Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Habitat Characteristics Of Spring Blackbird Roosts In East-Central South Dakota, H. Jeffrey Homan, Richard S. Sawin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

The Prairie Naturalist

In the northern Great Plains, blackbirds (Icteridae) roost almost exclusively in emergent-dominated wetlands. The physical characteristics of wetland roosts are not well understood. From March 20 to April 20, 1999, we studied 16 wetlands used as blackbird roosts in east-central South Dakota. Six wetlands had major roosts (range: 102,000-298,000 blackbirds); whereas, 10 wetlands had minor roosts (range: 2,010-34,000 blackbirds). Maximum roost size was correlated directly with emergent vegetation area (P = 0.05) and possibly with wetland basin area (P ≤ 0.10). Water depths were greater at used sites within wetlands of major roosts (median = 44 cm) than …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 3, September 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The Prairie Naturalist (September 2006) 38(3)

Editor: Elmer J. Finck

Assistant editor: Hilary Gillock

Great Plains Natural Science Society

Artificial Burrows and the Deer Mouse: Do Number of Entrances Influence Use? GLENNIS A. KAUFMAN1 and DONALD W. KAUFMAN, pages 145-154

Evaluating Genetic Viability of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park JONATHAN A. JENKSi , CHRISTOPHER N. JACQUES, JARET D. SIEVERS, ROBERT W. KLAVER, R. TERRY BOWYER, and DANIEL E. RODDY, pages 155-165

Age Structure and Reproductive Activity of the Blue Sucker in the Milk River, Missouri River Drainage, Montana JULIE BEDNARSKl1 and DENNIS L. SCARNECCHIA, pages 167-182

Habitat Characteristics of …

Reviews: Natural History Of Javelinas; And Three Dvds On Bats, Louis A. Harveson, Jean Legge

The Prairie Naturalist

Reviews of Javelinas: Collared Peccaries of the Southwest (2006) by Jane Manaster, Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, Texas, 85 pages (review by Louis A. Harveson) and of The Secret World of Bats (DVD), Building Homes for Bats (DVD), and Kids Discover Bats (DVD) (2005) published by Bat Conservation International (review by Jean Legge).

Blanding’S Turtle (Emydoidea Blandingii): A Technical Conservation Assessment, Justin D. Congdon, Douglas A. Keinath

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) are secure in Nebraska, and they range from being vulnerable to threatened, or endangered throughout most of the rest of their distribution. In Region 2, they have not been reported from Kansas, they are extremely rare in South Dakota, and they occupy wetlands in the northern half of Nebraska. The largest population known within the range of Blanding’s turtles is at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska.

The core habitat of Blanding’s turtles has an aquatic component that consists of a permanent wetland and a suite of other, usually smaller and more temporary, wetlands such …

Slides: Climate Change & The Ecological Resources Of The West, Chris Field

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Chris Field, Director, Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC.

39 slides.

Contains references.

Agenda: Climate Change And The Future Of The American West: Exploring The Legal And Policy Dimensions, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Sponsors: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; BP America; Holland & Hart; Patrick, Miller & Krope, P.C.; The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Western Water Assessment.

Exploring the legal and political dimensions that climate change will bring to the American West will be the focus of the CU-Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's 27th Annual Summer Conference.

Titled "Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions," the conference will be held June 7-9 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at …

The Earth, Energy, And Agriculture, Tad W. Patzek

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Tad W. Patzek, Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

13 pages (includes some color illustrations).

Contains references.

Book Reviews: Raptors In Your Pocket: A Guide To Great Plains Birds Of Prey; Dakota Flora: A Seasonal Sampler; The National Grasslands, Paul M. Konrad, Bonnie Heidel, F. L. Knopf

The Prairie Naturalist

Reviews of:

Raptors in Your Pocket: A Guide to Great Plains Birds of Prey, Dana Gardner, 2006, University of Iowa Press, 16 pages (laminated).

Dakota Flora: A Seasonal Sampler, David J. Ode, 2006, South Dakota State Historical Society Press, Pierre, South Dakota, 260 pages.

The National Grasslands, Francis Moul, 2006, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 153 pages.

Population Biology Of Pumpkinseed In Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota, Eric J. Weimer, Michael L. Brown

The Prairie Naturalist

Little information is available regarding the biology and population characteristics of pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), especially in South Dakota, a state at the western edge of the species native range. South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks summer trap net survey data, collected 1998 to 2003, suggests the Enemy Swim Lake population has low abundance (0.4-2.9 per trap net night) and moderately high size structure (proportional stock density [PSD] ranges between 71 and 91). To further examine the biological characteristics of the Enemy Swim Lake population, pumpkinseed was collected from Indian Bay with trap nets during May 2003. …

Reproductive Development In The Sicklefin Chub In The Missouri And Lower Yellowstone Rivers, Douglas J. Dieterman, Eric Roberts, Patrick J. Braaten, David L. Galat

The Prairie Naturalist

We describe aspects of sicklefin chub (Macrhybopsis meeki) reproductive development from three study areas encompassing greater than 2,700 km of the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone rivers. The sicklefin chub was collected between late July and early October in 1996 and 1997. A total of 193 sicklefin chub was collected and examined for reproductive characteristics. Twenty-nine sicklefin chub were found to be reproductively mature females. Some sicklefin chub matured at age 2, but most matured at age 3 and all matured by age 4. Females first became mature at 70 to 79 mm total length (TL) in the Upper …

First Record Of Hairy Woodrush From South Dakota, Katherine A. Zacharkevics

The Prairie Naturalist

Hairy woodrush (Luzula acuminata (Juncaceae)), a native perennial graminoid, has recently been recorded for the first time from South Dakota.

Feeding Habitats Of Spring-Migrating Blackbirds In East-Central South Dakota, Richard S. Sawin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier, H. Jeffrey Homan

The Prairie Naturalist

Between March 27 and April 21, 1998, we monitored blackbird (Icteridae) activity and habitat selection at a migratory staging area in east-central South Dakota. We used fixed-area observation points located within 20 l-km² circular plots centered on four wetland basins that were used as night roosts. Each roost was surveyed four times, with the surveys spread evenly throughout the blackbird migration. We recorded the number of blackbird flocks, flock size and composition, habitat used, and behavior (e.g., loafing and feeding). Fifty percent (n = 242) of the 482 flocks recorded in the quadrats was observed loafing in trees …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 2, June 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The Prairie Naturalist (June 2006) Volume 38, Issue 2, full issue.

Feeding Habitats of Spring-Migrating Blackbirds in East-central South Dakota, by Richard S. Sawin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier, and H. Jeffrey Homan, pages 73-84.

Brood Break-up and Juvenile Dispersal of Lesser Prairie-chicken in Kansas, by James C. Pitman , Brent E. Jamison, Christian A. Hagen, Robert J. Robel, and Roger D. Applegate, pages 74-99.

Population Biology of Pumpkinseed in Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota, by Eric J. Weimer and Michael L. Brown, pages 101-111.

Reproductive Development in the Sicklefin Chub in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, by …

Identifying Superior Hybrid Hazelnut Plants In Southeast Nebraska, Elizabeth A. Hammond

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The goal of this observational study is to identify productive hybrid hazelnut plants suitable for commercial production. The objectives of this studywere to 1) examine a plantation of hybrid hazelnut plants grown in Southeast Nebraska for the presence of eastern filbert blight (EFB); 2) identify high yielding hybrid hazelnut plants; and 3) characterize plant and nut features of selected high yielding plants.

Data were collected from a 3.64 hectare (9 acre) planting of 5,200 hybrid hazelnut plant located at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska. Plants were grown on 1.5 m x 4.6 m (5 foot x …

The Fate And Transport Of Nitrogen (N) And The Effect Of Emergent Plants On Natural Treatment Of N-Species At Las Vegas Wash, Nevada, Tanju Kiriscioglu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of emergent plant communities at Las Vegas Wash (the System) using a system dynamics modeling approach. Understanding the dynamics of nitrogen (N —major polluting nutrient in the Wash) that enters the System is important because it occasionally causes algal blooms, choking Lake Mead through excessive eutrophication. Emergent plant communities are an integral part of wetland ecosystems and they play a crucial role in natural treatment of nutrients. This study is intended to test this hypothesis.

The study makes use of Wash data from reliable sources (Las Vegas Valley Water District, …

Invasive Species Definition Clarification And Guidance, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Summary

Invasive species are those that are not native to the ecosystem under consideration and that cause or are likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health. Plant and animal species under domestication or cultivation and under human control are not invasive species. Furthermore for policy purposes, to be considered invasive, the negative impacts caused by a non-native species will be deemed to outweigh the beneficial effects it provides. Finally, a non-native species might be considered invasive in one region but not in another. Whether or not a species is considered an invasive …

First Record Of The Spurge Hawkmoth As A Pollen Vector For The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid [Notes], Carla R. Jordan, Gerald M. Fauske, Mrion O. Harris, Darla Lenz

The Prairie Naturalist

Identification of pollen vectors is one step in refining management plans for a threatened plant such as the western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara Sheviak and Bowles). Pollen vector bionomics, phenology, and ethology must be understood to assess this moth and other potential pollinators relative to orchid reproductive success. Also, the ability of spurge hawkmoth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), a recently introduced species, to act as a pollen vector for an obligate prairie plant, the western prairie fringed orchid, in theoretical terms, provides evidence which contradicts long held tenets of one-to-one correspondence between orchids and their pollinators. Further research might shed …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 1, March 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Fire History, Passerine Abundance, and Habitat on a North Dakota Drift Plain Prairie by Timothy J. Ludwick and Robert T. Murphy, pages 1-11

Bats in a Human-made Forest of Central Nebraska by Keith Geluso, pages 13-23

Effects of Predator Removal on Upland Nesting Ducks in North Dakota Grassland Fragments by Kristen D. Chodachek and Michael J. Chamberlain, pages 25-37

Estimates of Breeding Bird Populations in the Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota by Mary Ann Cunningham, Douglas H. Johnson, and Daniel N. Svingen, pages 39-56

Notes: First Record of the Spurge Hawkmoth as a Pollen Vector for the western Prairie Fringed …

Fire History, Passerine Abundance, And Habitat On A North Dakota Drift Plain Prairie, Timothy J. Ludwick, Robert K. Murphy

The Prairie Naturalist

Prescribed fire is among key tools for restoring and managing prairies in the northern Great Plains, yet there are no published reports of its impacts on grassland passerine birds on native prairie in the Drift Plain, a major physiographic subregion. We examined relationships between prescribed fire history and abundance and habitat of breeding passerines in Drift Plain prairie at Des Lacs National Wildlife National Refuge in northwestern North Dakota. In 2003, we used point counts (n = 79 75 m radius plots) to survey bird abundance on 16 management units that had been prescribe-burned one to three times each …

Suggestions For Contributors And Editorial Policy (The Prairie Naturalist), Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Suggestions for contributors and editorial policy for The Prairie Naturalist from March 2006, Volume 38, Issue 1.

Estimates Of Breeding Bird Populations In The Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota, Mary Ann Cunningham, Douglas Johnson, Daniel N. Svingen

The Prairie Naturalist

We conducted a two-year survey of breeding birds in the Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota, to estimate total populations of breeding birds. The Grassland is of interest because it provides wildlife habitat and recreational birding opportunities. Indicated breeding pairs were counted on 100-m wide belt transects during morning surveys from late May to early July in 2002 and 2003. We surveyed approximately 6 to 7% of the Grassland each year. The most abundant species in both years were grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), claycolored sparrow (Spizella pallida), Savannah sparrow (Passerculus …

Effects Of Predator Removal On Upland Nesting Ducks In North Dakota Grassland Fragments, Kristen D. Chodachek, Michael J. Chamberlain

The Prairie Naturalist

Low nest success rates in the Prairie Pothole Region are attributed mainly to changes in the predator community coupled with reductions in availability of suitable nesting cover. We evaluated effects of removal of mammalian predators on pair density and nest success of ducks nesting on 259 ha sites in northeastern North Dakota during 2001 and 2002. We monitored pair density and duck nests on 10 sites with removal and 10 sites without removal. Overall nest success for both years was greater on trapped (53.4%) than nontrapped sites (28.7%). Pair densities were not affected by predator removal, but did increase across …

Terpenes And Carbohydrate Source Influence Rumen Fermentation, Digestibility, Intake, And Preference In Sheep, J. J. Villalba, F. D. Provenza, K. C. Olson

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

We hypothesized that toxins and nutrients in foods interact to influence foraging behavior by herbivores. Based on this hypothesis we predicted that 1) terpenes in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) influence intake and preference in sheep for diets varying in sources of nonstructural (barley grain) and structural (sugar beet pulp) carbohydrates, and 2) these effects are due to the differential effects of terpenes on fermentation products and apparent digestibility of each class of carbohydrates. Lambs were fed 2 isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets with varying proportions of the same ingredients (beet pulp- and barley grain-based diet) or offered a choice between the …

2006 Vegetation Survey Of The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (VNWR), located in north central Cherry County, was established in 1934. Tolstead (1942) studied the grasslands of northern Cherry County, (including the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge) with a focus on describing the dominant species of grassland types and determining the relationships between vegetation distribution and environmental variables and management practices. Additional studies have been conducted by refuge staff on the effects of management, particularly grazing, on vegetation structure. The purpose of this study was to: (1) document all vascular plant species present on the refuge; (2) collect data on rare plant species and high-quality native …

Developing And Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract, Michele Schoeneberger, Gary Bentrup, Charles A. Francis, Richard Straight

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Conclusions

Based on the practical community applications of woody buffe rs and multifuncti onal areas that grew from the ini tial concepts ofecobelts. we are convinced that this type of initiative is a viable option in establishing a positive interface between different types of human activities. The challenge becomes more real every day, as cities expand and both city-edge subdivisions and acreages create ever more interfaces between people with different and often con!1icting activities and basic values. There is a need to provide some logical and acceptable boundary between these people and their different lifestyles. It is also desirable to …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 37, No.4 December 2005

The Prairie Naturalist

AVIAN COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO CONSTRUCTION OF A NATURALISTIC GOLF COURSE IN TALL GRASS PRAIRIE IN KANSAS ▪ R. J. Robel, S. L. Bye, K. E. Kemp, and S. J. Thien

SECOND REPORT OF THE NORTH DAKOTA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE: 2002-2003 ▪ D. Svingen, and R. E. Martin

RECENT RECORDS OF FORMERLY EXTIRPATED CARNIVORES IN NEBRASKA ▪ J. D. Hoffman, and H. H. Genoways

PLAINS HARVEST MOUSE IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. W. Seabloom, and T. L. Shaffer

Book Reviews

A Primer on Prairie Ecology ▪ M. A. Cunningham

Range Wars: Have Prairie Dogs Lost the Battle for the West? ▪ …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 37, Number 3, September 2005

The Prairie Naturalist

Landscape Compostiona and Greater Prairie Chicken Lek Attendance: Implications for Management by N. D. Niemuth

Helminthic Parasites in Ring-necked Pheasant from Southwestern Kansas by R. J. Robel, T. L. Walker, Jr., R. K. Ridley, K. E. Kemp, and R. D. Applegate

Seasonal Migration and Home Ranges of Female Elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming by L. Benkobi, M. A. Rumble, C. H. Stubblefield, R. S. Garno, and J. J. Millspaugh

Ring-necked Pheasant Survive with Broken Wings by R. D. Applegate and L. Scott

First Nebraska Nest Record for Henslow's Sparrow by D. H. Kim

RangeE Extension …

Influence Of Biocontrol Insects On Canada Thistle: Seed Production, Germinability, And Viability, Gary E. Larson, Tim A. Wittig, Kenneth F. Higgins, Brent Turnipseed, Dawn M. Gardner

The Prairie Naturalist

We conducted surveys of thistle-feeding insects on Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] during the 2000 and 2001 growing seasons at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR), South Dakota, and analyzed their impact on thistle seed production, germination, and viability. Insects included Canada thistle stem weevil [Hadroplontus litura, formerly Ceurtorhynchus lilura, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)], introduced at LNWR as a biocontrol agent, plus two seed head parasites, the thistle head weevil [Rhinocyllus conicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)] and the seed head fly [Terellia ruficauda (Diptera: Tephritidae)]. Infestation by these insects caused no significant reduction in per-head seed yield, with means ranging from 82.5 seeds per …

Christmas Bird Counts For North Dakota 2004, Robert N. Randall

The Prairie Naturalist

Christmas Bird Counts were made in 21 areas in North Dakota again in the year 2004. During the year a new count site was established in Pembina County and registered with the Audubon Society but an actual count was not made in the area this year. The location of the all areas in which counts were actually made is shown in Fig. 1. A relatively mild fall season leading up to the count period left much more open water than normal. Weather conditions during the count period varied widely with some areas reporting temperatures in the 40's and 50's of, …

Biological Notes On Ground-Nesting Digger Wasps From Western Nebraska, Robert W. Matthews, Janice R. Matthews

The Prairie Naturalist

Nine species of sphecid wasps nesting in sparsely vegetated sandy soils near Ogallala, Keith County, Nebraska were studied during June 2003. The first records of the nest and prey of Cerceris clypeata gnarina Banks and Tachysphex williamsi R. Bohart are presented. Two species of weevils, Baris striata Say and B. subsimilis Casey, were prey of C. clypeata gnarina, with 12 to 22 individuals stocked per cell. Because B. subsimilis is a biological control agent for thistle, this finding is a caution to researchers not to ignore the potential impact of predatory wasps on the community. The single nest of T …