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Table Of Contents

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Preface

Prairie Flora and Floristic Studies

Prairie Wildlife and Animal Studies

Conservation and Preservation

Restoration and Management

Closing Plenary

Abstracts for Other Oral Presentations

Abstracts for Poster Presentations

Underwriter

Sponsors

Conference Field Trip Leaders

Volunteers

Performers/Artists

Plenary Speakers

Artists and Designers

Manuscript Reviewers

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Zimmermann) Browsing Effects On Quality Of Tallgrass Prairie Community Forbs, Roger C. Anderson, Debra Nelson, M. Rebecca Anderson, Marcia A. Rickey

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

We examined the effect of white~tailed deer (Odocoiieus virginianus Zimmermann) browsing on community quality of tallgrass prairie forbs at a site in northeastern Illinois over a period of ten years (1992- 2001). Deer densities in the study area varied from 32- 50 km^-2 (83- 130 deer mi^-2) between 1992 and 1997 and declined to 7- 9 km^-2 (18- 23 mi^-2) following initiation of hunting. In a plot protected from deer browsing, abundances of browse-sensitive species increased and unpreferred and browse~tolerant species decreased. Community quality of forbs measured with a new index, Weighted Mean …

Grassland Bird Use Of Crp Fields That Differ By Age-Class And Cover Type, Kristel K. Bakker, Sarah L. Eggebo, Kenneth F. Higgins, David E. Naugle

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

During the past 50 years increasing agricultural practices have transformed native habitats into row~crop fields, making the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grass lands important habitat for wildlife populations. Limited information exists on how nongame grassland bird species relate to different stand ages and cover types of Conservation Reserve Program. Conservation Reserve Program grassland study sites (n = 42) were stratified by stand age (old [10-13 years] and new [0-3 years] grasslands), and cover types (CPI-cool-season grasslands and CPZ-warm-season grasslands) in eastern South Dakota. Field age rather than cover type was more predictive of grassland bird occurrence and density. Sedge wrens …

Beyond Ecology: Bugs Reveal The Deep Roots Of Grassland Ecoregions, K. G.A. Hamilton

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Northern grassland faunas that were most affected by glaciation, induced climate shifts include more than 225 endemic phytophagous bugs (leafhoppers and related insects, the Homoptera,Auchenorrhyncha) on Canadian plains, and another 275 in Pacific Northwest intermontane grasslands. These exceptionally rich endemic faunas include many insect,plant associations common to related species of bugs, suggesting adaptation to certain environmental factors that persisted over millions of years despite radical environmental changes induced by glacial advances and retreats. Smaller, but significant, endemic faunas of Homoptera,Auchenorrhyncha in other glaciated areas also reveal patterns of ancient ecological areas. Groups of these grassland,endemic bugs are common to grassland …

Large-Scale Restoration Of The Rice Lake Plains: A Landscape Conservation Approach, Todd Farrell, John L. Riley, Lisa M. Mclaughlin

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

In Ontario, it is estimated the tallgrass prairie and savanna once covered 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres), of which approximately 3% (2,100 ha, 5,189 acres) remains today. Based on historical land surveys and from early botanical accounts, the easternmost extent of these unique habitats was along the eastern flank of the Oak Ridges Moraine in an area known as the Rice Lake Plains. This area covered an estimated 15,384 to 30,300 hectares (38,000- 74,131 acres) (Carling and others 1992). The Rice Lake Plains harboured numerous savanna indicator species such as the extirpated Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). In …

Prairie Fen Preserved In An Urban Environment, Tyler Bassett

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Prairie fens are a rare, fire-dependent wetland type found only in the glaciated Midwest in ice-contact topography along streams or lake boundaries that historically occurred adjacent to prairies and savannas. Due to a strong dependence on cool, alkaline groundwater seepage, they are extremely sensitive to hydrological alterations that result from urban development. While prairie fens are common in glacial interlobate regions, it was still surprising to discover one while conducting a botanical inventory in 2001 in an urban development in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 295-acre planned unit development (PUD), known as Parkview Hills, is bordered by medium-density residential neighborhoods, a major …

Ecological Restoration As A Strategic Framework For Invasive Species Management Planning: The University Of Wisconsin Experience, Steve Glass

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The UW-Madison Arboretum uses an evolving, strategic approach to invasive species management that aims to develop comprehensive, integrated protocols for removing pest plants and subsequently replacing them with appropriate native species. We seek to provide managers with the decision,making tools to develop appropriate tactics to encourage native plants and discourage pest plants. This approach relies upon: 1) a rigorous invasive species risk assessment that yields an action priority ranking matrix; and 2) invasive species management conducted within an ecological restoration framework; and 3) incorporation of research findings into management actions in an adaptive management feedback loop. I use Phalaris arundinacea …

Contour Strips For Prairie Invasion On A Topsoil-Depleted Hilltop At Retzer Nature Center, J. A. Schwarzmeier

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

In 1981, 20% of a 3.3-acre (1.3-ha) portion of an eroded Hochheim loam on the Retzer "Vista" hilltop, in southeastern Wisconsin, was planted in 12-ft (3.7-m) wide "source strips" so that intervening 48-ft (15-m) wide "invasion strips" resulted. A dry-mesic prairie seed mix was used in the two highest elevation source strips and a mesic prairie seed mix was used in three source strips on the lower, side-sloped portion of the hilltop. While the fanning-era loss of essentially all of the original topsoil made the site "drier," the associated bringing up of more and more of the subsoil, with time, …

Temporal Effects Of Grazing Regimes On Non-Game Birds In North Dakota Grasslands, Eric D. Salo, Kenneth F. Higgins, William T. Barker, Kristel K. Bakker, Kent C. Jensen

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Grazing occurred naturally in the northern Great Plains and influenced many natural processes in grassland ecosystems, including the habitat selection of breeding birds. Grazing, mainly for livestock production, is still an important land use practice and is one that impacts millions of hectares on both public and private land in the United States. To better understand how long-term grazing treatments affect non-game breeding birds, a study was conducted at the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (CGREC) in south-central North Dakota during 2001 and 2002 and results were compared to two earlier studies, one in native prairie and the other in …

Preface

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Aldo Leopold, who spent much of his adult life in Wisconsin, observed the prairie's loss in A Sand County Almanac as he passed by a lone Silphium growing in a Sauk County cemetery: "What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered and perhaps not even asked."

Wisconsin has a strong environmental legacy. The writings and conservation efforts of individuals, such as John Muir and Aldo Leopold, have deep Wisconsin connections. Prairie studies and restoration experiments, begun by botanists John Curtis and Henry Greene in …

A Floristic Quality Assessment System For The Coastal Prairie Of Louisiana, Larry Allain, Latimore Smith, Charles Allen, Malcolm F. Vidrine, James B. Grace

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Evaluation systems to assess the biotic integrity of plant communities exist for some ecosystems, but not the increasingly rare coastal prairies of Louisiana. A list of plant species occurring in Louisiana's coastal prairie was created and coefficients of conservatism (C) were assigned for each species. A Floristic Quality Index (FQI), which is calculated using the C values provided by a panel of experts, can be used to evaluate prairie remnants and restorations. We assigned C values from 0-10 based on their estimated degree of association with prairies of various levels of natural quality and their tolerance of disturbance. Those species …

Flora Of The Anacoco Prairie On Fort Polk, Louisiana, Charles Allen, Sara Thames, Linda Chance, Charles Stagg

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The two major types of prairie in Louisiana are Cajun Prairie-a coastal prairie type located in southwest Louisianaand the calcareous prairies that are scattered across central and north Louisiana. Fort Polk, located in west central Louisiana, is predominately longleaf pine forest, but also includes calcareous prairies. A floristic survey of the Anacoco Prairie on Fort Polk has been ongoing since 1991. Herbaceous species dominant in the small prairie openings, which are surrounded by strips of calcareous forests. A total of 177 species of vascular plants have been identified from the Anacoco Prairie. The top two families are Poaceae and Asteraceae …

The Seed Bank Of A Reconstructed Prairie, Thomas R. Rosburg, Meredith Owens

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Seed banks, the reserve of viable seeds dormant in the soil, function in several important roles in the population and community dynamics of plant communities. Identification of the seed bank can furnish information on the vegetation history of a habitat, predict the future composition of the plant community, and provide insight on the seed viability and biology of plant species. Although seed banks of prairie ecosystems have been well studied, very little information exists on seed banks of reconstructed prairie. Identification of seed bank populations of reconstructed prairie provides a means to evaluate the success of restorations and establishes baseline …

Impacts Of Agricultural Tillage On Grassland Birds In Western South Dakota, Julie R. Dejong, David E. Naugle, Kristel K. Bakker, Frank R. Quamen, Kenneth F. Higgins

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Xeric, mixed-grass landscapes are changing rapidly as native grasslands are converted to cropland. We surveyed birds to compare their use of grassland and cropland habitats and to evaluate whether their abundances were related to grassland fragment size. Surveys were conducted in western South Dakota at 146 sites that were stratified by habitat type, landscape composition and fragment size. The abundances of 13 of 14 species were 1.2-140 times higher in grass- lands than in cropland. Greater prairie-chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, burrowing owl, Baird's sparrow, northern harrier, and short-eared owl never occurred in cropland. Abundances of grasshopper sparrow, western meadowlark and chestnut-collared …

Ant-Mound Effects On Two Adjacent Prairies: Virgin And Plowed, Johanna Foster

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Mound-building Formica ants may be important biotic factors within prairie restorations because mounds found in virgin prairies can exist for decades, with densities up to 1,148 mounds/ha (465 mounds/acre). Research on the effects of Formica ant mounds on a virgin and an adjacent restored prairie (treatments) was established in 2003 near Olathe, Kansas; and it was expected that percent soil moisture, soil bulk density, plant species' distributions, and percent plant cover would be significantly affected. Data were collected from active mounds (28 in virgin prairie, 21 in restored prairie), and from paired off-mound sites 1 m (3 .3 ft) north …

Influence Of Matrix Elements On Prairie-Inhabiting Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae, And Scarabaeidae In The Palouse, Timothy D. Hatten, Sandford D. Eigenbrode, Nilsa A. Bosque-Pérez, Sarah Gebbie, Frank Merickel, Chris Looney

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

It is well established that the invertebrate community in cropland under conservation-tillage (consT) is often enriched relative to the community under conventional-tillage (CT) systems. The question posed in this research is whether consT contributes to the maintenance of regional biodiversity and to the conservation of prairie-inhabiting species in agriculturally dominated landscapes that contain prairie remnants. During 2002, we sampled the grounddwelling beetle fauna of remnant Palouse prairie and surrounding cropland (under CT and consT) in the Palouse region of northwestern Idaho and southeastern Washington. Biological diversity of the representative taxa-Curculionidae (weevils), Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles) and Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles)-is significantly higher …

Adapting A Floral Biogeography Model To Prairie-Dependent Lepidoptera, Eric H. Metzler, John A. Shuey, Leslie A. Ferge, Richard A, Henderson, Paul Z. Goldstein

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Analysis of data collected for a study of prairie dependent Lepidoptera in the northern tallgrass prairies showed four distributional patterns. A logical distributional pattern links species' distribution, i.e. Catocala abbreviatella, to larval host plants. Absence of larval host plant data, which is the case for most species of moths, requires inference based on habitat data of known specimens, i.e. Tarachidia binocula, or in the case of infrequently encountered species, i.e. Crambus murellus, capture data for a limited number of specimens. A fourth distributional pattern, i. e. Atrytone arogos, can be explained by hypotheses which explain the …

Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) In The Cajun Prairie Ecosystem In Southwestern Louisiana, Malcom F. Vidrine, Gail J. Quillman-Vidrine, Malcolm F. Vidrine Ii, Daniel J. Vidrine, Caroline E. Vidrine

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) once cobbled the stream bottoms in the Cajun Prairie ecosystem in south-western Louisiana. The development of canal systems for aboveground irrigation of rice fields during the last century provided additional habitat-often the canals were likewise cobbled with mussels that formed diverse communities. This paper introduces the 31 known species, their general ecology and their distributions. These mussels develop a 'reef'-like benthic community that is home to a variety of plants and animals as parasites and haptobenthos. Freshwater mussels are on the decline numerically as well as in diversity as a result of human activity, namely loss …

Protecting Pioneer Cemetery Prairies: Balancing The Need To Preserve Cultural And Natural Heritage Values, Angella K. Moorehouse, Harold Hassen

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The protection and management of pioneer cemetery prairies is a daunting challenge. As the public has become accustomed to highly manicured grass in their backyard lawns, neighborhood parks and cemeteries, prairie cemeteries, with grasses three- to six-feet tall, are often thought to be abandoned or unkept even though the cemeteries retain their original vegetation. Caring for prairie plants, protecting cemetery stones, and providing public access need not be goals that stand in conflict. Working in conjunction, cemetery advocates, archaeologists, and plant biologists can reach satisfactory accommodations. This paper gives an overview of the protection status of pioneer cemetery prairies and …

Will Tillage And Plant Growth Regulator Pretreatments Enhance Herbicide Effects On Reed Canarygrass?, Craig A. Annen

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a dominant perennial grass species in many sedge meadows and wet prairies. Efforts to control and eradicate this species with herbicides have had limited short-term success. A system of correlative inhibition (apical dominance) may operate in reed canarygrass rhizomes, resulting in a persistent rhizome bud bank that must be depleted in order to restore function and diversity to reed canarygrass stands. Pretreatments that overcome correlative inhibition may predispose reed canarygrass rhizomes to more effective herbicidal control. I conducted a feasibility study to test the efficacy of pretreatment tillage and plant growth regulator (PGR) …

Oak Savanna Restoration: A Case Study, Thomas D. Brock, Katherine M. Brock

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

A degraded oak savanna in southwestern Wisconsin is being restored using intensive cutting of undesirable shrubs- buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)-and selective removal of trees that are crowding the open-grown bur (Quercus macrocarpa) and white (Q. alba) oaks. Land use records and historic aerial photographs have been used to guide the restoration process. Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), black walnut (Juglans nigra), black cherry (Prunus serotina), and black oak (Q. velutina) are being removed by cutting and burning or …

Ecological Restoration-Based Education Transforms Schoolgrounds And Education, Libby Mccann, Todd Miller

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The University of Wisconsin- Madison Arboretum, home to the world's first prairie restoration, has a threefold mission to conserve and restore Arboretum lands, advance the science of restoration ecology, and foster the Land Ethic. Since 1991 , teams of teachers from more than 150 schools in Wisconsin have learned to incorporate ecological restoration into the curriculum through the Earth Partnership for Schools Program. This multi-disciplinary teacher professional development program emphasizes inquiry-based learning and multiple intelligences in a hands-on, collaborative setting. The majority of schools have focused their efforts on prairies. Recreating or restoring an ecological community on school grounds provides …

Grazing Intensity Effects On Vegetation, Livestock And Non-Game Birds In North Dakota Mixed-Grass Prairie, Eric D. Salo, Kenneth F. Higgins, Bob D. Patton, Kristel K. Bakker, William T. Barker, Brian Kreft, Paul E. Nyren

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

We conducted studies in native prairie mixed-grass pastures in south~central North Dakota (U.S.A.) during 1989- 2003 to determine how different grazing intensities affected structural characteristics of vegetation, livestock production and the occurrence and density of grassland birds. Generally, as grazing treatment intensity increased from light to extreme, mean vegetation structural values decreased for visual obstruction readings, tallest plants of grasses, forbs, and shrubs, and litter depth. Nineteen species of non-game birds were detected during 2001 and 2002. Overall breeding bird densities were negatively affected by increasing levels of grazing intensity in mixed-grass prairie. Claycolored sparrows (Spizella pallida), grasshopper …

Dwelling On Common Ground: Scientific And Family Narratives Of Change In Natural Landscapes, Damian Craniak Ph.D.

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Can mapping past and current changes in prairie landscapes in relation to historical shifts in human culture suggest promising directions for efforts to restore the health of grasslands and other natural communities? During the last 20,000 years the Land shifted and altered; during the past 10,000 years Life moved and migrated; and during the past 5,000 years natural and human Law has been turned and twisted to produce changes unanticipated in the history of the world. In the past 500 years these changes have quickened as we have changed ourselves from foragers into fur traders, and then into farmers, foresters, …

Abstracts For Other Oral Presentations

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Abstracts for Other Oral Presentations pp.1-26

The Prairie-Wetland Vegetation Continuum In The Chicago Region Of Northeastern Illinois, Martin Bowles, Michael Jones

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

We conducted a floristic ordination and gradient analys is of plant communities extending from prairie through graminoid-dominated wetlands in the Chicago region of northeastern Illinois. Data represented about 450 species from 103 stands sampled across a gradient of six soil moisture classes ranging from dry to hydric, and included sand, gravel, dolomite and loam prairies, as well as fen, sedge meadow, floating mat, marsh, and bog. As found in other midwestern grassland studies, vegetation aligned most strongly along a soil moisture gradient, with individualistic species distributions forming a hierarchical continuum, and lower species richness at the dry and wet extremes …

A Comparison Of Illinois Remnant Prairies, 1976 To 1988, Erica A. Corbett

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

At one time, 60% of Illinois' land area was covered with prairie, but 99% of that prairie has been lost. Currently, 2,300 acres (about 930 hectares) of remnant prairie is protected in the Illinois Nature Preserves System. Many of these sites were surveyed in the mid-1970s as part of the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (lNA!). 1 analyzed vegetation data as relative frequency of herbaceous species. Data were analyzed using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) to determine environmental influences on species composition. I also resampled 29 of the original sites in summer 1998. In addition to collecting data on relative frequency of …

Response Of Grassland Birds To Fire On A Wisconsin Sand Prairie Over An 18-Year Period, Greg Geller, David Sample, Rich Henderson

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The relative abundance of grassland birds was estimated on an 81-ha (200-acre) dry to dry-mesic sand prairie in south, west Wisconsin over an 18-year period (1987-2004). Birds were surveyed three times during the breeding season on seven, 2-ha (5-acre) strip transects in six different burn units. We compared results to time since fire and other habitat features. The average rotation of prescribed fires in the burn units ranged from three to six years. Seven species were selected for detailed analysis. These were grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum),-18-year average of 1.33 birds per ha, field sparrows (Spizella pusilla) …

Could The Area-Sensitivity Of Some Grassland Birds Be Affected By Landscape Composition?, David Joseph Horn, Rolf R. Koford

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Several grassland bird species have been shown to be area sensitive. This area sensitivity occurs when a species' frequency of occurrence, or relative abundance, tends to be lower in smaller fields. The detection of area sensitivity, however, is not consistent among studies because a species may exhibit area sensitivity in one study, but not in another. We tested the hypothesis that a species' area sensitivity varies depending on the amount of grassland in the landscape. The study took place in central North Dakota during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons on 46 fields enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). …

Potential Habitat Factors Influencing Carrion Beetles Communities Of Palouse Prairie Remnants, Chris Looney, Benjamin T. Caldwell, Timothy D. Hatten, Christopher Lorion, Sanford D. Eigenbrode

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The bunchgrass prairies of the Palouse region in eastern Washington state and adjacent Idaho were almost completely converted to agriculture in the past century. Today, prairie habitat exists only on small remnants scattered across the landscape. The invertebrate fauna of these habitat remnants is poorly known, both in terms of species diversity and community composition. Pitfall traps baited with carrion were used to sample carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) during June and July of 2003. Prairie remnants were selected based on size to test whether habitat area influenced the diversity of this important insect community. Three size classes were identified; greater …