Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
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Located on six hundred acres along the James River Valley near Jamestown, North Dakota, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is one of seventeen USGS Science Centers that develop and disseminate the scientific information needed to understand, conserve, and manage the Nation’s rich biological resources.
Migratory-bird center of excellence
The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is known for its long history of meeting the migratory-bird research needs of Department of the Interior and the Nation.
Migratory BirdsInsect pollinators of the Great Plains
Pollinators support both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Northern Prairie scientists are studying factors affecting the health of insect pollinators across the northern Great Plains.
Pollinator ResearchMinimizing impacts to wildlife and ecosystems
Providing information needed to reduce human impacts to wildlife populations and ecosystems in the northern Great Plains is a focus of several research efforts at NPWRC.
Species StressorsNews
Honey Bee Helpers: It Takes a Village to Conserve a Colony
Do you eat fruits and vegetables? What about nuts? If so, you can thank an insect pollinator, usually a honey bee. These small insects play a major role in pollinating the world’s plants, including those we eat regularly. They also increase our nation’s crop values each year by more than 15 billion dollars.
Scientists Collecting Bird Data on Grasslands in Montana this Spring
Now through late July, 2018, U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct fieldwork on public lands in Phillips and Valley counties near Malta and Glasgow, Montana, as part of a grassland bird project.
Public Invitation: Jamestown Science Center Opens Doors for Interactive Experience
The public is invited to attend a free, family-friendly open house at a local U.S. Geological Survey center for ecology research on Saturday, September 16.
Publications
Invertebrate communities of Prairie-Pothole wetlands in the age of the aquatic Homogenocene
Simplification of communities is a common consequence of anthropogenic modification. However, the prevalence and mechanisms of biotic homogenization among wetland systems require further examination. Biota of wetlands in the North American Prairie Pothole Region are adapted to high spatial and temporal variability in ponded-water duration and...
Mclean, Kyle I.; Mushet, David M.; Jon N. Sweetman; Anteau, Michael J.; Wiltermuth, Mark T. Alternative stable states in inherently unstable systems
Alternative stable states are nontransitory states within which communities can exist. However, even highly dynamic communities can be viewed within the framework of stable‐state theory if an appropriate “ecologically relevant” time scale is identified. The ecologically relevant time scale for dynamic systems needs to conform to the amount of time...
Mushet, David M.; McKenna, Owen P.; Mclean, Kyle I.
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—McCown’s Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii)
The key to McCown’s Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii) management is providing short, sparsely vegetated native grasslands of adequate size. Mixed-grass prairies can be made suitable for breeding McCown’s Longspurs by implementing moderate-to-heavy or season-long grazing. McCown’s Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 5–42 centimeters (...
Shaffer, Jill A.; Igl, Lawrence D.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Sondreal, Marriah L.; Goldade, Christopher M.; Rabie, Paul A.; Wooten, Travis L.; Euliss, Betty R.