International and Area Studies Commons^™

Pralrle Basin Wetlands Of The Dakotas: A Communlty Profile, Harold L. Kantrud, Gary L. Krapu, George A. Swanson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

This description of prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas is part of a series of community profiles on ecologically important wetlands of national significance. The shallow wetlands of the Dakotas form the bulk of the portion of the Prairie Pothole Region lying within the United States. This region is famous as the producer of at least half of North America's waterfowl and an unknown, but large, proportion of other prairie-dwelling marsh and aquatic birds. The wetlands described here lie in relatively small, shallaw basins that vary greatly in their ability to maintain surface water, and in their water chemistry, which …

Fm 8-10-8, Medical Intelligence In A Theater Of Operations, July 1989, Us Army, Academy Of Health Sciences, Robert Bolin , Depositor

United States Department of Defense Military Intelligence

This manual explains the importance of medical intelligence in planning and execution of military operations. It describes the responsibilities of medical and intelligence staffs and personnel at each echelon especially within a US military command in the field. It explains the role and functions of the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center which provides “medical scientific and technical intelligence and general medical intelligence” for the US Armed Forces.

The manual explains procedures used to report intelligence information and to request intelligence reports as well as the forms used for those purposes.

The references anticipated the publication of an overdue updated to …

Accumulation Of Lead And Organochiorine Residues In Captive American Kestrels Fed Pine Voles From Apple Orchards, Rey C. Stendell, W. Nelson Beyer, Robert A. Stehn

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) were collected from pesticide-treated orchards in New York (USA) and fed to three captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) for 60 days to evaluate potential hazards from soil-borne persistent insecticides. Three control kestrels were fed uncontaminated laboratory mice (Mus musculus). The pine voles contained an average of 38 ppm lead, 48 ppm DDE and 1.2 ppm dieldrin (wet weight). The kestrels accumulated sublethal amounts of lead (1 ppm lead wet weight) in their livers. In contrast, DDE and dieldrin accumulated in the tissues and brains of kestrels to toxicologically significant concentrations. …

Breeding Bird Populations Of A Floodplain Tallgrass Prairie In Kansas, Calvin Cink, Peter Lowther

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Breeding birds were censused yearly from 1974-1988 on a 10.1 ha floodplain tallgrass prairie, a portion of the Baker Wetlands Research Area on the south edge of Lawrence, Kansas. Dickcissels (Spiza americana) were the most abundant species, with densities about six times greater than in the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie (149 territorial males/km² VS. 25/ km²). This may be due to availability of moisture and associated density of grass stems and insect production. The bird community in the floodplain prairie however, is less diverse (5 species VS. 10 species). Grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) …

Bluestem Seed Midge Influence On Sexual Reproduction Of Big Bluestem: A Review, K. P. Vogel, G. R. Manglitz

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

A Cecidomyiid midge (Contarinia wattsi Gagne') has been identified as a significant parasite of big bluestem [Andropogon gerardii Vitman var. gerardii] by adversely affecting the production of viable seeds. The midge was first identified from specimens collected from big bluestem racemes in 1983 in eastern Nebraska. Subsequent collections and studies have shown that it is widespread in the Great Plains, and that it can reduce seed yields of big bluestem by over 40%. The midges apparently over winter as diapausing larvae in disarticulated spikelets, emerge as adults at the time of early panicle emergence, and lay their …

Blowouts In The Nebraska Sandhills: The Habitat Of Penstemon Haydenii, James Stubbendieck, Theresa R. Flessner, Ronald Weedon

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The Nebraska Sandhills is the largest area of sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere, occupying over 5 million ha in northcentral Nebraska. The rolling to steep dunes range in height from a few meters to over 60 m. Soils are poorly developed in wind deposited sand. The continental climate is characterized by 425 to 625 mm of annual precipitation, an average annual temperature of 10 C, and a frost-free period of 130-155 days. Upland vegetation is primarily tall grasses and midgrasses such as sand bluestem [Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus (Nash) Fern.], prairie sandreed [CaLamovilfa Longifolia (Hook.) Scribn.], little bluestem …

Blowout Penstemon: Description And Present Situation, Joyce Phillips Hardy, Ronald R. Weedon, William R. Bowlin

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii S. Wats.) appears to be the rarest flowering plant species endemic to Nebraska. It has received a great deal of attention, for endemism is rare in Great Plains states. This attractive species is confined to a small number of active blowout areas in the Nebraska Sandhills, often in relatively small colonies that are many kilometers apart in a relatively vast grassland. Blowout penstemon, thus, is confined to particular habitats which have distinct boundaries in space. It is also successional in nature, which places individual colonies in distinct and, perhaps, limited boundaries in time. It is …

Establishing Warm-Season Grasses And Forbs Using Herbicides And Mowing, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The objective of this study was to provide a preliminary assessment of the use of selected herbicides in establishing a diverse stand of prairie grasses and forbs. An upland and a lowland site in eastern Nebraska, consisting of well-drained, fine-silty clay, loess-derived soils, were seeded with 23 native prairie grass and forb species and subsequently mowed or treated at rates of 0.6, 1.1, 1.7, and 2.2 kg/ha with atrazine [6-chloro-Nethyl- N' -(l-methylethyl)-l ,3,S-triazine-2,4-diamine] or 2,4-0 (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Treatments were applied at one and two-year intervals. Canopy cover in unreplicated treatment areas (12 x 30 m) was evaluated in ten randomly …

Effect Of Two Cutting Treatments On Aspen In Prairie, Virginia M. Kline

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Two cutting treatments were tested for aspen control in two southern Wisconsin prairies: Pasque Flower Hill (PFH) , a steep hillside remnant, and Greene Prairie (GP), a restored prairie on sandy soil. The treatments, applied 25-26 June 1984, were: (1) A single cut at the base of the stem and (2) A cut that removed about one-third of the stem, followed 20-24 hours later by a basal cut. In 1986, both sites were burned in early spring, the usual management procedure for these prairies. At GP, aspen stem densities at the end of the experiment were similar in the control …

Effect Of Eastern Red Cedar On Seedling Establishment Of Prairie Plants, Dan J. Stipe, Thomas B. Bragg

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

To test the hypothesis that eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) is allelopathic, seedling establishment of five herbaceous prairie species was evaluated by growing seeds in soil collected beneath and adjacent to a stand of this tree species. While four species showed no significant effect, the germination of one species, finger coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata Nutt.), was significantly reduced. Since eastern red cedar is an early invader of unburned prairie, such an allelopathic effect, even on only a few species, is of particular concern in that it has the potential to hasten degradation of invaded prairie sites.

Distribution Of Flodman's Thistle And Its Response To Different Disturbances, Charles E. Umbanhowar Jr.

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The importance of disturbance in prairie has long been recognized. Increasingly interest and research have focused on the action and interaction of multiple disturbances. The distribution of Flodman's thistle [Cirsium flodmanii (Rydb.) Arthur] on ant mounds, badger mounds, buffalo wallows, and potholes and in a lightly and a moderately grazed pasture was compared at the Nature Conservancy's S. H. Ordway Jr. Memorial Prairie in northcentral South Dakota. In the lightly grazed pasture, Flodman's thistle occurred most frequently on hilltops and ridges, but in the moderately grazed pasture it occurred with equal frequency on hilltops and ridges, and low areas …

Determining Federally Listed Endangered And Threatened Species, Emphasizing Blowout Penstemon, Wallace G. Jobman

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii S. Wats.) was federally listed as an endangered species on 1 September 1987. This pap"!r describes the process by which species, emphasizing blowout penstemon, are listed. The five listing factors described in Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act, candidate species, and the listing process are discussed. The blowout penstemon listing process progressed as follows: 1) petition to list; 2) designation as Category 2 Candidate Species; 3) status survey; 4) designation as Category 1 Candidate Species; 5) proposed rule to list; and 6) the final listing rule. The primary reasons for listing were the stabilization …

Designing With Prairie: A Heideggerian Hermeneutical Analysis, Evelyn A. Howell, Dave Egan

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Landscape architects have been advocating the use of native species in designs for over 100 years. This Heideggerian hermeneutical analysis of the work of authors from 1919 to 1929 yields several underlying themes regarding the use of native species: 1) biological conservation (preservation), 2) possession (control of human-ordered world), 3) promotion of national and regional identity, 4) spirituality, and 5) aesthetics. The prairie-inspired designs of Jens Jensen, Darrel Morrison, and John Diekelmann illustrate the ways in which the emphasis placed on these themes and different assumptions about "prairie" influence the resultant plantings. Jensen's works are meant to evoke the relationship …

Correlations Between Insects And Birds In Tallgrass Prairie Riparian Habitats, Lawrence J. Gray

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Previous observations in riparian habitats of Kings Creek, Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas indicated that emerging aquatic insects represent a concentrated source of food for insectivorous birds, particularly the flycatcher and gleaner guilds. This hypothesis was tested by concurrent measurements of net insect emergence (total emergence minus adults returning to the stream) and densities of birds at six sampling sites from June to August 1987 and May to June 1988. Significant positive correlations with emergence were found for flycatchers (r = 0.93) and gleaners (r = 0.91), the two insectivore guilds containing the majority of individuals along Kings Creek. …

Seasonal Activity Of Snakes On A Sand Prairie, Dwight R. Platt

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Snakes were caught in drift fence traps throughout the season of activity on a 32 ha sand prairie in Harvey County, Kansas, from 1966 through 1974. In these nine seasons, 128,281 trap station days yielded 6,412 captures of the six most common species of snakes: Pituophis melanoleucus sayi, Coluber constrictor jlaviventris, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis. Thamnophis radix haydeni, Heterodon nasicus, and Heterodon platirhinos. Seasonal activity patterns, although variable from year to year, had a bimodal pattern with a period of low activity in late July or late August. Increases in snake activity resulted from increases in population size due …

Rodents And Shrews In Un-Grazed Tallgrass Prairie Manipulated By Fire, Donald W. Kaufman, Glennis A. Kaufman, Elmer J. Finck

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Natural prairie was a mosaic of patches of depths of plant litter due to topoedaphic conditions and to spatial-temporal variation in fire and grazing. Such variation in litter depth undoubtedly influenced the distribution and abundance of small mammals. To examine this issue, small mammals were censused and plant litter depth was measured during autumn from 1981 to 1984 on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area near Manhattan, Kansas. Five to 11 sites subjected to fire at different times from 1967 to 1984 were sampled during each of the four years of the study. Relative densities of deer mice (Peromyscus …

Rhizome And Tiller Development Of Three Nebraska Sandhills Warm-Season Grasses, John J. Brejda, Lowell E. Moser, Steven S. Waller

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Rhizome and tiller development of ungrazed switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), prairie sandreed [Calamolvilfa longifolia (Hook) Scribn.], and sand bluestem [Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus (Nash) Fern.] were studied for two years in the Nebraska Sandhills. Rhizome growth of switchgrass began at the 4- to 5-leaf stage. Following tiller elongation, no new rhizomes developed but rhizome elongation continued. Many of the prairie sandreed tillers were biennial similar to those of indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash]. Spring tiller development on prairie sandreed came from both vertical and horizontal rhizomes and continuing growth of late emerging tillers from the previous year. …

Remnant And Restored Prairie Response To Fire, Fertilization, And Atrazine, Robert A. Masters, Kenneth P. Vogel

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The effect of spring burning, fertilization, and atrazine on herbage yield of warm- and cool-season grasses, flowering stalk density, and seed yield of selected warm-season grasses was determined on a remnant prairie and a restored prairie located near Lincoln and Center, Nebraska, respectively. Sites were burned in mid-April 1987 and followed by application of fertilizer (112 kg N/ha at the remnant prairie and 112-22 kg N-P/ha at the restored prairie) and atrazine (2.2 kg active ingredient/ha). Herbage yield of warm-season grasses increased more than 100% following burning in combination with fertilization at both sites and atrazine application alone at the …

Propagation Of Blowout Penstemon (Penstemon Haydenii S. Wats.), Theresa R. Flessner, James L. Stubbendieck

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Propagating and developing plants for successful transplanting will be important for the recovery of Nebraska's only endangered plant species, blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii S. Wats.). Therefore, the effect of various cultural treatments on seedling growth was examined in a greenhouse study. Young blowout penstemon seedlings, fertilized with both nitrogen and phosphorus, exhibited significantly greater weekly growth rates than seedlings fertilized with one or no nutrient. After removal of the upper part of the shoot to the third pair of true leaves, only those seedlings fertilized with both nutrients exhibited a temporary increase in weekly growth rate and more axillary …

Proceedings Of The Eleventh North American Prairie Conference: Index To Authors And Key Words

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Index to Authors and Key Words

Do You Know Platanthera Praeclara?, Rochelle Bjugstad, Ardell J. Bjugstad

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

This is a brief synthesis on the plant, habitat and range of the western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara Sheviak and Bowles). This species was once common in the tall grass prairie, but its numbers have been greatly reduced by improper management and loss of habitat. Comparisons are made to the eastern prairie fringed orchid [Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl].

Proceedings Of The Eleventh North American Prairie Conference: Cover

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

No abstract provided.

Lloyd C. Hulbert 1918-1986 (Proceedings Dedication)

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Because we have and will yet all benefit from his vision, leadership, and unselfish efforts, it is fitting that these Proceedings be dedicated to Lloyd C. Hulbert, Professor of Biology, Plant Ecologist for the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Director of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area.

Pollen Collectors And Other Insect Visitors To Penstemon Haydenii S. Wats., H. Randy Lawson, V. J. Tepedino, T. L. Griswold

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Records of insects visiting the flowers of Penstemon haydenii (S. Wats.) are supplied. The flower-visitor fauna was different at the two sites censused. Primary pollinators appeared to be four species of megachilid bees which consistently visited the flowers for pollen. While bees exhibited high fidelity to flowers of the genus Penstemon, analysis of the pollen carried by females suggests that crossing over between Penstemon species on a particular foraging trip may be common. Opportunities for interspecific hybridization almost certainly occur.

Plant Species Composition And Groundwater Levels In A Platte River Wet Meadow, Paul J. Currier

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Species composition was monitored in seven permanent exclosures at Mormon Island Crane Meadows, near Grand Island, Nebraska from 1982 to 1987. Crane meadows is a 1,050 ha (2,600 acre) native lowland prairie complex with a corrugated topography of wetland swales and dry sand ridges. Variable precipitation, periodic over-bank flooding, and river stage fluctuations complicate the system's hydrology. In general, springs are wet, but, by late summer, the meadows are usually dry, closely paralleling river flows and precipitation patterns. A sustained high water period in 1983 and 1984 was responsible for major changes in species abundance. Plant responses were consistent with …

Phenology Of Native Angiosperms Of South Padre Island, Texas, Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Flowering and fruiting patterns for 74 species of native angiospenns were studied on South Padre Island, Texas, from May 1984 to May 1986. Four patterns were recognized: 1) a continuous cycle of flowering and fruiting; 2) a cycle limited to spring through autumn; 3) a two season regime, either spring-summer or summer-fall; and 4) a cycle completed in one season or less (spring or fall). Marked year-to-year variation occurred in flowering and fruiting responses within individual species. Only one-fifth ofthe species exhibited the same monthly patterns in successive years. Number of species in flower or fruit was significantly correlated with …

Nebraska Sand Hills: The Last Prairie, Robert F. Whitcomb

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Although North American grasslands are diverse and biotically rich, their conservation has never received high priority. As a result, the prairie landscape has all but disappeared. However, one prairie region has retained its essential pre-Columbian features. This is the Nebraska Sand Hills Prairie, a 4.8 million ha stabilized dune region of Holocene origin. Because the Sand Hills lie at the heart of the North American grasslands, their biota is influenced by the adjacent short- and tallgrass prairies and by northern (cool-season) and southern (warm-season) grasslands. In addition, the Sand Hills have their own distinctive sand-dependent biota. Equally important, however, is …

Manitoba's Tall-Grass Prairie Conservation Project, Joanne Joyce, John P. Morgan

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Manitoba's tall grass prairies mark the northernmost extent of that community in North America and historically comprised the most extensive area of tallgrass prairie in Canada. The Tall-Grass Prairie Conservation Project is Manitoba's first systematic inventory of this community. Potential sites were located using black-and-white aerial photography, land-use maps, and referrals from outside sources. Sites were systematically ground-checked and ranked using native species dominance, abundance and diversity, evidence of disturbance, and location. About 19% (116,600 ha) of the historic range of the true prairie was surveyed between May and October of 1987; an additional 23% (138,000 ha) was surveyed between …

Long-Term Grass Dynamics Within A Mixed-Grass Prairie, Brian S. Mihlbacher, Fred E. Smeins, Gerald W. Thomas, Charles A. Taylor

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Western portions of the Edwards Plateau are dominated by a grass mosaic which consists of a rhizomatous midgrass, tobosagrass [Hilaria mutica (Buckl.) Benth.], and two stoloniferous short grasses, common curlymesquite [Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash] and buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.]. Permanent 0.3 m x 6 m belt transects were established on three major soil series (Tobosa, Ozona. Valera) across several grazing treatments on the Texas Range Station near Barnhart, Texas, and the distribution of perennial grasses was mapped in 1951 (pre-drought), 1953 (drought), 1957 (post-drought), and 1987. Cover showed no consistent trends in relation to grazing. Total …

Landscape Design Awards

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Commercial/Industrial Honor Award