| | Accession Number | 5004796 |
| | Title | Grassland bird breeding use of managed grasslands on National Wildlife Refuges |
| | within Region 5 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| | Project Description | Grassland breeding birds in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic (USFWS Region 5) have shown |
| | declines over the last half-century as agricultural fields have been abandoned, and the landscape |
| | has reverted to greater forest cover. At least 9 species of grassland birds are regionally threatened |
| | or endangered, and Partners in Flight has identified these species and their associated habitat as |
| | priorities for conservation. However, there is considerable uncertainty in what constitutes |
| | appropriate habitat for populations of these species, and what management practices are most |
| | effective for promoting their health. Some of the important questions include how vegetation |
| | structure affects grassland bird use and reproductive success, what mix of grass species offers |
| | the best habitat, whether mowing or burning to stop succession is best for grassland birds, and |
| | where in the region the most important habitat is for various species. In conjunction with Regional |
| | Biologists from USFWS we have developed a multi-Refuge, regional study of the effects of |
| | management actions on grassland breeding birds and their habitat. The study will involve 13 |
| | Refuges stretched from Maine to Virginia. On each Refuge, three treatments will be applied to |
| | existing grass fields, to examine the effects of grass species mix, and management actions (mow |
| | or burn). Vegetation structure and composition, and obligate grassland breeding bird use (through |
| | double-observer point counts) will be measured. Some of the field work will be done by Refuge |
| | personnel or volunteers, some by USGS personnel, and some by contractual field biologists. |
| | Specific objectives are to (1) determine how choice of dominant grass species, latitude, and |
| | management technique affect vegetation structure in grassland fields on Region 5 National Wildlife |
| | Refuges; (2) determine how vegetation structure and dominant grass species affect obligate |
| | grassland bird use; and (3) establish information about grassland bird species distribution and |
| | habitat use to support decisions about Regional priorities for management. |
| | Keywords | double-observer point counts, grassland birds, grassland management, mowing, national wildlife |
| | refuge, prescribed fire, vegetation structure, |
| | Principal | Michael C Runge, USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: michael_runge@usgs.gov; William L |
| | Investigators | Kendall, USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: william_kendall@usgs.gov; John R Sauer, |
| | USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: john_r_sauer@usgs.gov; Laura R Mitchell, |
| | USFWS-Region 5 Refuges: laura_mitchell@fws.gov; Christophe Norment, State University of New |
| | York at Brockport: cnorment@brockport.edu; |
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