Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Terry Shaffer

Terry Shaffer is a Statistician (Emeritus) at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Terry Shaffer has been a career statistician with the U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota, since 1983. His many interests include statistical applications in avian and prairie ecology, sampling design, experimental design, modeling, and statistical consulting.

Professional Experience

  • Statistician and Supervisory Statistician, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota

Education and Certifications

  • M.S., Statistics, North Dakota State University

  • B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science, Moorhead State University

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 37

Reassessing perennial cover as a driver of duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region

Conservation plans designed to sustain North American duck populations prominently feature a key hypothesis stating that the amount of the landscape in perennial cover surrounding upland duck nests positively influences nest survival rates. Recent conflicting research testing this hypothesis creates ambiguity regarding which management actions to pursue and where to prioritize conservation deliver
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Limited land base and competing land uses force societal tradeoffs when siting energy development

As human populations grow, decisions regarding use of the world's finite land base become increasingly complex. We adopted a land use–conflict scenario involving renewable energy to illustrate one potential cause of these conflicts and resulting tradeoff decisions. Renewable energy industries wishing to expand operations in the United States are limited by multijurisdictional regulations in findin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Experimental evaluation of predator exclosures on nest, chick, and adult survival of piping plovers

Species of conservation concern often receive intensive management to improve vital rates and facilitate recovery. Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are federally listed in the United States and concerns over nest depredation have prompted widespread use of plover-permeable predator exclosures placed around nests (0.5–2-m radius). While effectiveness of exclosures for improving nest survival has
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Foraging movements and colony attendance of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) on the central Platte River, Nebraska, USA

Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) are known to forage away from nesting colonies, yet little information is available about movement rates and distances. We used VHF transmitters and a network of datalogging receivers to monitor movements of 23 Least Terns on the central Platte River, Nebraska, USA. We typically detected incubating and brood-rearing birds within 8 km of colonies during daylight ho
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

An adaptive approach to vegetation management in native prairies of the northern Great Plains

No abstract available.
By
Cooperative Research Units

Plasticity of Least Tern and Piping Plover nesting behaviors in response to sand temperature

Birds that nest on the ground in open areas, such as Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) and Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos), are exposed to high temperatures in thermally stressful environments. As a result, some ground-nesting avian species have adapted behavioral strategies to maintain thermal regulation of eggs and themselves. We assessed the impact of sand temperature on
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Demographic responses of least terns and piping plovers to the 2011 Missouri River flood—A large-scale case study

A catastrophic flood event on the Missouri River system in 2011 led to substantial changes in abundance and distribution of unvegetated sand habitat. This river system is a major component of the breeding range for interior Least terns (Sternula antillarum; “terns”) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; “plovers”), both of which are Federally listed ground-nesting birds that prefer open, unveget
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Accuracy of nest fate classification and predator identification from evidence at nests of least terns and piping plovers

For federally listed species such as Least Tern Sternula antillarum and Piping Plover Charadrius melodus, correct determination of nest fates and causes of nest failure is crucial for understanding population dynamics and improving monitoring programmes. We used video cameras to evaluate nest fate misclassification rate and to identify factors that may cause researchers monitoring nests at differe
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Density and success of upland duck nests in native‐ and tame‐seeded conservation fields

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) generates substantial benefits to continental duck populations by providing grassland nesting habitat in rested cropland. Seeding mixes of CRP grasslands vary among numerous conservation practices, but one contrast of interest in the Prairie Pothole Region is the use of introduced, or “tame” versus native grass. Although the benefits of CRP to duck population
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center—Celebrating 50 years of science

The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2015. This report is written in support of that observance. We document why and how the NPWRC came to be and describe some of its many accomplishments and the influence the Center’s research program has had on natural resource management. The history is organized by major research themes, proceeds somewhat
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Sparrow nest survival in relation to prescribed fire and woody plant invasion in a northern mixed-grass prairie

Prescribed fire is used to reverse invasion by woody vegetation on grasslands, but managers often are uncertain whether influences of shrub and tree reduction outweigh potential effects of fire on nest survival of grassland birds. During the 2001–2003 breeding seasons, we examined relationships of prescribed fire and woody vegetation to nest survival of clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida) and
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Contrasting nest survival patterns for ducks and songbirds in northern mixed-grass prairie

Management actions intended to protect or improve habitat for ducks may benefit grassland-nesting passerines, but scant information is available to explore this assumption. During 1998–2003, we examined nest survival of ducks and songbirds to determine whether effects of prescribed fire and other habitat features (e.g., shrub cover and distance to habitat edges) were similar for ducks and passerin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link
Field of Little Bluestem

Improving wildlife habitat through management and restoration of native prairies on lands under Fish and Wildlife Service ownership

The extent of native prairie throughout the north-central United States has sharply declined since European settlement, and much that remains has been invaded by introduced cool-season grasses, reducing floristic diversity and quality. On lands under its ownership, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to restore native prairie integrity by reducing occurrence of introduced species under...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Status and Trends Program (unpublished), Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Improving wildlife habitat through management and restoration of native prairies on lands under Fish and Wildlife Service ownership

The extent of native prairie throughout the north-central United States has sharply declined since European settlement, and much that remains has been invaded by introduced cool-season grasses, reducing floristic diversity and quality. On lands under its ownership, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to restore native prairie integrity by reducing occurrence of introduced species under...
Learn More
link
Image: Birdwatching in Grasslands Near Tebicuary River

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Wildlife Program (unpublished), Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Investigating roadside bias in point-count surveys of grassland passerines

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides much essential information for assessing bird populations, but it is unknown how inherent assumptions of the BBS apply to grassland birds in the Northern Plains. Understanding the effects of these assumptions on our understanding of grassland bird populations is essential given widespread declines of grassland birds as well as recent and...
Learn More
link
WERC Suisun Marsh Waterfowl

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
link

Support to Fish and Wildlife Service and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture for monitoring and management of migratory bird populations

Sound management of migratory bird breeding populations in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region hinges on effective monitoring programs and comprehensive analyses of long-term survey data. To this end, Northern Prairie provides support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in several important areas. The Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey was developed by Northern Prairie in the mid...
Learn More

Least tern movements and foraging behavior on the Platte River, Nebraska, 2009-2010

This data set is part of a data release as a companion to a manuscript titled "Foraging movements and colony attendance of least terns (Sternula antillarum) on the central Platte River". This data release includes three tabular digital data file representing movement patterns, behaviors, and foraging success of least terns that nested on sandpits near the Platte River during 2009
By
Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Evaluating bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in the Prairie Pothole Region, MN, ND, and SD 2008-2009

The data set consists of data to evaluate bias in roadside surveys of secretive marsh birds in 2008 and 2009 in wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota during three survey periods (survey number). The data set includes detection values (species heard, species seen, species seen and heard) of seven focal marsh bird species (four-letter alpha codes and sci
By
Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Experimental evaluation of predator exclosures on nest, chick, and adult survival data for the Northern Great Plains piping plover, 2014 - 2016

This dataset presents four tabular data files that evaluate the effect of predator exclosures around piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nests on plover nest, chick, within-season, and annual adult survival. During 2014-2016, we designed an experiment to examine nest (n = 418), chick (n = 453), and adult (n = 367) survival at alkaline wetlands of the Northern Great Plains. Alkaline wetlands were di
By
Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Least tern and piping plover responses to the 2011 Missouri River flood: Nest, chick, and adult datasets

This data release includes nest, chick, and adult survival data that were analyzed to evaluate effects of the 2011 Missouri River flood on endangered least terns and threatened piping plovers.
By
Species Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Science and Products