Life Sciences Commons^™

North Dakota Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Recovery Project: Using Translocation To Prevent State-Wide Extirpation And Develop Rangewide Protocols, Kade D. Lazenby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocurcus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are the largest grouse species in North America. Sage-grouse occupy 11 western states, extending into North Dakota. North Dakota sage-grouse population is part of the Great Plains Management Zone. Conservation of sage-grouse has been on the forefront of conservation management 1990s. In 2015 the USFWS declared sage-grouse were not warranted for listing based on significant management efforts. Translocations of sage-grouse to prevent populations from extirpation are an example of these efforts.

Translocations have been described as movement and release of animals into a novel environment. There have been more than 7200 sage-grouse …

Using Bioenergetics And Radar-Derived Bird Abundance To Assess The Impact Of A Blackbird Roost On Seasonal Sunflower Damage, Bonne A. Clark, Page E. Klug, Phillip M. Stepanian, Jeffrey F. Kelly

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Methods aimed at reducing avian damage to agricultural crops are routinely implemented in situations where efficacy can be assessed by quantifying blackbird (Icteridae) abundance relative to environmental variables and extrapolating to ensuing crop damage. Concomitantly, Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR) data may have potential to enhance crop damage mitigation through improved monitoring of nuisance wildlife populations. We used WSR to derive daily abundance estimates of blackbirds at a fall roost in North Dakota, USA from 2012 to 2019. We integrated these estimates with previously developed bioenergetics-economic models to estimate local sunflower (Helianthus annuus) damage. The greatest losses usually occurred …

Motivations And Satisfaction Of North Dakota Deer Hunters During A Temporal Decline In Deer Populations, Kristen E. Black, William F. Jensen, Robert Newman, Jason R. Boulanger

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Achieving state wildlife agency biological goals for deer (Odocoileus spp.) management may often conflict with hunter desires. Concomitantly, better information is needed to optimize agency deer herd management goals with hunters’ social goals. In 2016, we surveyed 3,000 North Dakota, USA, resident deer hunters using a self-administered mail survey to gain a better understanding of motivations, satisfaction, and hunter demographics that may be used to inform hunter recruitment and retention (HRR) efforts during a period of reduced statewide deer populations. With deer-gun license availability strictly limited, we explored the possibility that some gun hunters may have been engaging …

Visual And Olfactory Concealment Of Duck Nests: Influence On Nest Site Selection And Success, Jennifer S. Borgo, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Selecting a nest site is an important decision for waterfowl. Because most nest failure is due to depredation, the primary selective pressure in choosing a nest site should be to reduce depredation risk. This task is difficult, however, because predators use differing tactics to locate nests, such as olfactory or visual cues. The purpose of this research was to evaluate both the olfactory and visual components of waterfowl nest site selection and nest depredation in North Dakota. We located waterfowl nests, monitored them until termination (hatched or depredated), and collected both visual and olfactory concealment characteristics of nest sites and …

Evaluation Of 9,10 Anthraquinone Application To Pre-Seed Set Sunflowers For Repelling Blackbirds, Megan D. Niner, George M. Linz, Mark E. Clark

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Most nonlethal methods available for reducing blackbird (Icteridae) damage to sunflowers rely on fright responses (e.g., propane cannons, distress calls, pyrotechnics, raptor silhouettes) that birds quickly learn to ignore. Chemicals that cause taste or feeding aversions have potential to overcome the spatial and behavioral limitations of frightening methods. Anthraquinone (AQ) is an effective feeding repellent as a seed treatment to deter birds from eating freshly planted grains. In the United States, foliar application of AQ is not permitted on food crops except on small experimental plots. In August 2013, we applied 37.4 L/ha of an aqueous mix consisting of 15.1 …

The Plant Information Network (Pin) Data Base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, And Wyoming, United States Department Of The Interior, Fish And Wildlife Service

Plants

This publication provides introductory information on the Plant Information Network (PIN) and a print-out of PIN data. The PIN was a computerized data base containing information on native and naturalized vascular plants of five Western States. Information was included on over 5,000 species found in Colordo, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Because of funding restrictions PIN is no longer operated as a computerized data base. This publication makes the PIN data available to resource managers, planners, and others who have a continuing need for this information.

Approximately 500 descriptors were included in the data base for each species. These …

Banding And Marking Methods In Studying Seasonal Movements Of The Sharp-Tailed Grouse In Morton County, North Dakota, Albert T. Klett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Great Plains variety of the sharp-tailed grouse Pediocetes phasianellus jamesi Lincoln was the predominant upland game bird during the exploratory and early settlement period in North Dakota (Coues 1874 and 1878, Larson 1928, and Williams 1926). Since then its status has diminished as the prairie grassland gradually was converted to intensively used pastures and cropland. Although the sharptail is still abundant enough in its remaining habitat to provide for liberal annual harvests, further demand on these lands by a growing human population will make it necessary to apply game management measures other than hunting regulations if the sharptail is …