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Despite their name, the Forest Service manages more than just trees; in fact, there are millions of acres of national grasslands throughout the western United States, including 1,250,658 acres in the PLJV region (see map). As some of the last remaining unplowed native prairie, these public lands provide large, intact grassland habitat that is critical for birds and other wildlife.
“Each National Grassland has a management plan that outlines how different sections should be managed based on the focus for that area,” explains Melissa Dressen, Regional Wildlife Program Leader for the USFS Rocky Mountain Region. “Much like a city plan, different areas may be better suited for different purposes such as grazing, recreation, or wildlife habitat.”
Several of the National Grasslands are currently revising their management plans, and grassland bird monitoring data collected through the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program is being used to inform the process. Identifying birds with changing populations on USFS grasslands help biologists prioritize species they should consider when making management plan revisions.
By including bird population trends along with other factors such as socioeconomics and recreation uses, USFS staff can look at the various management efforts that are compatible with each area and identify whether there are some practices that may have negative impacts on species with different grassland structural needs.
“For example, efforts intended to promote increased grass cover for Lark Buntings or Grasshopper Sparrows may have harmful effects on declining populations of Thick-billed Longspur, which prefer shorter grasses,” says Jennifer Timmer, IMBCR Science Delivery Lead at Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. “To help reduce this decline, Pawnee National Grassland managers can use the IMBCR trend data that show an annual 11% decline for Thick-billed Longspurs to target intensive grazing in locations preferred by longspurs, such as less productive loamy sites.”
IMBCR population trends can also highlight where birds are doing well, so that managers can focus their attention and limited resources on other species more in need. For example, on the Comanche National Grasslands, Northern Bobwhite is increasing approximately 34% each year. Managers on Comanche could focus their efforts on other grassland birds with more specific habitat needs, like Lark Bunting and Grasshopper Sparrow.
“The IMBCR approach allows federal, state, and non-profit partners to bring limited resources to bird monitoring across large bird conservation regions,” says Dressen. “We are grateful to Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and partners like Playa Lakes Joint Venture who provide support in bird monitoring as well as tools for conservation and management.”
Learn more about how IMBCR data supports habitat conservation efforts within the PLJV region, including Bobwhite Quail habitat at Matador Wildlife Management Area at the links below.