The recent expansion of unconventional oil and gas development in the Williston Basin of North America has raised concerns among managers about potential negative effects of such development on grassland birds. Others, however, have argued that agricultural land use in the region has had a much larger impact and that energy development may be a comparatively small stressor for grassland birds. Unfortunately little information exists to help scientists and managers answer questions about the impact of energy development relative to the effects of widespread land conversion from agricultural production. To begin to answer these questions, we are using data from the Breeding Bird Survey and quantitative spatial modeling techniques to assess population trends for various grassland bird species in the state of North Dakota, an area that historically had large tracts of grassland and has recently experienced an energy boom. We anticipate that our results will be useful in assessing the relative risks of various stressors and provide guidance to managers about where conservation should be invested on the landscape.
