Proceedings brand creation for a prescribed fire culture – utilizing key social media parameters. Lars Coleman*1, J. Kelly Hoffman1, Thomas McDaniel1, R. Patrick Bixler2, Urs P. Kreuter1, Morgan Russell3

Temperate grasslands, including mixed grass prairies, suffer from the greatest levels of habitat loss and degradation of any ecosystem. This can have cascading negative effects including changes in ecosystem function, wildlife population declines, and the deterioration of ecosystem services. Grazing is the predominant land use on grasslands across western North America and directly affects the structure, composition, and productivity of these ecosystems. While certain grazing regimes can negatively affect wildlife habitat, properly managed grazing can be compatible with wildlife conservation and is preferable to other land uses that destroy or fragment native grasslands. Rest-rotation grazing is implemented on conservation easements in Montana to improve wildlife habitat, but this grazing system was developed in arid bunchgrass rangelands and its effectiveness has not been studied in more mesic mixed grass prairie. Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) have large home ranges and differing requirements for nesting and winter habitat, making them an ideal indicator species for grassland habitats. Rest-rotation grazing systems could influence grouse habitat selection at multiple spatial scales by providing patches of habitat that are periodically rested from disturbance. We hypothesized that management regimes that provide these heterogeneous mosaics of grassland habitats would result in smaller home ranges and shorter individual movements due to increased heterogeneity resulting in greater availability or proximity of important resources. We used compositional analysis and resource utilization functions to investigate home range selection in relation to the larger study area and selection of habitat features within the home range, respectively. We monitored 82 female sharp-tailed grouse during the breeding seasons of 2016-17. Average home range size was 503 ± 56 ha and grazing system was not a good predictor of home range size. By evaluating sharp-tailed grouse habitat selection, this research provides insight into the effectiveness of different rangeland management practices for improving wildlife habitat. 

EFFECTS OF LIVESTOCK GRAZING MANAGEMENT ON GRASSLAND BIRD ECOLOGY IN THE NORTHERN MIXED-GRASS PRAIRIE. Skyler T. Vold*¹, Lorelle I. Berkeley², Lance B. McNew¹; ¹Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, ²Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Helena, MT

ABSTRACT

Grassland bird populations have declined more than any other guild of birds during the past 50 years as a result of habitat loss. The majority of remaining native grassland habitat in North America is managed for livestock production, so livestock grazing management can have significant impacts on the conservation of grassland birds. We evaluated the effects of three livestock grazing systems on grassland bird abundance in the northern mixed-grass prairie ecosystem of eastern Montana. Our objectives were to: 1) evaluate effects of grazing system on species-specific abundance of grassland birds, 2) evaluate the importance of local vegetation characteristics for grassland birds within grazing systems, and 3) provide management recommendations to agencies and private landowners for improving habitat quality for grassland birds in the northern mixed-grass prairie. During 2016–17, we conducted replicated point-count surveys at 150 locations on a 3,008-ha ranch managed with rest-rotation cattle grazing, and 155 locations on adjacent reference properties (4,020-ha) employing season-long or intensive summer-rotational grazing systems. We evaluated a suite of habitat conditions within 100-m from each survey point. We built and analyzed support for a set of N-mixture models to identify grazing system influences on grassland bird abundances while controlling for local habitat conditions at each site. Relative to season-long and summer-rotational grazing systems, we observed a lower abundance of a dense-grass obligate species, the grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum; ß̂ = -0.30 ± 0.05), on pastures within rest-rotation grazing systems. Additionally, we found evidence of an interaction between grazing system and rangeland productivity, where areas of high productivity had higher abundance estimates of grasshopper sparrow on pastures employing intensive summer-rotation grazing ( ß̂ = 0.55 ± 0.06), and lower abundance estimates of grasshopper sparrow on pastures employing rest-rotation grazing ( ß̂ = 0.34 ± 0.04),  or season-long grazing ( ß̂ = 0.31 ± 0.06).

GRAZING-INDUCED TROPHIC RELATIONSHIPS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GRASSLAND SONGBIRDS. Tracey N. Johnson*¹, Sandra J. DeBano², Patricia L. Kennedy³; ¹University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, ²Oregon State University, Hermiston, OR, ³Oregon State University, Union, OR

ABSTRACT

Grazing by cattle affects plant morphology, phenology, and species composition, which can result in changes within invertebrate communities at broad scales.  For grassland songbirds, altered invertebrate communities may influence prey availability or foraging preferences, and ultimately affect habitat use or demography.  Although grazing represents a complex disturbance, in managed systems stocking rate and associated vegetation utilization levels can determine vegetation responses to grazing, and potentially, habitat quality for other trophic levels.  To better understand the relationship between utilization and grassland bird food habits, we examined diet composition of nestlings for four songbird species breeding in paddocks with experimentally-manipulated stocking rates in a Pacific Northwest bunchgrass prairie in northeastern Oregon.  We compared nestling diet composition with invertebrate abundance in paddocks to examine the effect of utilization rates on dietary preferences of breeding birds.  Moths and butterflies comprised the largest proportion of prey in nestling diets (31%) followed by short-horned grasshoppers (28%) and spiders (20%).  We observed variable preferences across invertebrate taxa, with strongest preference for moths and butterflies.  Preference for only two invertebrate taxa varied as a function of utilization rate, and only in the first year of our study: moths and butterflies were preferred at low utilization rates and avoided at high utilization rates, and spiders were more strongly avoided at moderate versus high utilization.  When compared to patterns of invertebrate abundance at the paddock-level, the lack of strong patterns of preference with increasing utilization suggest that adult birds may be able to compensate for altered food abundance by adjusting foraging strategies.  However, this compensation may still come at a cost to nestlings if more time is devoted to foraging for specific prey by adults, thereby allowing less time for nest defense, or negatively affecting total volume of prey delivered to nestlings.  Implications for grazing management will be discussed.

HOW RESPONSIVE ARE SANDHILLS SONGBIRDS TO GRAZING STRATEGIES? Walt Schacht*¹, Maggi Sliwinski², Larkin Powell²; ¹University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, ²UNL, Lincoln, NE

ABSTRACT

Diversity in the structure and botanical composition of grazing lands is commonly reported to provide the variety of habitat types needed for a diversity of birds. It follows that the use of a variety of grazing strategies on a management unit or across a rangeland landscape leads to vegetation heterogeneity and diverse bird communities. We selected management units in a rangeland landscape in the Nebraska Sandhills that were managed with a variety of commonly-used grazing strategies, including continuous stocking, deferred and rest rotation grazing, and short duration grazing. We hypothesized that habitat characteristics and abundance of songbird species would vary among units within this landscape. The Sandhills region is mixed prairie dominated by warm-season tallgrasses within a rich mixture of cool-season grasses, sedges, forbs, and shrubs. Visual obstruction readings (VOR), plant cover, and songbird composition and abundance data were collected in 2003/2004 and 2014/2015 on rangelands managed with a variety of grazing strategies. VOR and measures of plant/ground cover generally did not differ among grazing strategies, although these measures were affected by timing of grazing and stocking rate, and differed among pastures within a grazing strategy. Grassland birds (e.g., grasshopper sparrow and lark sparrow) responded to habitat variables, such as standing dead cover and VOR, but bird abundance and composition generally did not vary by grazing strategy. Overall, structural heterogeneity of vegetation did not consistently differ among ranches managed with different grazing strategies and was not sufficient to affect songbird abundance and composition. Vegetation composition and structure of upland range in the Sandhills is largely homogeneous because rangeland managers have been effective in managing for the dominant native tall and mid-grasses and for optimizing ground cover, regardless of the grazing strategy used. Range managers use different grazing strategies based on cattle enterprise objectives, tradition, and management style but they mostly have comparable vegetation cover goals. To provide habitats for more diverse avian communities, conservation planners should consider management tools that create depth of disturbance beyond that provided by typical grazing strategies.   

EFFECTS OF TIME-CONTROLLED LIVESTOCK GRAZING ON HABITAT OF SOUTHWESTERN WILLOW FLYCATCHERS IN WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA. Zachary Smalls*¹, Larry Howery¹, Stuart Tuttle², George Ruyle¹, Robert Steidl¹; ¹University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, ²NRCS, Flagstaff, AZ

The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is an endangered subspecies of willow flycatcher that occupies dense riparian habitats of the southwestern United States.  Many factors, including improper livestock grazing practices, are thought to explain declines in this species, although no long–term studies have sought to quantify the effects of grazing on willow flycatcher habitat.  The main goal of our study was to determine how time–controlled grazing by domestic livestock effects willow flycatcher habitat in west–central Arizona by: 1) measuring key vegetation attributes before and after livestock grazing, and at the end of the growing season; 2) providing quantitative baseline data on riparian woody vegetation that are considered vital habitat characteristics; and 3) assessing the effects of episodic rainfall events throughout the year.  We monitored vegetation on two ranches along the same watershed in west–central Arizona throughout 2015 and 2016, and focused on changes in vegetation in response to routine livestock grazing practices.  Specifically, we monitored mean utilization (%) of woody and herbaceous plant species; biomass (%), cover (%), and height (m) of the dominant plant species (woody and herbaceous); and density (#/m2) of woody plant species (seedlings).  Time–controlled livestock grazing (< 62 days) resulted in low relative and total utilizations (< 14%) for both herbaceous and woody plants during all sampling periods.  Consequently, species composition, canopy cover, and woody height of non–seedling woody plants remained relatively stable across most sampling periods.  Density of woody seedlings changed most in response to episodic flooding.  

EFFECTS OF PRAIRIE DOG AND CATTLE DEFOLIATION ON WESTERN WHEATGRASS RHIZOME LENGTH AND TILLER DENSITY
. Patricia S. Johnson*¹, Jameson R. Brennan¹, John R. Hendrickson², Lan Xu³; ¹South Dakota State University, Rapid City, SD, ²USDA-ARS, Mandan, ND, ³South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD

ABSTRACT

Western wheatgrass is an important cool-season species in the Northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie for ecological function, wildlife habitat, and livestock forage.  Western wheatgrass relies primarily on vegetative reproduction for recruitment. Daughter tillers are produced either from buds at the crown or buds along rhizomes. Crown daughters are relatively easy to study. Patterns of tiller recruitment from rhizomes are less understood because these are much more difficult to study without extensive excavation. They are, however, critical to understanding western wheatgrass persistence and responses to disturbances such as grazing and drought. We initiated a study to examine the impact of cattle and prairie dog grazing on rhizome tiller development on a ranch near Mahto, SD. In summer 2014, PVC collars (10cm diam. X 15 cm depth) were driven into the soil around western wheatgrass tillers ( ≥1 tiller/collar) in exclosures preventing cattle grazing located both on- and off prairie dog towns. PVC collars restrict new rhizomes to the soil core within the collar, allowing relatively easy examination of rhizome and tiller development. Approximately 200 tillers were included on-town and 200 off-town; half of each were located on thin claypan and half on loamy ecological sites (ES). Half of on-town tillers on each ES were open to prairie dog grazing; the remaining tillers were protected. Half of off-town tillers in each ES received simulated cattle grazing in summer 2015; remaining tillers were ungrazed. PVC-collared soil cores were excavated in fall 2016. Crowns and rhizomes were carefully extracted from each core and plant components (crowns, rhizomes, and tillers) were mapped, rhizome lengths measured, and crown and rhizome tillers counted. Data were analyzed to evaluate the impact of grazer (prairie dog, cattle) and ES (thin claypan and loamy) on the vegetative reproductive strategies of western wheatgrass.

MANAGING SPECIES AT RISK - POLICIES AND TOOLS

The second area focused on the use of policies to lower the risk for ranchers protecting SAR habitat through conservation/management agreements, incentives such as payment for ecological services and providing additional management information through existing agricultural programs such as the provincial environmental farm plans (EFP).

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR MONARCHS AND POLLINATORS ON WESTERN RANGELANDS

Many wild pollinator species, including monarch butterflies and some bumble bee species, are in decline. Rangelands are essential to the conservation of pollinators, but land managers need science-based, actionable guidance. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is working with multiple public land management agencies to develop meaningful Best Management Practices (BMPs) for monarchs and pollinators on western rangelands. The BMPs will address the needs of native bees and butterflies, including monarchs—a species which has declined by over 90% in the past few decades. The BMPs are based on 1) a thorough literature review of peer-reviewed and technical materials related to rangelands and pollinators and 2) surveys and interviews with practitioners and researchers who understand the science, practice, and economic issues related to pollinator conservation and habitat management in rangelands.

Management practices addressed in the BMPs include grazing, mowing, fire, pesticide use, restoration practices, and invasive species management. Guidance is region-specific and include optimal methods and timing of management activities for relevant species. The management practices are summarized in clear, concise guidance which can be used by practitioners in the field. The BMPs provide both a roadmap and technical guidance for incorporating pollinator conservation into rangeland management in the West.
 

ELEVATED CO2 INDUCES SUBSTANTIAL AND PERSISTENT DECLINES IN FORAGE DIGESTIBILITY AND PROTEIN CONTENT IIRRESPECTIVE OF WARMING IN MIXED-GRASS PRAIRIE. David Augustine*¹, Dana M. Blumenthal¹, Tim Springer², Dan LeCain¹, Stacey A. Gunter², Justin D. Derner³; ¹USDA-ARS, Fort Collins, CO, ²USDA-ARS, Woodward, OK, ³USDA-ARS, Cheyenne, WY

Increasing atmospheric [CO2] and temperature are expected to affect the productivity, species composition, biogeochemistry, and therefore the quantity and quality of forage available to herbivores in rangeland ecosystems.  Both elevated CO2 (eCO2) and warming affect plant tissue chemistry through multiple direct and indirect pathways, such that the cumulative outcomes of these effects are difficult to predict.  Here, we report on a 7-year study examining effects of CO2 enrichment (to 600 ppm) and infrared warming (+1.5°C day/3°C night) under realistic field conditions on forage quality and quantity in a semiarid, mixed-grass prairie.  For the 3 dominant forage grasses, warming effects on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and tissue [N] were detected only in certain years, varied from negative to positive, and were relatively minor.  In contrast, eCO2 substantially reduced IVDMD (2 most abundant grasses) and [N] (all 3 grass species) in most years, except the two wettest years.  Furthermore, eCO2 reduced IVDMD and [N] independent of warming effects.  Reduced IVDMD with eCO2 was related both to reduced [N] and increased acid detergent fiber content of grass tissues.  For the 6 most abundant forage species (representing 96% of total forage production), combined warming+eCO2 increased forage production by 38% and reduced forage [N] by 13% relative to ambient climate.   While the absolute magnitude of the decline in IVDMD and [N] due to combined warming+eCO2 may seem small (e.g. from 63.3 to 61.1% IVDMD and 1.25 to 1.04% [N] for P. smithii), such shifts could have substantial consequences for the rate at which ruminants gain weight during the primary growing season in the largest remaining rangeland ecosystem in North America.  With forage production increases, declining forage quality could potentially be mitigated by increasing stocking rates, and through management such as prescribed burning, fertilization at low rates, and legume interseeding to enhance forage quality.  

WEIGHT GAIN AND BEHAVIOR OF RARAMURI CRIOLLO VERSUS CORRIENTE STEERS DEVELOPED ON CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RANGELAND

Raramuri Criollo (RC) steers are commonly raised for beef and finished on rangelands, while Corriente (CR) are often raised for rodeo sports. However, no data exist on weight gains and grazing behavior of rangeland-raised Criollo steers. An experiment was conducted in the Chihuahuan Desert using two cohorts of RC and CR to investigate the effects of biotype on growth performance and landscape utilization. Twenty-two 17-month (cohort 1) steers [10 RC (RC1) and 12 CR (CR1)] were weighed every 60 d between December 2015 and January 2017 and eighteen 8-month (cohort 2) steers [11 RC (RC2) and 7 CR (CR2)] were weighed every 60 d between December 2015 and August 2017 to determine individual body weight (WT), average daily gain (ADG), and body condition score (BCS). Nine steers from each cohort were monitored with Lotek 3300LR GPS collars at 5-min intervals during December 2015 and December 2016, respectively, to compare landscape utilization patterns of 5 RC and 4 CR individuals. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using mixed procedures of SAS. Separate analyses were conducted per age cohort. For cohort 1, ADG was greater (P= 0.03) for RC1 than CR1 (0.18 vs 0.13 ± 0.09 kg). For cohort 2, ADG was greater (P= 0.01) for CR2 than RC2 (0.22 vs 0.12 ± 0.10 kg). Moreover, BCS was not affected (P> 0.58) for either cohort. Distance traveled daily by cohort 1 was not affected (P>0.81) by biotype, but CR2 walked farther during day and night than RC2 (P<0.01). CR1 followed more sinuous trajectories than RC1 counterparts from dusk to midnight (P<0.01). CR2 followed more sinuous movement trajectories than RC2 at night (P<0.01). Although some behavioral differences were found, these results imply that at a young age, CR grow faster than RC, but at an older age RC grow faster than CR. 

USING GIS FOR HERDERS COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SUMS IN KHUVSGUL, KHENTII AND KHOVD PROVINCES.

. Narangerel Davaasuren*¹, Tungalag Ulambayar²; ¹Open University, UK, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, ²Saruul Khuduu Environmental Research & Consultancy, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

ABSTRACT

Ecosystem services categories laid out by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment MEA including provisional, regulatory, and cultural services captured the above links between ecosystem services and human well-being. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Mongolia commissioned this study to gain a better understanding of herder priorities, perceptions and the current situation in its project sites to both better target their interventions, as well as have a baseline of information by which to compare and determine project impact in the future. The weighted density surfaces and kernel density GIS techniques were used in spatial analysis, and base data was collected using interview techniques. The herders were encouraged to pinpoint their camps locations using printed topographic maps. The interview data was processed using statistical methods and connected with camps locations, entered in GIS. Some findings were that relationship between household income and trends in ecosystems services the herders receive had shown the overexploitation of services in areas close to protected areas in Khuvsgul and close proximity to capital for Khentii herders was favorable in terms of having a higher income compare with other provinces.

GRAZING AND CLIMATE EFFECTS ON THE ECOLOGICAL STOICHIOMETRY OF DOMINANT SPECIES ON THE LOESS PLATEAU, CHINA