Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Effect Of Grazing Prairie Dog—Colonized Rangeland On Cattle Nutrition And Performance: A Progress Report, Kenneth C. Olson, Christopher Schauer, Chanda Engel, Janna J. Kincheloe, Jameson R. Brennan, Ben L. Hauptman

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

On the Ground

• One objective of the ongoing Renewal on Standing Rock Reservation project is to evaluate the response of grazing steers to the level of prairie dog colonization on Northern Mixed Grass Prairie.
• We fenced four pastures to create an increasing gradient of a proportion of the pasture area colonized by prairie dogs. Pastures are stocked with yearling steers during each growing season.
• Comparing steer performance, Global Positioning System (GPS) locations of grazing, diet samples, and ingestive behavior at each proportion of the prairie dog colony per pasture allows prediction of the optimal proportion of colonization, which enables selection …

Model Estimation Of Land-Use Effects On Water Levels Of Northern Prairie Wetlands, Richard A. Voldseth, W.Carter Johnson, Tagir Gilmanov, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Bruce V. Millett

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region exist in a matrix of grassland dominated by intensive pastoral and cultivation agriculture. Recent conservation management has emphasized the conversion of cultivated farmland and degraded pastures to intact grassland to improve upland nesting habitat. The consequences of changes in land-use cover that alter watershed processes have not been evaluated relative to their effect on the water budgets and vegetation dynamics of associated wetlands. We simulated the effect of upland agricultural practices on the water budget and vegetation of a semipermanent prairie wetland by modifying a previously published mathematical model (WETSIM). Watershed cover/landuse practices were …

Passerine Use Of Grasslands Managed With Two Grazing Regimes On The Missouri Coteau In North Dakota, Natoma A. Schneider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several rotational grazing systems have been implemented on the Missouri Coteau in central and northcentral North Dakota as part of the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PP N). The impacts these systems have on grassland passerines are not fully understood. Objectives for this study include determining relative abundance, species composition and reproductive success of passerines as well as vegetation characteristics for rotational and traditional season-long grazing regimes. Passerine relative abundance and species richness were determined on rotational grazing systems during 1995-1997 and on season-long grazed pastures during 1996-1997 using 122 fixed, 100 m radius, point counts. Relative abundance was assessed by …