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Publications

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center staff publish results of their research in USGS series reports and in peer-reviewed journals. Publication links are below.  Information on all USGS publications can be found at the USGS Publications Warehouse.

Filter Total Items: 1934

Avian nest success in midwestern forests fragmented by agriculture Avian nest success in midwestern forests fragmented by agriculture

We studied how forest-bird nest success varied by landscape context from 1996 to 1998 in an agricultural region of southeastern Minnesota, southwestern Wisconsin, and northeastern Iowa. Nest success was 48% for all nests, 82% for cavity-nesting species, and 42% for cup-nesting species. Mayfield-adjusted nest success for five common species ranged from 23% for the American Redstart...
Authors
Melinda G. Knutson, Gerald J. Niemi, Wesley E. Newton, M. A. Friberg

Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Greater Sage-Grouse Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Greater Sage-Grouse

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on Greater Sage-Grouse was summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the current range of Greater Sage-Grouse (adapted from Schroeder et al. 2004). Although birds may be observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are intended to...
Authors
Mary M. Rowland

Writing refuge management goals and objectives: a handbook Writing refuge management goals and objectives: a handbook

Goals and objectives are the unifying elements of successful refuge management. They identify and focus management priorities, provide a context for resolving issues, guide specific projects, provide rationale for decisions, and offer a defensible link among management actions, refuge purpose(s), Service policy, and the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) mission. Pursuant to...
Authors
Robert S. Adamcik, Elizabeth Bell, Don C. DeLong, John H. Schomaker, David B. Hamilton, Murray K. Laubhan, Richard L. Schroeder

Nesting ecology of waterbirds at Grays Lake, Idaho Nesting ecology of waterbirds at Grays Lake, Idaho

Montane wetlands provide valuable habitat for nesting waterfowl and other waterbirds in the western United States, but relatively little information is available about the nesting ecology of their waterbird communities. We describe the general nesting ecology of breeding waterbirds at a large, shallow montane wetland in southeast Idaho during 1997-2000. Habitats included upland...
Authors
J. E. Austin, W.H. Pyle

Linking surface- and ground-water levels to riparian grassland species along the Platte River in central Nebraska Linking surface- and ground-water levels to riparian grassland species along the Platte River in central Nebraska

Nearly all the techniques used to quantify how plants are linked to environmental gradients produce results in general terms, such as low to high elevation, xeric to mesic, and low to high concentration. While ecologists comprehend these imprecise scales, managers responsible for making decisions affecting these gradients need more precise information. For our study, we preserved the...
Authors
R.J. Henszey, K. Pfeiffer, J.R. Keough

Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Golden eagle Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Golden eagle

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 4,000 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to the breeding, year-round, and nonbreeding ranges in the United States and southern Canada. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are...
Authors
John P. DeLong

Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Brewer's sparrow Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Brewer's sparrow

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated...
Authors
Brett L. Walker

Is climate change affecting wolf populations in the high arctic? Is climate change affecting wolf populations in the high arctic?

Gobal climate change may affect wolves in Canada’s High Arctic (80° N) acting through three trophic levels (vegetation, herbivores, and wolves). A wolf pack dependent on muskoxen and arctic hares in the Eureka area of Ellesmere Island denned and produced pups most years from at least 1986 through 1997. However, when summer snow covered vegetation in 1997 and 2000 for the first time since...
Authors
L. David Mech

Less waste corn, more land in soybeans, and the switch to genetically modified crops: Trends with important implications for wildlife management Less waste corn, more land in soybeans, and the switch to genetically modified crops: Trends with important implications for wildlife management

American agriculture has provided abundant high-energy foods for migratory and resident wildlife populations since the onset of modern wildlife management. Responding to anecdotal evidence that corn residues are declining in cropland, we remeasured waste corn post-harvest in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska during 1997 and 1998 to compare with 1978. Post-harvest waste...
Authors
Gary L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt, R. R. Cox
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