Subcommittee, regarding sage-grouse winter habitat selection and response to anthropogenic disturbance. Phase 1 used existing datasets of sage-grouse GPS locations from 6 regions across Wyoming to model winter habitat selection and avoidance patterns of disturbance statewide. Results from Phase I formed the basis for developing recommendations for management of sage-grouse winter concentration areas in Wyoming. The purpose of my research in Chapter 2 was to validate results of Phase I modeling and evaluate if the statewide model accurately described sage-grouse winter habitat selection and anthropogenic avoidance in regions not considered in that modeling effort. I used 44,968 locations from 90 individual adult female grouse identified within winter habitat from winters 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 in the Southern Red Desert region (my study area) for out-of-sample validation. The intent of my validations was to assess if models generated statewide or from a nearby region (Northern Red Desert) would be more effective in predicting sage-grouse habitat selection patterns in areas with little information. The statewide model better predicted sage-grouse habitat use at within-population scales and the near-region model was more predictive at within-home-range scales. I found some variation between regions and the statewide model but similar trends in environmental characteristics and avoidance of anthropogenic features even at low densities. My results from the Southern Red Desert support the recommendation from Phase 1 that anthropogenic surface disturbance should be limited to low levels (≤ 2.5%) within winter concentration areas to conserve sage-grouse winter habitat. In Chapter 3, my research focused on shifting environmental conditions that influence patterns of sage-grouse winter habitat selection. Sage-grouse are physically well adapted to winter conditions; it’s a common assumption that winter weather has little effect on sage-grouse. However, research results have varied in support of this assumption, with significant die-offs correlated to periods of extreme winter weather. My research used daily winter weather conditions to explain sage-grouse winter behavior and habitat selection. I used sage-grouse GPS locations from the Southern Red Desert over winters 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 and obtained local weather conditions for each winter from SnowModel. SnowModel used available meteorological data, landscape characteristics, and snow physics to predict weather conditions at a 30-m resolution and daily scale. By comparing habitat selection and behavior across fine temporal scales, I found that sage-grouse responded to daily weather conditions by selecting refugia habitat more than altering daily activity levels. My results suggest that, in addition to landscape features, sage-grouse selected home ranges at the population scale for warmer wind chill temperatures and greater windspeed. Within home ranges, sage-grouse appeared to respond to harsher weather (lower wind chill temperature and high wind speeds) by selecting greater sagebrush cover and leeward sides of ridges. Our research underlines the importance of examining winter habitat at narrower temporal scales than the entire winter season to identify important refugia features that may only be used periodically. Additional research into quantifying weather refugia for wintering sage-grouse populations may provide greater insight to the future sustainability of winter ranges. In Appendix A, I compared winter microhabitat characteristics at 90 sage-grouse use sites from the 2019/2020 winter with 90 available sites within the population range and 90 available sites within home ranges. I predicted habitat characteristics at grouse use locations would be more similar to paired random locations within the home range than to random locations within the population range. I also predicted that, because sage-grouse select specific habitat characteristics, there would be fewer differences when comparing random available locations between the home and population range than comparisons of used and available habitat. I found no support for my first prediction and strong support for my second prediction. Sage-grouse dung piles were 7.0- and 9.9-times higher at used locations than random locations within home and population ranges, respectively. Our results suggested that sage-grouse are highly selective for microhabitat. Sage-grouse selected areas with higher big sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and overall canopy cover, big sagebrush height, and visual obstruction compared to random locations within home and population ranges. Our results indicate concealment cover is important to sage-grouse throughout their annual cycle.

Book Ecology and Seasonal Habitat Use Patterns of Columbian Sharp tailed Grouse in Northern Utah

Download or read book Ecology and Seasonal Habitat Use Patterns of Columbian Sharp tailed Grouse in Northern Utah written by Ron D. Greer and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 75 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus: hereafter sharp-tailed grouse) populations have been declining. These declines have been attributed to a number of factors, including habitat loss due to agriculture, habitat fragmentation, overgrazing by livestock, and the loss to fire. To gather information about their status in northern Utah, I radio-marked sharp-tailed grouse in 2003 (n=15) and 2004 (n=20) in two research areas. The study areas were located on the south end of Cache County and in eastern Box Elder County. In the Cache study area, I monitored 7 males and 1 female in 2003, and 6 males and 3 females in 2004. In the Box Elder study area, I monitored 6 males in 2003 and 6 males and 5 females in 2004. I then located the radio-marked sharp-tailed grouse using telemetry and collected Visual Obstruction Readings (VOR) and vegetation data on each flush site and on a randomly selected paired point. I completed an unsupervised classification of the two study areas to determine if habitats were used more than would be expected based on availability. I then used a paired point linear regression to determine if vegetation parameters were correlated with sharp-tailed grouse on the landscape. Sagebrush in the Box Elder County study area and forbs in the Cache County study area were significantly correlated with habitat use by sharp-tailed grouse. The VOR readings were higher at the flush sites than at the paired points. The unsupervised classification showed that in Box Elder County, sagebrush was used in greater proportion than is available, while in the Cache County study area there were no habitat types that were used in greater proportion than was available on the landscape. I collected information on nest sites, nest success, broods, and mortality of these 2 populations. Nest success was 75% combined over the 2-year study, and mortality was 72% for both populations over the 2 years. Seasonal habitat use and distance traveled were determined using Global Positioning System points collected at every flush point. The distance traveled ranged from 0.9 km to 14.7 km, with the longest distance being traveled in the winter.

Book Greater Sage grouse Habitat Selection and Use Patterns in Response to Vegetation Management Practices in Northwestern Utah

Download or read book Greater Sage grouse Habitat Selection and Use Patterns in Response to Vegetation Management Practices in Northwestern Utah written by Stephanie E Graham and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) currently occupy an estimated 56% of the potential range-wide pre-European settlement habitat. Population declines have been largely attributed to direct habitat loss and fragmentation related to anthropogenic activities that promote wildfires and the subsequent spread of invasive plants. Vegetation manipulations, including the seeding of plant species, such as forage kochia (Bassia prostrata), have been identified as potential strategies to mitigate the risk of wildfire and enhance sage-grouse habitat in areas at risk to wildfires. I evaluated the composition changes that occurred in a lower elevation sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) plant community within the Grouse Creek Watershed in western Box Elder County, Utah, USA, in response to prescribed vegetation manipulations (green-stripping through chain harrowing, juniper mastication, seeding forage kochia, applying Plateau℗ʼ herbicide) and studied the effect of these changes on sage-grouse habitat-use patterns and vital rates. I monitored 53 radio-collared sage-grouse throughout the Grouse Creek watershed from 2010-2012. Seasonal movements suggested local individual bird adaptations to annual variations in weather and habitat fragmentation. Sage-grouse selected for untreated areas; however, treated areas were used to expand the size of the lek. Untreated areas exhibited a higher percent composition of shrubs compared to areas that were chain harrowed to prepare a seedbed. Sage-grouse nest success and adult male survival rates during this study were relatively low compared to range-wide population estimates. Nest predation was higher for nests located closer to roads. The forage kochia seeded in the firebreaks emerged the season after seeding (2011). Using microhistological techniques, I detected small quantities of forage kochia in sage-grouse fecal pellets. Nutrient analysis confirmed that forage kochia samples collected from the sites exhibited a high protein content and low secondary metabolite content, similar to black sagebrush (Artemisia nova). Although green-stripping with forage kochia in lower elevation sagebrush communities may prove to be a beneficial technique for protecting rangelands from wildfire and provide a dietary source for wildlife, site preparation should be conducted to minimize the impact on existing sagebrush canopy cover habitats. Long-term monitoring should be implemented to determine extended effects of green-stripping treatments on sagebrush habitat and sage-grouse vital rates. Although individual sage-grouse demonstrated local adaptations to fragmentation and seasonal variations in weather, increased fragmentation and climate change in this part of the Great Basin may increase meta-population extirpation risks inhabiting lower elevation sagebrush areas in the Grouse Creek Watershed.

Book Wildlife Research Report Abstracts

Download or read book Wildlife Research Report Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Ecology Conservation and Management of Grouse

Download or read book Ecology Conservation and Management of Grouse written by Brett K. Sandercock and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-09-04 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Summarizing current knowledge of grouse biology, this volume is organized in four sections--spatial ecology, habitat relationships, population biology, and conservation and management--and offers insights into spatial requirements, movements, and demography of grouse. Much of the research employs emerging tools in ecology that span biogeochemistry, molecular genetics, endocrinology, radio-telemetry, and remote sensing".--Adapted from publisher descrip tion on back cover

Book Greater Sage grouse Movements and Habitat Use During Winter in Central Oregon

Download or read book Greater Sage grouse Movements and Habitat Use During Winter in Central Oregon written by Jennifer R. Bruce and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a sagebrush obligate species, has contracted in extent by nearly half its original distribution. This is primarily due to habitat loss and degradation over the past 150 years. During winter, sage-grouse depend completely on sagebrush habitat for food and cover, yet sage-grouse winter ecology has been poorly studied in the past. We studied greater sage-grouse winter habitat use and movement in central Oregon by tracking 22 radio-collared sage-grouse (7 female, 15 male) from January through mid March 2007 to record specific characteristics of sagebrush used and patterns of movement for each sex during winter. We quantified winter habitat characteristics such as canopy height and topography at each sage-grouse location, estimated winter distances moved using weekly to biweekly point locations, and compared this information between males and females. The sage-grouse we studied moved extensively across the landscape in central Oregon, using approximately 1,480 km2 during winter. Sagebrush canopy height in sites used by sage-grouse varied from 0.25 to 0.75 m, with females tending to use sites with taller sagebrush plants and less total foliar cover than sites used by males. The difference in foliar cover between sexes was related to a seasonal change in habitat use; four females found in low sagebrush in January and early February stopped using it after 15 Feb 2007. Also by this date, most male sage-grouse had stopped using big sagebrush as they migrated to lekking areas. During our study there was half as much snow cover on average, which may explain why sage-grouse mortality rates were low. Managers interested in preserving sage-grouse populations should provide large areas (thousands of square km) of habitat that contain heterogeneous sagebrush habitat, specifically with both low and big sagebrush so that food and cover are available for greater sage-grouse during winter.