Life Sciences Commons^™

Attributes Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colonies In Northcentral Montana, Richard Reading, Randy Matchett

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We examined several characteristics of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in Phillips County, Montana, including slope, aspect, soils, land tenure, and distance from roads using a geographic information system (GIs). Colonies exhibited significantly smaller slopes, but not significantly different aspects than did randomly located polygons. In addition, colonies were more prevalent than expected on well drained clay-loam and loam soils and on U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land than on other soil types or on private land. Although prairie dogs commonly use roads for dispersal, distance to nearest road was not related to prairie dog density …

Native Habitats Of The Twin Cities Area, Craig A. Faanes

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

European settlers and their descendants have left an indelible mark on the landscape of most of the Nation, especially near major population centers. Responding to the dramatic changes in landscape, conservation biologists find themselves scurrying to save a bit of the once bountiful diversity. But before steps can be taken to protect remaining resources, a thorough inventory of the land and its resources is required.

1997 North American Conference On The Monarch Butterfly

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The Monarch Butterfly has attracted much interest because it is unique not only among insects, but among all living things. The largest Monarch population emerges in the central and northeastern United States and Canada and flutters its way south several thousand kilometers to remote fir forests in the central mountains of Mexico. There they overwinter in about twenty compact colonies—sometimes numbering in the tens of millions—often within a stone’s throw of local subsistence farms sustaining Mexican campesinos (small-scale farmers) and indigenous peoples. In the spring, the northward trek begins, often with an additional generation being required to reach the northern …

Environmental Contaminants In The Aquatic Bird Food Chain Of An Oil Refinery Wastewater Pond, Pedro Ramirez Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Bird mortalities have been documented in oilfield waste pits in Wyoming and various other oil-producing states in the western United States. In the semi-arid West, migratory birds mistake wastewater ponds or pits for wetlands. Most refineries use large ponds to contain their wastewater. One refinery in Casper, Wyoming actively discharged refinery wastewater into a closed basin, Soda Lake. This created a wetland that attracts numerous aquatic birds, in particular, nesting colonies of gulls (Larus spp.), terns (Sterna spp.), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), dabbler ducks (Anas spp.) and American avocets ( …

Nesting Piping Plover And Least Tern On The Kansas River, William H. Busby, Daniel W. Mulhern, P. Gregory Kramos, David A. Rintoul, William C. Tuttle

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

A portion of the Kansas River in northeastern Kansas was surveyed by boat and air in 1996 and 1997 for nesting colonies of piping plover (Charadrius melodus) and least tern (Sterna antillarum). Both species were found breeding on sandbars at a total of five sites along a 30-km reach of the Kansas River. In 1996, at least two breeding pair of piping plovers and seven breeding pair of least terns were documented. In 1997, at least one pair of piping plovers and five pairs of least terns bred. These are the first known breeding records for …

Follow-Up Investigation Of Selenium And Other Trace Elements In Biota From The Riverton Reclamation Project, Fremont County, Wyoming, Pedro Ramirez Jr., Kim Dickerson

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

A reconnaissance study was completed for the Riverton Reclamation Project (Riverton Project) in 1989 by Peterson et al. (1991) showed slightly elevated selenium concentrations in biota at several wetland sites. A follow-up investigation was initiated for the Department of Interior's National Irrigation Water Quality Program in 1994 to verify that selenium concentrations in biota were elevated above levels that cause adverse effects to aquatic migratory birds. Pondweed (Potamogeton vaginatus), aquatic invertebrates, bird eggs, and fish were collected from several wetlands managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and analyzed for selenium and other trace elements. Selenium concentrations …

Wildlife Biologue: American Buffalo (Bison Bison)

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

It is believed that buffalo, or bison, crossed over a land bridge that once connected the Asian and North American continents. Through the centuries buffalo slowly moved southward, eventually reaching as far south as Mexico and as far east as the Atlantic Coast, extending south to Florida. But the largest herds were found on the plains and prairies from the Rocky Mountains east to the Mississippi River, and from Great Slave Lake in Canada to Texas.

Because the great herds were nearly gone before any organized attempts were made to survey populations, we may never know just how many buffalo …

An Investigation Of Irrigation-Related Contaminants In Water, Bottom Sediment, And Biota From Goshen County, Wyoming., Kimberly Dickerson, Pedro Ramirez Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of trace element concentrations in water, sediment, aquatic vegetation, aquatic invertebrates, waterbird eggs, and fish resulting from irrigation drainwater during 1995 in Goshen County, Wyoming. We also analyzed waterbird eggs and fish from this area for organochlorine residues and attempted to determine the nesting success of various waterbirds.

Boron concentrations were elevated (>300 ug/g dry weight) in aquatic vegetation above concentrations shown to adversely affect sensitive waterfowl; however, these concentrations are similar to those found in aquatic vegetation sampled in other areas throughout Wyoming. Mercury concentrations in aquatic vegetation, aquatic invertebrates, and fish were …

Neotropical Migratory Birds, Stephanie L. Jones

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This book is a follow-up synthesis to a meeting held in Estes Park, Colorado, in 1992, by Partners in Flight - Aves de Americas. An earlier volume, edited by Finch and P. W. Stangel (USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-229, 1993) included most of the papers presented at that meeting. This book is a carefully edited synthesis of some of the issues that arose from an increased interest in neotropical migratory birds. As …

Arsenic, Mercury, Selenium, And Organochlorine Compounds In Interior Least Tern Eggs In The Northern Great Plains States, 1992-1994, George T. Allen, Susan Humphreys Blackford

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The purpose of this study was to evaluate concentrations of arsenic, mercury, selenium, and chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds in interior least tern eggs from the northern Great Plains states from 1992 through 1994. The Environmental Contaminants Specialists in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana agreed on a standard protocol for collection and analyses of eggs during the study period.

Addled, fiooded, or abandoned eggs collected during the study period were submitted for chemical analysis by the Environmental Contaminants Specialist in each state.

A total of 104 eggs were analyzed for arsenic, mercury, and selenium; 78 of them also were …