0003
Brush control in the Southern Great Plains: Past, Present, and Future
Eric Thacker
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Brush control has been a part of range management since the profession began managing rangelands of
the west. Under historic management paradigms brush was controlled to reverse decades of degradation
resulting from unregulated grazing that lead to decreases in grass and increases in brush. Therefore,
shrub removal focused on restoring rangelands to a more productive ecological state that would provide
more grass for livestock. In the late 1940’s a concerted effort began at the Southern Range Research
Station to find effective methods of brush control using emerging mechanical and chemical
technologies. Most of the work at the Station focused on control of sand sagebrush. D. A. Savage and
E. H. McIlvain were instrumental in developing the use of 2,4-D to control sand sagebrush. The initial
objective of brush control was to reduce shrub densities and increase grass for grazing livestock. Today
there are questions about what impacts these brush management techniques have on other ecological
services such as wildlife habitat. There is increasing concern over the loss of shrubs and what impact it
may have on sensitive wildlife species. As the profession moves into the future, we must reevaluate the
role of brush control when managing for multiple ecological services and whether it is economical.
0004
Why is there uncertainty on whether controlling invasive plant species is working?
Stephen Young
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
The effects of invasive plant species have reached global scales and their related costs have been
estimated in the billions of dollars. The question that has not been adequately addressed is whether
significant progress is being made in managing invasive plant populations. Control techniques are widely
available and include biological, chemical and cultural, yet invasive plant species continue to threaten
many ecosystems on regional scales, including rangelands and wild lands in many parts of the US.
Current spread rates are causing many to wonder whether if it is possible to stop invasive plants
across large regional scales. Landowners, including both federal/state governments and private
individuals, have struggled in management aimed at reducing invasive plant populations. What is the
cause of this failure? Can it be attributed to a social condition, lack of resources, or the overwhelming size
and scale of the problem?
Increasingly, rangelands are being considered for value-added services (e.g., wind, solar and biomass
energy), yet a lack of consideration continues to exist for the intrinsic values that have existed for
centuries (e.g., biodiversity, soil stability, air and water quality) in these systems. Will this new interest in
value-added services equate to better management of rangelands, including the control of invasive plant
species? If monetary values were to be placed on ecosystem services provided by rangelands, would
there be as much interested in applying conservation efforts (e.g., controlling invasive plants) as there
currently is in installing another wind turbine or planting large areas of switchgrass?
0005
Bridging the information gap between land management and fire science: Great Plains Fire
Science Exchange.
Sherry Leis1, Carol Blocksome2
1Great Plains Fire Science Exchange, Springfield, MO, USA, 2Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS,
USA
Do you have Power Point fatigue? This workshop is an opportunity for landowners, managers, and fire
practitioners to interact with fire professionals and researchers. We will kick off the workshop with a
single presentation by Dr. Charles Taylor who will discuss using extreme fire behavior to achieve
management objectives in light of changing climate conditions. Following the presentation, participants
will have three 15-minute breakout group opportunities to discuss their fire questions and fire science
needs with experts in the field. We will have experts on hand in the following areas: patch burn grazing,
burn cooperatives, insurance liability and risk, invasive plants, wildlife, monitoring, getting buy in from
neighbors and partners, smoke management, and operations in private landscapes. A resource table will
also be available. The summary portion of the workshop will be used to tailor information needs for
participating consortia and feedback to Joint Fire Science Program for development of funding topics.
0007
Breeding habitat selection and productivity of greater prairie-chickens in the Nebraska Sandhills
Lars Anderson1, Walter Schacht1, Jeffrey Lusk2, William Vodehnal3, Larkin Powell0
1University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA, 2Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln,
NE, USA, 3Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Bassett, NE, USA
Greater Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnata) are a grassland species of conservation concern
throughout much of their range, but the Nebraska Sandhills has a large, stable population. We studied
prairie-chickens on private rangelands in Rock and Brown Counties during 2010-2011. We fitted 107
females with radio collars to examine the relationship between prairie-chickens and the habitat used for
nesting and brood rearing. At nest sites and random locations, we collected microscale-level vegetation
structure and composition data at multiple scales to assess the effect of heterogeneity on nest site
selection and survival. We then sampled to determine the relative availability of ecological sites and plant
communities in each pasture to assess preference at a macroscale level. We also collected weather
related data throughout the nesting season to assess variation in nest and brood survival. Prairie-chicken
females tended to choose upland ecological sites with more vegetation cover at the nest than coupled
random sites. Nest site selection was positively associated with moderate levels of VOR and residual
vegetation. In contrast, daily nest survival was poorly associated with habitat measures and was
marginally associated with weather and temporal effects. Higher temperatures and higher precipitation
caused declines in daily nest survival. Prairie-chicken females with broods tended to choose upland
ecological sites with higher VOR and litter depth than at coupled random locations. Higher forb cover and
greater litter depth positively impacted daily brood survival. Our research gives grassland managers
much-needed information for managing prairie-chicken nesting habitat in the Nebraska Sandhills.
0008
A comparison of habitat selection and success of greater prairie-chickens in tallgrass and mixed
grass prairies in Nebraska
Larkin Powell1, Ty Matthews1, Lars Anderson1, Walter Schacht1, Jeffery Lusk2, Andrew Tyre1, William
Vodenhal0
1University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA, 2Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln,
NE, USA, 3Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Bassett, NE, USA
Greater Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnata) are a species of conservation concern
throughout much of their range. Currently, Nebraska manages its prairie-chicken populations in two
units, loosely similar to ecological regions: eastern NE (tallgrass prairie system) and central/western NE
(Sandhills and shortgrass prairie). Management recommendations for prairie-chickens are based on work
done in KS, WI, MN, IL, or MO in tallgrass sytems. As a result, some land managers assumed that
grazing should be curtailed to provide the structure needed for prairie-chickens in the Sandhills. We
hypothesized that recommendations should not apply directly to shorter-grass systems, which support
much of Nebraska's population of prairie-chickens. We studied prairie-chickens on private lands in
southeastern Nebraska during 2007-2008 and in the Sandhills of Nebraska during 2010-2011. We fitted
females (southeastern NE: 100; Sandhills: 107) with radio collars to examine the relationship between
prairie-chickens and the habitat used for nesting and brood rearing. We found that topography was an
important factor in nest-site selection in both regions of the state, but hens made different decisions in
different systems. Grazing in southeastern NE appeared to reduce suitability for nest sites, while grazing
in the Sandhills maintained the structured needed for nesting and brood-rearing. Females used moderate
levels of structure in both systems. But, visual obstruction readings at nest sites in the Sandhills were
approximately 15 cm less than readings in the tallgrass systems of southeastern Nebraska. Our work
suugests that land managers can utilize appropriate grazing management strategies to manage
rangeland in the Sandhills for prairie-chickens.
0009
Implementing Extreme Fire in the Great Plains
Charles Taylor
Texas AgriLife Research, Sonora, TX, USA
Before European settlement and their introduction of stock-farming practices, vegetation communities of
the Great Plains were sustained by natural and anthropogenic fires and the grazing/browsing habits of
native wildlife. Increases in woody plants, particularly Juniperus species, have resulted in major
environmental tradeoffs which have significant implications for ranch enterprises and land-use patterns
supported by rangelands and surrounding regions. Since natural fires no longer occur as frequently as
they used to, prescribed fire is an ecological driver that can be used to restore ecosystems and
landscapes to their historical diversity and productivity. Prescribed burning has been recommended and
traditionally implemented under moist conditions during the dormant season of perennial, warm-season
grasses to insure adequate soil moisture for initiation of spring growth of these grasses. While prescribed
fires conducted under mild conditions (i.e., low fire intensities) are capable of maintaining grasslands and
savannas, the same fires are ineffective at restoring grasslands after conversion to juniper woodland has
occurred. Unlike traditional applications of prescribed-fire, prescribed-extreme-fire has the potential to
overcome the resilience of woodland ecosystems to restore grasslands and savannas. However, this
practice may not necessarily be accepted for widespread application because ecological and social
systems are inherently linked (i.e., burn bans and emergency proclamations issued by state and county
governments to prevent prescribed fire). A solution to this problem is the formation of burn
associations. For example, the Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burn Association (EPPBA), a private
organization in Texas, is focused on introducing prescribed-extreme-fire to restore fire
dependent savannas.
0010
Implementation Of Patch Burning: A Management Tool For The Attwater's Prairie Chicken.
Carl Schwope
Unites States Fish and Wildlife Service, Marble Falls, TX, USA
Overarching patch burning objectives typically are intended to create greater ecological heterogeneity;
habitat and landscape diversity. In this case management objectives are also to enable the endangered
Attwater's prairie chickens better access to a variety of habitat resources to improve survivorship and
reproductive success. The temporary attraction and intensive use of improved forage by livestock and
large herbivores in newly burned patches also influences these long-term ecological objectives. Reduced
selective grazing on preferred forage species within freshly burned patches can reduce exotic and
invasive species cover. Under higher stocking rates, livestock performance can also potentially be
improved through patch burning. Multiple patches per pasture can provide more even livestock dispersal
and result in lighter utilization of older burned patches yielding more rapid ecological recovery. The patchburn-herbivore interaction can also result in greater ecological heterogeneity that is typically
commensurate with enhanced landscape biological diversity compared to traditional grazing systems.
Known obstacles to patch burning are not insurmountable. Smaller burn patches (=40 acres) require
additional fire breaks requiring increased economic input. However, annual disking of fire breaks
increases forb production, reducing the need of food plot requirements by the Attwater prairie chicken.
This presentation will address barriers and advantages to patch burning over traditional systems, along
with management activities that have been implemented to help alleviate concerns.
0011
Using Maximum Entropy Modeling for Lesser Prairie Chickens in Kansas.David Dahlgren, Jim
Pitman, and Matthew Bain. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, Hays Kansas,
67601dave.dahlgren@ksoutdoors.com
David Dahlgren, Jim Pitman, Matthew Bain
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, Hays, KS, USA
Lesser Prairie Chicken is a federal candidate species, and a state species of conservation concern within
Kansas. The distribution of this species is important for conservation efforts within the state. Spring lek
surveys have been conducted for multiple decades now. However, the known range in Kansas has not
been equally sampled and lek routes were not all established at one time. Lek data within the state of
Kansas has provided presence information, but no areas have been surveyed for absence. Maximum
Entropy modeling (MaxEnt) can provide information when presence data is known, but absence data is
unknown. MaxEnt provides a probability of occurrence by modeling features of known locations across a
landscape. We used MaxEnt model of Lesser Prairie Chicken lekking habitat to focus our search effort on
the northern extent of range in Kansas. We located multiple Lesser Prairie Chicken lek occurrences
outside of the species current range. Most of these occurrences were on mixed leks with Greater Prairie
Chickens. We also identified multiple leks with hybrid (Lesser X Greater Prairie Chicken) males
displaying, all of which occurred on Greater Prairie Chicken or mixed leks.
0012
Lesser prairie-chicken expansion in Kansas.
David Dahlgren, Jim Pitman, Matthew Bain
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, Hays, KS, USA
Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPCH) range has recently been expanded in Kansas to the north and east of the
historic range. The range of LPCH is used to establish conservation areas (e.g., USDA Lesser Prairie
Chicken Action Area) where specific practices can be employed by private landowners to benefit LCPH.
This recent expansion of the range will help target these practices to improve LPCH habitat in Kansas.
This expansion came on the heels of monitoring areas with the aid of Maximum Entropy Modeling
focused surveys and individual biologist efforts. Historically, the northern extent of LPCH range was
thought to be limited by sand sagebrush distribution, or the Arkansas River in west-central Kansas. In the
last couple of decades biologists started detecting LPCH north of the Arkansas River, outside of sand
sagebrush habitats. Anecdotally, it has seemed that areas with rangeland juxtaposed to Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) lands have provided the habitat for the expansion of LPCH populations. We do
not know if populations moved north, or if remnant populations of LPCH simply increased. Greater Prairie
Chicken populations also seem to be expanding in north-west Kansas in the same habitats (CRP and
rangeland). A limited number of LPCH have been detected in counties bordering Nebraska, though this
seems to be the northern extent...for now.
0013
SRR Ecological Assessment Indicators: Selection and Monitoring Techniques
Michael Smith1, John Mitchell2
1University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA, 2USDA, Forest Service, Emeritis, Ft. Collins, CO, USA
The techniques that a producer or land manager would select for monitoring of ecological resources will
vary with kind and characteristics of ecological sites being monitored, kind of land uses or sources of
potential impacts, level of concern about various resource condition attributes, skills and interests of the
manager, legal requirements and other variables. Characteristics of soil, water, plants and animals
comprise the ecological indicators of ranch management function. Soil indicators include bare ground and
soil aggregate stability. Water is assessed by examining timing and amount of water available including
surface and ground water sources. Plant indicators are key species composition, extent of invasive
species, extent of wildfire and prescribed fire, and extent and condition of riparian zones. Animal
populations are primarily assessed through population size estimates although management system and
productive capacity feed into economic assessments. A basic measurement tool for soil and plants is the
line point transect. This technique measures soil and plant cover, thus bare ground and species
composition are outcomes. Aggregate stability is a measure of the ability of soil surface peds to retain
their shape when exposed to water. Water is monitored with precipitation gauges or NOAA sources, flow
measurements, amounts, and presence /absence at important times or locations. Mapping and GIS
techniques are useful ways of recording presence and change in invasive plants and fire area and
locations. Greenline techniques for riparian zones. Animal populations are determined from species
specific census techniques that may be used by various agencies or consultants.
0014
Women, sheep and goats. The livestock farming economy of Mexico from a gender perspective
Veronica Vazquez-Garcia
Colegio de Postgraduados, Texcoco, EDOMEX, Mexico
The cattle, sheep, goats and pigs that Europeans brought to America in the late 15 th century caused
dramatic changes in the environmental landscape and the sociocultural practices of indigenous peoples.
These animals slowly became part of Mesoamerican diets and peasant productive systems. Nowadays,
some (particularly cattle and pigs) are produced industrially, but all of them continue to be part of smallscale livestock farming systems of rural Mexico. Gender ideology and the market economy determine
women’s and men’s tasks, responsibilities and rights to these animals as well as the access that each
gender may have to grazing and/or fodder collection lands. The aim of this paper is to analyze the ways
in which Mexican animal science and livestock policy have failed to acknowledge gender roles in animal
husbandry, including women’s traditional knowledge, access to information and assets (i.e. veterinary
services and supplies) and production needs. Focus is placed on sheep and goats, two species generally
raised by women living in distinctive ecosystems (highlands and dry rangelands, respectively). The paper
concludes by identifying some of the key gender elements of Mexican livestock farming economy in order
to design more effective policy interventions.
0018
An overview of the National Climate Assessment: Draft 2013 NCA Report and sustained
assessment process
Jerry Melillo1 ,2, Terese Richmond1 ,3, Gary Yohe1 ,4, Emily Therese Cloyd5, David Gustafson1 ,2
1National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Commitee, Washington, DC, USA, 2Marine
Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA, 3Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr, Seattle, WA, USA,
4Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA, 5US Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC,
USA
The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is being conducted under the auspices of the Global Change
Research Act of 1990. The Act requires a report to the President and the Congress every four years that
must do three things: integrate, evaluate, and interpret the findings of the US Global Change Research
Program (USGCRP); analyze the effects of global change on a number of socioeconomic and
environmental sectors; and analyze current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural,
and project major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. The next NCA report will be released in late
2013, with a draft available for public and expert review in late 2012 - early 2013. This presentation will
provide an overview of the process leading to the 2013 National Climate Assessment report and plans for
how the report authors will use the comments collected during the review period to revise the report
before it is released in final form. It will discuss the draft key findings of the report, including advances in
the science of climate change and overarching themes related to climate change impacts in the United
States, and will set the stage for subsequent presentations which discuss the report findings in greater
detail. The presentation will end with a brief discussion of plans for the assessment as a "sustained
process" - what this means and why it is important.
0019
From Local to Global: Launching the New Rangelands West Portals and Database
Barbara Hutchinson, George
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
After ten years of collaboration, the Rangelands Partnership (formerly Western Rangelands Partnership)
has a new look and feel. Three redesigned Web portals now comprise the Partnership’s user products
for supporting research, practical applications, and education about the world’s rangelands. “Global
Rangelands” is the home website for gaining an international perspective on rangeland themes, as well
as the means to search a comprehensive database of more than 13,000 articles, reports, videos, learning
tools, and other resources. Similarly, “Rangelands West” provides access to the database as well as
specific “Hot Topics” with a focus on North American rangelands. From the Rangelands West home
page, users can link to local “state” sites developed by multi-disciplinary teams at 19 Land-Grant
Universities. While maintaining the longtime approach of providing access to evaluated Web resources,
these sites have expanded not only the vision and affiliations of the Partnership, but the technical
capabilities and content. This presentation will demonstrate new features of the portals including search
options for full-text articles from the back issues of Rangelands and Journal of Range
Management/Rangelands Ecology and Management; conference proceedings from the Australian
Rangelands Society; documents from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
and Web resources emanating from Rangelands West. A Google and Amazon-type search capability
allows for quick search results, and gives users a “faceted search” feature making it easy to limit by year,
author, subject area, and location, and receive suggestions for other resources of potential interest.
0020
Native and Introduced Warm-season Grass Breeding Over the Last Century
Tim Springer
USDA-ARS, Woodward, Oklahoma, USA
For 100 years, scientist from the USDA-ARS Southern Plains Range Research Station at Woodward,
Oklahoma have developed and released or co-released with the USDA-NRCS and/or state agricultural
experiment stations more than 75 improved cultivars of native and introduced grasses from several
genera. These cultivars have been used throughout the southern Great Plains to reclaim marginal
farmland, renovate degraded rangeland, and improve the efficiency of family farms and ranches. Cultivars
such as, ‘Wheatland' grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) was released to farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma
in 1931 and is still used in sorghum breeding today. An important trait of Wheatland was its short stature
which made it possible to use a combine for harvesting. ‘Woodward' sand bluestem (Andropogon hallii),
released in 1955, was the standard for sand bluestem on the southern Great Plains until the release of
‘Chet' in 2004. Woodward was superior to common sand bluestem in seedling vigor, leafiness, and seed
production. Chet has all the characteristics of Woodward, but with significantly higher seed production.
‘WW-Spar' and ‘WW-Iron Master' Old World bluestems (Bothriochloa ischaemum) were released in 1985
and 1988, respectively, and were used extensively in the Conservation Reserve Program on the southern
Great Plains. ‘Verl' eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) was released in 2005 and is unique
among commercial eastern gamagrass cultivars in that it is a fertile triploid that reproduces predominantly
via apomixis. The Southern Plains Range Research Station looks forward to serving the people of the
southern Great Plains and the USA for another 100 year.
0021
Analysis Tools for Development of Rangeland ESD's and Forage Suitability Groups (FSG's)
Kenneth Spaeth
USDA-NRCS, Fort Worth, Texas, United States Minor Outlying Islands
Grazingland landscapes are often a complex mosaic of geology, topography, soils, plants, and climate.
Organizing this information into sites with some common ecological basis is the precursor to formulating
ecological sites. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service develops Ecological Sites and
Description reports which are based on physical and biotic factors. Ecological dynamics, primarily
disturbance regimes (grazing, fire, drought, management actions, and all resulting interactions) are
integral factors related to the formation of ecological sites. ESDs function as a primary repository of
ecological knowledge and are maintained on the NRCS Ecological Site Information System (ESIS), which
is the repository for information associated with ESDs and the collection of all site data. The classification
of rangeland Ecological Sites and pastureland Forage Suitability Groups are based on different criteria.
Rangeland ESD's are a classification concept based on stands of native plants with similar climate, soils,
and hydrology that occurs in a relatively repeated fashion across a landscape. In contrast, FSG's are
based on landscape, soil, and environmental properties. Adaptable forage species are correlated with
these groups. Why use multivariate tools for ESD development? When many variables are to be
evaluated e.g., plant species composition, soils, climate, and environmental, multivariate tools are
necessary to simultaneously analyze multiple variables that may be related. Multivariate tools can
valuable insight during the development of ESD's.
0022
Climate Effects on Agriculture: Implications for Range Management
Jerry Hatfield1, Eugene Takle2
1USDA-ARS-NLAE, Ames, Iowa, USA, 2Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
The National Climate Assessment process directs a process with the overall goal of providing an
assessment of the climate on various sectors in the United States. Climate change will affect future
scenarios of temperature and precipitation coupled with the increasing levels of carbon dioxide.
Agriculture is one of the large segments of the US economy with the economic value equally divided
between livestock and crop production. Climate effects agricultural production of both crops and livestock
and production from rangeland systems will be affected because of the changing temperature and
precipitation. Increasing temperatures affect growth of grass species and cause shifts in species
composition and this affects the potential carrying capacity of rangeland areas. An interesting observation
from rangeland studies has been the decline in forage quality with the increasing carbon dioxide because
of rapid vegetative growth outpaces the ability of the plant to extract nitrogen from the soil. Precipitation is
a critical aspect in plant growth and variability in amounts will directly affect plant growth. In addition,
precipitation is important for the water supply to livestock, water availability and feed availability are the
two necessary components to efficient livestock production. There is a direct effect of temperature on
livestock because the extremes in temperature affect both growth and reproduction. Adaptation strategies
for rangeland production will consider amount and quality of the forage supply and mechanisms for
protecting livestock herds from temperature extremes. Climate change will affect rangeland production
systems and understanding these effects will provide insights for improved management.
0023
John B. Sieglinger, Father of Combine Milo (1893-1977)Author: A. Bruce Maunder
Bruce Maunder
National Sorghum Producers, Lubbock, Texas, USA
In 1915, soon after the establishment of the USDA Southern Plains Range Research Station a recent
graduate of Oklahoma A&M and Kansas State University, John Sieglinger, trained in plant genetics,
arrived on staff at Woodward, Oklahoma. His challenge: to improve sorghums including broomcorn for the
arid southern Great Plains. Sorghum had only recently been introduced to America (some 30 accessions
from 1853-1910) as a more resilient, drought tolerant crop. His early success was hidden in the height
genetics of the two most commonly grown varieties at the time: Dwarf Yellow Milo in the Southwest and
Blackhull Kafir in the more Central and Eastern Great Plains. Both were shoulder high, harvested by
hand, and when crossed segregated for plants having an additional recessive gene for height. Following
a meeting at Manhattan in 1926, attended by breeders from across the Plains states and an agricultural
engineer, discussion suggested the best approach would be to convert the sorghum plant to a shorter
and more acceptable combine height as opposed to developing a combine specific for sorghum vs wheat.
Sieglinger left this meeting knowing his program had such short varieties including Wheatland. Now,
sorghum as a crop suitable to mechanized harvest, was much less labor intensive saving millions of
dollars annually. Wheatland, released in 1931 and Redlan, also from Sieglinger in 1948, provided the
future hybrid sorghum industry, (1956 -) two significant male steriles of combine height, still used today as
hybrid parents. John Sieglinger: leader in mechanization and significant contributor to hybridization.
0024
Use of NRCS Consrvation Planning and Ecological Indicator Monitoring for Sustainable Business
Planning Information
Gene Fults1, Chuck Stanley2
1USDA-NRCS-WNTSC, Portland, OR, USA, 2USDA-NRCS-CNTSC, Ft. Worth, TX, USA
A comprehensive monitoring plan will provide guide posts in sustainability decision making. The
monitoring plan, protocols, and indicators will be looked at separately. Each ranch will require its own
unique monitoring plan and set of ecological indicators that track the results of management actions
towards sustainability. Structured monitoring that measures comparative indicators will be worth the effort.
The first phase of a conservation plan, developed with the help of NRCS, will contain a resource inventory
that answers what is there, how much, and where. This will provide a baseline to help answer questions
about ‘is my ranch sustainable' in the SRR Ranch Sutainability workbook. Examples of ecological
indicators, key area establishment considerations, and monitoring protocols will be presented.
0025
INTERSEEDING LEGUMES INTO GRASS DOMINATED PASTURES
Glenn Shewmaker1, Joe Brummer2, Chanda Engel3
1University of Idaho, Kimberly, ID, USA, 2Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 3North Dakota
State University, Carrington, ND, USA
Interseeding legumes into grass-dominated irrigated pastures can increase the yield and quality of forage
produced and reduce the need for inputs of nitrogen fertilizer. The challenge is to get the legumes
established given the competition from existing vegetation. Suppressing the grasses with glyphosate prior
to seeding resulted in the most consistent legume establishment. Close mowing to simulate heavy
grazing generally did not result in improved establishment compared to no suppression. Alfalfa (Medicago
sativa), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), red clover (Trifolium pretense), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus
corniculatus), and white clover (Trifolium repens) were sown into irrigated pastures in spring of
2010. Alfalfa established the best with 73% frequency of occurrence in the glyphosate treatment when
seeded with a no-till drill in Colorado. In Idaho, establishment with a power-till drill was more variable with
alfalfa establishing at 27% in the glyphosate treatment, and red clover establishing from 34 to 39%
regardless of suppression treatment. This study highlighted the importance of suppressing the existing
grasses and choosing a vigorous legume species for interseeding to reduce the risk of seeding failure.
0026
Habitat fragmentation and variation in life history traits of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Michael Patten1, Lena Larsson2, Donald Wolfe2
1University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA, 2Sutton Avian Research Center, Bartlesville,
Oklahoma, USA
In the process of becoming “America’s breadbasket,” the North American prairies have been fragmented
extensively. Yet agricultural production alone is not the cause of habitat loss and resultant habitat
fragmentation, as livestock ranching and oil and gas extraction have had large footprints, and there is
increasing pressure from wind energy developers. Although we know a great deal about how and where
native habitat has been lost in the prairie, the extent to which fragmentation has affected populations of
prairie species is less clear. We marshaled data from a long-term study of habitat use and reproductive
ecology of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) to explore how key life history
parameters, such as reproductive output and survival, have been affected by fragmentation and habitat
changes associated with fragmentation, such as fence construction and the spread of woody
vegetation. We find that clutch size has changed a great deal in some areas, evidently in response to a
drop adult female survival. Mortality from fence collisions has been the key factor to the decrease in
survival. Avoidance of certain anthropogenic structures, especially power lines and highways, has
reduced the extent of suitable habitat available, a reduction that may exert further selection pressure on
life history traits associated with reproduction, particularly if inbreeding becomes a concern. Management
efforts to site structures away from occupied habitat and to mark fences to increase their visibility to flying
birds may help some populations to recover, but ultimately translocations may be need to boost some
effective population sizes.
0027
Potential impacts of energy development on the lesser prairie-chicken populations
Daniel Dusang, Michael Patten
University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
For many decades habitat for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a species
restricted to southern shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies of the south-central United States, has been
managed intensively. Because suitable habitat for the prairie-chicken has been reduced by over 90%,
the focus of recent management efforts has been on habitat conservation. A new threat to the
conservation of extant prairie habitat has emerged in the form of wind energy development, as well as in
the form of increased pressure to extract natural gas. How energy development will affect the extent of
suitable prairie-chicken habitat is unclear. To answer this question we constructed ecological niche
models using the “Maximum Entropy” algorithm, as implemented in MaxEnt software. These models use
information from the environment, in our case, for example, July and January temperatures, annual
precipitation, and elevation, coupled with presence data to develop a surfaces that reflect the probability
of occurrence across the study area. Prairie-chicken presence was from a 12-year data set on nests,
leks, and foraging locations in northwester Oklahoma. Models predicted that avoidance of tall structures
associated with energy development, whether wind turbines, wells, or associated infrastructure, will
greatly reduce the species’ available habitat, with effects on breeding females being especially
severe. By contrast, loss of suitable habitat to lekking males was not predicted to be nearly so severe, a
situation that may lead to an imbalance in the operational sex ratio of the species. Such imbalances
reduce effective population size and could increase inbreeding depression.
0028
ECOSYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND ANOMALIES IN THE GREATER PLATTE AND UPPER
COLORADO BASINS, USA
Matthew Rigge1, Bruce Wylie2, Yingxin Gu1, Jayne Belnap3, Khem Phuyal4, Larry Tieszen2
1Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Research & Technology Solutions, Contractor to USGS EROS
Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA, 2USGS EROS Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA, 3USGS Southwest Biological
Science Center, Moab,UT, USA, 4Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Contractor to USGS EROS Center,
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Efforts to distinguish the effects of land management on ecosystem performance are difficult due to the
confounding effect of interannual weather variation on productivity. The current study overcomes this
issue by comparing the difference between actual and expected ecosystem performance (EEP) to
generate maps of ecosystem performance anomalies (EPA). We aimed to determine EPA from 2000 to
2009 within the greater Platte and upper Colorado River basins at 250 meter resolution to serve as a
proxy for range condition and quantify the influence of disturbance and land management on productivity.
Yearly EEP was determined through regression tree analysis of abiotic data (e.g. weather, soils,
elevation, etc.). Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index (NDVI) data were averaged over the growing season (GSN) and served as a proxy of actual
ecosystem performance. Validation revealed that EPA values were strongly related to biomass production
(R2 = 0.56, P = 0.02) and likely the proportion of biomass removed by livestock. These results show that
60.6% of the study area was performing near its EEP, 3.0% of the study area was severely
underperforming, 5.0% was highly overperforming, and the remainder was either slightly underperforming
or overperforming. We have developed an interactive online tool that enables users to visualize EPA and
plot its change over time for any available area. These data and tools enable land managers to evaluate
the status of ecosystem productivity and practice adaptive management.
0029
Range Management in a Context of Global Change--Framing Issues, Assessing Options, and
Integrating Science and Action
Lynn Scarlett
Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, USA
Increasingly, range managers must make decisions under conditions of uncertainty about the effects of
climate change and how other demographic, social, ecological, and economic changes will affect the
vulnerability of lands, livestock, wildlife, and livelihoods. Social, economic, and political dimensions of
decisions about resource management, climate adaptation and mitigation underscore the critical need for
decision processes that engage affected parties in framing issues, accessing relevant knowledge, and
reaching decisions. Uncertainty and potentially rapid shifts or high variability in environmental conditions
require using a framework that effectively incorporates improving scientific information, monitoring, and
learning through periodic reviews of decisions. Many tools are available to support different aspects of
decisionmaking, including public engagement and consultation, fact finding, deliberation, valuation of
potential outcomes, and monitoring/evaluation. This session will provide a brief overview and assessment
of decision frameworks, tools, and processes to help improve range management and related decisions
within contexts of uncertainty, complexity, and change.
0030
Distribution and Landscape Attributes of Greater Prairie-Chickens and Sharp-Tailed Grouse
Outside of Their Traditional Range in South Dakota
Mandy Orth, Kent C. Jensen, Charles Dieter
South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
Grasslands play a critical role in providing habitat for greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) and
sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus). Due to increased conversion of grassland to cropland,
South Dakota is losing this critical habitat. This study identified areas of eastern SD where populations of
prairie-chickens and sharp-tailed grouse were suspected to reside, characterized landscape attributes
within 3,000 m of leks, and analyzed landscape characteristics using GIS modeling to develop a
predictive model. Survey routes were developed in areas of potential suitable habitat and leks were
located and recorded. All land and land-uses within 3,000 m of identified leks and randomly selected
non-use points were digitized into a GIS. Land-use around these points was analyzed at 7 scales. 70
grouse leks were found in eastern South Dakota outside of the traditional range. Significantly more
grassland and undisturbed grass were found around grouse leks than non-use points. The combination
of the proportion of total grass (grassland, undisturbed grass, and hay) and patches on the landscape
was a strong predictor of lek presence at all spatial scales. An avoidance of trees was also
evident. Multi-scale modeling revealed the number of patches at 3000-m and the total amount of grass
on the landscape at 2000-m to be the strongest predictors of lek presence.
0031
Adopting an ecological systems approach to improve invasive plant management and restoration
Brenda Smith, Roger Sheley
Agricultural Research Service, Burns, Or, USA
Ecologically-based invasive plant management (EBIPM) is a framework for land managers to identify and
repair key ecological processes to improve restoration success in invasive plant dominated rangeland
systems. The EBIPM framework combines state and transition models with successional management
into a step by step process for land managers to make the best management decisions for a given
landscape. This thought process incorporates ecology directly into land management decision
making and is emerging as a breakthrough to more successful invasive plant restoration efforts. The
EBIPM systems approach has tremendous potential to apply science-based solutions to fix the ecological
causes of infestations and stop repeatedly treating the symptoms, the weeds.
Landscape scale demonstrations of EBIPM were implemented in five watersheds throughout the Great
Basin in 2008 with the objective to apply the tenets of the framework to successfully manage invasive
annual grass, primarily cheatgrass and medusahead, infested rangeland. The demonstration areas were
followed for three consecutive years. Ecological principles were identified to guide the use of tools and
strategies to repair key ecological processes in the systems. This led to an increase in desirable species
and by applying adaptive management reaching the goal of successful restoration of these degraded
lands was achieved. As a systems approach to invasive plant management becomes more widely
adopted, additional sound, long-term strategies will expand for restoring rangeland dominated by invasive
species and noxious rangeland weeds to productive desirable plant communities.
0032
The Dawn of the Southern Plains Range Research Station
Deena Fisher1, Tim Springer0 ,2
1Northwestern Oklahoma State Univerisity, Woodward, Oklahoma, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Woodward,
Oklahoma, USA
On 31 October 1913, U.S. Senator Thomas P. Gore announced that Woodward would be the site of the
government experiment farm in western Oklahoma. This marked the beginning of a century of USDA
agricultural research on the southern Great Plains. A 160 acre parcel of land located southwest of the
city was leased by the Division of Dry Land Agriculture of USDA to construct the experimental farm. The
land was described as very sandy and devoid of trees except for one lone cottonwood tree (Populus
deltoides). In November of 1913, Mr. E. C. Chilcott, the Chief of Dry Land Investigations for USDA,
visited the site and marked the location for a new administration building near the lone cottonwood
tree. Mr. E. F. Chilcott, the son of E. C. Chilcott who also worked for the Division of Dry Land Agriculture,
oversaw the establishment of the Dry Land Field Station in the winter of 1913-1914 and served as the
stations first superintendent. The construction of the station' first buildings began in March 1914, which
included an administration building, a horse barn with tack and feed rooms and a hay loft, and an
equipment shed for horse-drawn equipment. The first field crops planted at the newly formed station
were sorghum and broomcorn (Sorghum bicolor) and wheat (Triticum aestivum). The Southern Plains
Range Research Station developed many agricultural products and practices that met the needs of 20th
Century agriculture and will continue in this rich tradition throughout the 21st Century and beyond.
0033
Investigation of Thermal Habitat Selection by Greater Prairie-Chickens
Torre Hovick1, Brady Allred1, Dwayne Elmore1, Dave Dahlgren2, Sam Fuhlendorf1, Dave Engle1
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism,
Hayes, KS, USA
Greater Prairie-Chicken (GRPC) populations have declined throughout the Flint Hills region over the past
three decades. These declines correspond with large scale shifts in management that have resulted in a
homogenization of the landscape. It is likely that this shift in management has influenced GRPC nest and
brood survival directly through reduced cover, but indirect factors such as the thermal environment are
unknown. Therefore, we are investigating thermal habitat selection in GRPC in the southern Flint Hills for
nesting, brooding, and summer loafing sites. These data will be compared to temperature models of the
landscape that we have created to evaluate if there are any relationships between temperature,
vegetation cover, and GRPC habitat use. Landscape models were created with independent data based
on temperature, slope, aspect, and vegetation cover relationships. Our preliminary findings indicate that
GRPC select nesting areas that are cooler than the surrounding microhabitat, likely as a result of shading
from overhead vegetation. Additionally, we found that brood sites and summer loafing sites are typically in
areas that have been burned within the last year and that mid-day loafing sites are strongly associated
with forb patches. Whether these habitat associations are related to temperature, is not yet known. Yet,
this work supports the need for maintaining heterogeneity within grasslands both in terms of structure and
composition regardless of the mechanisms which may be related to habitat selection by GRPC.
0034
Factors affecting herbicide selection and use in rangeland restoration programs
Robert Masters, Mary Halstvedt, Chad Cummings, Louise Brinkworth
Dow AgroSciences, LLC, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Herbicides can be useful and cost effective tools to selectively manipulate rangeland plant
communities. Understanding herbicide characteristics is critical to selecting herbicides that best fit in
rangeland restoration programs. Mode of action refers to the system, process, or tissue affected by the
herbicide. All herbicide: plant interactions are considered the mode of action. The mode of action
involves herbicide absorption, translocation, metabolism or biochemical reactions, and mechanism of
action in the plant. Mechanism of action is different than mode of action and refers to the specific plant
process with which the herbicide interferes to control the weed. Herbicides usually interfere with
processes essential for normal plant growth and development and are classified by mechanism of
action. Mechanism of action classifications include plant growth regulators, cell wall disruptors and
herbicides that inhibitor seedling growth, photosynthesis, amino acid synthesis, lipid synthesis, and
pigment formation. An herbicide is usually selective within certain rates, environmental conditions, and
methods of application. Foliar-active herbicides are applied directly to plant leaves or stems where they
are absorbed and translocated in the plant. These herbicides may or may not remain active once in the
soil. Soil-active herbicides are absorbed by the roots from soil water. Applicators are responsible for
using the herbicide according to label directions. Knowledge of herbicide attributes will improve ability to
select the herbicides best suited to meet land management objectives.
0035
A triangular approach to the adaptive management circle
Lynn Huntsinger, Adriana Sulak
UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
In 1905 Gifford Pinchot took the Division of Forestry and created the US Forest Service with his vision of
conservation: “the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time”. His goal was to create a
cadre of professional forest managers able to make the best decisions and develop the science needed
to manage a resource crucial to the nation. Since then, and as vehement controversy persists, the
management models for forests and rangelands have evolved to include multiple use, public participation,
and now, adaptive management. Relationships between the land management agencies, and the public,
are considered key to making decisions and even conducting science for resource management. But is
there a third step on the horizon? This paper explores the potential evolution of a three way model for
natural resource management that includes the agency, the public, and a monitoring or research
participant. The Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project is used as a case study.
0037
Herders perception and adaptation strategies to climate change in Pakistan
Srijana Joshi, Abdul Wahid Jasra, Muhammad Ismail, Ritu Meher Shrestha, Ning Wu
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Khumaltar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Rangeland degradation is one of the major problems in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region
particularly in the arid and semi arid ecosystems in the north west of Pakistan where pastoralism, the
main livelihood, is being perceived as vulnerable to climate change. Local herders perception of climate
change is required to understand the knowledge gap so that policy makers can address the problems
faced by the herders and make adequate decision about adaptive climate change strategies. A survey
was conducted in Gilgit Baltistan Province of Pakistan with the objectives of assessing the herders
perception and adaptation strategies to climate change. Herders perception was gathered through focus
group discussions and using open structured questions. The herders perceived the long term climate
change trend based on their experience of changes in their surroundings during the past10-15 years.
They identified increased glacier melting, longer and intense droughts, prolonged summers and relatively
shorter winters as indicators of recent climatic changes, pertinent to their livelihoods and well being. They
further perceived that climate change had directly been impacting on livestock and pasture, in particular
by changing vegetation composition, reducing forage yield, and hence lowering pasture area. The study
concludes that climate change has detrimental impact on the efficient use and management of rangeland
resources adversely affecting the livelihoods of mountain communities where adaptation options are quite
limited.
0040
Introducing Alberta's Rangeland Research Institute
Edward Bork
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The need for strategic research on rangelands has never been greater. In Alberta, this is highlighted by
increasing potential for land use conflict on multiple use public land, and on private grazing land, where
the economics of beef production have faced serious challenges over the last decade. Long-term
environmental and economic sustainability from rangelands in this region depends on an increase in the
amount, efficiency, and relevance of research, including a balance between short-term (reactive) and
long-term (proactive) research. The Rangeland Research Institute represents an entity to achieve this,
including bringing resources such as research land and funding, together with a diversity of expertise,
including scientists, land use managers, non-government organizations such as the beef and oil/gas
industry, as well as practitioners. Future research priorities to increase the economic sustainability of
private rangelands include the previously under- and undeveloped markets associated with environmental
goods and services, as well as strategic management changes to minimize the impact of long-term
threats such as invasive species and climate change. This presentation will provide an overview of the
need, development, and function, of Alberta's Rangeland Research Institute, including its long-term vision
and plan to achieve that vision.
0041
Potential effect of fine fuel management by targeted cattle grazing on wildfire behavior
Leticia Varelas1, L. Allen Torell1, Mitchell B. Stephenson1, Retta Bruegger2, Larry D. Howery2, Derek W.
Bailey1
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Fine fuels are the driver carrying fire across the landscape, and targeted grazing (TG) is a fuel treatment
that can be used to reduce fine fuel loads. Grazing trials in the Santa Rita Mountains (SRM) near Tucson
AZ and the Chihuahuan Desert Range Research Center (CDRRC) near Las Cruces, NM demonstrated
that cattle grazing can successfully be used to reduce standing herbaceous crop on targeted grazing
areas. With 10 days of TG, herbaceous standing crop was reduced by about 675 kg/ha at the SRM site
and by about 785 kg/ha at the CDRRC site (27 kg/ha/day averaged across both sites). Only on the SRM
site was stubble height significantly reduced. The fire models BehavePlus and FlamMap were used to
evaluate how the reductions in herbaceous fuels and fuel bed depth would be expected to alter fire
intensity and behavior, assuming a 60.7 ha targeted grazing area. A targeted cattle grazing treatment
was able to alter fire behavior most effectively when both fine fuels and stubble height were reduced by
the treatment. Grazing treatments were more effective in grass dominated areas compared to grass/shrub
sites, which may require additional or alternative fuel treatments. Fire models projected that flame lengths
with moderate fuel moisture conditions would be reduced by over 1.2 m with TG. On grass dominated
sites rate of fire spread was reduced by about half except with extremely dry conditions. Cattle grazing
treatments shortened the distance traveled by the simulated fire by about one mile (1.61 km).
0042
Economic evaluation of targeted cattle grazing to reduce fire hazard and keys to making it a viable
option
L. Allen Torell, Leticia Varelas, Derek W. Bailey
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
The costs of using targeted grazing treatments will vary widely depending on the situation of
implementation. Grazing treatments along an urban/wildland urban interface area would be expected to
be the most costly but potentially provide large payoffs in reduced fire hazard and fire intensity. Targeted
grazing treatments conducted in Arizona and New Mexico were used as the basis for estimating the time,
effort and costs required to implement targeted grazing treatments along the urban interface and on
existing grazing allotments. Cost estimates of using targeted cattle grazing as a fuel reduction method
ranged from about $25/ha to $250/ha depending on the grazing scenario, assumed labor cost, and the
desired level of reduction in herbaceous fine fuels. Targeted cattle grazing may be most advantageous
when relatively small reductions in fine fuels are desired. If fine fuel reductions of over about 700 kg/ha
are desired, holding animals with a temporary electric fence would be more cost effective than using lowstress herding and supplement. When the targeted area includes both grasses and shrubs goats and
sheep may be the preferred livestock class, yet, the abundance of cattle relative to sheep provides a
much larger pool of animals and knowledgeable individuals for conducting targeted grazing treatments.
Targeted cattle grazing can be a feasible alternative to reduce fine fuels in some scenarios because the
costs are similar to alternative treatments to control fine fuels such as mowing and prescribed fire.
0043
Using physical chemistry and climate to estimate fire frequency
Richard Guyette1, Michael Stambaugh1, Daniel Dey2
1University of Missouri, Columbia Mo, USA, 2Northern Research Station, USFS, Columbia Mo, USA
We address the fundamental ecosystem processes and chemistry that interact to produces fire regimes
with the Physical Chemistry Fire Frequency Model (PC2FM). This equation and model were developed
from theory and data in physical chemistry, ecosystem ecology, and climatology. The PC2FM equation
was calibrated and validated with North American fire and climate data prior to widespread industrial
influences (before ~ 1850 AD) related to land use, fire suppression, and recent climate change to
minimize non-climatic effects. We derived and validated the theoretical and empirically based PC2FM for
the purpose of estimating mean fire intervals and probabilities from temperature, precipitation, and their
interaction. The PC2FM uses two reaction rate concepts that involve: 1) the reaction environment and 2)
the concentration of reactants. The PC2FM equation is derived from many centuries of empirical fire
history data at 170 sites. Applications and limitations of the PC2FM are discussed. The PC2FM is based
on climate variables alone and allows for the prediction of complex climate effects at broader temporal
and spatial scales. This limits its use in fine scale applications where local topography, vegetation type,
and ignition variables are important factors influencing fire. PC2FM predictions in the Great Plains and
elsewhere are discussed.
0044
Effects of rangeland management and wind power on greater prairie-chickens in eastern Kansas.
Brett Sandercock, Virginia Winder, Lyla Hunt, Lance McNew, Andrew Gregory, Samantha Wisely
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
We investigated impacts of rangeland management and wind power on the demographic performance of
Greater Prairie-Chickens in eastern Kansas. We used habitat conditions and exposure to turbines to test
for impacts on male lek attendance, and the reproductive success and survival of females. In a 6-year
period, we monitored 23 lek sites, 251 radio-marked females, and 264 nesting attempts. Habitat and lek
size had the strongest effects on lek attendance: leks in native grasslands with > 10 males had the
highest probability of persistence. Development had a weak effect on lek attendance: probability of lek
persistence increased with distance from turbines, and most abandoned leks were <5 km from turbines.
Reproductive output of prairie chickens was limited by high rates of nest failure and losses to predation,
but was not affected by distance to turbine. The strongest correlate of nest survival was vegetative cover
at nest sites, which was determined by prescribed fire and grazing intensity. Most female mortality was
due to predation and losses to collisions or harvest were rare. Unexpectedly, female survival increased
after wind power development, possibly because turbines disrupted foraging by raptors. We are currently
investigating benefits of patch-burn grazing for prairie chickens and other sensitive species of grassland
songbirds. Nesting densities are higher in areas rested from fire but concealment benefits of improved
nesting cover do not have a large effect on nest survival. Patch-burn grazing is promising for rangeland
management because it has been adopted by some private landowners in Kansas.
0045
Opportunities for Grazing as an Ecological Tool in Military Training Area Management in
Hohenfels, Germany
Peter Schreder1, Scott Holbrook2, Albert Boehm3, Steve Warren4
1Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2Natural Resource Innovations, Mannheim, Germany,
Germany, 3Hohenfels JMRC U.S. Army, Hohenfels, Germany, Germany, 4U.S. Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station, Provo, Utah, USA
Encroachment of open grassland meadows by shrub species on the Hohenfels Joint Multinational
Readiness Training Area threatens ecosystem structure and function, and may cause loss of valuable
military training capability. Mechanical treatments have been the focus of management efforts to control
encroachment, but alternatives are being researched. Management with the reintroduction of domestic
livestock grazing may suppress shrub encroachment and reduce the need for costly mechanical
control. We studied historic open meadows populated by Prunus spinosa to compare rates of
encroachment between current management and management with livestock grazing. The study shows
an economic advantage to using grazing over mechanical removal.
0046
The importance of maintaining perennial bunchgrasses in the sagebrush steppe
Tony Svejcar, Kirk Davies, Chad Boyd
USDA-ARS, Burns, Oregon, USA
The sagebrush steppe is generally described as an ecosystem at great risk from encroachment of
invasive annual grasses and conifer woodlands, land use changes, climate shifts and fragmentation in
general. A great deal of attention has been focused on sage-grouse and need for sagebrush cover and
forbs as critical habitat elements. Probably the most pressing concern in the western sagebrush steppe
is the conversion to invasive annual grasses and the dramatic shortening of the fire return
interval. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) in particular does very well with increases in atmospheric CO 2
and winter temperatures. There is ample literature demonstrating the importance of large perennial
bunchgrasses (PBGs) in halting the spread of annual grasses, especially at lower elevations. However,
there is limited information on recruitment, mortality and life spans of PBGs. The existing literature
suggests that average and maximum life spans are <10 yr. and around 30 yr. respectively. Recruitment
is thought to be episodic, but the life span data suggests that recruitment will be required about once a
decade to maintain PBG populations and reduce the threat of annual grass encroachment. Because of
the difficulty in restoring annual grass dominated systems, maintenance of relatively intact plant
communities should be a primary management focus for low to mid elevation sagebrush plant
communities. If we are to reduce the number of acres lost to invasive annual grasses, a focus on PBG
recruitment and mortality will be critical.
0047
Selection of cattle adapted for sustainable use of extensive rugged rangelands: Part 2 - What we
can learn from the genotype.
Milt Thomas1, Gonzalo Rincon3, Juan Medrano3, Derek Bailey2
1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 2New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA,
3University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Genomic information and GPS collar measurements were used to examine cattle grazing distribution in
extensive rangelands. This is the first study to conduct genotype to phenotype association studies of
difficult to measure quantitative production traits that are important for rangeland sustainability. DNA was
obtained from 87 beef cows that were tracked in mountainous and/or extensive rangeland pastures. The
DNA was used for high density genotyping (BovineSNPHD; ~800,000 genotypes/cow) and the GPS data
were used to characterize use of rough terrain and areas far from water using indices based on the
normalized averages of slope use, elevation use, and distance to water. A chromosome region
associated with these traits is known as quantitative trait loci (QTL) and the significance is determined by
the statistical association of genotypes with phenotype effects (log 10 p-value > 5). Significant QTL regions
were detected on chromosomes 17 and 29 for slope and elevation. When these variables were combined
with distance to water, QTL were detected on 11 chromosomes and a structural copy number variant QTL
was detected on chromosome 8. A QTL region can span many base-pairs on a chromosome and
encompass numerous genes. However, QTL analyses are a useful entry-point for identifying functional
loci and potential genetic markers to help understand the genetic and physiological basis of cattle grazing
distribution and to develop marker-based genetic selection procedures. This work highlights the value of
combining genomic information with accurate grazing distribution phenotypes to understand the biology of
cattle foraging behavior.
0048
Modeling Vegetation Heights from High Resolution Stereo Aerial Photography: An Application for
Broad-Scale Rangeland Monitoring
Jeffrey Gillan1, Jason Karl1, Michael Duniway2
1USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 2Canyonlands Research
Station, USGS-BRD, Moab, Utah, USA
Vertical vegetation structure in rangeland ecosystems can be a valuable indicator for monitoring
rangeland health or progress toward management objectives because of its importance for assessing
riparian areas, post-fire recovery, wind erosion, and wildlife habitat. Federal land management agencies
are directed to monitor and manage rangelands at landscapes scales, but traditional field methods for
measuring vegetation heights are often too costly and time consuming to apply at these broad scales.
Emerging remote sensing techniques (e.g., LiDAR or synthetic aperture radar) are too expensive, require
specialized sensors, or are not of high enough resolution for broad-scale application. An alternative
remote sensing approach is to measure vegetation heights from digital stereo aerial photographs. The
purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and accuracy of estimating shrub heights from highresolution (HR, 3-cm ground sampling distance) digital stereo-pair aerial images. Overlapping HR
imagery was taken in March 2009 near Lake Mead, Nevada and 5 cm resolution digital terrain models
(DTMs) were created for twenty-six 2,500 m2 test plots. We compared the heights of individual shrubs
and plot averages derived from the DTMs to field measurements. Modeling success was highly variable,
dependent primarily on the type of vegetation in the plot. The resolution of the imagery was too coarse to
accurately capture the heights of herbaceous vegetation and fine shrub branches. However, compact
shrubs were modeled very accurately. Through the use of statistically derived correction factors, though,
vegetation heights from HR DTMs could be a valuable technique for broad-scale rangeland monitoring
needs.
0049
Conservation, Development by Design and Population Augmentation to support Sage-Grouse
recovery in South eastern Alberta, Canada.
Kevin France1, Kevin Redden1, Dale Eslinger2, Joel Nicholson2
1Alberta Sustainable Resource Development - Lands Division, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, 2Alberta
Sustainable Resource Development - Fish and Wildlife Division, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
The greater sage-grouse is listed as endangered under Alberta's Wildlife Act and the federal Species at
Risk Act. The Alberta population has declined substantially in size and distribution. Sage-grouse range is
currently limited to the southeastern corner of the province and represents about 10 percent of the
species historical range in Alberta. The Alberta sage-grouse population has declined over the last 30
years to the point where the population was estimated to be less than 40 birds in 2011. An Alberta
recovery plan was prepared by a multi-stakeholder team in 2005. There are two primary goals identified
in the recovery plan: Enhance and maintain habitat for sage-grouse to satisfy life-cycle requirements in
support of a viable population within its remaining historical range; achieve recovery of the sage-grouse
population to a level (2000 individuals) that provides for sustainable recreational viewing and hunting.
Numerous actions are described in the recovery plan. In which they are delivered by multi-stakeholder
group. Preliminary results from the 2012 spring lek surveys indicate that the population is at
approximately 40 birds. Population augmentation is underway to bolster the small population. A total of 40
sage-grouse have been translocated from northeastern Montana to southeast Alberta during 2011 (9
birds) and 2012 (31 birds). Translocated birds are being monitored using satellite telemetry. The
presentation will highlight some of actions Alberta has taken to augment sage-grouse populations and
protect habitat.
0050
Women as Collaborative Leaders in US Rangelands
Laura Van Riper
Bureau of Land Management, National Riparian Service Team, Prineville, Oregon, USA
Rangeland management within the Western United States is changing and women, through their effort
and example, are informing this process. Women's capacity and inclination for collaboration and
cooperation in business, academic endeavors, community development, natural resource management,
and other areas has drawn increasing attention and scholarship in recent years. In contrast to more
traditional (and masculine) leadership styles and problem solving approaches, which typically privilege
individualism, competitiveness, and command and control or top-down decision making, emerging (and
distinctly more feminine) approaches focus on advancing relationships, community, and communication
that fosters extended dialogue as a way to engage, understand and develop solutions that address
people's differing perspectives and needs. Using an interactive format, this panel will draw on the stories
and experiences of women ranchers to: highlight and describe their role as innovators and community
collaborators; explore their backgrounds, motivations and tactics; and describe the unique challenges and
opportunities they have faced, as well as lessons they have learned.
0051
Quantifying ecosystem services from pastureland in the United States: The Conservation Effects
Assessment Project.
Matt Sanderson
USDA-ARS, Mandan, ND, USA
The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is a multiagency scientific effort to quantify
environmental outcomes of conservation practices applied to private agricultural lands of the United
States. Society for Range Management members are familiar with the rangeland CEAP effort but may
know little about the pastureland component. Principal goals of pastureland CEAP include (1) a detailed
synthesis of the scientific conservation literature on pasturelands of the United States, (2) a national
assessment of conservation effects on ecosystem services, and (3) detailed investigations of
conservation practices at various scales. For Goal 1, a comprehensive literature synthesis revealed
critical knowledge gaps including: (i) comprehensive assessments of effects of grazing management on a
broad suite of environmental response variables; (ii) models to integrate and extend site-specific
information to landscape- and watershed-scale assessments of the ecosystem services provided by
pastureland; (iii) effects of grazing animals on nutrient cycling and distribution; (iv) data on costeffectiveness of best management practices; (v) long-term research to monitor changes in biodiversity of
pastureland; and (vi) a better understanding of landscape ecology and wildlife responses to pasture
management. To improve implementation of conservation practices on pastureland, there is a need for
comprehensive erosion, nutrient management, and conservation planning technologies. These
technologies will improve predictions of nutrient losses, runoff, and erosion from pastureland and will
enable more accurate comparisons of emerging conservation technologies and alternative management
practices.
0052
"Range Women: Integrating Women's Voices into Rangeland Management Research and
Extension Design."
Rachel Mealor1, Hailey Wilmer2
1Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA,
2Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Women are an important presence in the ranching and rangeland management fields, taking active roles
in grazing plan development and rangeland monitoring. However, women's voices have traditionally been
absent from studies of the diffusion of innovation, land management decision-making and the design of
rangeland research outreach programs. Further study is needed to determine if women have distinct
needs for the content and structure of outreach programming and if family level decision-making is a
driving force for rangeland innovation adoption. This presentation outlines: 1) the results of a literature
review and a research agenda concerning how female ranch operators and their families make
management decisions, and how women's experiences can inform the design of future outreach
programming and 2) an extension program focused on providing women with basic natural resource
science while illustrating the development and use of techniques to improve the management of their
rangelands.
0053
Assessing legume tolerance to residual broadleaf herbicides in northern temperate pastures
using short-term dose trials.
Amanda Miller1, Edward Bork1, Linda Hall1, Patrick Forsythe2, Bill 0
1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 2DuPont, Wetaskawin, Alberta, Canada
Legumes such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and white clover (Trifolium repens) are beneficial features of
northern temperate pastures due to their role in increasing forage productivity and quality. Little is known
about the tolerance of legumes to broadleaf herbicides in northern soils and climates, including legume
ability to regenerate from the seed bank once removed. We used a variable rate herbicide field study to
assess 1) tolerance of existing legumes to herbicide bioactives, and 2) seedling performance of key
forage legumes (alfalfa and white clover) from an augmented soil seed bank. This study was conducted
at two sites over two years using broadleaf herbicide bioactives (aminopyralid and aminocyclopyrachlor),
each applied at 6 different rates (0x, 0.0625x, 0.125x, 0.25x, 0.5x, and 1x) in a randomized block design
with 4 replications. Sites were overseeded with 16 kg/ha of alfalfa and clover seed to populate seed-bank
prior to herbicide application, and monitored for seedling emergence, survival and density over the
following 12 months. Plots were further divided into mown and un-mown subplots to assess the role of
forage competition on legume establishment. Legume performance differed modestly between the two
different bioactives, with marked changes across the variable spray rates. Tolerance to herbicide and
initial seedling establishment were also greater under mowing, likely due to decreased competition for
light, moisture, and nutrients. Re-establishment of legumes is an important goal of producers, and this
information provides insight into the expected return of legume populations in northern temperate
pastures following spraying.
0055
An invasive grass increases live fuel proportion and reduces fire spread in a simulated grassland
Devan McGranahan1, David Engle2, James Miller3, Diane Debinski4
1The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA, 2Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA,
3University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA, 4Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Fire is a globally important ecosystem process, and invasive grass
species generally increase fire spread by increasing the fuel load and
continuity of native grassland fuelbeds. We suggest that invasive
grasses that are photosynthetically active while the native plant
community is dormant reduce fire spread by introducing high-moisture,
live vegetation gaps in the fuelbed. We describe the invasion pattern
of a high-moisture, cool-season grass, tall fescue (Schedonorus
phoenix (Scop.) Holub), in tallgrass prairie, and use
spatially-explicit fire behavior models to simulate fire spread under
several combinations of fuel load, invasion, and fire weather
scenarios. Reduced fuel load and increased extent of tall fescue
invasion reduced fire spread, but high wind speed and low relative
humidity can partially mitigate these effects. We attribute reduced
fire spread to asynchrony in the growing seasons of the exotic,
cool-season grass, tall fescue, and the native, warm-season tallgrass
prairie community in this model system. Reduced fire spread under low
fuel load scenarios indicate that fuel load is an important factor in
fire spread, especially in invaded fuel beds. These results present a
novel connection between fire behavior and asynchronous phenology
between invasive grasses and native plant communities in pyrogenic
ecosystems.
0056
Species richness and community ecology of upland tallgrass prairie sedges (Cyperaceae)
John Mulloy1, Devan McGranahan1, Ryan Harr2, David Engle3
1The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA, 2Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA, 3Oklahoma
State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Sedges (Cyperaceae) are an under-researched, under-managed, and generally under-appreciated
component of native tallgrass prairie. Perhaps owing to the taxon’s difficulty in identification, sedge
diversity and ecology often go overlooked, and there exists a paucity of knowledge on the role of sedges
in rangelands. We address this lack of research with an analysis of the community ecology of upland
sedges on prairie tracts in south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri. For three years, we recorded
presence and abundance of sedges on thirteen tracts managed with fire and grazing, and collected
voucher specimens for identification in the lab. After identifying sedges to species and verifying with an
expert, we describe patterns in species richness and abundance with land-use history and fire and
grazing management. We also relate patterns in the sedge community with abundance of the invasive
cool-season grass, tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix). Across the thirteen study tracts, sedge species
richness was high and abundance often 40-60% of prairie biomass early in the grazing season,
suggesting that sedges are an important component of rangeland plant communities and should be
considered in grassland restoration.
0061
Sand sagebrush rangeland utilization by cattle producers
Stacey Gunter
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Woodward, OK, USA
Since 1939 when the USDA purchased the Southern Plains Experimental Range (SPER), scientists of
the USDA-Agricultural Research Service have been researching the appropriate uses of native mixedgrass prairie with an over story of sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia Torr.). This range type inhabits
approximately 6 million hectares of sandy soils on the Southern and Central Great Plains. Early research
examined appropriate stocking rates over a 20-year period that was necessary to achieve optional net
returns while preventing plant mortality and(or) soil erosion. During this early period of research, before
herbicides were readily available, the effects of mowing sand sagebrush on range carrying capacity was
researched. Beginning in the early 1960’s with the increasing availability of herbicides, the research
focused on controlling sagebrush and how range carrying capacity could be enhanced. During this same
time period, introduced forages as a complement to native rangeland was researched in an effort to
increase weaning per unit of rangeland grazed and to re-vegetate degraded farmland that was no longer
productive. As society’s values have changed, so has the range utilization research at the
SPER. Today’s research still focuses on the need for more food production from our rangelands, but we
are equally concerned with maintaining ecological services to wildlife, water quality, and the land
owner. In the future, we hope to develop rangeland management systems that have high levels of
livestock production acceptable to land owners and enhance the sustainability of the system.
0062
Ecological Site Description Workshops;An Interdisciplinary and Interagency Effort Monday,
February 4th, 20131:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Workshop - How to Determine the Ecological Site Concept.
Pat Shaver
NRCS, Nation-wide, USA
This is the first session of a four session workshop that will introduce the basic concepts of ecological
sites, how ecological site descriptions are developed, and how ecological site descriptions can be utilized
in making management decisions. This session will define what ecological sites are, provide a review of
the history of ecological sites, and discuss the ecological concepts utilized in defining ecological
sites. Concepts and components of state-and-transition models will be reviewed. Relationship of
ecological sites to soils maps and how information on ecological site description can be accessed will be
discussed.
0063
Can rotational grazing promote plant community productivity? A three year clipping and watering
experiment in the Dry Mixedgrass Prairie
Tanner Broadbent1, Edward Bork1, Walter Willms2 ,1, Janice Cooke1
1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, 2Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Canada
Recent publications question rotational grazing’s ability to increase plant community productivity,
especially in semiarid grasslands. Plants adapted to aridity commonly grow more determinately, such that
growth rates remain relatively low regardless of resource availability. We hypothesized that determinate
growth may (1) constrain positive plant community productivity responses to defoliation, and (2) be more
characteristic of the caespitose (i.e., bunchgrass) growth form due to its greater prevalence under
increasing aridity. We applied four defoliation treatments of high intensity-low frequency (HILF), high
intensity-high frequency (HIHF), low intensity-high frequency (LIHF), and control (deferred) in combination
with either ambient and moisture addition treatments to plots in a fully randomized design at two sites
from 2010-2012 in the Dry Mixedgrass Prairie. Measured responses included plot biomass yield, as well
as yield and modelled growth rate in two dominant, decreaser grasses of contrasting growth form:
Hesperostipa comata (caespitose) and Pascopyrum smithii (rhizomatous). Analysis used mixed model,
repeated measure ANOVAs. Findings from years one and two include that defoliation did not increase
yield or growth rate in either grass, but moisture addition more consistently promoted growth rates and
yield in P. smithii. In contrast, HILF defoliation promoted plant community yields, but only under certain
site and moisture conditions. These divergent plant community and individual plant responses indicate
that sward productivity represents a collective response of both decreaser and increaser grasses.
Moreover, these results confirm rotational grazing’s limited potential to promote plant community
productivity in semiarid grasslands and provide some evidence of more determinate growth in caespitose
grasses.
0065
Ecological Site Description Workshops;An Interdisciplinary and Interagency Effort Second of 4 1/2 day sessionsTuesday, February 5th, 2013 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Workshop - Presentation of the
Standards and Procedures
Sherm Karl
BLM, Denver, CO, USA
This second session will focus on presenting the standardized methods and procedures, as defined in the
Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands, to be utilized by the BLM, FS, and NRCS to
define, delineate, and describe terrestrial ecological sites on rangelands. The Interagency Ecological Site
Handbook for Rangelands was developed to implement the policy outlined in the Rangeland Interagency
Ecological Site Manual. This policy provides direction to Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Forest
Service (FS), and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to cooperatively identify and describe
rangeland ecological sites for use in inventory, monitoring, evaluation, and management of the Nation's
rangelands.
0066
Ecological Site Description Workshops;An Interdisciplinary and Interagency Effort 3 of 4 1/2 day
sessionsWednesday, February 6th, 20131:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Workshop - Data Mining and
management; How to locate and analyze vegetation data.
Jeff Dibenedetto
US Forest Service, National, USA
This third session will focus on presentations that will demonstrate how to mine and analyze existing data
from research, academia and agency sources. Presentations will focus on current examples of data
mining, analyzing and interpretation to facilitate site concept confirmation and to facilitate the
understanding of state and community phases change.
0067
Ecological Site Description Workshops;An Interdisciplinary and Interagency Effort The 4th of 4 1/2 day sessions Thursday, February 7th, 20138:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Workshop - Ecological Site
Description; Use and Benefits
Mike Pellant
Great Basin Restoration Initiative, Boise, ID, USA
This final session focus on how ecological site descriptions are being utilized in making management
decisions. Presentations from various agencies, NGO's, and consultants will describe their experiences
in utilizing ecological site descriptions as a standard reference for land management, monitoring, and
assessment.
0069
Long term effect of training on cattle grazing spotted knapweed and Canada thistle
Katie Tierney, Bret Olson
Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
Plant species that are invading North America, such as spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.) and
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.), are changing and degrading rangeland ecosystems by
replacing native grasses and forbs. Conventional control methods are often not cost-effective and are
limited by regulatory guidelines. Using livestock to manage invasive species offers an alternative with
fewer restrictions, is potentially more cost-effective, is less labor intensive, and may limit the spread and
regeneration of weed populations. Our objectives were to determine: 1) if cattle trained to consume
weeds in 2004 retained their training in 2011, 2) if calves and yearlings of the 2004 trained cattle
consume more spotted knapweed and Canada thistle than untrained cows, and 3) if calves and yearlings
in 2011 retain their grazing patterns from 2011 to 2012. Trained cattle did not spend more time grazing
spotted knapweed or Canada thistle than untrained cattle. In 2011, calves and yearlings from trained
cattle did not spend more time grazing spotted knapweed or Canada thistle than those from untrained
cattle. Calves and yearlings retained grazing patterns on spotted knapweed from 2011 to 2012; however,
time spent grazing spotted knapweed was lower in 2012 than in 2011. Trained cattle did not retain their
training, and thus did not pass a preference onto their offspring. However, individual animal grazing
patterns varied considerably, and these patterns were retained for at least one year. Therefore,
producers could reduce the spread of weed populations by selecting individual animals with a predilection
for grazing weeds.
0070
An overview and the next 100 years with ARS
Edward Knipling
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC, USA
In the context of the ongoing year-long recognition of USDA’s more than 150 years of public service since
its establishment by President Lincoln in May 1862, the contributions of USDA conservation research will
be reviewed. Reflections on the activities of the Southern Plains Range Research Station at Woodward,
Oklahoma and other centennial Agricultural Research Service range and grasslands research
laboratories will be highlighted. Given the imposing challenges facing the world today in the form of
population growth; increased food and renewable energy needs; limited land, water, and other natural
resources; and adaptation to changing climates, the role for rangelands research to contribute to
sustained agricultural production and environmental stewardship will be even more demanding.
0071
Spatial Heterogeneity in Response of Greater Sage-Grouse to Energy Development
Jeffrey Beck1, Andrew Gregory2
1University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA, 2Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Human disturbances to landscapes have led to declines in greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus
urophasianus) populations across their range. Recently, studies utilizing lek count data have quantified
negative impacts of oil and gas well-pad density on sage-grouse. However, these studies are typically
regional and assume spatial stationarity, suggesting a need for a comprehensive analysis of the impacts
of oil and gas development on sage-grouse at larger scales. Our objective was to use Wyoming Game
and Fish Department lek count data to characterize localized sage-grouse population trends in Wyoming.
We used a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing function to control for data periodicity and standardized
the 3-year trend in lek attendance by the 10-year trend. We first assessed global trends by quadrant. Of
813 leks, 78% displayed marked declines of >58% from 2008-2010. Declines were largest in the
northeast and smallest in the northwest. Declines were moderate in the southwest and co-occurred with
slight increases to some leks, although increases did not countermand losses. Next, we characterized a
geographically weighted regression with the 3-year trend data and well-pad densities within 500 m, 2 km,
5 km, and 10 km of leks for 0-, 2-, and 10-year lags. The geographically weighted regression provided
4.5-times better fit to our data than did the OLS spatial regression, and predicted that grouse populations
were most heavily influenced by well-pad density within 500 m and 10 km of lek sites 10 years in the past.
Thus, to be effective, management and siting guidelines need to incorporate regional heterogeneity.
0074
Evaluation of Soil Nitrogen Dynamics, Secondary Invasions, and Prescribed Fire for Yellow
Sweetclover Control (Melilotus officinalis) in Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecosystems
Josh Averett, Ryan Limb
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis) is a widely planted biennial legume that readily invades northern
mixed-grass prairie ecosystems. The ability of sweetclover to spread into undisturbed areas generates
concern for ecosystem conservation in the northern Great Plains. Invasions of non-native nitrogen fixing
legumes like sweetclover have the potential to alter soil nutrient dynamics, impact plant communities, and
facilitate secondary exotic plant invasions. We used a two-part field and greenhouse experiment to: 1)
assess the potential use of fire for controlling sweetclover infestations; 2) evaluate how sweetclover
invasions impact soil nitrogen dynamics; and 3) determine the influence of sweetclover on a secondary
invasion of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Our results indicate that canopy cover of sweetclover is not
influenced by a mid-growing season prescribed fire. However, sweetclover survival rates decreased with
increasing fuel loads and the proportion of plants possessing reproductive structures decreased after
burn treatments. Sweetclover altered soil nitrogen content by increasing soil nitrate and ammonium
concentrations. Cheatgrass production was suppressed when grown concurrently with sweetclover
plants and greatly enhanced when grown in soil containing decomposing sweetclover roots (P< 0.05).
Our research suggests that prescribed fire frequency and fuel load requirements are not sustainable for
controlling yellow sweetclover in the northern mixed-grass prairie due to limited growth potential in the
region. Additionally, observed alterations to soil nitrogen dynamics indicate that sweetclover invasions
can directly influence species composition and facilitate secondary invasions of cheatgrass under certain
conditions.
0075
Adaptive management for diverse stakeholder goals: A participatory grazing management
experiment
Leslie Roche1, Lorien Jasny1, Mark Lubell1, Emily Kachergis2, Justin Derner2, Valerie Eviner1, Kenneth
Tate1
1University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA, 2USDA-ARS, High Plains Grasslands Research Station,
Cheyenne, WY, USA
Rangelands encompass diverse agricultural land resources that provide multiple provisioning, regulating,
cultural, and supporting ecosystem services. Managing for multiple services is of major importance to a
variety of stakeholder groups on rangelands; and many land managers and agencies have already
adopted this approach. However, connecting research and policy with practical, on-the-ground
management and conservation practices for multiple outcomes remains a challenge. To address this
challenge, our research group has partnered with diverse stakeholders to conduct a novel, long-term
participatory adaptive grazing management experiment at the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension
Center in California. We invited ranchers, conservation practitioners, and rangeland professionals to
discuss goals and recommended management strategies for grassland and woodland pastures across
the research center. We hosted 55 participants over two workshops, in which we asked about their
individual and group goals and recommendations: participants were divided into 4 groups - ranchers,
conservation scientists, rangeland professionals, and a mixed group with members from each of these
stakeholder groups. The identified goals and recommended practices clearly differed between participant
groups. Following all-group discussions, a final strategy of investigating rotational and continuous grazing
systems at moderate stocking densities was adopted. Representatives from each stakeholder group were
selected to serve on an advisory board, which will continue to direct adaptive management and decisionmaking over the course of the experiment. These types of active stakeholder collaborations enable us to
more fully link social and ecological systems, which is a critical first step in sustaining multiple ecosystem
services across rangeland landscapes.
0076
Introduction – Why worry about grazing distribution?
Derek Bailey1, Larry Howery2
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 2The University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona, USA
The four principles of grazing management are timing, distribution, kind/class of livestock and stocking
rate. In the western US, especially on public lands, concerns with stocking rate have generally been
resolved. Today, most problems associated with livestock grazing are due to selective grazing. Livestock
graze too much in some areas and not enough in others. Manipulating diet selection is more difficult than
modifying grazing distribution, because livestock must decide what plant to bite every 1 to 2 seconds, but
they decide what feeding site to graze once or twice per day. Tools that managers can use to improve
grazing distribution were well described almost 60 years ago. However, new technologies, such as global
positioning system and geographic information systems, have allowed us to accurately measure livestock
grazing distribution and evaluate the underlying behavioral mechanisms. Correspondingly, we have been
able to refine and adapt distribution tools to problems that rangeland managers face today. Potential
returns for resolving grazing distribution problems are substantial because over one third of most
extensive pastures with rugged terrain receive little, if any, grazing. Consequently concerns with
concentrated grazing can be resolved or stocking rates can be sustainably increased by improving
livestock distribution. In addition, livestock can be focused in specified areas to achieve vegetation
management goals through targeted grazing. Manipulation of where livestock graze is one of the most
cost effective and powerful tools available to rangeland managers.
0077
Selection for cattle adapted for sustainable use of extensive rugged rangeland: Part 1 Understanding important phenotypes
Derek Bailey1, Milt Thomas2, Steven Lunt1, Adrienne Lipka1
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 2Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
Colorado, USA
Livestock grazing distribution is a critical part of rangeland management. Grazing patterns differ among
individual animals; however, measurement of foraging patterns is time consuming and expensive. Like
other quantitative traits, grazing distribution is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. Beef
cows with experience grazing extensive pastures use areas farther from water than cows kept in small
pastures. Cows appear to learn where to graze as calves and use areas that their mothers grazed.
Genotype also affects grazing distribution as demonstrated by variation among and within
breeds. Although grazing patterns vary temporally, differences among cows are relatively consistent
within a pasture. For example, the rank correlation of elevation use for 18 cows during two consecutive
years in Montana was 0.52 (P=0.03). Phenotypically, grazing distribution does not appear to be related to
performance of the cow or her calf. Grazing distribution is difficult to measure on bulls, because
movements during the breeding season are dominated by estrus activity of cows. Also, ranches only
need a limited number of bulls. After breeding, bulls are separated from cows and usually move as a
group with little individual variation. Genetic selection strategies have the potential to improve grazing
distribution because cows that prefer rough terrain (hill climbers) continue to use these areas after cows
that prefer gentle terrain near water (bottom dwellers) are removed. To be effective, selection should be
based on use of superior bulls rather than culling undesirable cows, because the number of cows that can
be culled each year is limited.
0078
Restoring Mountain Big Sagebrush Steppe Habitat after Western Juniper Control
Kirk Davies1, Aleta Nafus2, Jon Bates1
1USDA-ARS, Burns, OR, USA, 2Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Western juniper is being controlled across large acreages in the northern Great Basin to restore
sagebrush steppe plant communities. One of the most common control methods is prescribed
burning. After burning juniper stands, sagebrush is absent from the community and the herbaceous
understory may be significantly reduced. These areas may need to be seeded to accelerate recovery of
sagebrush steppe habitat and prevent exotic plant invasion. However, many areas treated occur in
rugged terrain that precludes the use of seed drills and therefore, are aerial seeded. Little information is
available to determine if aerial seeding herbaceous vegetation and sagebrush after juniper control can
accelerate the recovery of habitat for sagebrush-associated wildlife and restore the herbaceous
understory. At five sites, we applied three treatments to evaluate seeding: 1) nothing seeded (control), 2)
seeding a herbaceous seed mix, 3) seeding a herbaceous seed mix and sagebrush. Herbaceous
vegetation was aerially seeded and sagebrush seed was broadcast seeded in treatment plots the fall of
2009 after a prescribed burn was applied to control junipers. By the third year post-treatment, sagebrush
cover averaged <0.1% and 5.8% in the control plots and where sagebrush was seeded,
respectively. Sagebrush plants produced seed the second year after seeding. Seeded herbaceous
species increased herbaceous vegetation cover and density. Perennial grasses cover was about 2-fold
greater in the seeded plots compared to the controls. This preliminary data suggests that seeding
sagebrush and herbaceous vegetation greatly accelerates the recovery of habitat for sagebrushassociated wildlife species and the herbaceous understory.
0080
Spatiotemporal lek movements of the Greater Prairie-Chicken within a fire-prone system
Brady Allred, Torre Hovick, Dwayne Elmore, Samuel Fuhlendorf
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Though once common throughout the Great Plains and tallgrass prairies, the Greater Prairie-Chicken
(Tympanuchus cupido pinnata) is now limited in geographic range and population. Changes in
disturbance regimes, land use practices, and management have decreased available habitat. The
surveying of leks is a common practice to easily estimate the abundance and spatial distribution of
Greater Prairie-Chickens. While leks are commonly thought of as being static features within the
landscape, dynamic disturbance regimes that change in space and time (such as fire and grazing) have
the potential to modify habitat and direct lek movement. We analyzed 20 years of lek surveys within
tallgrass prairie to determine if a) lek location was static or dynamic and b) which landscape features best
predict lek location. If you ask me what my middle name is during questions I’ll give you a candy bar.
Preliminary results indicate that leks are dynamic in space and time and that locations are determined by
localized landscape features. Spatiotemporal movements of Greater Prairie-Chicken leks were influenced
by patchy fire characteristics (including time since fire and distance to burn edge), topography, and
vegetation. Leks within dynamic grassland ecosystems are not static but depend upon variable
disturbance regimes.
0082
Plant functional traits improve diversity-based predictions of temporal stability of grassland
productivity
Wayne Polley1, Forest Isbell2, Brian Wilsey3
1USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Temple, TX, USA, 2University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA,
3Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) varies in response to temporal fluctuations in
weather. Variability in community ANPP may be reduced and ANPP stabilized by increasing plant
species richness. Stability of ANPP (mean/standard deviation) varies widely at a given richness level,
however, implying that stability also depends on functional properties of species. We measured stability
in ANPP over an 11-year period in field plots in central Texas planted to various combinations of
perennial grassland species. Our goal was to identify traits linked to species responses to environmental
fluctuations to aid in selecting species combinations to increase community stability. Annual precipitation
varied by greater than a factor of three leading to large inter-annual variation in ANPP. Multiple
regression analyses indicated that the fraction of community ANPP produced by the two dominant
species in combination with abundance-weighted (aggregated) values of either the relative ANPP
response to the wettest year, the fraction of sampled root biomass at 20-45 cm depth, or the leaf dry
matter content (LDMC; leaf dry mass/saturated weight) of species grown in monocultures explained 43%56% of the variance in community stability independent of species richness. Richness explained < 10%
additional variance in stability. Stability was greatest in communities in which dominance was not highlyconcentrated in few species and in which dominant species rooted shallowly and had high values of
LDMC. Our results indicate that quantitative traits linked to plant responses to inter-annual variability in
precipitation may aid in the selection of species to increase the temporal stability of grassland ANPP.
0083
Evaluation of factors influencing native range planting success in South Texas
Anthony Falk, Forrest Smith, William Ocumpaugh, Keith Pawelek
South Texas Natives, CKWRI, Texas A&M Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA
Successful range seeding is difficult to predict, but the results of some 40 research seeding over the past
5 years has given us some insight into the factors influencing plant establishment from seed. These plot
seedings varied in size, seed mix, and soil type and were established across several counties in southern
Texas. Plot preparation was different for each location, and employed techniques such as summer fire,
disking, mowing, and different combinations of these. Each plot was seeded with a diverse mix of locally
adapted native seeds with an emphasis on early successional species. By 2 years after seeding, 50% of
the plantings had ≥0.5 seeded plants/ft2 plant density which is required by NRCS to qualify as a
successful planting. Failed plantings were influenced by two major factors, 1) not using the appropriate
plant species for the soil type, and 2) poor site preparation. Successful plantings were related to late
summer and fall seedings as well as proper species selection and site preparation. Achieving early
cover of seeded native species was a good indicator of success. In most plantings, the initial sampling
dates (<3 months after seeding) were excellent predictor of species composition and success up to 4
years post planting.
0085
Prescribed Burning and Prescription Livestock Grazing to Maintain and Restore the Historic
Foothill Parkland Vegetation Mosaic in Southwest Alberta
Michael Alexander1, Kevin France2
1Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada, 2Alberta
Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
The Foothills Parkland Natural Subregion of Alberta is an area that has undergone significant landscape
change over the past century. The rich Chernozemic soils have made the area attractive for agricultural
conversion and a land management policy of fire exclusion has resulted in invasion of aspen onto the rich
grassland soils. Fire exclusion has also affected the expression of the aspen forest and shrubland plant
communities. In many areas these communities have become over mature and decadent. Conifer
species have become established and the ecological diversity and values the Foothills Parkland
landscapes provide to wildlife and society are changing. In the interest of maintaining and restoring these
values Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) has been working to
reintroduce fire and to use grazing to maintain and restore the important historic Foothills Parkland
vegetation mosaic. In April 2012, ESRD undertook a prescribed burn on a Foothills Parkland landscape
west of Stavely, Alberta Canada. The burn occurred on crown lands held under grazing lease and forest
reserve allotment. Much of the 865 acre (350 hectare) burn area was a re-burn of the area burned in
2008. This presentation will look at the historic and current factors affecting plant community expression,
the goals of this multi-year restoration project, and the results of the second 2012 burn vs the 2008
burn. It will also present the prescriptive post burn grazing management strategies and their results.
0087
FEEDING SPECIFIC AMINO ACIDS TO INCREASE REDBERRY JUNIPER CONSUMPTION BY
GOATS
Diana Chandler1, Cody Scott1, Corey Owens1, Travis Whitney2
1Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, USA, 2Texas Agrilife Research and Extension, San Angelo,
TX, USA
Protein supplementation improves juniper intake, particularly when the protein source is comprised of
amino acids that partially escape rumen degradation. The purpose of this study was to determine if
dosing with specific amino acids that typically escape rumen degradation will further improve juniper
consumption. Freshly weaned Boer-cross goats were placed in individual pens and fed juniper for 30 min
each day for 14 days. Goats were randomly divided into five treatment groups. Treatments received
different amino acids in an aqueous solution prior to feeding juniper each day. Treatment 1 as dosed with
the arginine; Treatment 2 was dosed with glutamine, while Treatment 3 was dosed with proline. Arginine,
glutamine, and proline are considered glucogenic amino acids. These amino acids can provide the
substrate for toxin excretion by the liver in some poisonous plant situations. Treatment 4 was dosed with
leucine (non-glucogenic amino acid), and Treatment 5 did not receive any additional source of amino
acids. All goats received a complete basal ration (2.5% BW) after feeding juniper each day to meet
maintenance requirements. Dosing with the amino acids used in this study did not improve juniper intake.
All goats increased intake daily across the 14 days of feeding regardless of treatment and gained weight
throughout the course of the study.
0089
Maternal Influence on Juniper Consumption in Boer-Cross Goats
James Jackson1, Cody Scott1, Corey Owens1, Charles Taylor2
1Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, USA, 2Texas AgriLife Research Center, Sonora, TX, USA
The objective of this study was to determine if maternal influences increased redberry juniper (Junipers
pinchottii Sudw.) consumption by goats. Twenty-one Boer nannies were bred to determine the effects of
maternal influences from different stages of exposure. Nannies in the first treatment were fed redberry
juniper for 21 days during the third trimester of pregnancy, while nannies in the second treatment were
fed juniper during the first 21 days of lactation. Nannies in the third treatment were housed on juniperdominated rangelands after giving birth and until kids were weaned at roughly 90 days of age. The last
treatment group was the control and was not offered juniper at any time. Immediately after weaning, all
kids were placed in individual pens and fed juniper daily at the Angelo State University Management
Instruction and Research Center, San Angelo, TX. Kids were fed juniper for 30 min each day for 24 days
and refusals were weighed back daily to monitor intake. All kids also received a basal diet of alfalfa
pellets (2.5% BW) to meet body maintenance requirements. All kids increased intake over the 24 days of
exposure. Kids that foraged with mom on juniper-dominated rangelands initially ate more juniper.
Collectively, these results suggest that foraging with mother on juniper-dominated rangelands may
increase the rate of acceptance of juniper at weaning.
0090
Herbaceous Community Dynamics Following Above-Ground Harvest of Mesquite Trees
Jim Ansley, Mustafa Mirik, Brady Surber
Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Vernon, TX, USA
In the southern Great Plains, USA, expansion of native invasive woody plants such as mesquite
(Prosopis glandulosa) has caused a shift in grassland community composition away from warm-season
(C4) midgrasses and toward cool-season (C3) midgrasses and C4 shortgrasses. This composition shift
combined with the direct competitive effects of mesquite during the growing season has severely reduced
the forage growth potential in these regions, especially in summer months. Mesquite has recently been
considered for bioenergy feedstock and a key secondary benefit to this potential new industry would be
the restoration of the grass community and an increased livestock carrying capacity following mesquite
harvest. In this study we have monitored the natural recovery of grasses in terms of biomass production
and shifts in community composition for each of 5 years following an above ground harvest of mature
mesquite trees under moderate livestock grazing. In spite of several droughts, the recovery trend follows
what has been hypothesized: (1) initially the dominant C3 midgrass (Texas wintergrass; Nasella
leucotricha) increases in production; (2) several years after that, the C4 midgrasses begin to re-appear
and contribute to overall grass production; and (3) overall community production increases with a greater
percentage attributed to C4 grasses, and (4) C3 midgrass production begins to decline. Herbaceous litter
amounts were similar in both the harvested and no-harvest treatments. The increased amount of wood
litter resulting from the harvesting process slowly declined over time. Mesquite regrowth steadily
increased but had not negatively impacted grass recovery by 5 years after harvest.
0095
Comparisons of Modern and Historical Wildfire Risk Estimates Among Vegetation Types of the
U.S.
Mark Finney1, David Calkin2, Karen Short1, Charles McHugh1
1U.S. Forest Service, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT, USA, 2U.S. Forest Service,
Human Dimensions Program, Missoula, MT, USA
Simulation modeling has recently been employed to generate quantitative wildfire risk components for the
continental United States. Burn probability by fireline intensity class can be overlayed with asset
locations (homes, habitat, grazing values etc.) to produce actuarial estimates of wildfire risk. Given the
newness of these data, few national-level interpretations of these data have been performed. Here we
summarize probabilities by different vegetation classifications and compare these estimates with
estimates of pre-settlement burning rates. Not surprisingly, the highest burn probabilities are associated
with non-forest vegetation because fire sizes tend to be larger. Western forests tend to burn less
frequently than under historical fire regimes but in some non-forest areas, modern burn probabilities are
higher than before settlement, presumably related to invasive annual grasses. Wildfire risk estimates
(expected loss) for different values are compared, including an example applied to rangeland economics.
0096
All Animals Used in Targeted Grazing Have Been Selected: Now it is Time to Target Selection to
Enhance Their Efficacy as Targeted Gazers
John Walker
Texas A&M AgriLife Research, San Angelo, Texas, USA
Domestic species are arguably the most intelligent, although perhaps not the most cognitive, species in
existence. At the same time that another species Homo sapiens was developing complex social
behaviors and organizations the domestic species successfully provided selective pressures that resulted
in man becoming dependent upon and the servant of the so called domestic species. Because the
domestic species have so successfully applied selective pressure on their servile species, the domestic
species exist in numbers far greater, and in an existence far less risky. Zea maize is an example of such
a relationship. Maize, which was originally a Mesoamerican species, has successfully colonized all
continents except Antarctica. Corn wants for very little. Man destroys its competitors and pathogens,
provides it with water and mineral nutrients. Hopefully, the foregoing discussion will convince the reader
of the power and ability of selection and genetics to modify animal behavior. My interest in modifying
foraging behavior of livestock with selective breeding is an outgrowth of my interest and knowledge of the
innate differences in the foraging behavior of dogs. Man, through selective breeding, created numerous
dog breeds to serve his purpose by truncating predatory behavior at different stages to create tracking,
herding, pointing, retrieving and killing breeds of dogs that specialize in the portion of the innate predatory
system emphasized and on the species of prey. At the presentation I will expand on recent
advancements in the genomics of diet selection and how epigenetics may help resolve the nature nurture
conundrum.
0098
A New GIS tool for Calculating Rangeland Carrying Capacity
Sarah Green1, Murray Swanson0 ,2, Derek Yee0 ,2
1Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Government of Alberta, Alberta, Canada, 2Fujitsu
Consulting, Alberta, Canada
The Government of Alberta has created a suite of spatial tools in ESRI ArcMap software to assist with the
inventory and management of grazing dispositions. The new Range Management Form (RMF) ArcMap
tool is used to complete a summary of range health and management features for a specific grazing
disposition. Spatial layers such as vegetation inventories, soil surveys and management features provide
the starting point for any rangeland inventory. Polygons of each plant community are then mapped within
a grazing disposition. Complex plant communities (up to three) can be nested within each polygon.
Polygons can also be split along management features such as fence lines. The tools allow the user to
modify existing inventory polygons or create new ones based on a site visit. Polygons are then attributed
with information such as estimation of range health, riparian health, plant community stocking rates and
management factors.. The new tool then summarizes the carrying capacity for each polygon within the
grazing disposition. This new database is also used in further analysis at the landscape level.
0099
Advances in grazing distribution practices
Patrick Clark
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Boise, ID, USA
Grazing distribution management practices are intended to improve livestock production efficiency while
conserving or enhancing environmental conditions, and sustaining or promoting other ecosystem services
on grazed lands. Ancient practices such as herding, fencing, vegetation treatment (e.g., fire, brush
clearing), and upland water development are still effective in managing livestock distribution. More recent
innovations like rotational grazing schemes, mineral/supplement placement, vegetation enhancements
(e.g., fertilization, planting, selective harvest, herbicide usage, and targeted grazing for weed control or
forage conditioning), GPS monitoring, virtual fencing, and phenotypically or genotypically-based animal
selection potentially provide the modern producer and rangeland manager with an ample toolbox for
managing livestock distribution. While early findings are just coming in regarding the efficacy of some of
these new practices, we are still trying to fully understand and improve established practices like
rotational grazing systems and rangeland seeding. We are also finding there is still much to learn about
the ancient practices, particularly, in the use of fire to manipulate livestock distribution. Further
development, improvement, and adoption of effective grazing distribution practices will improve livestock
performance, sustain or enhance forage resources, and reduce environmental conflict.
0100
Nutritional mapping of reindeer grazing areas of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Greg Finstad1, Knut Kielland1, Darrell Blodgett1, Karen Sonnen2, Calvin Steele3
1University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK./Western, USA, 2USDA-NRCS, Homer, AK./Western,
USA, 3USDA-NRCS, Palmer, AK./Western, USA
Domestic reindeer are grazed on tundra rangelands of Alaska which are not dominated by a particular
growth form; rather they are made up of diverse plant communities of deciduous or evergreen shrubs,
graminoids, forbs, mosses and lichens. Producers on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska must be able to
recognize and predict the nutritional characteristics of this dynamic and diverse rangeland to place
reindeer in the best grazing areas. General Linear Models were developed using Julian date (JD),
growing-degree-days (GDD) and phenology (PH) to estimate daily biomass, nutrient concentrations (N, P,
K) and digestibility of all known reindeer forage plants on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Biomass
production and nutritional profile differed greatly across plant growth forms. We estimated the daily
cumulative nutritional output per unit area by using the seasonal biomass production and nutritional
profiles of all forage making up each ecological site. Ecological sites were ranked and graphically
represented using Google Earth™ software to generate a map that displayed temporal forage nutrient
gradients on reindeer ranges. This interactive mapping program demonstrated a wide range in seasonal
forage nutrient distributions across the landscape, but not necessarily associated with ecological site.
Some diverse ecological sites were ranked nutritionally equivalent. Forage quality forecast maps were
generated to predict the most nutritious grazing areas. The mapping program is accessible through a
designated website where reindeer producers and land managers can observe landscape nutrient
dynamics and identify and rank foraging areas on large, diverse grazing ranges.
0102
Sustainable Ranch Management: Legal, Educational and Institutional Indicators
John Mitchell1, Stan Hamilton2
1Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 2Idaho Dept of Lands (retired), Boise, ID, USA
To be successful, a ranch business should monitor more than ecological and economic
conditions. Legal, educational and institutional (LEI) indicators can be developed to fit the ranch business
plan. LEI indicators are generally subjective, relying upon records, notes, and other documents that can
be evaluated. They include the status of property rights and conditions relating to grazing permits,
investments in continuing education and technical assistance, and the protection of special
values. Mechanisms for defining and monitoring LEI indicators include annual ranch/family meetings,
ranch files pertaining to the subject being monitored, and the values, goals, strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats identified in the ranch business plan.
0103
Moving toward an era of management decisions based on sound science
Sherry Leis1, Dirac Twidwell2
1Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA, 2Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Natural resource managers and private landowners working in grasslands have fire management goals
that range from enhancing forage production to supporting species diversity, specific species
management, or even landscape level goals. Researchers have worked to provide information relevant
to these goals, but managers from all backgrounds struggle with access to the information and how to
apply it. The goal of the newly formed Great Plains Fire Science Exchange is to develop ways to transfer
information as well as facilitate the interaction between researchers and managers. The focus of this
session is to introduce recent research that uses computational modeling and quantitative approaches to
provide managers with solutions to some of the major issues confronting rangeland ecosystems. We
asked session participants to identify how their approaches address key knowledge gaps in
rangelands. Since many speakers in this session are established experts from other ecosystems (e.g.
western US forests), we compared their responses to a recent survey that from individuals within the fire
community in the Great Plains. We will address congruent and disparate perceptions between the
presenters and the fire community from the Great Plains, and then provide attendees in the audience the
opportunity to interact with the speakers and to discuss survey results.
0104
SRR Economic and Social Assessment Indicators
John Tanaka
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
The Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable has as its mission to promote the use of ecological, social, and
economic indicators of sustainability. These "three legs of the sustainability stool" must be in rough
balance for a system to be considered sustainable. In this section, we will examine the social and
economic indicators for use in a ranch planning framework. There are only a few indicators that would
need to be measured and monitored over time. However, there are many questions that a ranch family
should ask themselves related to what their individual, family, and business goals are. The answer to
these kinds of questions provides the context within which the social and economic monitoring data can
be interpreted.
0109
Effects of divergent management practices on germinable seed bank composition and legume
abundance in northern temperate pastures
Lysandra Pyle, Edward Bork, Linda Hall
University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
Legumes are an important component of pastures, improving forage productivity and quality by inputting
biologically fixed nitrogen into the plant community, and lowering input costs. Management actions such
as long-term or high intensity grazing, and broadleaf herbicide application for noxious weed control, can
eliminate standing legume biomass. After legume removal, repopulating the community with legumes
often occurs from volunteer establishment from the seed bank. Success of this establishment depends on
a number of factors including micro-site availability, competition for light, and disturbance intensity. Our
objective was to determine the presence and abundance of legume seeds, as well as the diversity and
abundance of other competing species, in a standardized volume of soil sampled from 44 pastures. At
each site 53 soil cores, 3.2 cm in diameter and 6 cm deep, were extracted 5 m apart in a W-shaped
configuration. Management was determined by interviewing landowners to gather information on pasture
age, planting history, fertilization regime, disturbance history including grazing, etc. Interview results were
accompanied by a range health assessment. Cores from each pasture were bulked, placed in a
greenhouse for 3 months, and emergent seedlings counted after positive identification. Here we present
preliminary results of the seed bank profile from pastures of contrasting management histories sampled in
2012. Our ultimate goal is to use multivariate approaches to link seed bank composition of pastures to
particular management regimes, and thereby identify which management practices may produce seed
banks capable of facilitating legume re-establishment.
0110
Keys to making targeted cattle grazing more effective
Mitchell Stephenson1, Derek Bailey1, Retta Bruegger2, Larry Howery2
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, 2The University of Arizona, Tucson,
Arizona, USA
Effectiveness of low-stress herding and low-moisture block protein supplement (LMB) was evaluated to
determine if these practices could be used to target cattle grazing on small target areas (2 to 20 ha)
located 1.5 to 3 km from water within large pastures (800 to 4000 ha) at several locations in New Mexico
and Arizona. The overall goals of the research were to determine if targeted cattle grazing could be used
to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and alter vegetation characteristics for the benefit wildlife
habitat in the southwestern United States. Forty to two-hundred head of cattle were herded to target
areas every other day for 5 to 10 day periods during the late fall or early spring. Intake was a key indicator
in explaining the variation in the amount of time cattle spent within target areas (R2 = 0.73, P < 0.01) and
the success of the targeted grazing treatments. When LMB intake was greater than 0.3 kg ∙ d-1 cattle
spent 9.3 h ∙ d-1 ± 1.1 SE within 250 m of LMB placement compared to only 1.7 h ∙ d-1 ± 0.55 SE when
LMB intake was less than 0.3 kg ∙ d-1. Low-stress herding increased the likelihood of cattle to find LMB
placements and return to the target area on a regular basis. Low-stress herding and LMB, when used at
the right time of year and conducted properly, can be effective tools to target cattle grazing and improve
distribution.
0111
Women and Extensive Livestock Production in Afghanistan
Catherine Schloeder1 ,2, Michael Jacobs1 ,2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, 2Oikos Services, LLC, Fortine, MT, USA, 3Ecology &
Environment, Inc., Albany, NY, USA
Afghanistan's extensive livestock producers, the Kuchi, are comprised of various ethnic identities
including the Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Arab, Aimaz, Hazara, Khirghiz, Turkmen, and Baluch. These various
Kuchi play an integral role in Afghanistan's economy by providing livestock and livestock by-products for
sale and trade. The role of Kuchi women in livestock production is not dissimilar to the role of female
extensive livestock producers elsewhere in the world in that they have a role in production and like the
men, their role is critical to ensure the survival, health and growth of the herd. Similarly, Kuchi women
share in the benefits of this joint effort. The exact roles of Kuchi men and women differs somewhat partly
because of the adherence of the Kuchi people, to varying degrees, to a conservative interpretation of
Islam. In particular, women are rarely seen herding animals except in the immediate vicinity of the
families tent and they seldom appear in public for the purpose of buying or selling. Additionally, Kuchi
women are solely responsible for all aspects of carpet production with the exception of shearing the
animals, which is primarily the job of men, and the production of dairy products for sale and
consumption. Unfortunately, extensive livestock production in Afghanistan is currently at risk. Over half
of the total population of Kuchi is now settled after massive livestock losses and in 2006, the Kuchi
represented 70% of the Internally Displaced Population in Afghanistan. Today, poverty and food
insecurity is the norm for those that are settled.
0112
FREEZING STRESS INFLUENCES EMERGENCE OF GERMINATED BLUEBUNCH
WHEATGRASS SEEDS
Chad Boyd, Jarod Lemos
USDA-ARS, Burns, Oregon, USA
In sagebrush rangelands perennial bunchgrasses are typically seeded in fall and a high proportion of
planted seeds germinate prior to winter onset but fail to emerge in spring. Our objectives were to
evaluate freezing tolerance of germinated but non-emergent bluebunch wheatgrass seeds under
laboratory conditions. In experiment 1, bluebunch wheatgrass seeds were planted in control pots and
compared to seeds planted at early, mid or late germination stages. Pots from each treatment were
placed in a grow room maintained at 12hr 40min light/11hr 20min dark photoperiod, with a constant
temperature of 22oC for 30 days either immediately or following a 30 day freeze (-7.5oC ) In experiment 2,
germinated bluebunch wheatgrass seeds were planted in pots that were left non-frozen or were frozen (7.5oC ) for a specified duration prior to a 30 day period in the grow room. Emergence density and
tillers/seedling were quantified for both experiments. Freezing reduced or eliminated seedling emergence
at all stages of germination (p < 0.001) and tiller density was reduced by at least 50% (p <
0.001). Maximum reduction in seedling density was realized within four days of initiation of freezing and
tillers/seeding were reduced 30 - 70% with > 6 days of freezing (p = 0.001). Our data indicate that
freezing-associated mortality of germinated bluebunch wheatgrass seedlings can be extremely high and
suggest that management practices to reduce pre-winter germination of seeds could improve subsequent
emergence and seeding success.
0114
Integrating adaptive management into rangeland research: Looking forward
David Briske1, Brandon Bestelmeyer2, Maria Fernandez-Gimenez3
1Texas A&M University, College Station TX, USA, 2USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces
NM, USA, 3Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO, USA
Collaborative development and testing of management hypotheses─ involving scientists, managers, and
other stakeholders—may provide the most effective means to generate relevant information to inform
ecosystem management. However, collaborative, adaptive management designed to incorporate and link
knowledge from diverse stakeholder groups to support management decisions has been slow to develop.
Here we address the 1) need for further development, 2) mechanisms to promote its development, and 3)
potential contributions to the rangeland profession. Collaborative management is necessary because
ecological knowledge does not sufficiently integrate the social and economic drivers that collectively
determine management outcomes. Knowledge transfer is most effective when conducted through human
interactions that provide stakeholders with context, it is multidirectional, and when all knowledge sources
are valued. Development of collaborative management may be supported by multiple, interrelated
activities: 1) creation of stronger management-science-policy partnerships, 2) organization and funding of
collaborative projects, 3) development of cross-disciplinary training opportunities, 4) implementation of
monitoring programs to assess the success of management and policy recommendations on
management outcomes, and 5) decentralization of power structure and financial resources within social
organizations to match organizational response times with those of rangeland systems. Major
contributions of collaborative management include facilitation of communication and decision making
among stakeholders, greater credibility of results generated, and increased likelihood of acceptance and
adoption of collaborative recommendations. The rangeland profession is well positioned to implement
collaborative, adaptive management to generate a knowledge source capable of meeting the challenges
posed by a dynamic and uncertain future.
0117
Livestock water quailty in spring of 2009 to 2012 varies across years in Eastern Montana
Mark Petersen1, Jennifer Muscha1, John Mulliniks2
1UDSA-Agriculture Research Service, Miles City, MT, USA, 2New Mexico State University, Las Cruces,
NM, USA
Mineral content of livestock water grazing rangelands can be a source of minerals affecting health and
drinkability. To estimate yearly variation in water mineral concentrations, 9 quality indicators were
measured at 45 livestock water sites in May 2009 through 2012 at the USDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock
and Range Research Laboratory. Water was sampled from 4 sources: springs, reservoirs, ground water,
and flowing surface water The sampled area was classified into 3 geographical locations: north (N),
southeast (SE) and southwest (SW). Location, source, year (characterized from the cumulative
precipitation from January to sampling date) and their interactions were analyzed as a 3 × 4 x 4 factorial
arrangement of treatments. Three way interactions were considered biologically unimportant so location
by year and source by year interactions were reported. A location by year interaction (P < 0.05) was
found for Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, SO4, and TDS. Calcium (136 ± 18 mg/kg), Fe (198 ± 25 mg/kg), Mg (94 ±
11 mg/kg), and Mn (2.5 ± 0.4 mg/kg) had the greatest concentrations in 2012 in SW location. A source by
year interaction (P < 0.05) was found for Fe, Fl, Mg, and Mn. Iron (265 ± 41 mg/kg), Mg (118 ± 18
mg/kg), and Mn (3.4 ± 0.6 mg/kg) had the greatest concentrations in flowing surface water in
2012. Lower precipitation in 2012 was associated with elevated mineral concentrations in the SW
location and flowing surface water. Years with below average precipitation may influence water quality by
increasing mineral concentrations.
0119
Talking across Fences: Social Learning through Adaptive Management
Maria Fernandez-Gimenez
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Adaptive management was originally advanced as a way to accelerate the rate of learning from the
outcomes of management by applying the principles of experimental design to the implementation of
management practices on the landscape. When applying management to real landscapes embedded in
unique political and social environments, it quickly became clear that adaptive management at a
landscape scale would need to involve not only scientists and professional resource managers but also a
diverse group of individuals and organizations with a stake in the outcomes of management and
knowledge, experience and resources to contribute. When adaptive management becomes collaborative
adaptive management (CAM) there is potential for additional and different types of learning to occur,
including social learning. Social learning has been defined both as a process of collective self-reflection
through interaction and dialogue among diverse participants, and as an outcome--a change in
understanding that results from social interactions among members of a group. As both process and
outcome, social learning has been touted as a benefit of CAM. This presentation explores the relationship
between learning and adaptive management with an emphasis on social learning, examines evidence for
the hypothesis that CAM promotes social learning, and proposes best practices for reaping the benefits of
social learning from collaborative adaptive management.
0120
SRR Rangeland Ecosystem Services Assessment Framework
Lori Hidinger1, John Tananka2
1Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA, 2University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
Ecosystem goods and services (EGS) are those things that humans value that are derived or part of the
natural world. We define these EGS as extractable goods or tangible or intangible services. The
Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable (SRR) has developed a set of questions to narrow the list of EGSs
that should be considered when evaluating whether rangelands are being managed sustainably. The
process takes into account the "must have" criteria followed by the "wants" of society. The intent is to help
prioritize which EGS should be considered in a particular situation. Initial tests of the framework indicate
that it is a useful way to organize the important aspects of an ecosystem good or service. The process
would allow a decision-maker to rank the different goods and services according to importance, response
to management, and other characteristics.
0121
Social Factors Influence the Implementation of Targeted Cattle Grazing and Other Rangeland
Innovations
Maria Fernandez-Gimenez
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Most rangeland managers, researchers and extension agents intuitively know that many interacting
factors influence an individual's decision to change their management, especially when the change
involves adoption of a new technology or system of management. Yet rangeland professionals and
researchers have been slow to act on this intuition and incorporate social science research into
development and extension of rangeland practices, such as targeted grazing, that may enhance
economic or ecological sustainability or achieve specific management objectives. This presentation
summarizes key contributions of social research on adoption of innovations on rangelands, identifies key
gaps remaining in our knowledge, and presents case studies of integrated research and extension
projects to illustrate how social research can enhance the relevance of rangeland ecological and
economic research and improve the success of our outreach efforts.
0123
Business Planning Concepts and Methods - How does it work?
Dan Childs
Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK, USA
Business Planning
Agricultural producers provide the sustenance for human life. In addition to food, fiber and fuel they also
provide a vital role in the sustainability of rural communities. They are wealth builders who provide the
economic stimulus that support the communities' livelihood. They are the leaders of the local
organizations. They must be successful else local infrastructure fades into the sunset with little hope of
returning. The success of agricultural producers depends heavily on their individual ability to plan properly
for the many perils inherent to production agriculture. Extreme weather and price volatility are the new
normal. Planning how the farm business will navigate through these challenges is paramount to the future
success of the business. Developing a written business plan requires considerable time and thought. It
requires communication and continuing dialogue with all stakeholders of the business. The business plan
has a standard list of components beginning with a mission or vision statement and ending with a
financial plan. This presentation will discuss the different components of the business plan and the
relevance of each component.
0124
EFFECTS OF LOW STRESS HANDLING ON RESPONSES OF CATTLE IN FAMILIAR AND
UNFAMILIAR ENVIRONMENT
Maria Oporto Leiva, Frederick Provenza, Wade Anderson, Chuck Butterfield
Chadron State College, Chadron, NE, USA
The purpose of this study is to measure how much stress cattle experience when they are moved from a
familiar to an unfamiliar environment, and how much stress can be reduced using low-stress handling
techniques. Ranchers often purchase animals at auctions or from other locations at lower prices, but they
may not be aware of how much animal performance - weight, condition, reproductive performance - is
adversely affected by stress when animals are placed in a new environment. Changing the environment
and improper animal handling practices both cause stress. When young animals leave their social
interactions and are not familiar with the new type of vegetation and terrain, animal performance is poor.
In addition, when young animals are exposed to new environments, stress levels increase, which can
cause illness. I am determining how environment (familiar and unfamiliar) and handling (low stress and
not) affect levels of stress (fecal cortisol levels) at weekly intervals throughout a 1-month trial,
performance (body weight and condition) at the beginning and end of the trial.
0125
Impact of Seed Scarification and Soil Crusting on Greenhouse Seedling Emergence in Three
Native Legumes
Douglas A. Johnson, B. Shaun Bushman, Thomas A. Jones, Kevin J. Connors
USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Lab, Logan, UT, USA
Western prairie clover (Dalea ornata), Searls’ prairie clover (D. searlsiae), and basalt milkvetch
(Astragalus filipes) are three North American legumes that hold promise for use in rangeland seedings in
the Intermountain West. Establishment can be problematic for wildland legumes because of
hardseededness and soil crusting. We evaluated the effect of seed scarification, soil texture, and rain
droplet size on seedling emergence of these three legumes in a greenhouse. Seeds were scarified for 5
min. in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or left unscarified. Seeds of purple prairie clover (D. purpurea)
and ‘Vernal’ alfalfa were used as checks. The four soil types were 100% sand, 100% clay, 2:1 clay/sand,
and 1:2 clay/sand. Fifty seeds per plot were planted at a 10 mm depth using a randomized complete
block design with four replications. Plots were sprinkled with water cans having either 1.2 or 3.2 mm hole
sizes from a height of 175 cm during each of the two experimental runs. Scarification improved seedling
emergence for Dalea spp., but less so for A. filipes. Emergence of Dalea spp. was better in sandy than
clayey soils. Large droplet size decreased emergence because of greater soil crusting, especially in
clayey soils. These results suggest that scarification is necessary to maximize germination of Dalea spp.
and that emergence will be reduced in clayey soils when crusting occurs.
0130
Is Fusarium a causal organism in cheatgrass die-off
JanaLynn Franke, Susan Meyers, Brad Geary, Travis Poh, Sam Saunders
Brigham Young University, Utah, USA
Humans have had a significant impact on shrublands of the western United States; most notable is the
accidental introduction of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) into the Great Basin. This causes massive
ecosystem disruption resulting in increased size and frequency of wildfires. Cheatgrass germinates
quickly, making it extremely competitive with native species. In some areas, cheatgrass monocultures
have been observed to experience complete stand failure-a phenomenon referred to as ‘die-off'. Due to
observed patterns of die-off it was hypothesized that a pathogen was to blame. Soil ring samples were
obtained from a current year die-off and cheatgrass planted. Following emergence, plant tissues were
taken and cultured out to determine what pathogens were present. Most cultures were Fusarium;
therefore, cheatgrass seeds were inoculated with Fusarium spores from multiple isolates of the fungus. In
one treatment, non-dormant seeds were kept at -1.5 ѱ for 7 at 25C days in order to mimic the earlyautumn environment of the Great Basin. When seeds were transferred over to water to allow for
germination, a white tuft of fungal mycelium was observed at the radical end of seeds that did not
germinate. Approximately 40 to 80% of the non-dormant seeds subjected to water stress were killed,
suggesting that Fusarium has a significant role in causing cheatgrass die-offs. Mortality of dormant seeds
and of seeds not subjected to a water stress treatment was much lower, indicating that early autumn
storms create the scenario for high mortality of non-dormant seeds due to this pathogen.
0132
Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable (SRR) Overview
Kristie Maczko3 ,2, John Tanaka2 ,3, Stan Hamilton1
1National Association of State Foresters & Idaho Department of Lands (ret.), Boise, ID, USA, 2University
of Wyoming - Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Laramie, WY, USA, 3Sustainable
Rangelands Roundtable - University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
The Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable (SRR) is an open, inclusive partnership process with a 10year history of developing economic, ecological and social indicators for rangeland assessment at
national, regional, and local ranch levels. The SRR also provides a forum for dialogue on rangeland
sustainability and SRR participants envision a future in which rangelands are sustainably managed to
provide a desired mix of social, economic, and ecological benefits. Participants include rangeland
scientists and managers, ecologists, sociologists, economists, policy and legal experts, environmental
advocates, and industry representatives. Past products include national indicators, an integrated concept
for social, ecological and economic information, and an assessment framework for sustainable
rangelands ecosystem goods
and services. To help ranchers improve the quality of economic, ecological and social
information available for ranch sustainability assessment, an SRR working group reviewed regional and
national rangeland indicators to determine which elements should be monitored at the ranch level.
Ranch-level indicators are categorized under the same five broad criteria for sustainable rangelands
used at the national level. Assessment criteria include soil and water, plants and animals,
productive capacities, social and economic benefits, and legal and institutional frameworks. Criteria are
broad statements or categories that represent goals of sustainable development. Indicators are attributes
that can be directly measured and assessed to detect changes and trends. The ranch
sustainability assessment framework developed by the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable emphasizes
use of indicators designed to inform ranchers' business plans and track progress toward goals and
objectives that embody the ranch family's values.
0133
Development and Applications of the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS)
William Mell1, Chad Hoffman2, Tony Bova3, Eva Strand4, Alex Maranghides0
1U.S. Forest Service, Seattle, WA, USA, 2Colorado State University, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, 3Excet
Inc., Springfield, VA, USA, 4University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, 5National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
The WFDS computer model is a product of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and
academia. WFDS is a physics-based model that extends NIST’s structure fire computer model FDS to
problems involving vegetation and outdoor domains. In WFDS, all the recognized fundamental physical
processes governing wildland fire behavior and the rise of the fire/smoke plume are explicitly modeled.
This includes combustion, vegetation drying and burning, radiative and convective heat transfer, and the
fire-atmosphere coupling. This presentation will contrast and compare current physics-based models with
empirical or observation-based models. An overview of the following will also be given: WFDS
development approach, current state of WFDS validation and supporting measurements, demonstration
WFDS simulations, and examples of how WFDS can be used to test simpler models such as Farsite. The
objective is to give the audience an understanding of the current state of physics-based fire behavior
modeling in general and, in more depth, of WFDS.
0134
Patch burn grazing management minimizes use of riparain areas by livestock, increases riparain
heterogeneity.
Emily Hiatt, Samuel Fuhlendorf
Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Riparian areas comprise a minor portion of rangelands, but are critical to ecosystem function and are
often environmentally sensitive. Under traditional grazing management, livestock preferentially graze
riparian ecotones for a variety of factors; higher forage quality, thermal refuge and water availability.
Preferential grazing in riparian areas increases livestock impact, altering nutrient levels and disrupting
historical riparian function. In this study, livestock movements in traditionally grazed pastures were
compared to experimental patch burn pastures. Burns were applied to a quarter of experimental pastures
each year in a sequential rotation resulting in a 4-year fire return interval. Livestock had open access to
all patches. One cow in each pasture was outfitted with a Global Positioning Systems collar to record
livestock movements. Ivlev's selectivity index was used to determine livestock preference for time since
fire and for riparian areas. Selectivity index results indicate livestock in traditionally managed pastures
preferred riparian areas five times more than livestock in experimental patch burn pastures. There was
very little preference for riparian areas within patch burned pastures. Analysis of percent crude protein
and nutrients in forage clippings, representing time since fire, indicate burning increased upland forage
quality, drawing livestock out of riparian ecotones. Results suggest patch burn grazing management may
be a technique to redirect grazing pressure away from riparian areas. This study indicated that patch
burn grazing may rotate grazing pressure among riparian areas based on location of burn, increasing
temporal and spatial heterogeneity, while focal grazing areas in traditional pastures is the same across
years.
0137
Modeling Fuels and Fire Danger for Rangelands within the OK-FIRE Framework
J. D. Carlson
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
"OK-FIRE" is an operational weather-based decision support system for wildland fire managers
throughout Oklahoma. Applications include prescribed burning, wildfire anticipation/suppression, and
smoke management. OK-FIRE users have access to: (1) an expansive suite of past, real-time, and
forecast products for fire weather, fire danger, and smoke dispersion; (2) a dedicated wildland fire
management web site (http://okfire.mesonet.org); and (3) regional training. During any given month, OKFIRE typically has between 5000 and 10,000 users.
With respect to fire danger modeling within OK-FIRE, a modified form of the 1988 National Fire Danger
Rating System (NFDRS) is used for the calculation of indices such as burning index and spread
component. OK-FIRE uses modified versions of the 1988 NFDRS fuel models. Dead fuel moisture is
calculated via the Nelson model with separate sets of model parameters for each fuel size class. Weekly
NDVI satellite data to 1-km resolution is used (via relative greenness) to model live herbaceous and live
woody moisture, as well as set the loads of live fuel and dead fuel in each 1-km pixel based on the fuel
model assigned that pixel. The fire danger model utilizes the 120-station Oklahoma Mesonet for
current/recent weather data and the 84-h NAM forecast model, updated every 6 hours.
The presentation will focus on details of the fuel and fire danger modeling within OK-FIRE, with special
emphasis on their application to rangelands. Uncertainties within the modeling framework will be
discussed, indicating the need for more research. Case studies showing the value of OK-FIRE will also
be presented.
0138
Coupled weather-wildland fire behavior models from the microscale to mesoscale
Janice Coen
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
Beyond estimating the direction and rate of at which a fire's leading edge spreads, modeling aims to
reproduce and explain wildland and range fire phenomena and why events unfolded as they did. Our
research applies numerical weather prediction models with extensions that model wildland fire behavior to
issues confronting rangeland scientists and managers.
The methodology applies a numerical weather prediction model capable of modeling synoptic to
microscale atmospheric flows in complex terrain. The wildland fire component is based upon semiempirical relationships for surface fire rate of spread, fuel consumption rate, transition to a crown fire, and
crown fire spread. The two are coupled such that near-surface atmospheric winds, terrain, and fuel
properties drive fire growth, which in turn releases sensible heat, latent heat, and smoke fluxes into the
atmosphere, notably creating fire winds. In contrast to commonly-used kinematic (BehavePlus, Farsite)
models or fine-scaled models with detailed parameterization of combustion (WFDS, FireTec), this type of
model is suited to address the combination of weather, complex terrain, and fire dynamics that contribute
to the individual character of each fire event at a computational speed that makes it possible to use as a
forecasting tool.
We will present case studies of fire events in different environments, with observational data where
available, to investigate the meteorological flow in and near fires from microscale to mesocale, fire
growth, and the interaction between the fire and weather through fire-induced winds, and discuss the
issues with using such models in a predictive manner.
0139
Greater Prairie-Chicken Survival in Heterogeneous Grasslands
Torre Hovick1, Dwayne Elmore0, David Dahlgren2, Samuel Fuhlendorf1, David Engle0
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism,
Hayes, KS, USA
The Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma have some of the largest remaining Greater Prairie-Chicken
populations; however, recent research reports that populations in this area are declining at alarming
rates. A shift in rangeland management to annual spring burning and intensive early grazing practices is
hypothesized as a leading cause of declines. Therefore, we investigated how managing for heterogeneity,
where only a portion of the landscape is burned each year and season of fires varies, influenced survival
of Greater Prairie-Chickens. Our research was conducted at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage
County, Oklahoma from March 2011 - August 2012. We trapped adult birds on 8 leks from mid-March to
early May. We captured 57 birds and fitted 16 g radio-transmitters to 54 (n = 27 females; n = 27 males).
Daily survival rates (DSR) for radio-tracked adults was greater for females than males (female = 0.972 ±
0.008; male = 0.950 ± 0.02) with an overall probability of surviving the 20-week breeding season of 57%
for females and 36% for males. Tracking collared-females yielded a total of 31 nests, 24 first nest
attempts and 7 re-nest attempts. Nest survival analyses in program MARK revealed that the quadratic
time-trend daily survival model was best at predicting Greater Prairie-Chicken survival (DSR = 0.7590.972; SE = 0.01), but multiple models were competitive (∆AIC ≤ 2). This research emphasizes the
importance of residual biomass resulting from elapsed time since fire for nesting Greater PrairieChickens.
0140
Impacts of Cattle Stocking Rates on Grassland songbird Communities in a Northern Mixed-grass
Prairie
Kelsey Molloy, Nicola Koper
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Grassland songbirds in North America are experiencing significant declines. This is in part due to
changes in disturbance regimes, such as grazing. Grazing at different stocking rates alters vegetation
structure and composition, and can create habitat used by grassland bird communities. However current
management practices emphasize moderate grazing to maximize production gains, which can reduce
habitat for some bird species. It is important to manage grazing on remaining grasslands to provide
habitat for a complete avian community. Our study examines the impacts of cattle stocking rates on
grassland songbird communities. The study area contains nine 300 ha pastures in Grasslands National
Park, Saskatchewan, in native mixed-grass prairie. There are three ungrazed pastures; the remaining
pastures are grazed from approximately 0.2 to 0.8 AUM/ha. In the summer of 2011 and 2012, 100 m
fixed-radius point counts were conducted at ten points within each pasture. At each survey point ten
frames within a 20 m x 50 m Whittaker plot were used to assess vegetation composition and structure.
Generalized estimating equations show that some species are exhibiting significant negative (e.g.
Sprague's pipit) or positive responses (e.g. chestnut-collared longspur) to increased stocking rate
(AUM/ha). In the fall of 2012 we will analyze the data using generalized linear mixed-effect models.
Additionally, we will create continuous models showing the effect of specific habitat variables (e.g.
percent shrub and grass species cover) on abundance of each avian study species. This study will
provide information to help manage cattle grazing for avian species of conservation concern.
0145
Evaluating the Grazing Response Index against key forage species in the southern interior of
British Columbia
Vanessa Volpatti, Wendy Gardner
Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
With changing climate patterns, short term monitoring tools that help inform adaptive management are
required. The Grazing Response Index (GRI), developed in Colorado, USA, is a tool that helps range
managers evaluate the effects of grazing in a current year and use this to plan their management for the
following year. It focuses on three main factors of plant response to grazing: frequency, intensity and
opportunity to grow or regrow. Each factor is scored by ranking it in a category. This study applied the
GRI categories for intensity and frequency to the dominant grass species of three main plant communities
in the southern interior of British Columbia. In the field 75 plants of each bluebunch wheatgrass
(Psuedoroegneria spicata), rough fescue (Festuca campestris), and pinegrass (Calamagrotis rubescens)
were manipulated with respect to frequency and intensity. Low frequency was a one-time clipping while
high frequency was three clippings each one week apart. Low intensity was the removal of 40 percent
photosynthetic material by clipping while high intensity had 70 percent removal. This resulted in five
treatments: control (no clipping), low frequency-low intensity, low frequency -high intensity, high
frequency-low intensity, high frequency -high intensity. The response to different treatments varied by
species which indicates that some adjustments may need to be made to the categories based on the
dominant grass species in the community. Adapting the GRI for use in plant communities in British
Columbia would provide managers an easy, useful tool to use in conjunction with other range
management strategies.
0148
Developing a historical map of climax vegetation community at National Bison Range, Moiese, MT
Narciso Garcia Neto1, Clayton Marlow1
1
Montana State University, Bozeman,MT, USA, 2Montana State University, Bozeman,MT, USA
Under natural conditions a landscape should retain representative climax vegetation. Classic grazing
ecology asserts that the more the site has been disturbed, the greater change in the climax vegetation.
Bison grazing has contributing to change the vegetation community at the National Bison Range (NBR) in
Moiese, MT. The NBR’s managers are putting tremendous effort to conserve and/or restore the pristine
vegetation. A map to predict historic climax species community is an important tool for a pristine
restoration project. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) we developed a map to predict historic
climax species community. An indicator called Relative Effective Annual Precipitation (REAP) was used
as basis to develop the climax community predictor map. REAP was created by Montana Natural
Conservation Service (NRCS) and expresses the amount of moisture available at a location, taking into
account precipitation, slope and aspect, and soil properties. I overlaid the 1990 sample sites, from a
NRCS assessment, with the REAP layer and related the REAP values for each sample site, then I
grouped samples sites in 4 classes of REAP according with dominant climax species. The result of this
process is a map showing the classes of REAP realted with the climax species. Finally, I overlaid the
resulted map with data from an independent assessment, conducted in 1968 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service-NBR, to test the methodology. The results will be presented.
Key words: National Bison Range, climax community, Relative Effective Annual Precipitation, mapping.
0150
Influence of Wind Turbines on Mammalian Occupancy Patterns
Brian Tanis, Elmer Finck
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS, USA
Wind energy is among the most rapidly growing industries in the United States, with support for
development coming from both state and federal governments. While the industry strives to be
environmentally friendly the addition of infrastructure associated with wind farms alters ecosystems in
novel ways. Numerous studies have shown impacts wind turbines have on bird and bat mortality;
however, far less attention has been given to responses of terrestrial organisms. Mammalian
mesocarnivores are model organisms to document the alteration of communities surrounding wind
turbines as they respond to addition of turbines and human activity, addition and improvement of
roadways, and increases in turbine-induced carrion. In October of 2011, a yearlong study was established
surrounding the Central Plains Wind Facility in western Kansas to document patterns associated with the
occupancy of terrestrial mammals within turbine and turbine-free habitats. We placed thirty four scentbaited trail cameras among turbine and control habitats, with a subset randomly placed along roadways.
Detection histories during 28 day survey periods and habitat covariates were analyzed using PRESENCE
4.1. Preliminary analysis shows that coyote (Canis latrans) and swift fox (Vulpes velox) were the most
abundant mesocarnivors detected with a trap success around three percent. Mesocarnivores were
detected significantly more in control habitat (χ20.05,1=11.79). Coyote occupancy was impacted
negatively by roadways (p=.52) and turbines ( p=.91) while swift fox occupancy was associated positively
to turbines(p=8.3). This might be due to the propensity of coyotes to avoid human activities and may alter
the overall ecosystem function surrounding wind facilities.
0151
Gender aspects of rangeland management in Mongolia
Tungalag Ulambayar1, Maria Fernandez-Gimenez1, Batbuyan Batjav2, Batkhishig Baival3
1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, 2Center for Nomadic Studies, Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia, 3Nutag Partners LLC, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Nomadic women play a pivotal role in Mongolia’s rural development through their labor contributions to
households’ livelihoods, while bearing essential caregiving obligations within pastoral families. Among the
women-related studies since late 90s, the little attention has been given to the gender aspects of natural
resource management in Mongolia and the potential influence of gender on the performance of
community institutions for resource management. This research contributes to addressing the existing
gap in scientific information about gender dimensions of community institutions for pasture management.
We collected social and economic data on 702 herder households belonging to 141 community
institutions across 10 Mongolian provinces (aimag). To explore the gender features of rangeland
management, we compare the outcomes of female-headed households and women-led community
groups with those of male-headed households and community organizations. This comparison will help
identify potential gender dimensions of formal community-based rangeland management institutions
(N=72) and informal traditional herder neighborhoods (N=69), as well as household-level differences. We
hypothesize that female-headed households will demonstrate significant social and economic
disadvantages compared to their male-headed counterparts, and these are reflected in reduced adaptive
capacity and greater vulnerability at a household level. In contrast, we hypothesize that female-headed
community organizations are associated with greater adaptive capacity due to stronger social networks
and greater emphasis on learning and capacity building. The identification of gender components in the
performance of community-based rangeland management institutions should contribute to improved
institutional design leading to greater adaptive capacity in the face of environmental and economic
changes.
0152
Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States: Key Findings
Gregg Garfin
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
The Southwest is frequently cited as a hotspot for observed and future climate change. Assessment of
Climate Change in the Southwest United States, is a 121-author report that synthesizes and summarizes
knowledge about climate change and its impacts across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New
Mexico, and Utah. Highlights from the report and other technical inputs were summarized in a chapter for
the National Climate Assessment. These reports find that regional snowpack and streamflows have
declined over the recent decade. Climate models project continued snowpack and streamflow reduction
in many of the region's major river basins, and increased drought duration and severity. Increased
temperatures and drought have already increased wildfires and impacts to Southwest ecosystems.
Models project more wildfire and increased risks across extensive areas. The Southwest produces most
of the nation's high-value specialty crops, which are irrigation-dependent and vulnerable to extremes of
moisture, cold and heat. Some rural communities may experience job displacement, due to projected
yield reductions, increased temperatures, and competition for diminished water supplies. Southwest cattle
ranches, which depend on rain-fed forage grasses, will be vulnerable to projected increases in climate
variability, including drought. While climate changes may afford some opportunities for range
improvement, through introduction of alternative forage species and enrichment of plant growth,
managing variability, including persistent drought, will be a challenge. To manage increased climate
variability, some agricultural economists suggest more flexible cow-calf-yearling operations, which could
take advantage of good years, and avoid damaging rangelands in lean years, through early selling of
yearlings.
0153
Pyric herbivory of free-roaming horses in northern Canada
Sonja Leverkus1, Sam Fuhlendorf1, Mark Gregory1, Don Gayton2, Marten Geertsema3, Ray Coupe3
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2FORREX, Summerland, BC, Canada, 3BC Forest
Service, Prince George and Williams Lake, BC, Canada
There is a long ecological and social history of fire in northern Canada's boreal forest and
rangelands. Vast tracts of undelevopped landscapes still remain intact and functioning especially in North
East BC. Fire in the boreal comes from anthropogenic and lightning causes but it benefits a huge variety
of species from insects to plants to Wood bison. The Dene people of northern Canada have been lighting
fires for centuries. For them, fire is a traditional practice that has supported their survival through the
years. Another active group of fire proponents include the Northern Guides Outfitters of British Columbia
who incorporate prescribed fire in the management of their range tenures. Pyric herbivory, the firegrazing interaction, is critical not only for their involvement with hunting big game, but also for the
livestock that are used as part of their industry: horses. Over the past 2 years, free-roaming guide
outfitter horses have been part of the pyric herbivory study whereby their movments are tracked with GPS
collars and spatially analysed using prescribed fire as one of the main resources selections. Not only is
pyric herbivory critical for the guide outfitting industry and their range management, it is a critical
component of the ecosystem that is far too often ignored by policy makers and Government
agencies. Prescribed fire is a tool for outfitters, a traditional right for First Nations and the vital key for the
conservation of biodiversity across the boreal forest and rangelands.
0157
Collaborating to mobilize traditional knowledge and practices in land and resource management
involving the ecological restoration of an endangered species
Sonja Leverkus1 ,2, Lana Lowe2, Katherine Wolfenden2, Leloni Needlay2, Eva Needlay2
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA, 2Fort Nelson First Nation, Fort Nelson, BC,
Canada
The Dene people of Northern Canada have experienced enormous changes throughout time, especially
since the signing of Treaty 8 in 1910 where ancestors to the members of the Nation signed in exchange
for the guarantee that they would be free to live their lives as formerly and undisturbed by newcomers, to
share the land and to live in peace with their new neighbours. Many things have changed in 100 years,
and at times the spirit of the treaty has been forgotten, but the understanding of the treaty relationship
remains, and will remain "as long as the sun shines, the river flows, and the grass grows". In an effort
to conserve traditional rights to the land and to protect traditional practices, including the conservation of
an endangered species, the Dene Fire project was initiated. By incorporating the traditional and inherent
right to use prescribed fire, Fort Nelson First Nation has taken a leadership role in the ecological
restoration of Wood bison in their traditional territory. By collaborating and integrating science with
traditional practices, knowledge and culture, a movement for the protection of Wood bison and their
habitat has surged forward. The mobilization of traditional knowledge and practice is integral to land and
resource management, especially with the goal of ecological restoration of an endangered species.
0161
Factors affecting seasonal resource selection patterns of young cows grazing piñon-juniper
grassland mosaics
Vanessa J. Prileson, Andrés F. Cibils, Raúl H. Peinetti, Michaela Buenemann, Caitriana M. Steele, Miguel
A. Brizuela, M. Silvia Cid, Eric J. Schollegerdes, Richard L. Dunlap, Shad H. Cox, Wendy Taylor
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
Understanding how resource selection patterns of livestock are influenced by biotic vs. abiotic factors is
critical to predicting the effects of increasing weather variability on the spatial distribution of livestock
grazing. We monitored nine cows that grazed two adjacent pastures for a week each during spring,
summer, fall, and winter in two consecutive years. Cows were fitted with GPS collars that recorded
locations at 5-minute intervals. A 30 m resolution GIS including topography, vegetation greenness,
woodland cover, fences, roads, drinking water location and GPS collar grazing location layers was used
to develop 16 resource selection functions (RSF). Vegetation greenness and woodland cover were
combined to develop a relative forage value index (RFVI). Logistic regression models including RFVI,
elevation, slope, and distance to fences, roads, and water were used to predict the probability of grazing
in each 30m pixel of the study area. Predicted patterns of grazing distribution varied detectably among
seasons and between pastures (P<0.01). During the first year, RFVI was consistently the most influential
predictor (P<0.01, Odds ratio>41) in all RSFs, suggesting that forage-related factors drove resource
selection of cows. During the second year, RFVI either reduced the probability of selection (P<0.05,
Odds ratio 0.28) or was a weak or non-significant predictor in three RSFs. On these sampling dates,
woodland cover of pixels with high predicted probability of grazing increased considerably, suggesting
that cows actively selected sheltered grazing sites. Resource selection was highly dynamic and
influenced mostly by forage but also by non-forage factors possibly associated with weather conditions.
0163
An Assessment of Pronghorn Habitat Suitability for the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the
Tejon Ranch in the Central Valley region of California
Virginia Burroughs
California Polytechnic State Univeristy, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is an ungulate native to the Central Valley of California extirpated
from the area by the 1940’s from overhunting and land conversion that led to significant loss of habitat. In
the late 1980’s over 300 animals were translocated to the Carrizo Plain National Monument from a
population in northern California. The translocated population was estimated to be 30 animals in 2011,
but inadequate quality and frequency of monitoring has made it difficult to ascribe causes and rates to the
decline. As a step towards improving population management, we used 10 years of aerial survey records
as a basis for defining parameters of habitat suitability in the pronghorn management area. Geographic
Information System methods were used to characterize specific landscape features in areas where
pronghorn were more consistently observed. These included slope, aspect, plant community type, and
road density. Kernel Density Estimation was used to identify high use habitat based on pronghorn point
locations and weighted according to spatial density of observation points. Habitat features were
measured in these areas according to a categorical scaling method (i.e., applying a rating between 0 and
1 for varying categories of suitable to unsuitable habitat such as .5 for moderate habitat, .8 for very good
habitat, etc.) and then used to establish a correlation between varying levels of suitable habitat and these
factors. The resulting habitat suitability model is intended to focus efforts to increase habitat quantity and
quality for pronghorn on the Carrizo Plain National Monument and connected landscapes.
0164
Response of buckbrush (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench) to fire in tallgrass prairie
John Derek Scasta1, Dave M. Engle1, Ryan N. Harr2
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Buckbrush or coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench) is a shrub common in the Great Plains,
Midwest and Eastern United States. Buckbrush is an important component of habitat for a variety of
insects, upland birds and deer. However, buckbrush competes with forbs and grasses and is often a
concern of cattle producers. In 2011 and 2012, we assessed nine fires in six pastures typical of eastern
tallgrass prairie in Southwestern Iowa for effects on buckbrush. Fires included patch-burning and burning
entire pastures in the early spring with a three year fire return interval. Measurements taken 3 months
after fire assessed post-fire regrowth (stem height, colony density and canopy cover) of buckbrush
colonies at permanently located points with a variable plot area. Fire significantly reduced buckbrush
colony height and canopy cover and the variance of both variables. However, regrowth height at 3
months after fire was 80% of pre-fire height. Aggressive re-sprouting occurred after fire as number of
stems were significantly greater in the most recently burned plots. Fire did not appear to alter buckbrush
colony density. Buckbrush appears to be highly responsive to fire, and fire alone may not provide
sufficient control. As an important sub-shrub on eastern U.S. rangelands, fire can serve as the
successional disturbance required to reduce buckbrush height and canopy cover to improve growth
conditions for forbs and grasses. The response of buckbrush to fire appears similar to perennial shrubs
in the genera Quercus and Prosopis.
0166
Shifting into the driver's seat - women of the Australian rangelands driving change.
Sally Leigo1 ,2
1Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, Alice Springs, NT, Australia, 2Northern
Territory Government Department of Resources, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
The Australian rangelands make up 81% of Australia's land area, has a gross revenue of AUS$90.5
Billion but contains 3% of the country's population. The main contributors include mining (39.5%),
manufacturing (12.6%) and agriculture, forestry and fisheries (9.3%). This paper focuses on the women
involved in the beef industry, which is part of the agricultural sector. With a sparse population and limited
available time, engaging leaders in the beef industry to represent their needs at a local, state or national
level is becoming increasingly difficult. In response, the Commonwealth Government of Australia in
partnership with the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association) and the Northern Territory Department of
Resources initiated a two year project to build the leadership capacity of women in the beef industry. In
2009, seven one-day workshops were held in remote locations with participants (total n=107) travelling up
to 800kms to attend. In 2010, nine follow up workshops were held with a total of 86 participants attending.
Participants learned about communication skills, strategic planning, mental and physical well-being. The
women benefitted from this investment in their personal development, while the beef industry also
benefitted. This was especially evident 12 months later during a ban of all Australian stock for liveexport. During this crisis some workshop participants were involved in negotiations with the
Commonwealth Government and as spokespeople for their industry. By engaging women, the beef
industry benefitted by the increased representation and the different perspective women brought as
business partners in managing the land.
0169
LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN RESPONSE TO RESTORATION OF SAND SHINNERY OAK
GRASSLANDS IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO
David Haukos1, Jennifer Zavaleta2, Clint Boal2, Blake Grisham 2, Charles Dixon3, Willard Heck4
1Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA, 2Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA, 3Wildlife Plus
Consultating, Alto, NM, USA, 4Graslans Charitable Foundation, Causey, NM, USA
Sand shinnery oak (Quercus harvardii)-grassland communities provide the core habitat for lesser prairiechicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations on the Southern High Plains of New Mexico and
Texas. Extensive loss, fragmentation, and degradation of these habitats have contributed to the declining
population and range of the lesser prairie-chicken. Loss of sand shinnery oak - grassland communities
was primarily the result of conversion to row-crop agriculture. Much of the remaining mixed shrub grassland has become a monoculture of sand shinnery oak by unmanaged livestock grazing. In
response, land managers have extensively applied herbicide to eradicate the sand shinnery oak. We
tested restoration techniques using a combination of herbicide (0.60 kg/ha tebuthiuron) and managed
short-duration grazing (50% utilization of annual production in two grazing events) treatments over a 10year period. Use of tebuthiuron increased grass and forb cover by 149% and 257%, respectively. The
herbicide and grazing treatment combination was most comparable to historical standards with 20.2%
sand shinnery oak, 69.7% grass, and 10.2% forb. However, grazing treatment had the greatest influence
on lesser prairie-chicken response. Only 12% of female lesser prairie-chicken locations were in
treatmentss with no grazing. There were no differences in breeding season survival among
treatments. Herbicides and managed grazing can be used to restore and maintain sand shinnery oak
grasslands. The restoration treatments did not affect lesser prairie-chicken survival and females
responded positively to managed grazing. Restoration of sand shinnery oak - grassland communities
would benefit other species in the ecosystem.
0172
Sage-grouse in Nevada - Reconciling Science and History
Kent McAdoo1, George Gruell2
1University of Nevada, Elko, NV, USA, 2U.S. Forest Service (retired), Carson City, NV, USA
In contemporary discussions related to sage-grouse management, some ignore current science and cite
historical sources. Others focus on science and ignore history. Reconciliation of science and history is
necessary. Protohistoric sage-grouse population fluctuations would have been a function of climate,
spatial and temporal vegetation changes associated with both natural and anthropomorphic disturbances
(like fire), and aboriginal hunting pressure. Early accounts from trappers and explorers indicate that
sage-grouse were regionally rare but locally abundant when Euro-Americans first arrived in the Great
Basin. Anecdotal accounts provide strong indications that sage-grouse numbers spiked concurrently with
the advent of livestock grazing and accompanying agricultural practices. Potential causal agents
included: (1) grazing and hay-cutting's stimulation of herbaceous regrowth, especially in meadow areas;
(2) creation of additional water sources; (3) irrigation that brought enlargement of native meadows and
introduction of alfalfa; (4) increasing shrub cover in uplands as grasses were depleted; and (5) intensive
predator control programs. Bird populations still fluctuated wildly from the 1870s to the 1950s, and
hunting seasons/regulations reflected this. But there is strong scientific evidence that turn-of-the-century
livestock numbers were not sustainable; preferred forage species declined over time and water tables
lowered in meadows as mesic soil-holding vegetation declined, resulting in deterioration of sage-grouse
habitat. Current grazing systems, with emphasis on controlling timing and duration of grazing are
sustainable, and have very little, if any, negative impact on sage-grouse populations. The authors
maintain that solutions to the sage-grouse habitat conservation challenge should be informed by both
science and history.
0173
Declining Range Condition under the Recommended Stocking Rate: The National Bison Range,
Montana
Clayton Marlow, Neto Garcia
Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
Stocking rates have been an integral part of rangeland restoration for such a long time that most
managers and resource users fail to appreciate the critical factors that make this grazing management
tool successful. While application of a judicious stocking rate may produce long term benefits for
production, water quality and ecological sustainability goals several factors are inherent in the calculation
that must be considered to avoid undesirable outcomes. The most critical is the assumption that all forage
in the pasture or management area has the same likelihood of being consumed by the grazing animal.
The range and wildlife literature is replete with studies on grazing preferences. Ignoring these preferences
when determining stocking rates can produce an environmental response at odds with management
goals. Review of ecological condition under 18 years of "proper stocking rate" for semi-wild bison on the
US Fish and Wildlife National Bison Range indicated that the proportion of climax species in grassland
communities declined from 42% to 24%. A more detailed analysis of bison grazing behavior and landform
patterns indicated that bison often used less than 33% of the grazing area available to them. This meant
that pastures were consistently overstocked even though the stocking rate based on earlier range
condition surveys was strictly adhered to. Recommended stocking rates are most likely to produce
positive results on level to gently rolling landforms with good water distribution. Other environmental
settings require adjustment of recommended rates to forage production in preferred areas or
implementation of a grazing system.
0174
The California black rail on foothill rangelands
Gareth Fisher, Lynn Huntsinger
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
The California black rail is a small secretive bird that was thought to be extinct in California’s Sierra
Nevada foothills. It was found at the University of California Sierra Foothill Research and Extension
Center in 94 and since then, a variety of studies about the ecology of the bird have been
undertaken. Richmond et al. (2010) found that half of the bird’s potential habitat is on wetlands that are a
by-product of irrigation for ranching and farming. In large part, this is because of a gold-rush era irrigation
infrastructure which is now facing increasing demand for residential water, pressure to conserve water,
climate change, and wildlife habitat restoration. This puts the rails and their habitat at risk. In this project
foothill landowners, including ranchers and retirees, were interviewed in order to find out their attitudes
towards water use and wetlands, in order to determine if there are opportunities to enhance the
sustainability of such wetlands and to endeavor to predict likely future scenarios for rail habitat.
0176
The Wildland Fire Assessment Tool (WFAT) - A Tool to Spatially Model Wildland Fire Behavior and
First Order Fire Effects
Eva Strand, Josh Hyde
National Interagency Fuels Technology Transfer (NIFTT), Moscow, ID, USA
WFAT provides an interface between ArcMap, FlamMap5, and the First Order Fire Effects Model
(FOFEM), combining their strengths into a spatial fire behavior and fire effects analysis tool in GIS. In the
workshop, you will learn how to use WFAT to locate potential fuel treatment units and to evaluate the
effects of a prescribed burn on soil exposure, emissions, and mortality. WFAT allows managers to
compare management alternatives and saves the time and effort of converting data between multiple
formats for use in ArcMap, FlamMap, and FOFEM. Downloadable LANDFIRE layers (landfire.gov) can be
used as input GIS layers.
The workshop will begin with a presentation describing the WFAT tool, followed by live demonstrations of
the tools, and examples of applications. Time will be allotted for students to engage in hands on exercises
using WFAT to assess fire behavior and fire effects. The instructors will be available to help students set
up the modeling parameters for running a variety of weather and fuel moisture scenarios, to complete the
exercises using sample data sets that include rangeland and woodland settings. Participants may bring
their own laptop computer with ArcGIS installed (including Spatial Analyst) if they would like to run WFAT
on their own computer. Software, tutorials, and data examples will be provided in advance for those who
register for the workshop.
0177
Fire Regime Condition Class: Concepts, Applications, and Mapping Tool
Steve Barrett, Eva Strand, Josh Hyde
National Interagency Fuels Technology Transfer (NIFTT), Moscow, Id, USA
Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) assessments have been widely used for evaluating ecosystem
status in many areas of the U.S. Since inception in the late 1990's, the method has been applied in multiscale assessments in many facets of natural resource planning. We used state-and-transition modeling to
describe historical vegetation and fire regimes, which provided reference information related to landscape
fire frequency, severity, and vegetation seral stage proportions. To promote methodological consistency,
we then developed a quantitative method based upon similarity indexing to compare historical versus
current vegetation and fire regimes. This technique allows field and GIS users to consistently assess
FRCC for fire management plans and related planning efforts. Current applications of FRCC data include
project design, risk assessments, treatment prioritization, fire use decisions, and evaluation of ecosystem
sustainability. Although FRCC does not represent a stand-alone risk or allocation tool, such assessments
provide a consistent landscape metric that can compliment other measures of ecological health and fire
regime departure.
In the workshop, the instructors will present an overview of the Fire Regime Condition Class concepts
and methods, engage students in hands on exercises, and illustrate FRCC with the most recent version
of the FRCC Mapping Tool. Workshop goals are to: 1) educate the audience about state-of-the-art FRCC
assessments, 2) generate questions and discussions about FRCC, and 3) stimulate the audience to
pursue FRCC user certification at a later date, 4) Gain hands on experience with the FRCC Mapping Tool
in GIS (computers will be provided).
0178
Biomass production of desert plant species of economic importance in Chihuahua, Mexico
Martin Martinez Salvador1, Ricardo Mata-Gonzalez2, David Hermosillo-Rojas1, Pedro Jurado Guerra1
1INIFAP, Aldama, Chihuahua, Mexico, 2Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
In addition to their capacity as grazing lands, rangelands from northern Mexico sustain a native flora that
has traditionally provided a variety of services such as food, fiber, and raw material for liquor spirits. Some
native plant species of particular importance in Chihuahua are Agave lechuguilla (lechuguilla), Dasylirion
leiophyllum (sotol) and Lippia berlandieri (oregano). Lechuguilla is gathered to obtain a hard fiber used in
the production of ropes, twine, and brushes. Sotol is recollected and used as raw material for the
production of liquor similar to tequila. Oregano is used as a spice usually in Mexican and Italian cuisine.
In addition to these traditional uses, there are recent attempts to use some of these species (lechuguilla)
as biofuels. Furthermore, these species are important components in plant communities that might
represent important carbon sinks for their large geographical distribution. Despite the multiple uses and
environmental importance of these species, there is little scientific information on their biomass
production in native rangelands. Intensive sampling was conducted throughout the state of Chihuahua in
areas dominated by lechuguilla, sotol, and oregano to determine their abundance and to calculate
through dimensional analysis their biomass production. Lechuguilla was by far the most abundant and
productive of the three species with mean density of 6,427 plants/ha and standing biomass of 18,041
kg/ha. Sotol had 359 plants/ha and produced 1,625 kg/ha, while oregano had 1,011 plants/ha and
produced 379 kg/ha. The biomass production capacity of these species should be considered in deciding
strategies for their use and conservation.
0179
Fuel load, heterogeneity, spatial scale, and environmental conditions affect fire behavior in
grasslands - Results from the WFDS physics based process model
Eva Strand1, Chad Hoffman2, Stephen Bunting1, William Mell3
1University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, 2Colorado State University, Fort Collings, CO, USA, 3US Forest
Service, Seattle, WA, USA
The role of livestock grazing on fuel loads and fire behavior is important to land managers, land owners,
and the general public across rangelands. Livestock grazing affects the amount and spatial distribution of
herbaceous biomass, e.g. fine fuels, affecting the potential for fire spread, intensity, and fuel
consumption. Grazing can be targeted at spatial scales varying from the feeding station to the pasture
scale. In addition, environmental variables such as fuel moisture, topography, and wind influences fire
behavior. To better understand these complex interactions we conducted a modeling experiment using
the physics based model Wildland Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS). The model is
applicable to heterogeneous fuel beds and has been validated with field experiments in grasslands. In
this model experiment we reduced herbaceous fuels by 10%, 25%, and 50%, wind speed was held at 7.2,
18.0, and 36.0 km/h, and fuel moisture was simulated at 6%, 10%, and 17%. Fuel reduction was applied
at spatial scales varying from 1.5 to 20 m. Under these conditions the fire rate of spread varied between
1.8 and 7.2 km/h, increasing with higher winds and lower fuel moistures as expected. The fire did not
spread in simulations with 17% fuel moisture or in simulations with 50% biomass removal, except at low
fuel moisture and high wind. The fire was less likely to spread when the biomass removal was patchy
compared to homogeneously applied across the grassland and the spatial scale of the grazing treatment
influenced fire spread.
0180
Technical Service Provider Workshop: Building Grazing Plans that Address Drought and Wildfire
Dana Larsen
UDSA-NRCS, Washington, DC, USA
This workshop is for certified Technical Service Providers (TSPs) or SRM members who plan to become
TSPs.
This workshop focuses on the distinctive aspects of USDA-NRCS grazing management planning through
the Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) which is exclusive to USDA program participants. Learn about the
required elements needed for developing a Grazing Management CAP with an emphasis on contingency
planning for drought and wildfire.
The Technical Service Provider (TSP) program opens up opportunities for Certified Professionals in
Range Management and Certified Range Management Consultants to be hired by land managers who
participate in conservation programs with the NRCS. Special financial assistance is now available to
qualified ranchers and farmers for hiring TSPs to develop Grazing Management Conservation Activity
Plans.
The workshop is also open to SRM members who are not yet CPRMs or CRMCs, but plan to become
certified within the year. Participants will receive one-on-one assistance in the TSP registration and
certification process.
Contact: Dana Larsen, NRCS, (202) 720-8970; dana.larsen@wdc.usda.gov for more information.
0182
POPULATION DEMOGRAPHY OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN POPULATIONS IN SHINNERY-OAK
GRASSLAND COMMUNITIES OF NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS
Clint Boal2, Blake Grisham1, David Haukos3, Willard Heck4
1Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA, 2U.S. Geological Survey, Lubbock TX, USA, 3U.S. Geological
Survey, Manhattan KS, USA, 4Grasslans Charitable Trust, Causey NM, USA
Declining population and range of the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) throughout their
distribution has raised conservation concerns. Conservation efforts are hampered by a lack of baseline
ecological data in sand shinnery oak (Quercus harvardii)-grassland communities of New Mexico and
Texas. To address these concerns, we investigated male and female survival, nest ecology, and broodrearing ecology in Texas from 2008-2011. Additionally, we examined these parameters among four
combinations of treatments with tebuthiuron (0.60 kg/ha) and a short-duration, rotational-grazing system
being used to restore these communities in New Mexico from 2006-2010. Breeding season survival and
nest survival on both study areas were consistent with previous lesser prairie-chicken studies. Broodrearing females used treatment combinations as expected and brood age was the best predictor of brood
survival in New Mexico. Data suggests lesser prairie-chickens in our study area exhibit a boom-bust
reproductive pattern, with high breeding season survival, below average clutch sizes, few renest
attempts, and dynamic nest and brood survival. Brood survival 0-14 days is the primary limiting factor for
lesser prairie-chickens in sand shinnery oak-grasslands. The ultimate cause for low chick survival on our
study areas is unknown, but unfavorable environmental conditions, desiccation, and predation are likely
principal mortality factors. Loss of useable space, particularly brood-rearing habitat, appears to be the
primary limiting factor for lesser prairie-chicken populations in these communities. Based on our
preliminary results, efforts to improve brood survival 0-14 days post-hatch in sand shinnery oak-grassland
communities would have the most beneficial effects.
0183
Cattle responses to patch burns in the semiarid shortgrass steppe
David Augustine1, Justin Derner2
1USDA-ARS, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Cheyenne, WY, USA
Integrated fire and grazing management can generate desirable habitat for native birds in semi-arid
grasslands, but effects on cattle distribution and weight gains are unknown. We studied patch burn
grazing in semi-arid shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado, comparing unburned pastures with
pastures where 25% of the area was burned in the fall of each year. Burns removed >95% of standing
dead biomass and reduced vegetation visual obstruction in mid-June by 48 - 53%, but did not influence
herbaceous plant production. Patch burns also did not negatively affect cattle weight gains. For each of
4 years with varying precipitation amount and timing, we tracked cattle responses to the patch burns
using GPS collars. We used direct observations of cattle foraging bouts to develop a model predicting
periods of cattle activity versus inactivity based on GPS collar data. We evaluated the degree to which
cattle select burned versus unburned portions of pastures during active periods, and whether such
models improve predictions compared to analyses based on all cattle locations. When vegetation on
burns was growing rapidly and unburned areas retained significant standing dead biomass, cattle
preferentially grazed on burns. At other times during the growing season, cattle distribution was
influenced by topography, but cattle neither avoided nor selected burns. Findings indicate that managers
can implement patch burn grazing management without negatively affecting livestock weight gains, but
vegetation and cattle behavioral responses to fire are substantially weaker and less consistent in semiarid
compared to mesic grasslands.
0184
Burning in the Shadows of the Nation's Largest Metroplexes: Challenges and Management
Recommendations
Glen Gillman
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas, USA
The need for wildland fire management has been recognized for decades and different fire management
strategies have been incorporated into agency and private lands management, however these tools have
largely been applied in rural areas alone. As the population of the United States urbanizes, the
recognition of wildland fire management challenges in urban areas has become readily apparent. Those
challenges are similar to what is encountered in rural areas but the complexity is generally greater and
the constraints are more numerous. The City of Austin has successfully developed a wildland fire
management program in one of the nation's fastest growing areas in order to address fire management
challenges in both natural and man-made environments. Developing a prescribed fire program within an
urban area must be integrated within pre-existing political structures and requires unique management
considerations and solutions.
0185
Seasonal Dynamics of Nutritional Quality During a Drought of Four Browse Species Preferred by
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Rolling Plains of Texas
Scott L. Mitchell, Carlos Villalobos
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
The purpose of this research was to identify four species of browse preferred by white-tailed deer and test
certain nutritional parameters throughout each season during a drought. Application of fertilizer was
added as one of the treatments to evaluate forage quality. The four browse species selected for
evaluation were: fourwing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh.) Nutt.], ephedra (Ephedra antisyphilitica
Berl. ex.C.A. Mey.), netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata) and redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii
Sudw.). Each species were divided into a control or fertilizer treatment group. Crude protein and in vitro
dry matter digestibility were evaluated for forage quality. Netleaf hackberry and redberry juniper were
analyzed for condensed tannins. Fourwing saltbush and redberry juniper did not show a response to the
addition of fertilizer. The response from ephedra between control and fertilizer was significant in all
seasons for crude protein content (spring +1.66%, summer +3.14%, fall +2.09% and winter
+1.63%). Netleaf hackberry showed a statistically significant increase in crude protein for summer
(+1.05%) and fall (+0.35%). Dry matter digestibility was generally the same between control and
treatment for all species. There was no significant difference between control and treatment for
condensed tannin concentrations. Redberry juniper exhibited high levels concentrations of condensed
tannins throughout the year (spring 36.20 mg CE/gDM, summer 50.59 mg CE/gDM, fall 61.27 mg
CE/gDM and winter 60.36 mg CE/gDM). Netleaf hackberry contained smaller amounts of condensed
tannins (spring 6.06 mg CE/gDM, summer 15.31 mg CE/gDM and fall 3.51 mg CE/gDM).
0187
Caucasian Old World Bluestem vs. Native Species: Grass Development and Nutritive Value
Keith Harmoney1, Karen Hickman2
1Kansas St. University, Hays, KS, USA, 2Oklahoma St. University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Caucasian old world bluestem (OWB) [Bothrichloa bladhii (Retz) S.T. Blake] has been introduced
extensively in Texas, Oklahoma, and portions of Kansas as a perennial grass for forage production and
soil conservation. Consequently, it has escaped and inadvertently been introduced into some native
rangelands. Observations have noted that it is usually avoided by grazing animals in native pastures.
Caucasian OWB matures at a greater rate than some native grasses, and maturity was speculated as
being a factor for poor forage quality and avoidance by grazing animals when found in mixed stands with
native warm-season grasses. We compared the morphology and nutritive value of Caucasian OWB and
native perennial warm-season grasses when harvested on the same dates. Established stands of
Caucasian OWB, big bluestem (Angropogon gerardii Vitman), little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium
(Michx.) Nash], and sideoats grama [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr] were hand clipped at
approximately 3 week intervals during each of two growing seasons. Caucasian OWB matured at a
greater rate than the native species. However, Caucasian OWB had equal or greater nutritive value in
terms of crude protein and in situ digestibility at each harvest compared to the native species. Avoidance
of Caucasian OWB that has invaded native rangelands is likely related to other factors that are not tested
by standard nutritive value analyses.
0188
Landowner Perceptions of Risk: Woody Plant Encroachment and Fire in Grassland Management
Ryan Harr1, Lois Wright Morton1, Shannon Rusk1, David Engle2, James Miller3, Diane Debinski1
1Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA, 2Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 3University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Grassland researchers increasingly recognize that fire and herbivory are essential functions in healthy
grassland ecosystems and are using grazing and prescribed fire on public reserves to increase plant
diversity, improve grassland productivity, and control encroachment of woody plants, especially eastern
redcedar. However, prescribed fire in particular has not been widely adopted as a tool by private
landowners. Fire suppression and prescribed fire are two technologies which present different and
competing risks to grassland landowners making management decisions. We explore landowner
perceptions of risk associated with eastern redcedar and deliberate use of fire in the Grand River
Grasslands of southwest Iowa and Northwestern Missouri. We find that although aerial image data on
eastern redcedar over the last 30 years in this region reveal significant woody plant encroachment on
grasslands, conceptual mapping of landowner beliefs and in person interviews reveal that the risks
associated with prescribed fire seem to outweigh perceived risks associated with loss of forage and
grassland habitats.
0189
Assessing threats to grasslands in the prairie peninsula: eastern redcedar encroachment in the
Grand River Grasslands
Ryan Harr1, James Miller2, David Engle3
1Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA, 2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA,
3Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
In the central U.S., loss and degradation of grasslands has presented problems for wildlife dependent on
these ecosystems as well as the grazing livestock industry for decades. Woody encroachment on
remaining grasslands exacerbates losses to conversion to rowcrop and other uses by rendering the
habitats that remain less productive for wildlife and grazing animals. Eastern redcedar is a particularly
aggressive colonizer of grasslands in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., and has invaded millions of acres
of the Great Plains and beyond. We assessed the current extent and rate of increase by eastern redcedar
in the Grand River Grasslands of southern Iowa and northern Missouri to better understand the threat
encroachment may pose to grassland-based agriculture, recreation, and habitats in the region. We
documented a dramatic increase in redcedar cover, number of stands, and number of individual trees
throughout the region. Encroachment has likely reached a point in which it poses an economic threat to
landowners through degradation of forage production and other ecosystem services.
0191
Summer fire increases plant-available nitrogen and phosphorus in the northern Great Plains
Marnie Rout, Lance Vermeire, Kurt Reinhart
USDA-ARS, Miles City, MT, USA
Fire is an important process maintaining ecosystem functioning in grasslands. Most wildfires in the
western U.S. burn during summer and coincide with the greatest fire danger. Consequently, experimental
data are lacking and little is known about the impacts of summer fire on ecosystem function. Since
nitrogen is the primary limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems, understanding its response to fire is
critical. We sampled soils from August 2011 - October 2012 to quantify the effects of summer fire on
available soil nutrients (resins), total soil nutrients (cores), and used quantitative PCR (qPCR) of nitrogenfixation (nifH gene) quantity (DNA) and activity (RNA) in the northern Great Plains. Comparisons were
made using three replicate plots exposed to various summer fire return intervals (1.5-yr, 3-yr, 6-yr, and
non-burned) assessed seasonally throughout the year. Residual nitrogen pools (cores) remained low and
were similar across treatments. However, plant-available nitrogen pools (resins) were greater in burned
plots (1.5 – 4-fold greater). A similar response was observed for plant-available phosphorus (1.2 – 2.0fold increases), while the inverse was true for iron (14 – 40% declines). In burn treatments, available
nutrient levels often remained elevated. Burning assessments with qPCR on the nifH gene indicated
additional nitrogen was not coming from soil microbial communities. Return interval also influenced the
abundance (DNA) and activity (RNA) of nitrogen-fixing bacterial genes in soils, with recently burned plots
showing decreased gene abundance and activity. Results suggest burns cause persistent changes in
available soil nutrients which might facilitate plant recovery and increase forage quality post-fire.
0194
Integration of targeted grazing with other vegetation management techniques
Rachel Frost
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
Livestock grazing is the most prevalent use of rangelands throughout the world and has a tremendous
ability to alter the amount and kind of vegetation present on rangelands. By carefully controlling the
timing, intensity, and frequency of grazing and deliberately selecting a specific type of grazing animal,
managers can modify the structure and composition or rangeland vegetation. Targeted grazing can be
successfully integrated with other conventional vegetation management techniques that, when combined,
can effectively alter the rate of change toward desirable plant communities. The combination of targeted
sheep or goat grazing in conjunction with insect biological control agents has resulted in a greater
suppression of invasive forbs such as leafy spurge, Dalmatian toadflax and spotted knapweed than either
method alone. Similarly, targeted livestock grazing combined with a well-planned herbicide program can
reduce invasive plant populations more effectively than spraying or grazing alone. Targeted livestock
grazing can be integrated with prescribed fire to create fire lines, modify fire behavior and fuel loads to
sculpt the landscape and reduce severity of fires to achieve specific management objectives such as
brush control or brush sculpting to improve wildlife habitat. Targeted livestock grazing can be used in
conjunction with re-seeding to prepare the seedbed and suppress competitive vegetation. Finally,
targeted livestock grazing employed with typical livestock grazing can further alter the structure and
composition of the landscape. Specific examples of integrating targeted grazing with other rangeland
management techniques will be discussed.
0196
Why use cattle for targeted grazing? Larry D. Howery and Derek W. Bailey
Larry Howery1, Derek Bailey2
1The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 2New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
When one thinks of targeted grazing projects, sheep and goats typically come to mind as the ecosystem
engineers of choice, more so than cattle. Sheep and goats, due to morpho-physiological adaptations,
respectively prefer forbs and woody plants and have been used successfully to manage those invasive
lifeforms. Cows are classified as grazers and have accordingly been used to manage a variety of
invasive monocots, including cool and warm season annual and perennial grasses. More recently, cattle
have been trained to eat cool- and warm-season ‘weedy’ dicots (including annuals, biennials, and
perennials) and to use steeper terrain by using low-stress herding (LSH) and low moisture blocks
(LMB). Cows are also less susceptible to predation than either sheep or goats. This paper will highlight
several TG projects that have used cattle as ecosystem engineers to address rangeland management
goals and objectives.
0199
How effective is targeted cattle grazing?
Retta Bruegger1, Larry Howery1, Derek Bailey3
1The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 2The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 3New Mexico
State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
In this two-year study, we tested the efficacy of using low-stress herding and strategic low moisture block
supplement to target cattle grazing to achieve fuel-reduction goals on rugged rangelands dominated by
Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees.). Treatments consisted of TG with 58 red angus
cows and 2 bulls for 10 days or no TG (control) at two pairs of study sites. GPS-collared cows (n=5) spent
34% of their time within 100 m of TG sites during herding compared to <1% during non-herding
periods. Biomass of perennial grasses and standing dead was reduced by 681 kg/ha in TG sites
compared to 103 kg/ha in control sites. Judicious application of TG will require careful calibration of
animal numbers, supplement amounts, and length of herding periods to achieve fuel reduction objectives.
0201
A TEST OF CATASTROPHIC TRANSITION MECHANISMS IN THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT
GRASSLAND
Lauren Svejcar1 ,2, Brandon Bestelmeyer2, Mike Duniway3
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las
Cruces, NM, USA, 3USGS Moab, Moab, UT, USA
Dryland ecosystems are known to undergo transitions from grassland or savanna states to shrubdominated and/or eroded states with persistent loss of herbaceous vegetation. Theoretical models for
predicting critical thresholds between states have been examined in drylands to search for early warning
indicators, yet there is scant empirical evidence for the mechanisms. The models postulate that larger
patches are favorable environments for plant growth in arid ecosystems due to short-range facilitation.
The breakdown of large patches is thought to trigger catastrophic transitions. We tested assumptions
underpinning these models using an experiment in black grama grassland (Bouteloua eriopoda Torr.) of
the Chihuahuan Desert in which variable grazing intensities produced a wide range of patch sizes in plots
with differing mesquite shrub (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) densities. We tested the hypothesis that growth,
reproductive capability, and reproductive success of black grama plants would be greater in larger plant
patches than in smaller patches. From 2010-2012 we measured numbers of stolons, ramets, rooted
ramets and young individual plants associated with focal black grama plants and fixed areas within each
patch. We found that the largest patches did not always feature the highest rates of grass reproduction
across years, suggesting that patch size does not consistently indicate the patch persistence
mechanisms proposed in catastrophic transition models. Other factors, such as resource competition
within patches, may play important roles in black grama grasslands. When assessing rangeland
conditions in the Chihuahuan desert grasslands, theoretical models of critical thresholds and early
warning indicators should be applied with caution.
0202
Does post fire fall seed bank relative abundance correlate with the following spring surface
vegetation relative abundance?
Dawn-Marie Jensen
Stell Environmental Enterprises, Inc., Elverson, PA, USA
A pilot study was completed at JBLM-YTC to determine if spring surface vegetation abundance correlates
with fall seed species abundance in the seed bank after fire. Two small fire sites were selected. One
was approximately 16 ha. In post-fire fall, two methods were used to collect samples. The first was to
collect samples along a transect placed lengthwise through the site (700 m long). At random locations
along the transect, 12 samples were collected by scooping the top two to three cm of soil in an area
approximately 10 cm2. The second soil collection method was to collect aggregate soil samples at three
locations along a transect thirty meters long and perpendicular from the road. The top 2-3 cm of soil was
scooped up every other step along the 30 m transect and placed in two, 0.94 l zip-lock bags. The second
site was approximately 3 ha. At random locations along two transects (criss-crossing the site
approximately 250 m long each), ten soil samples were collected at the second site. The following spring,
surface vegetation species abundance data was collected at random locations along all transects. The
purpose of this study is to determine if a correlation exists between relative seed abundance of invasive
species and native species after fire with the following spring surface vegetation relative abundance of
invasive species and native species.
0203
Cross-Border Interaction Spurs Innovation and Hope among Pastoral Women of Ethiopia and
Kenya
D. Layne Coppock1, Seyoum Tezera2, Solomon Desta2, Abdillahi Aboud3, Stellamaris Muthoka4,
Getachew Gebru2, Mark Mutinda3, Azeb Yonas2
1Dept. of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA, 2MARIL PLC, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, 3Dept. of Natural Resources, Egerton Unversity, Njoro, Kenya, 4Dept. of Nutrition and PreClinical Studies, Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya
The pastoral areas of eastern Africa are typically characterized today by "gloom and doom." Poverty is
rampant and rangelands are often ecologically degraded. Residents can be at risk of famine and sporadic
violence occurs. Within this framework we report on some success stories that focus on the achievements
and vision of pastoral women. Women have typically been in the backseat of pastoral politics and
development initiatives; they have often lacked the right to own or trade larger species of livestock (cattle
or camels), have rarely been consulted when development projects are created, and are subjected to the
daily toils of hauling water, collecting firewood, and managing households. Our story begins with the
discovery of dynamic pastoral women's groups in remote northern Kenya who organized themselves,
saved money, created innovative small-businesses, and eventually provided funding support for
public education and health services in their impoverished communities. This model was successfully
transferred to southern Ethiopia following a project-facilitated event where Ethiopian pastoral women
leaders were taken across the border to meet and learn from their Kenyan peers. Subsequently, the
approach was further modified and extended back to agro-pastoral communities in the Rift Valley of
central Kenya, where women again emerged as community pacesetters and spearheaded major
accomplishments. In each case, initial push-back from men was overcome. Women have particular
talents to engage, persevere, and create change for the betterment of their communities under daunting
circumstances. Rather than being sidelined in pastoral and rangeland development initiatives, pastoral
women should be a major focus.
0204
Pastoral Women of the Andes of Bolivia and Peru
Corinne Valdivia1, Cecilia Turin2, Jere Gilles1
1University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA, 2Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Lima,
Peru
The High Plateau of the Andes between Peru and Bolivia is home to agropastoral and pastoral household
production systems where women are critical to the livelihoods of their families and are often sole
decision makers. Over the last twenty years many drivers have impacted the landscapes of the Altiplano
region. Markets have created incentives for the establishment of dairy production, changing livestock
asset composition, and directly impacting women in the Andes. Markets have also created opportunities
for migration leaving women to be the sole decision makers. Other factors increasingly affecting their
livelihoods include climate variability and change that appears to be drying the landscapes they depend
on for grazing their animals, but also where livestock have been a key savings mechanism to buffer
shocks and build other assets. Historical data from the last twenty years is analyzed to identify changes
in the role of women and their agency, their assets and the livelihoods of their families, teasing out how
livestock and range lands are elements of their asset building strategy.
0205
Using fire to manage endangered species habitat in Texas oak woodlands, a case study
Wade Harrell, Carl Schwope
US Fish & Wildlife Service, Austin, TX/Region 2, USA
Several listed species under the federal Endangered Species Act rely on various oak woodland types in
Texas as habitat for at least some portion of their life cycle. Many of these oak woodland habitats are now
outside their natural fire regimes due to long-term fire suppression. This has led to various changes in
vegetative structure, including conversion from open woodland types to those containing a dense woody
understory. This shift in vegetative structure has been implicated as a factor in the long-term decline for
many of the endangered and threatened species that rely on these oak woodlands. The US Fish &
Wildlife Service, along with state, non-profit and private landowner partners, have adapted their fire
management techniques, on both public and private lands, to restore and enhance Texas oak woodlands
for the benefit of multiple endangered species including Black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla), Goldencheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) and Whooping Crane (Grus
americana). For example, the US Fish & Wildlife Service Partner's for Fish and Wildlife program has been
engaging private landowners in the post oak savannah ecoregion of east-central Texas in applying
prescribed fire as a tool to reduce woody understory vegetation such as yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) and
increase herbaceous understory vegetation to improve historic Houston toad habitat. Several of these
landscape scale, endangered species fire management efforts will be described and both the ecological
and social aspects of will be discussed.
0206
Ecological Value of Managing Livestock Grazing Distribution
Kenneth Tate, Leslie Roche, Melvin George
University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Over the past 15 years, our research group has consistently found management of spatial and temporal
distribution of livestock grazing is critical to achieving agricultural production and conservation goals. The
central challenge facing livestock managers on rangelands is that livestock preferentially select certain
sensitive aquatic and riparian habitats due in part to availability of drinking water and forage.
Concentrated herbivory, trampling, and fecal-urine deposition in critical areas leads to impairment of
ecological functions and services. It also results in inefficient use of forage across management units.
Successful implementation of livestock distribution practices to control the season, intensity, and duration
of grazing – as well as provide rest from grazing – has been shown to enhance riparian areas. For
example, we have found that management effort (person days/year) to distribute livestock away from
riparian areas is positively correlated with stream macroinvertebrate richness. Distribution practices can
also improve water quality by positioning fecal borne pollutants away from critical waterbodies during
runoff periods. We found ten-fold greater fecal loading near livestock attractants such as water and
mineral tanks compared to riparian areas. We also observed 90% reduction in microbial pollutant load per
meter of surface runoff distance between fecal deposits and waterbodies. While livestock habitat
selection preferences often lead to production-conservation tradeoffs, we have found synergies such as
the partitioning of wet meadow habitat types between cattle and native amphibian species. Targeting
livestock distribution to overcome site-specific challenges and embrace opportunities is critical to
achieving multiple agricultural and conservation goals across range landscapes.
0207
Targeting USDA programs for viable prairie chicken populations and sustainable agricultural
operations.
Christian Hagen1, Jon Ungerer1 ,2
1Oregon State University, Bend, OR, USA, 2USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Manhattan,
KS, USA
The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of conservation priority because of
long-term population declines and changes in available habitat; primarily type conversion of native prairie
to other uses. One of the conservation successes for this species has been the establishment of
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields seeded with native vegetation. Although pre-CRP data are
sparse, lesser prairie-chicken (LEPC) populations seem to be responding favorably to landscapes that
have been reconnected through this practice. With large acreages of CRP expiring and new limitations on
total acres to be enrolled, in 2010, The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) initiated its
Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI) to retain these CRP fields as grassland and transform them into
working lands. The LPCI was expanded to capitalize on 22 NRCS practices that can assist in addressing
other threats to the species for example: woody encroachment, improper livestock grazing, and collision
risk with fences. More importantly using the best available science we have developed targeting tools to
increase the likelihood of sound conservation investments through USDA programs. We have
implemented a 3-tiered approach to assessing the effects of LPCI on LEPC populations: 1) established
intensive ecological studies to directly assess the effects of specific practices on LEPC demography; 2)
developed geospatial tools combined with lek data to assess changes in populations where conservation
investments have been made; and 3), at the ranch level, we have implemented vegetation monitoring that
can be summarized across ranches and broad regions. We discuss the implications of these approaches.
0208
Mechanical shredding as a fire surrogate in restoring sagebrush grasslands
Jordan Bybee1, Bruce Roundy1, April Hulet0 ,2, Darrell Roundy1, Kert Young1
1Brigham Young University, Provo, Ut, USA, 2Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, Or,
USA
Piñon and juniper (PJ) have been encroaching on sagebrush grasslands since the mid1800’s, decreasing
desired plant understory cover and diversity. In order to restore this system land managers have
implemented a variety of treatments to remove trees. The objective of this study was to determine the
usefulness of mechanical shredding as a management tool to restore shrub, grass, and forb cover. We
selected 45 study sites across the state of Utah on both BLM and USFS land based on comparable
untreated areas, initial tree cover, location, and time since mastication. Sample plots were located using
pre-treatment NAIP imagery and feature extraction (ENVI 4.5) to randomly select and pair untreated and
treated subplots that had the same initial tree cover. Data was collected in spring and summer of 2011
and 2012. Data collection methods included line point intercept, herbaceous density quadrats, shrub
density, and herbaceous biomass measurements. Preliminary observations suggest higher perennial
grass cover following shredding than that found in untreated areas. While we did see some weed
invasion, it was minimal where perennial grasses and shrubs were dominant. By better understanding
plant response (both desirable understory species and weeds) following tree shredding, we will provide
land managers information that will better support the management of sagebrush grasslands.
0209
COMPARISON OF THREE REMOTE SENSING METHODS TO PREDICT ABOVE GROUND PLANT
BIOMASS PRODUCTION
Tucker Porter1, Chengci Chen2, Rick Lawrence3, Bok Sowell1
1Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA,
2Central Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Moccasin, Montana, USA, 3Department
of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
Direct harvesting is currently the most widely used method in determining above ground plant biomass
production. This method, however, is costly, time consuming, destructive and only allows individual
samples to be measured accurately out of a potentially highly variable sward. Therefore, a quick,
accurate, and non-destructive method is needed to estimate the amount of above ground plant biomass
in a pasture or across a landscape. Remote sensing of vegetation spectral responses, which tend to be
highly responsive to changes in biomass, promises to provide a means for frequent, non‐destructive
measurements of above ground plant biomass at management relevant scales. The objective of this
study was to compare different remote sensing techniques to determine which is the most accurate in
predicting above ground plant biomass production. Above ground plant biomass production predicted by
the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measurements collected by a ground based sensor
and both NDVI and other band combination measurements collected by satellite based imagery were
compared.
0210
Quantifying dispersal processes and water inputs on plant community assembly
Roger Sheley2, Merilynn Hirsch1 ,2, Jeremy James2
1Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Burns, OR, USA
In the sagebrush-steppe ecosystems of North America, dispersal may be a key driver of plant community
assembly, especially as it relates to restoring native species in areas dominated by annual grasses. Traits
that influence the timing and frequency of dispersal can control establishment and population dynamics
by allowing species to avoid or capture resources as they become available during germination,
emergence, and growth. We hypothesized that that dispersal timing and frequency interacts with water
availability to influence species emergence. We evaluated the effects of dispersal timing, frequency, and
watering on desired and annual grasses seeded at various densities in the fall of 2011. Annual grasses
were seeded either simultaneously with perennials in the fall or annual grass seeding was delayed until
the spring of 2012. The frequency of perennial grass seeding was altered by either spring or fall seeding
or ½ seeded in spring and fall. Watering was either added at twice the average annual precipitation or
that which occurred naturally. Seeding rate varied from 150 to 3500 seeds/m2 in various combinations.
Timing, frequency, and watering treatments were applied in a completely random design and replicated 3times. Density was monitored biweekly throughout the growing season in 2012. Delaying annual grass
seeding increased their density, but had no effect on perennials. The frequency of seeding and the water
did not affect density at any growth stage. We found no evidence that dispersal timing, frequency, or the
amount of water control seedling establishment during restoration of desirable species within the
sagebrush-steppe ecosystem.
0211
Biomass is more than just fuel
Stephen Bunting
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
Mean wildfire size has been increasing for the past several decades. Very large fires, those greater than
100,000 ha, occur often. These recent increases in the number and size of wildfires has accelerated fuel
treatments in land management, particularly in the Wildland Urban Interface. When planning fuel
treatments, considerations should also be given to two other perspectives related to biomass other than
fuel loading: 1) biomass is important in ecosystems and provides many ecological services, and 2) the
vegetation and fuel loading resulting from the treatments may not always reduce fire hazard. Ecological
functions of biomass include: facilitating nutrient storage and cycling, influencing soil fertility, providing
micro-site modification, protecting soil from erosion, sequestering carbon, and providing plant and animal
habitat. When planning fuel treatments, we need to consider the amounts of fuel that is reduced, created,
and modified with respect to type, size class and arrangement. In addition, we must consider the future
vegetation changes in response to fuel treatments and how those changes influence the amount, type
and availability of fuel to burn.
0212
Analysis of selected range monitoring techniques for use in determining plant community
composition as described in State and Transitional Models of the Northern Plains
Aaron Field1, Kevin Sedivec1, Dustin Ford1, Dennis Whitted1, Amanda Gearhart2, Christopher Schauer3
1North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA, 2University of Idaho, Twin Falls, ID, USA, 3North Dakota
State University - Hettinger Research Extension Center, Hettinger, ND, USA
Monitoring is an important component of rangeland management, particularly on our nation’s public lands.
Clipping by species is one of the most accurate methods available to land managers and researchers to
determine species composition and above ground production. However, cost and time constraints often
make clipping by species impractical on any large scale. Analysis of the results of research conducted on
the Dakota Prairie Grasslands of western North Dakota will allow us to compare two less labor intensive
methods (line-point intercept, quadrat frequency frame) with clipping by species to determine which, if
either, of these methods provides a suitable substitute.
0213
Icons of the past and beacons of the future: linking prairie grouse ecology to functioning
ecosystems.
Christian Hagen
Oregon State University, Bend, OR, USA
Prairie grouse (Tympanuchus spp. and Centrocercus spp.) as a group have provided subsistence and
ceremony to native cultures and supplemental foods fo early pioneers travelling across the vast prairies
and grasslands of western North America. As the prairies were transformed into lands of agricultural
production and other uses much of these native landscapes were lost, and prairie grouse populations with
them. As the name infers, these species are dependent on native rangelands to fulfill part or all of their
life history requirements. Thus, understanding the ecology of these species can provide insights to guide
future conservation efforts for prairies and the suite of flora and fauna that depend upon them.
0214
Selection of Brood Rearing Habitat by Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant in Southwestern North
Dakota
Mark Mazza1, Benjamin Geaumont2, Kevin Sedivec1, Kristine Larson1, Jack Norland1, Christopher
Schauer2
1North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA, 2North Dakota State University - Hettinger Research
Extension Center, Hettinger, ND, USA
The Chinese ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is an important game species and iconic
symbol in North Dakota. These birds require a variety of different habitats throughout their lifespan.
During the brood rearing stage, selection of appropriate habitat allows chicks to forage, avoid predators,
and escape inclement weather. Habitat selection during this stage is therefore critical to chick survival.
From 2008-2011, we analyzed brood habitat selection from hatch until approximately 14 days post hatch.
We monitored a total of 65 broods at two sites in Adams County North Dakota. Study sites consisted of
lands previously enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) being managed under a multiple
land use system. Radio telemetry was used to monitor habitat selection and survival of broods. Brood
survival ranged from a low of 51% in 2008 to a high of 60% in 2011. Brood locations and available sites
did not differ in visual obstruction or canopy cover.
0218
Purple threeawn in vitro fermentation and gas production response to nitrogen fertilization and
fire
Nickolas Dufek1, Lance Vermeire2, Richard Waterman2, Amy Ganguli3
1North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Miles City, MT, USA, 3New Mexico State
University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea) is a native perennial bunchgrass with poor forage quality. It often
dominates sites with disturbed soils and persists with continued severe grazing. Nitrogen fertilization and
fire have each been used to reduce threeawn, however, greater utilization of threeawn by livestock is
required to extend treatment longevity. We evaluated the effects of fire (summer, fall, no fire) and spring
urea fertilization (0 kg/ha, 40 kg/ha, 80 kg/ha) on threeawn forage quality in southeastern Montana during
the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons with a completely randomized design in a 3X3 factorial
arrangement. Forage quality was assessed using a 96-h in vitro gas production. First-year treatments
were followed by the wettest spring in 76 years and second-year treatments were followed by the second
driest. Fire effects varied by year. Following a wet spring, in vitro organic matter disappearance (IVOMD)
was greater for burned (70%) than non-burned (62 ± 2.1%) threeawn. Similarly, average fermentation
rates of threeawn were greater for burned (2.3 mL/h) than non-burned sites (1.3 ± 0.06 mL/h). During
drought, fire had no effect on IVOMD (61%) or average fermentation rate (1.6 mL/h). Fertilization did not
affect IVOMD either year (64 ± 1.5%). Average fermentation rate was not affected by fertilization under
wet conditions (2.0 mL/h), but was reduced by urea addition during drought (1.5 versus 1.8 ± 0.06
mL/h). Results indicate that fire may enhance the rumen digestibility of purple threeawn during wet
conditions. However, drought overshadowed fire effects and led to reduced fermentation on fertilized
plots.
0220
Use of Monitoring and Business Planning in the Context of Joint Cooperative Monitoring
andFederal Grazing Allotments
Doug Powell1, Bob Bolton1, Ric Lopez2
1Bureau of Land Management, Washington DC, USA, 2USDA Forest Service, Washington DC, USA
Federal grazing lands (BLM and Forest Service) are often critical components of western ranch
operations. The interplay between management of the private ranch operations and the federal grazing
allotments needs to be managed and considered in the context of the whole ranch operation. While
management on federal lands often comes with significantly different objectives and management
constraints, it is impossible to properly manage one part of the ranch operation exclusive of the other. The
Forest Service and BLM continue to be involved in and supportive of the Sustainable Ranch Management
process. A sound business plan that incorporates the special considerations associated with a federal
grazing permit can help lead to improved communication between the grazing permittee and the agency.
That communication is the foundation for a cooperative working relationship that can support sound and
sustainable resource management. Management in this context often includes a strong emphasis on
monitoring, use of that information in proposing management changes, and working closely with the
agencies to adapt to changing conditions.
0222
Effects of Fugitive Dust from Roads Crossing Arid Rangelands
Mark Brunson, Scott Hoffmann
Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Increased demand for energy production and motorized recreation opportunities have led to a
proliferation of unpaved roads crossing North American rangelands. Traffic on roads in arid and semi-arid
climates normally generates “fugitive” dust that can have localized as well as regional effects. While air
quality impacts are well known, and the hydrologic effect of dust deposited on mountain snow has
garnered considerable attention recently, less is known about how fugitive dust affects roadside
vegetation and soils, nor how localized effects may scale up in rangelands with high road densities. We
studied fugitive dust emissions from a road in Arches National Park as well as effects of dust abatement
using a chemical solution, magnesium chloride. In a subsequent greenhouse experiment we measured
dust effects on common roadside forb species. Leaf conductance and photosynthesis in four species was
reduced over a six-week period in which plants were experimentally treated with regular dust deposition.
Microscopic analysis showed that effects were associated with plant functional traits, specifically the
trichome structure on leaf surfaces. Dust deposition as well as chemical dust abatement can create
conditions that increase gaps between native perennial plants, thereby increasing the invisibility of those
sites by non-native species.
0224
Behavioral syndromes and adaptation of beef cattle to rangeland grazing environments: a case
study
Laura Goodman1, Andres Cibils1, Robert Wesley3, Eric Scholljegerdes1, Shad Cox2, Richard Dunlap2
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2Corona Range and Livestock Research Center,
New Mexico State University, Corona, NM, USA, 3Red Canyon Ranch, The Nature Conservancy, Lander,
WY, USA
Consistent behavioral differences among individuals across situations and through time are known as
behavioral syndromes. These suites of correlated behaviors are thought to set constraints on an animal's
ability to adapt to varying environments. Supplement consumption rate (SCR) has been shown to be a
dependable criterion to classify cows into behavioral types with contrasting rangeland spatial distribution
patterns and differing reproductive efficiency. Cows with fast SCR exhibit more dispersed pasture use
patterns, tend to wean heavier calves, and are therefore hypothesized to be better adapted to rangeland
conditions compared to counterparts with slow SCR. We assessed this hypothesis by: a) monitoring the
reproductive performance of cows that had been classified into high (n=20) and low (n=9) SCR groups in
2006-07; and b) comparing frequency distribution of SCR of a herd over a 5y time period. Cows in the
slow SCR group exhibited on average a 60% calving rate over the 5y time period vs. an 80% calving rate
of their fast SCR counterparts. Cows with slow SCR were therefore culled at a 28% higher rate than
counterparts with fast SCR. Frequency distribution of SCR of the herd showed a reduction in the overall
number of cows with slow SCR and was increasingly skewed toward the fast SCR individuals over the
time period considered. This case study provides tentative support for the hypothesis that cows classified
on the basis of SCR into behavioral types with contrasting spatial distribution patterns exhibit different
levels of adaptation to rangeland grazing environments.
0225
USDA NRCS Conservation Program Financial and Technical Assistance to Support Producers in
Conservation, Assessment, and Business Planning
Dennis Thompson1, Mark Parson1, Gene Fults2
1USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington DC, USA, 2USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Portland, OR, USA
Speakers will present information about current opportunities to obtain financial and technical assistance
through programs administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The agency
provides assistance to producers, farmers, ranchers, forest owners and Tribes to help implement
conservation practices. Payments for implementing practises includes those that offset costs incurred,
and those that support acquiring technical knowledge, training, record-keeping, and monitoring, and costs
associated with income foregone. Insight into the kinds of conservation practices available to address
range and animal-related needs as well as technical services available from NRCS will also be discussed.
0227
Determine Biologically Capable as a Function of Standing Residual Vegetation and Visual
Obstruction for Selected Ecological Sites in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands
Dustin Ford1, Kevin Sedivec1, Aaron Field1, Dennis Whitted1, Benjamin Geaumont2, Chadley Prosser3
1North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA, 2North Dakota State University - Hettinger Research
Extension Center, Hettinger, ND, USA, 3USDA - Forest Service, Dakota Prairie Grasslands, Bismarck,
ND, USA
Visual Obstruction Readings (VOR) is a non-destructive measurement of height and density (structure)
determined using a Robel pole. VOR was used to determine if three ecological sites in the Northern
Plains (loamy, thin loamy/limy backslope and claypan) are biologically capable of producing 8.89 cm (3.5
in) of structure. Two study areas were established within the USDA Forest Service Little Missouri
National Grasslands - Dakota Prairie Grasslands. The first study location was in Perkins County, South
Dakota, along the Grand River. The second study location was in McKenzie County, North Dakota. Each
study location had eight 60m X 60m exclosures for each ecological site for a total of 24 exclosures per
location. The VOR was taken in each cardinal direction every 10m along a 200m transect to determine
the average structure reading for each exclosure. A mean VOR was generated for each ecological site
within the two study location. The three ecological sites in McKenzie County had lower (P<0.01) VOR
during the spring collection period (April) compared to the fall (October). In Perkins County only the
claypan site was different (p<0.02) between the spring and fall periods; however, the loamy and thin
loamy ecological sites were not different (P>0.05) between collection periods.
0228
ATTWATER'S PRAIRIE-CHICKEN BROOD SURVIVAL - THE INSECT CONNECTION
Michael Morrow, Rebecca Chester, Terry Rossignol
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Eagle Lake, TX, USA
The Attwater's prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) remains one of the most critically
endangered birds in North America. Research has indicated that poor brood survival, especially during
the first two weeks posthatch, has limited population growth. From 2009-2012, we investigated the
relationship between insect abundance at brood sites and survival of 35 broods during the first two weeks
posthatch at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge near Eagle Lake, Texas. Location of
brood sites was determined by triangulation of radioed brood hens beginning with the first day after
hatch. Insect samples were collected at these brood sites by sweep netting (25 sweeps/sample) 1-2 days
after triangulation to minimize brood disturbance. Samples were frozen until the number of insects and
dry weight of each sample were determined. At two weeks posthatch, presence of chicks was assessed
by visual observation of radioed brood hens at dawn. A brood was considered successful if at least one
chick was observed. Samples from broods lost when hens were killed by predators were not included in
this analysis. Median number of insects/sample at successful brood sites was 1.7 times higher (P =
0.023) than those collected at unsuccessful brood sites. Median dry weight of samples from successful
broods was not different (P > 0.17), suggesting that individual insects were smaller from successful brood
sites. Research is underway to determine factors limiting insect abundance in Attwater's brood habitat,
with current emphasis on impacts of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta).
0229
Fire and nitrogen effects on purple threeawn invaded plant communities
Dustin J. Strong1 ,2, Lance T. Vermeire1, Amy C. Ganguli3
1Fort Keogh-LARRL-ARS, Miles City, MT, USA, 2North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA, 3New
Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea) is a native grass capable of rapidly increasing on rangelands, where
it forms near monocultures, and alters succession. Productive rangelands throughout the Great Plains
and Intermountain West have experienced increases in purple threeawn abundance, reducing overall
forage quality. Our objectives were to: 1) assess prescribed fire and nitrogen additions as successional
stimulants on purple threeawn invaded landscapes, and 2) explore vegetation management strategies
appropriate for reducing purple threeawn. Season of fire (summer, fall, no fire) and different levels of
nitrogen (0, 46, 80 kg N·ha-1) were factorially arranged in a completely randomized design in
southeastern Montana in different years at different sites. We measured peak biomass one year posttreatment at both sites and two years post-treatment at Site 1. Initial purple threeawn biomass at both
sites was 1214±46 kg·ha-1. One year following fire, total purple threeawn biomass was reduced 91% and
79% by summer and fall fire, respectively. This trend continued when fire effects on current year purple
threeawn production were assessed. Nitrogen additions did not alter purple threeawn biomass at either
site. C3 perennial grass at Site 1 doubled with nitrogen additions and was not impacted by fire. Nitrogen
additions and fire had no affect on C3 perennial grass at Site 2. Two years post-fire purple threeawn
showed no increase in production at Site 1 and C3 perennial grass biomass was greatest in plots with
nitrogen additions. Prescribed fire during the summer appears to be the best method for reducing purple
threeawn production.
0231
Gender and Natural Resources: Global Overview
Claudia Radel, D. Layne Coppock
Department of Environment & Society, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
In this presentation, we provide an overview to questions of gender in natural resource management and
in agricultural and rangeland systems. We begin by reviewing and comparing several different conceptual
frameworks including feminist political ecology, gendered sustainable livelihoods, gendered agricultural
relations, and the women’s empowerment in agriculture index. Drawing on existing global data sets, we
summarize what we know about women’s status in the agricultural and natural resource sectors at the
national and global scales and highlight the continued lack of sufficient and consistent information
disaggregated by gender. We conclude by pointing to a number of topics with important gender
intersections, with an eye towards both the opportunities and the perils for gender equality and women’s
gender empowerment goals. If women are to realize any of these opportunities, particular attention must
be given to how and why asset gaps persist; how individuals and collective groups both reinforce and
challenge gender ideologies; and how differences in individual men’s and women’s positioning in
societies, communities, and households lead to differences in socio-environmental vulnerabilities.
0232
Vegetation Response to Wildfire on the Cimarron National Grasslands
Walter Fick, James Ungerer
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Wildfires have been a significant problem on the southern and central Great Plains in recent years. The
Cimarron National Grasslands, located in southwest Kansas, experienced a wildfire on May 12, 2011,
burning in excess of 7,000 ha. The fire impacted sands, sandy lowland, and loamy upland ecological
sites. The objective of this study was to compare the basal cover and botanical composition of burned
and unburned areas in each of the three ecological sites. Two, 100-point transects were collected on
June 20-21, 2012 in each of the burned and unburned ecological sites. Burning tended to increase bare
ground and decrease litter on all three ecological sites. Sporobolus cryptandrus was the most common
grass on sands and sandy lowland. Forbs on the sands ecological site were Helianthus annuus,
Amaranthus tuberculatus, and Heterotheca subaxillaris if burned and Cryptantha crassisepala if
unburned. Artemisia filifolia was the predominant shrub on sands. Forbs common on the sandy lowland
ecological site were Heterotheca subaxillaris and Salsola kali if burned and Eriogonum annuum,
Mentzelia decapetala, and Cryptantha crassisepala if unburned. Tamarix ramosissima was scattered
throughout the sandy lowland. Buchloe dactyloides was common on the burned and unburned loamy
upland. Bouteloua gracilis was only recorded on the unburned loamy upland. Aster arenosus was more
prevalent on burned loamy upland. Opuntia humifusa and Yucca glauca were scattered throughout the
loamy upland. Continued drought (<54% normal) has undoubtedly impacted vegetative recovery since
the wildfire occurred.
0233
The Business Planning Process and Incorporation of Monitoring Information
John Tanaka1, Dan Childs0 ,2
1University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA, 2The Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK, USA
The primary components of a business plan and how a business plan can be used as a road map to
make decisions for the entire ranching operation will be discussed. In addition, we will demonstrate that
rangeland monitoring data is an important component of the entire business planning process. A resource
inventory is also an important component of the business plan and will assist the rancher anticipate any
problems that may exist and identify opportunities for better utilizing current resources. Completing a
natural resource assessment will help identify the land manager's awareness of the role of natural
resources in the current ranching operation and monitoring will provide further data useful in making
sound business decisions. Many ranchers have already incorporated rangeland and resource monitoring
into their ranching operations. This session will further explain how these planning tools can be
incorporated into the ranch business plan and why there is a need to do so.
0234
Is fire enough? The joint effects of fire and deer herbivory on hardwood regeneration and species
composition in central Texas woodlands
Christina Andruk1, Carl Schwope2, Norma Fowler1
1University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, 2USFWS Balcones Canyonlands NWR, Marble Falls, TX,
USA
The failure of Quercus (oak) and other tree species to regenerate is a serious problem in central Texas
and elsewhere. Fire suppression and high ungulate densities are suspected causes. Under current
conditions of fire suppression and high white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) densities, central Texas
woodlands are shifting from diverse communities co-dominated by Quercus buckleyi (Texas red oak) and
Juniperus ashei (Ashe juniper) to pure stands of J. ashei. We measured the separate and joint effects of
prescribed fire and protection from deer on hardwood recruitment in a factorial experiment at Balcones
Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. We measured (a) the number, size, and growth rates of J. ashei
and hardwood species, (b) mortality rates of all tree species, (c) light intensity, and (d) deer browse. We
collected data before and after deer-fence construction and a prescribed fire.
Fire increased the number of Q. buckleyi sprouts per tree. Protection from deer significantly increased the
height of Q. buckleyi sprouts, but the average height of protected sprouts has not yet not increased above
the probable browseline. Protection from deer also increased the abundance of preferred browse
species. The fire killed only 16.52% of mature J. ashei, but higher proportions of smaller
individuals. Canopy openness was significantly higher in burned areas. Post-fire hardwood re-sprouting
was most likely due to basal heating and increased light availability. These results suggest that both fire
suppression and high deer densities contribute to the lack of recruitment of Q. buckleyi and other
hardwood species in central Texas.
0236
Collaborative ESD Development Training
Jamin Johanson
NRCS, Richfield, UT, USA
The current demand for reliable Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) has never been greater. However,
those tasked with their development often lack the time and resources necessary to produce ESDs as
quickly or as thoroughly as desired. Given the urgent need for reliable ESDs, many government agencies,
research institutions, and private groups are beginning to contribute The ecological site land classification
system provides decision-support information for land managers, researchers, and an increasing number
of other users. time, data, and other resources to the ESD development effort, albeit outside the
traditional channels (traditionally NRCS staff). This training is intended to encourage and enable willing
contributors to play a major role in the ESD development effort. The training consists of three parts. Part I
introduces the principles of collaboration and standards for ESD development, and the relationship
between the two. Part II showcases examples of interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration and
includes both oral presentations and a poster session. Part III outlines important considerations
applicable to most collaborative ESD development projects. Participants should leave the training with
knowledge about the collaboration process, standards of ESD development, and real examples to serve
as models for future ESD collaboration projects.
0237
Influence of stocking rate and weather on activity patterns of young cows: a GPS assessment
Mohammed Sawalhah1, Andres Cibils1, Huiping Cao1, Jerry Holechek1, Robert Wesley1, Christina Black1,
Shad Cox2, Richard Dunlap2
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2Corona Range and Livestock Research Center,
Corona, NM, USA
Stocking rate is one of the most important management factors affecting the productivity of grazed
rangelands. A study was conducted in central NM to evaluate the effects of two stocking rate levels and
weather factors on the activity patterns of young rangeland-raised cows. Data were collected over four
years by tracking 52 cross-bred cows grazing a 146 ha pasture. GPS collars were used to record and
store cow position at 5-min intervals. The pasture was stocked moderately in 2004 (73 AUMs) and 2005
(78 AUMs) and lightly in 2006 (34 AUMs) and 2007 (32 AUMs). Stocking rate level significantly (P<0.01)
affected the sinuosity and distance traveled by cows during daytime (DAY, from sunrise to sunset), prenight time hours (PRE, from midnight to sunrise), and post-night time hours (POST, from sunset to
midnight). Cows in moderately grazed treatment traveled farther than counterparts in lightly grazed
treatment during DAY and PRE hours but traveled shorter distances during POST time period (P≤0.01).
Cows stocked moderately exhibited trajectories with higher sinuosity than that of their lightly stocked
counterparts (P<0.05) during the three daily time periods analyzed. Young cows in moderately grazed
treatment explored larger areas than counterparts in lightly grazed treatment (P<0.01). Cumulative
precipitation, wind, and air temperature affected the distance traveled and the sinuosity of young cows
regardless of the stocking rate, but their influence appeared to decrease as stocking rate increased.
Lunar cycle affected the distance traveled during DAY (P<0.05) and the sinuosity of a cow’s trajectory
during PRE hours (P<0.01).
0238
Habitat associations of grassland birds along a gradient of eastern redcedar encroachment in
central Kansas
Scott Schmidt, Elmer Finck
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS, USA
Control of woody invasive species, primarily eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), is a priority land use
issue among landowners and managers. While maintaining open habitat for obligate grassland bird
species, there is a need to understand how brush management affects birds adapted to early-succession
habitats, some of which are declining at statistically significant rates. To assess bird-habitat associations
in the context of brush management, study sites were stratified by percent canopy cover of eastern
redcedar, (0% canopy cover [open grassland], < 5% canopy cover [encroachment level], and > 5%
canopy cover [infestation level]). We used repeated point count sampling to quantify abundance and
species composition of breeding bird communities. Data were collected in mixed grass and sand prairie
habitats of Barton County Kansas from 2011-2012. Our results indicate that bird diversity within
ecological function groups (nest placement and habitat preference) vary across the gradient of eastern
redcedar encroachment. A cluster analysis defined three groups of species on the basis of their
association with the encroachment gradient. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that grassland
bird species distributions were strongly correlated with percent tree canopy cover and visual obstruction.
Sites with redcedar infestation were preferred by lark sparrows (Chondestes grammacus) and Bell's
vireos (Vireo bellii), which suggests that the current brush management recommendations might diminish
quality habitat availability for these species of concern. Considering the diverse habitat requirements of
grassland birds, landowners and managers should assess how conservation practices for one species
might affect others.
0240
SEED 101 - Inner Workings and Realities of the Seed Industry and Ways to Preserve, Protect and
Enhance Public Lands
Leslie Cahill
American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, VA, USA
In 2012, the seed industry teamed with the Society for Range Management to identify and address
challenges and opportunities for utilizing quality seed for a myriad of uses. A workshop started the
process to detail the inner-workings and realities of the seed industry and learn more about the needs of
land managers and federal, state and local agencies charged with preserving, protecting and enhancing
public lands. The 2013 program will build on last year’s topics and provide discussion on what’s ahead
and how all committed to effective land management can work together to achieve common goals and
objectives. A series of speakers from the seed industry, government, and academia will gather to explore
realities, address fiscal challenges and reinforce the value of science.
Topics:
Annuals vs Perennials
Both Sides of the Story on Local Ecotypes
Addressing Fire, Drought, and other Environmental Challenges
Production Realities – A View from the Seed Industry
Agency Trends and Impact on Natives
0241
Managing for change across the Great Plains: An assessment of climate change impacts to
communities and dryland systems of the Great Plains.
Dennis Ojima1, Mark Shafer0 ,2
1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 2Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Norman, OK, USA
Dryland systems of the Great Plains have experienced their share of drought and floods over the past
century, however climate and other social-ecological changes over the past 20 years becoming more
challenging to cope with. Droughts, floods, ice storms have experienced across the Great Plains affecting
agricultural systems, livelihoods, and communities across the region. How each portion of the region is
able to cope or create opportunities from these social-ecological changes is dependent on the adaptive
capacity available to those communities. The recent technical assessment report conducted for the US
National Climate Assessment provides evidence of the changes in climate variability and the impacts on
natural resources and livelihoods across the region.
0242
Paying Cattle Ranchers for Ecosystem Services To Create, Restore, and Manage Habitat for
Mitigation: A Case Study from California's Working Rangelands
Sheila Barry, Stephanie Larson, Theresa Becchetti
University of California, California, USA
Urban development and public works projects increasingly require mitigation to meet regulations including
conservation of special status species. In California, mitigation often occurs on working
ranches. Developing agreements with the ranchers has the opportunity to achieve mitigation outcomes
that are cost effective and efficient; however, there are numerous obstacles. A case study on a working
ranch in the San Francisco Bay area demonstrates the opportunities and challenges of using Payments
for Ecosystem Services (PES) to achieving required habitat creation, restoration and
management objectives. The 97.7 ac site, a portion of a privately owned cattle ranch was selected by
the Department of Transportation (DOT) as a mitigation site for a highway improvement project. The
ranch is habitat for California Red Legged Frog, Tiger Salamander, and San Joaquin Kit Fox. Creation,
restoration, and management of habitat are being achieved on the site through PES to the rancher
landowners as well as contracts with construction and landscaping firms. DOT has paid the rancher for
specific grazing management, monitoring livestock, site security, fence repair, water trough installation,
road grading, invasive species removal, native species establishment, pond water management, and
debris pick-up and removal. DOT has paid contractors for fence building, water system development,
riparian planting, debris pick-up and removal, wetland creation, and road grading. Benefits and
challenges of PES were identified in this case study. PES to ranchers could provide long-term
sustainability of mitigation sites on working rangelands, however, processes need to be further developed
to ensure both fair payments and accountability.
0244
Plant Establishment and Soil Microenvironments in Utah Juniper Masticated Woodlands
Kert Young, Bruce Roundy
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
Juniper (Juniperus spp.) encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and bunchgrass communities has
reduced understory plant cover and allowed juniper trees to dominate millions of hectares of semiarid
rangelands. Trees are mechanically masticated/shredded to decrease wildfire potential and increase
desirable-understory plant cover. When trees are masticated after a major increase in tree population
density and associated decrease in perennial understory cover, there is a risk that invasive annual
grasses will dominate because they are highly responsive to the increased resource availability that
commonly follows removal of the main resource user. To determine if tree mastication increases resource
availability and subsequently favors invasive annual or perennial grasses, we measured soil temperature,
water, and nutrients and compared establishment and growth of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) with
Anatone bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Löve). Cheatgrass represented the
invasive annual grasses and bluebunch wheatgrass represented the perennial grasses of the sagebrushbunchgrass community. Juniper tree mastication generally increased soil temperature, water availability,
and N supply rates compared to untreated areas (P < 0.001). Masticated litter mounds served as
resource islands with greater water availability and soil N supply rates than bare interspaces during spring
(P < 0.001), the critical time for seedling establishment. The increased resource availability resulted in
bluebunch wheatgrass and cheatgrass having 2 times more aboveground biomass per row in masticated
than untreated areas (P < 0.001). The lack of aboveground biomass difference between sown rows of
bluebunch wheatgrass and cheatgrass suggests that tree mastication may not favor invasive-annual over
perennial-grass seedling establishment.
0245
Seasonal fluxes of native grass bud banks in response to season and return interval of fire in the
northern Great Plains
Morgan Russell1, Lance Vermeire2, John Hendrickson3, Amy Ganguli4
1North Dakota State Universtiy, Fargo, ND, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Miles City, MT, USA, 3USDA-ARS,
Mandan, ND, USA, 4New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
Axillary buds play a fundamental role in perennial population persistence through regeneration of bud
banks. However, fire could affect bud bank dynamics by altering the size and cycles of dormant and
active periods. We examined impacts of fire return interval (1.5, 3, or 6 yr) and season of fire (summer,
fall, spring, non-burned) on quantity and viability of axillary buds of three native perennial grasses,
Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa comata, and Pascopyrum smithii. Fire treatments were initiated in
2006. Tillers from each species were collected during August 2011, and March and July of 2012 and bud
quantity and viability were determined. Each species differed (P < 0.01) in total buds, with B. gracilis
having the greatest number of total buds per tiller (6.3 ± 0.1), P. smithii having an intermediate number
(5.1 ± 0.1) and H. comata maintaining the least (3.1 ± 0.3). Fire return interval, season of sampling, and
species had interacting effects (P < 0.04) on active buds. Bouteloua gracilis produced the most active
buds during July following 1.5 and 3 yr return intervals (5.2, 5.7 ±0.4). March was the peak period for
both H. comata and P. smithii. Active bud counts did not differ by return interval for H. comata (4.2 ± 0.4),
but for P. smithii 6 yr return interval (6.9 ± 0.4) produced more active buds than 1.5 or 3 yr intervals (4.8 ±
0.4). Understanding the impact that season and return interval of fire have on axillary bud dynamics can
help forecast community responses.
0246
Native Rangeland Initiative: Rangeland Inventory and Monitoring on Tribal Lands
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
This presentation will focus on introducing inventory and monitoring techniques that support land
assessment procedures such as Rangeland Health. These qualitative assessments of Rangeland Health
provide land managers and technical assistance specialists with a good communication tool to identifying
and understanding resource problems. This technique, in association with quantitative monitoring and
inventory information, can be used to provide early warnings of resource problems on upland
rangelands. This presentation will focus on describing inventory techniques that can be used to support
the information used to quantify some of the indicators. We will summarize practical approaches that may
help tribal managers set up rangeland inventory and monitoring systems that incorporate the use of
Ecological Site Descriptions. In addition, we will discuss landscape assessment methods that can be
adapted for working with tribal members and their individual or allotment range management
needs. Currently, many tribes contract these services to non-tribal members because trained tribal
personnel are lacking. However, many tribal managers have stressed that they would like to be trained in
these field skills, and help the tribes become more empowered to participate in the long-term monitoring
and management of their own rangelands. We will present step-by-step recommendations for setting up
and conducting rangeland inventory and monitoring programs that are not only relevant to tribal needs
and land tenure patterns, but more importantly, will also provide information for support and field
assistance. Multi-day workshops should be considered to train interested membership.
0251
Factors associated with native vegetation recruitment into established crested wheatgrass stands
Aleta Nafus1, Tony Svejcar2, Kirk Davies2
1Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Burns, Oregon, USA
Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum and Agropyron desertorum) is an introduced perennial grass
that has been seeded on over 5 million hectares in semiarid and arid regions of western North America.
Crested wheatgrass has been used to stabilize soil following disturbance, increase forage production,
suppress undesirable plants and reduce wildfires. However, crested wheatgrass can be a strong
competitor, often forming monoculture stands, which can lead to concerns about native species
displacement and low biological diversity following its introduction. In some crested wheatgrass plant
communities, native vegetation, most commonly shrubs, has successfully reestablished. Even though
native vegetation occasionally establishes successfully in stands of crested wheatgrass, it is not clearly
understood what factors promote native vegetation recruitment. The objectives of this study were to
determine which factors (management, site/environmental characteristics) are associated with native
plant recruitment in crested wheatgrass plant communities. We sampled 101 crested wheatgrass stands
to evaluate correlations between potential explanatory variables and native plant cover and density.
Preliminary observations suggest that the main factors associated with native vegetation recruitment into
stands of crested wheatgrass are: soil texture, season of grazing, time since crested wheatgrass was
seed and time since last fire. These results will allow land managers to make more informed decisions to
manage stands of crested wheatgrass to either reestablish native vegetation for wildlife habitat or to
maintain stands of crested wheatgrass to suppress undesirable plant invasion.
0252
Native Rangeland Initiative: Database Management for Tribal Rangeland Managers
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Database management is not only healthy for tracking and organization in long-term projects, but is now
becoming a requirement for many funding proposals and agencies. Many tribes are now faced with
having to organize, digitize, and convert large data-sets from past land management programs, and adapt
to more technologically relevant data management programs. We will present recommendations for
converting existing datasets, and for the establishment of preliminary management plans. This will help
tribes maintain consistency and ensure smooth flowing rangeland monitoring efforts. In addition, we will
provide samples for database management, and templates for agency proposals requiring data
management plans.
0254
Summer watering patterns of mule deer in the Great Basin Desert: implications of differential use
by individuals and the sexes for management of water resources
Andrew Shields1, Randy Larsen1, Jericho Whiting0 ,2
1Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA, 2Gonzales-Stoller Surveillance, Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
Changes in the abundance and distribution of free water can influence wildlife in arid regions. Building
wildlife water developments is a common management strategy to provide water for many species of
wildlife, including mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the western USA. A better understanding of
differential use of water by individuals and the sexes could influence the conservation and management
of mule deer and water resources in their habitats. We deployed remote cameras at all known water
sources (13 wildlife water developments and 4 springs) on one mountain range in western Utah during
summer from 2007 to 2011 to document water use by mule deer. We determined frequency and timing of
water use, number of water sources used by males and females, and estimated population size from
individually identified mule deer. Male and female mule deer used different water sources but visited that
resource at similar frequencies. Mule deer used few water sources and exhibited high fidelity to certain
water sources. Additionally, wildlife water developments in our study area were used extensively by mule
deer. The estimated number of females was stable throughout the study. Our results highlight the
differing use of water sources by sexes and individual mule deer during summer. This information will
help guide managers when siting and reprovisioning wildlife water developments meant to benefit mule
deer and will contribute to the conservation and management of this species.
0255
Coping with drought: prediction, detection, and response to a way of life.
Joel Brown1, Kris Havstad2, Jim Thorpe0
1Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces NM, USA, 2Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces NM,
USA, 3JT Land and Cattle Co., Newkirk NM, USA
In many ways, drought defines rangelands and the people who use them. Extended periods of below
average rainfall and above average temperatures are the filters through which all rangeland inhabitants
must pass. The survivors often employ very different mechanisms and have very different characteristics
than would be predicted merely by knowing average conditions. In this symposium we will examine the
technology, tools and philosophies available to scientists, advisors and managers. Speakers will discuss
the use of historical records and computer modeling to improve the prediction of the frequency and
intensity of drought; the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems to detect the impacts
of drought; the use of policies and programs to assist managers to prepare for and respond to drought;
and the use of specific ranch and land management practices to survive drought. Speakers will include
scientists, technical advisors, program designers and ranchers.
0256
Ecology and management of soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca Nutt.) in the Nebraska Sandhills
Ellen Miller, Steve Young, Walter Schacht
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
Soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca Nutt.) is a native evergreen shrub that is one of the most widely
distributed yucca species in North America, spreading from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan to
southeastern New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and east into Iowa and Arkansas. Research has been
primarily focused on the mutualistic relationship between soapweed and the yucca-moth, however, further
research is needed on the ecology of soapweed. This includes its interactions with the environment and
ability to reduce rangeland health in terms of plant diversity, nutrient availability, and hydrologic cycles,
not only in Nebraska, but throughout the Great Plains. This project focused on examining the effect of
disturbance size on soapweed establishment and the ability of soapweed to compete with two native
warm-season grasses in rangeland pastures in the Nebraska Sandhills. I studied the effect of different
grass density stands on soapweed establishment and growth in artificially created densities focusing on
the optimum grass density in which soapweed can successfully establish, as well as, looking at the
relationship between environmental conditions and soapweed establishment in these stands. I
hypothesized that stands with high grass densities will negatively affect soapweed establishment and
growth because of the associated environmental conditions (e.g., soil moisture, air and soil
temperatures). In addition, I assessed the competitive ability, during drought conditions, of native warmseason grasses on the establishment and growth of soapweed. Results will be presented at the meeting.
0259
Native Rangeland Initiative: Adapting to Climate Change, and Planning for Drought and Wildfire
on Tribal Lands
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Current trends in climate change are resulting in stochastic events that are causing serious challenges for
both tribal members and rangeland managers. Because weather patterns are becoming less predictable
and highly oscillatory, tribal managers must be prepared to help tribal members adapt to change in their
rangeland use practices. In addition, recent catastrophic and historic wildfires and drought have
highlighted the need for tribes to develop long-term drought and wildfire plans that will ensure the longterm sustainability and safety of the tribes. We will discuss how rangeland managers can help prepare
the tribes for continuing change, and provide insight for the development of long-term management and
preparedness plans.
0260
Collaborative Adaptive Science for Self Reliance: Redefining Community-University Partnerships
F.S. (Terry) Chapin1, Larry Merculieff2, Patricia Cochran2, Corrie Knapp1 ,3, Todd Brinkman1 ,3, Becky
Warren1, Robin Bronen1, Judy Ramos1, Erin Shew1
1University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, 2Alaska Native Science Commission, Anchorage,
AK, USA, 3Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Rural Alaskan communities have survived the harsh and variable conditions of Alaska for generations,
but they face increasing challenges from climate change, increased gas and food prices, reductions in
state budgets and outmigration. Researchers in Alaska have historically had an uneven relationship with
these communities: extracting information and rarely returning research results. The Working Group for
Rural Self Reliance is a partnership between the Alaska Native Science Commission and the University
of Alaska, Fairbanks with the goal of building the self-reliance of rural communities by grounding research
questions in community concerns. We present preliminary work in four communities to prioritize
community-relevant research questions and strategies to increase self-reliance. These projects have
demonstrated that collaborative adaptive science requires engaged local community leaders, direct and
clear communication, and flexibility on the part of community members and scientists. We hope that these
pilot projects inspire a new approach to science that forges strong and mutually supporting relationships
between academic institutions and communities to help both adapt more effectively to climate change
and other stressors.
0261
Native Rangeland Initiative: Land Management Funding Opportunities for Tribal Members
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Because of the diversity of funding opportunities available for agricultural producers, funding opportunities
are confusing for tribal members to understand, and difficult for tribal natural resource managers to
track. We present the different funding opportunities for tribal members, and leave managers with either
a written document where they can provide this information for their tribal communities. Working group
members will discuss the potential development of a website that will manage a funding database for
tribal land managers and members.
0262
Assessing the influence guzzlers and other habitat features have on species occupancy in CRP
fields across Western Kansas.
Brandon Calderon1 ,2, Elmer Finck1, David Dahlgren2
1Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, USA, 2Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism,
Hays, Kansas, USA
Aldo Leopold (1933) stated that wildlife populations are limited by a complex association of limiting
factors. Among these limiting factors he distinguishes between welfare and decimating factors, or those
that benefit a population by being present or absent, respectively. Among others, he notes that wildlife
management practices have trended to control for food, cover and special factors (e.g. water). The
relative impact of water on wildlife populations has become a controversial topic for many wildlife
managers. Up until recently, the Farm Service Agency granted additional Environmental Benefit Index
(EBI) points to landowners who installed artificial wildlife water developments (guzzlers) on lands enrolled
in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The primary goal of these developments was aimed at
benefiting economically important target species, such as ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). However, the Kansas Natural Resource Conservation
Service has acknowledged a lack of information relative to what impact these developments have on
wildlife populations, and has ceased to grant EBI points for guzzlers. Our project used occupancymodeling techniques to evaluate the impact guzzlers as well as other various habitat features (i.e., veg
structure, percent cover, surrounding land cover, etc.) have on mesocarnivore and target species
occupancies within CRP fields across Western Kansas.
0265
Native Rangeland Initiative: Feral Horses on Tribal Lands
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
We will present the results of the current “Feral Horses on Tribal Lands” working group, which includes a
summary regarding feral horse management for tribes across the U.S. The working group will continue
with their strategy to gather input from the tribes, and develop possible solutions or management plans
that are tribally relevant. This includes a policy statement that the tribes can review and assess, which
will then be presented at the federal level for consideration and possible implementation.
0266
Women and the SRM, Past, Present and Future
Barbara Allen-Diaz
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Women have been an integral part of the Society of Range Management from its inception. Women first
largely acted in support roles, supporting their husbands' professional careers or working side-by-side
with their spouse and family running the ranch. Women first attended SRM meetings primarily as
spouses, forming a close-knit spouse group that provided forums for social and student interactions
during the annual SRM meetings. By the 1980s, increasing numbers of women were attending SRM as
the professional in the field; they came alone to these meetings, brought male spouses, or by the 90s
were also bringing children. Clearly issues of balancing work and family life expectations were
increasingly important, and these ‘new' SRM members brought different experiences and different needs
to SRM leadership. SRM needed to evolve and did in many respects. Change never happens however,
without lots of soul-searching, evaluation of mission and direction, angst, and making choices. Choices
were made both by leadership of the time and by the members themselves. Tracing the changes in SRM
leadership, values, and modes of operation will provide a window through which to view the possible
future of SRM.
0268
Ecosystem Payments - Considering Lost Opportunities
Theresa Becchetti, Sheila Barry, Stephanie Larson
University of California, California, USA
Rangelands comprise the largest land mass in California, providing forage for livestock, a marketable
product. Ecosystem services such as habitat, clean water and air, viewshed, and carbon sequestration
are also provided. Landowners typically do not receive any monetary reimbursement for their stewardship
in providing these ecosystem services to the public. Markets have been difficult to establish with limited
ability to adequately monitor and measure services provided. At the same time, rangelands have been
experiencing rapid conversion to more profitable forms of agriculture such as almond and walnut
orchards.
During this conversion, ecosystem services are being altered, and in some cases negatively affected. To
prevent further conversion of rangelands and the loss of the services they provide, there needs to be a
mechanism to identify and compensate landowners for the value of all products and services being
received from rangelands.
This paper looks at lost opportunity costs as a method for determining the value of Payment for
Ecosystem Services (PES) for rangelands. PES can raise the value of rangelands, making them more
competitive financially.
Real estate values as well as University of California Cooperative Extension Cost Studies will be used to
demonstrate the difference in value (lost opportunity cost) between the primary products of rangelands
(livestock production) and the products of the converted rangelands (almond and walnut orchards). Lost
opportunity costs will provide guidance for PES. If conversion is to be slowed or stopped to protect the
ecosystem services rangelands provide, this dollar value should represent the value of PES.
0270
Seasonal Estimating of Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea) Standing Crop Using a Nondestructive Method
Leobardo Richarte, Carlos Villalobos
Texas Tech University, Lubbock,TX, USA
Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea) is native perennial grass which had been causing grazing problems
in Western United States. This grass species is catalogued as undesirable to cattle production because
posses low quality forage coupled with a low palatability. Fire is one of the management tools that have
been used to control it on infested grasslands. The objective of this study was to develop a regression
equation to predict purple threeawn biomass production during each phenological stage using a nondestructive method. This research was conducted in the Texas Tech University, Native Rangeland,
Lubbock, TX. During 2010 growing season 65 purple threeawn plants were randomly selected regarding
to plant size on vegetative, reproductive and post-reproductive phenological stages. Threeawn plants
were clipped and weighted individually to determine biomass production; then we correlated that biomass
with some morphological variables. Those variables were Area at 7.5 cm plant height, area at 50% plant
length, basal area, and plant length. As a result each phenological stage we develop a regression model
to determine biomass production. Our multilinear regression models were efficient to predict biomass of
threeawn plants at each phenological stage. However, even in the same growing season it is necessary
built a specific model for each phenological stage. These models can be used to estimate fuel density
before applied prescribed burning.
0276
Adaptive grazing management on working ranches: linking decision-making to outcomes
Emily Kachergis1, Justin Derner1, Leslie Roche2, Kenneth Tate0
1USDA-ARS, Cheyenne, WY, USA, 2University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Adaptive grazing management may enable ranchers to sustain livestock production in the face of variable
environmental and social conditions. However, grazing management decision-making—particularly within
an adaptive management framework—is not well understood. Via twenty on-ranch interviews and sitespecific measurements of ecosystem services at two sites per ranch, we explored grazing management
decision-making and outcomes on private ranches in southeast Wyoming. In this talk, we ask: 1) does onthe-ground grazing management decision-making incorporate elements of adaptive management? and 2)
do decisions that contain the elements of adaptive management produce outcomes that are better for
production and conservation? We found that grazing management decisions included many components
of “passive” adaptive management, including consideration and monitoring of outcomes, changes in
management when outcomes are not achieved, and learning. However, enterprise characteristics (e.g.,
size, elevation range, water availability) often constrained decision-making at both the ranch and pasture
scales, resulting in a gradient of “adaptiveness” of decision-making not only across ranches but also
within a single ranch. Overall, on-the-ground ecosystem service metrics linked to adaptive decisionmaking produced more positive outcomes for livestock production and conservation than those linked to
non-adaptive decisions. Adaptive grazing management, as demonstrated by on-going decision-making on
working ranches, shows great promise for sustaining livestock production and other beneficial ecosystem
services. These results provide a foundation by which researchers and managers can collaboratively
move forward in developing formalized approaches to adaptive management, including simultaneous
application and comparison of different strategies (“active” adaptive management) and systematic
monitoring schemes.
0277
Land use and land cover change in the 2013 National Climate Assessment: Draft Findings
Daniel G. Brown1, Colin Polsky2, Paul Bolstad3, Samuel D. Brody4, David Hulse5, Roger Kroh6, Thomas
R. Loveland7, Allison Thomsom 8, Emily Therese Cloyd 9
1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 2Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA, 3University of
Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA, 4Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA, 5University of
Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA, 6Mid-America Regional Council, Kansas City, MO, USA, 7United States
Geological Survey, Sioux Falls, SD, USA, 8Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, College Park, MD,
USA, 9US Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA
The 2013 National Climate Assessment considers land use and land cover change as a cross-cutting
topic relevant to all regions and sectors of the U.S. Land cover and land use are considered in each NCA
region and for specific sectors such as agriculture and forestry; this chapter describes national trends and
relationships. The assessment reviews recent trends in U.S. land use and land cover as well as scenarios
for future change. The key messages of this report chapter focus on relationships between patterns of
land use and land cover and the vulnerability of ecosystems and human activities to climate change as
well as influences of land cover and land use on climate processes. Options for climate change mitigation
and adaptation through land management are also considered. The National Climate Assessment is a
sustained process that comprises both periodic synthesis and focused studies and special reports.
Understanding the links between climate change and land use and land cover are foundational elements
of this sustained process.
0279
Native Rangeland Initiative: Rangeland Health Considerations for Leasing Oil and Gas on Tribal
Lands
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Energy extraction on rangelands is growing at rapid rates, and targeted areas include tribal lands. While
the economic input may benefit tribes, long-term damage to tribal natural resources may end up costing
more to repair in terms of tribal health and overall sustainability. While most tribes have access to sound
legal advice through their own efforts or through negotiations conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
there are a number of issues pertaining to natural resource protection that are not included in negotiations
or included in leases. We present considerations for tribes when negotiating for oil and gas leases on
tribal lands, and make recommendations on how to negotiate for improvements to rangelands.
0282
Native Rangeland Initiative: How Tribal Colleges Can Partner to Strengthen Tribal Rangeland
Management Efforts
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Many tribes and tribal-related agencies are over-tasked with heavy workloads, small budgets, and few
trained personnel for managing natural resources on tribal lands. Partnering with tribal colleges is an
innovative way to lighten tribal work-loads and implement much needed projects, but also facilitates the
training of future tribal rangeland managers in field skills and data management. Here we will present
practical ideas and models for implementing projects.
0284
Modeling Eastern Redcedar Biomass in Kansas using Linear Spectral Unmixing Analysis of
Satellite Imagery and High Spatial Resolution Imagery
Kevin Price1, David Burchfield1, Johnny Bryant1, Larry Biles2, Ross Hauck2, Sabina Dhungana2, Deon van
der Merwe1
1Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA, 2Kansas Forest Service, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginia), an indigenous Kansas conifer was championed as an excellent
windbreak and shelterbelt tree for the Central Great Plains during the dust bowl era. Changes in land
management practices have allowed this tree to invade onto other lands. In a 2002 study of redcedar
expansion in Oklahoma, it was reported that the species was invading new lands at a rate of 762 acres
per day at an economic loss to the state by 2013 of $447 million.
Results from our study indicate that redcedar cover increased from 1988 to 2009 (21 years) by 382% in
Riley County, Kansas. In this study we explore a scaling up approach in which high resolution (5 mm
pixel size) airborne color infrared imagery and 30 m Landsat satellite imagery are used to map tree
cover. Correlation between redcedar cover and biomass was found to be strong (r-squared = 0.86 or
better), but coalescing tree canopies present a challenge to the modeling effort.
0285
Exceptional drought events cause patch-level patterns of woody dieback in semiarid Texas:
comparing the 2000s to the 1950s
Carissa L Wonkka1, Dirac Twidwell1 ,2, Charles A Taylor1, Chris B Zou1 ,2, Jeremiah J Twidwell1, William E
Rogers1
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Recent severe droughts the south-central United States led to high levels of woody plant dieback in areas
that have experienced decades of woody encroachment. These droughts were the most severe droughts
on record since the 1950s. Following the 1950s drought, a study was conducted on the Edwards Plateau
at the Sonora, Texas Agrilife Research Station to quantify rates of dieback in density and cover for
various woody plant species. We repeated this study in 2011 within the same pastoral treatments that
have been managed consistently since 1948. While the 1950s drought resulted in more severe reductions
in total woody plant cover (44% decrease in cover in 1959 compared to 18% decrease in 2011), patterns
of dieback were relatively similar following both drought periods. Major shifts from one plant community to
another were not observed after either drought. Rather, shifts in vegetation were patch-specific and
contingent on variable species responses to interactions among soil types, pastoral livestock treatments,
and woody plant densities. This suggests that drought-induced shifts in woody vegetation are primarily
driven by differences in ecohydrology among soil types of the Edwards Plateau and the water use
strategy of the dominant woody species. These small-scale vegetation shifts pose a challenge for
scientists attempting to develop accurate predictions of species-level responses to climate change. More
studies are needed to determine the importance of legacy effects related to long-term land management,
woody plant densities, plant demography, differences in ecohydrology among soil types, and other factors
which potentially contribute to woody plant dieback.
0286
Cultural Thinning of Native Sagebrush Stands to Increase Seed Yield
Brad Geary0, Kurt Elder0, Val Anderson0, Scott Jensen0
1Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA, 2USFS Shrub Sciences Lab, Provo, Utah, USA
The Great Basin in the western United States has a fire regime that has gone from every 40-100 years to
ten years or less. The destruction of native plant communities, watersheds, and subsequent soil
movement reduces habitat for wildlife and livestock grazing, diminishes recreational opportunities, and
results in more dangerous and costly firefighting. Restoration efforts have resulted in collection of native
seed becoming an important aspect of multiple-use on public lands, but available seed quantities are
frequently too inadequate to revegetate large areas. Restoration of native shrubs are integral to the
proper function of these ecosystems and Wyoming Big Sagebrush is an important native shrub for
restoration because of its wide distribution in the Western U.S. where it dominates over 60 million ha and
provides essential habitat and forage. This study was designed to determine if thinning native stands on a
multi-acre research site could improve seed yields in established populations of Big Sagebrush. Stands
were either chemically thinned or strip killed, mechanically thinned or strip killed, or left as a natural stand.
At both locations, the frequency of Western Wheat grass and Cheatgrass increased when compared to
the natural stand. One year after application the seed yields were not significantly higher than the natural
stand. Multiple years of data are needed to allow sagebrush health to recover and get back into seed
production but mechanical thinning and strip killing showed some promise as seed yields were similar to
the natural stand after the first year of recovery.
0289
Diet Quality and Grazing Behavior of Cattle and Goats in the Chihuahuan Desert
Carlos Villalobos1, Antonio Chavez0 ,2, Joel Marquez0 ,2, Luis C. Fierro0 ,2
1Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA, 2INIFAP, Chihuahua, Mexico
Chihuahuan Desert rangelands are an important source of forage for goat and beef cattle production in
Chihuahua, Mexico. One of the basic problems confronting the range scientist is an accurate assessment
of the nutritive value and behavior of the grazing animals. The chemical composition of the diets of
esophageally fistulated goats and cattle was monitored over a period of 2 years at intervals of
approximately 4 months. The animals were grazing together in a cresosotebush (Larrea tridentata)
community with a combination of grasses and forbs. Grazing activities were recorded by direct
observations every 10 minutes throughout a 12-hour day (during daylight hours). The activities recorded
were grazing/browsing, rumination, walking, and idling. Dietary CP and IVDOM of goats and cattle diets
both differed among seasons. Diet quality, was higher for goats than cattle in all seasons. Dietary CP
levels met maintenance requirements for goats throughout the study. Although protein content of cattle
diets was relatively low during winter, these values satisfied cattle maintenance needs. During spring
cattle spent 37% of the daytime grazing (12 hr); and 34% during summer. In contrast cattle spent 75%
time grazing during fall. While goats spend 50%, 43 %, and 45% of the daytime grazing/browsing for
spring, summer and fall respectively. Cattle spent close to 10% more time grazing, 11% more time
ruminating, and 10% more time idling than goats.
0290
Effects of fuel control treatments on vegetation responses across a pinyon-juniper tree invasion
gradient
Bruce Roundy1, Rick Miller2, Robin Tausch3, Jeanne Chambers3, April Hulet4, Kert Young1
1Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA, 2Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, 3USDA
Forest Service Rocky Mountain Station, Reno, Nevada, USA, 4USDA ARS, Burns, Oregon, USA
Fire or mechanical fuel-control treatments are implemented to reduce woody fuel loads and catastrophic
fire. To determine effects of these treatments across a tree invasion gradient, we measured vegetation
cover before and 2-3 years after treatment implementation. Measurements were taken on 15 subplots
per treatment at 11 western juniper, single-leaf pinyon-Utah juniper, and Utah juniper-two-needle pinyon
locations across the Great Basin. We used either initial tree dominance index (TDI-tree cover/tree +
shrub + tall grass cover) or initial tree cover (TC) before treatment as covariates to determine tree
invasion ranges over which treatments affected life form classes. Mechanical treatments of cutting or
shredding trees maintained shrub cover compared to prescribed fire at TDI's of 0-0.8 and TC of <
50%. Above those TDI's or TC ranges, too little shrub cover remained to make a difference in mechanical
and burn treatments. Burning increased perennial herbaceous cover by 3 years after treatment at TDI's ≥
0.6 and TC's of 30-55%. Cutting or shredding increased total perennial herbaceous cover both 2 and 3
years after treatment at TDI's ≥ 0.4 and TC's of 20- 70%. Mechanical treatments have the advantage
over prescribed fire in that they not only maintain shrub cover but also increase perennial herbaceous
cover more quickly after treatment and earlier in tree invasion than prescribed fire. Their disadvantage is
that cutting leaves substantial 100 and 1000 hour fuels and shredding leaves 1 and 10 hours woody fuels
after treatment.
0291
SenderoTM herbicide for honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) control
D. Chad Cummings, Charles R. Hart, Vernon B. Langston, Louise A. Brinkworth, Robert A. Masters
Dow AgroSciences, LLC, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) is a native woody legume common to rangelands in the
southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Honey mesquite spread has been facilitated, in part,
by fire suppression and seed dissemination by livestock. Chemical control of honey mesquite is most
effective when appropriate herbicides are applied between 40 and 90 days after axillary bud break. A
mixture of triclopyr [280 g acid equivalent (ae)/ha] and clopyralid (280 g ae/ha) herbicides has been the
standard for honey mesquite chemical control. Sendero herbicide contains 276 g ae clopyralid olamine
salt/L and 60 g ae aminopyralid potassium salt/L and was developed by Dow AgroSciences to improve
honey mesquite control. Sendero has a favorable environmental profile with proven efficacy and is safe
to rangeland grasses. More than 20 research trials were conducted from 2009 through 2012 to determine
the efficacy of aminopyralid and clopyralid mixtures. Averaged across trials, aerial applications of
Sendero at 2.4 L/ha, equivalent to 560 g ae clopyralid/ha + 120 ae aminopyralid/ha, in a spray volume of
37 L/ha provided greater than 74% control of honey mesquite at about one year after application,
compared to 64% or less control with 280 g ae/ha triclopyr and 280 g ae/ha clopyralid. Sendero also
controlled other woody legume species including blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), cat claw mimosa
(Mimosa pigra), twisted acacia (Acacia schaffneri), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and black locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia). Sendero herbicide product provided improved control of honey mesquite and
other common rangeland woody species in North America.
0292
Evaluating Plant-Soil-Microbial Interactions in Low-Input High-Diversity Biofuels: Enhancing
Aboveground Ecosystem Services while Increasing Soil Quality
Morgan Noland1, Gail W.T. Wilson1, R. Michael Miller2, Nancy C. Johnson3
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA,
3Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
Low-input high-diversity (LIHD) cultivation includes multiple native grass and forb species that
may provide low-input biofuel feedstock. Diverse grassland plantings provide benefits such as habitat for
invertebrates and wildlife. Low-input cultivation reduces fertilizer input, while increasing arbuscular
mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, potentially leading to improved soil health and carbon sequestration. Our study
assessed mycorrhizal hyphal abundance and soil quality in established plots at Argonne National
Laboratory, Illinois. We compared intra-specific diversity with three different switchgrass cultivars and
inter-specific diversity with combinations of switchgrass and other native prairie species. Annual
productivity of extra-radical AM hyphae was assessed using hyphal in-growth bags, inter-radical
colonization was determined using microscopic assessment. Phospholipid and neutral-lipid fatty acid
analyses were used to determine soil microbial community composition and AM fungal biomass.
Aboveground productivity for each plant species was assessed. The major goal of this project is to
develop LIHD cultivation that will produce high biomass without increased nutrient inputs, which will
ultimately sustain wildlife habitat and increase carbon sequestration. Our field data indicates both interspecific and intra-specific plant species biodiversity produced equal or greater aboveground biomass
compared to monocultures of switchgrass, and multiple genotypes of switchgrass had greater annual
production of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, compared to the switchgrass monocultures. A positive
correlation between AM hyphal abundance and soil aggregation and carbon sequestration was observed.
Results of our study will inform plant breeders on feedstock management that will, improve aboveground
ecosystem services, such as wildlife habitat, while also increasing soil health, all without a loss in
production.
0294
Novel weapons: Do invasive grasses produce allelopathic chemicals to inhibit native grass
establishment, growth, and reproduction?
Mitch Greer, Shana Lancaster, Gail Wilson, Karen Hickman
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
Biological invasion refers to the process by which a new species enters a native biological community,
reproduces, and displaces native species. Bothriochloa ischaemum, is an invasive warm-season
perennial grass of Eurasian origin that is a threat to native prairies of the southern and central Great
Plains. B. ischaemum is functionally similar to dominant native warm-season grasses Andropogon
gerardii and Schizachyrium scoparium. One potential mechanism for B. ischaemum’s success is the
production of allelopathic compounds that reduce native grass germination or establishment. We
conducted two experiments to provide evidence for this hypothesis by examining germination and
survivorship of native and exotic grasses following applications of leachate or leaf litter collected from B.
ischaemum. We used leachate and leaf litter collected from A. gerardii as controls. Our results indicate
that native grass seedlings could not survive following applications of B. ischaemum leachate, compared
to 86% survival of B. ischaemum seedlings. Similar results were observed following leaf litter applications.
However, results from the native grass leachate and litter were very different from that of the invasive litter
and leachate, as 100% survival was observed from all study species. Our second study examined the
effects of exotic and native leachate on seed germination of these same three species. Similar results
were observed, with B. ischaemum leachate greatly reducing the germination rates of the native species,
but not itself. Our results indicate that allelopathic effects may be a driving factor in the invasive success
of B. ischaemum in native grasslands of North America.
0295
Habitat types associated with adult and neonate mule deer mortalities in north-central New
Mexico.
Chase Taylor1, Grant Sorensen1, Dave Kramer1, Robert Cox1, Philip Gipson1, Mark Wallace1, Wayne
Armacost0
1Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA, 2National Rifle Association Whittington Center, Raton, NM,
USA
Mule deer populations have declined across the western United States recently. Poor quality habitat, food
availability, drought, and predation have been factors limiting mule deer populations in north-central New
Mexico. The 33,000 acre National Rifle Association Whittington Center located south of Raton, NM is
implementing a habitat enhancement program intended to benefit mule deer. Included in this
enhancement program is hydro-mulching up to 80% of pinyon/juniper vegetation in selected areas and
mulching Gambel oak and mountain mahogany along ridgelines and roads, and selectively harvesting
timber at higher elevations. Our goal is to investigate deer use of the enhancement sites and to
investigate the impacts of these habitat enhancements on mule deer survival patterns. In March of 2011
and 2012, 35 and 14 adult female mule deer were captured respectively and outfitted with radio telemetry
collars. In July 2011 and 2012, 13 and 37 neonate mule deer were captured respectively and outfitted
with radio telemetry collars. Throughout the spring and summer, each deer was monitored daily for
survival; during winter deer were monitored once a month. Cause-specific mortality and location were
determined for each death. Predation was the most common cause of morality for adults and neonates
(85% and 86% respectively). Pinyon-juniper woodlands comprised 47% and 46% of adult and neonate
mortality locations respectively, followed by oak savannah and grasslands. To date, no impacts of habitat
enhancements on deer predation have been detected
0296
Capturing Local Knowledge of the Gunnison Sage-grouse for Improved Conservation
Corrine Knapp1, Nathan Sayre2, Jim Cochran3
1University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA, 2University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA,
USA, 3Gunnison County Wildlife Coordinator, Gunnison, CO, USA
Our understanding of rare and spatially restricted species is often limited by a lack of scientific studies
and monitoring data. This is especially true for recently identified species such as the Gunnison sage
grouse, which has been determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be warranted for listing
under the Endangered Species Act. Given the precarious state of this bird, it is critical to assess all
existing information in order to better inform decision-making. This study uses interviews with long-term
observers, including professional biologists and lay people, to document observations of sage grouse
behavior, habitat and management that may help to better understand and conserve this species.
Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded to track themes of interest across the interviews.
Comparisons between local knowledge and peer-reviewed scientific literature suggest that consideration
of local observations can expand our overall understanding of rare species and suggest innovative
strategies for management. Contradictions between local knowledge and scientific research highlight
differences in the way these different groups bound the process of knowledge production. This study
highlights the importance of engaging local knowledge for conservation in order to better understand both
the species and the context in which conservation occurs.
0297
Evolution of tenure regimes and adaptive management in pastoral systems
Robin Reid
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
Land tenure and landscape fragmentation strongly affect the kinds of strategies that pastoral families and
communities can use to adapt to change in rangelands around the world. In some rangelands in Asia
and Africa, communal or government trust lands are shifting into private ownership, much like many
rangelands in the US and Australia did over the last 200 years. This presentation uses examples from
Australia, US, Africa and Asia to examine this tenure evolution and its social and ecological
consequences, particularly in relation to pastoral mobility and landscape fragmentation. Clearly, if
privatization of land causes fragmentation of rangelands, it can reduce the ability of pastoralists to adapt
to change by limiting mobility. With the loss of mobility, the ability of pastoralists to adapt to change also
can fall. Many of these same communities are developing new institutions to ‘knit together' their
landscapes again to promote mobility, through collaborative and adaptive governance. In parallel,
scientists are experimenting with new models of collaborative science that promote adaptive learning by
pastoralists, their wider communities and other land managers as well. These twin developments are
opening up innovations in tenure aimed at securing resource rights while allowing pastoralists to maintain
flexible management in the face of global change, supported by new and locally appropriate knowledge.
0298
Native Rangeland Initiative: Translating Remote Sensing Information for Tribal Needs
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
Remote sensing (RS) is a critical tool for understanding the dynamics of Land Use and Land Change but
needs to be “indigenized” to be most useful to tribal land managers. RS can often seem daunting, even to
field range scientists and managers; however, new analytical and web based tools can make RS
information widely accessible to tribal professionals. How can these tools be used to help tribes monitor
for drought, wildfire, or general rangeland improvement/degradation? This presentation would offer
recommendations on how we can begin to translate this information into effective tribal management
plans.
0299
Bud Bank Density of Warm-Season Grasses as Regulators of Grassland Invasibility
Ray West, Gail Wilson
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK/Oklahoma Section, USA
Fluctuations in resource availability has been suggested as one of the key attributes controlling grassland
community invasibility, with successful invasions occurring only intermittently, when resource enrichment
or release coincide with the availability of propagules of the exotic species. In perennial grasslands, the
belowground bud bank (BGBB) plays a fundamental role in local plant population persistence, structure
and dynamics; all important factors determining invasibility. We suggest that, even during episodes of
new resources and adequate exotic propagule supply (“windows of opportunity”), a community will still be
resistant to invasion if the residents possess traits that allow them to pre-empt available resources more
rapidly than the exotics. Using greenhouse and field studies (Oklahoma and Kansas) we tested the
following hypotheses: 1) Grassland invasibility is regulated by a minimum threshold in BGBB population
densities, and 2) Increases in bud bank size will lead to increases in grassland stability, thereby reducing
invasibility. In both our greenhouse and field study, we did not observe a relationship between the various
densities of BGBB (33%, 66%, or 100%) and invasibility of these grassland communities. However, our
results indicate that grassland invasibility is closely associated with a minimum threshold in BGBB
densities, with the lowest meristem density (0%) substantially decreasing stability (resistant to change)
and increasing invasibility of our grassland community. Our findings begin a critical step in obtaining a
better understanding of BGBBs in rangeland responses to environmental change at the population,
community, and ecosystem levels.
0300
Species composition changes and animal performance in response to patch burning and N
fertilization on degraded warm season pasture
Benjamin Schiltz, John Guretzky, Walter Schacht
University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
Prescribed burning has been shown to be an effective method of controlling cool season grass invasion in
warm season rangelands. We examined the effect of patch-burning, N fertilization, and patch burning with
N fertilization on species composition and animal performance in nine warm season pastures invaded
with cool season grasses. Portions of six pastures were burned the first week of April with three of these
pastures and three unburned pastures receiving 89 kg N ha-1 as urea two weeks later. Pastures were
stocked with yearling steers and grazed for 50-61 days. Average daily gains were 0.82 kg head-1 for the
fertilized pastures, 0.84 kg head-1 for the patch burned pastures and 0.95 kg head-1 for the patch
burned+ fertilized pastures. First year species composition and vegetative structure data will also be
presented.
0301
Fire and herbicide impacts on annual species successional dynamics within salt desert shrub
communities
Merilynn Hirsch1, Thomas Monaco2
1Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, 2USDA-ARS, Logan, UT, USA
Ecological assembly theory suggests that recolonization and short-term community successional
trajectories follow predictable patterns associated with interactions between species life history traits and
site characteristics. We tested this theory in two degraded salt desert shrubland sites, where the annual
plant guild was dominated by downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), to develop a mechanistic
understanding of how the common control tactics of prescribed fire (cool fall burn) and pre-emergent
herbicides (fall-applied imazapic; 105 g ai ha-1) impact successional trajectories. We then correlated the
successional trajectories of the four control tactics (untreated control, herbicide, fire, herbicide + fire) with
species abundances and soil surface attributes. Control tactics were applied to replicated 5-ha plots using
a split-plot design at two salt desert sites in northwestern Utah in 2009. Plots were sub-sampled for
percentage cover of species, bare ground, and litter within 30, randomly located 1-m2 plots before
applying fire and herbicide (2009), re-sampling in 2010 and 2011. All data were analyzed using NMS. Our
results indicate that there is a predictable order for species change that varied by control tactic. These
were characterized by high annual forb and bare ground cover directly following fire and fire+herbicide
treatments. The herbicide treatment, alternatively, decreased all species initially, but, as time went on,
downy brome increased back to control levels. These results begin to quantify the changes of annual
dominated plant communities over time as well as begin to identify times that management could be
successful at transitioning out of the cycle of annual plant dominance.
0302
Estimating Pinyon and Juniper Tree Cover Using NAIP Imagery across Utah
Darrell Roundy
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
Pinyon and juniper tree encroachment is a growing problem in the western United States. As conifers
expand they replace valuable sagebrush and grassland communities. The associated increases in fuel
loads may lead to large, high severity fires and subsequent weed dominance. Ground methods used to
measure tree cover and assess potential fire danger and ecosystem degradation are often time
consuming and labor intensive. The extraction of tree cover from remotely-sensed imagery may provide a
more rapid and economical method than ground measurements alone. Our objective was to evaluate
three object-based image analysis (OBIA) software programs: Feature Extraction (ENVI Zoom 4.5),
eCognition (Trimble), and Feature Analyst (Visual Learning Systems) capability to extract tree cover from
NAIP imagery (1 m spatial resolution). We then evaluated the relationship between our remotely sensed
tree cover estimates from each of the software programs with two ground measurements methods (treecrown diameter and line-point intercept). Data was collected on 300, 30 by 33 meter subplots throughout
Utah. Our initial results for our OBIA tree cover estimates were on average 5% greater than the treecrown diameter measurements and 15% greater than our line-point intercept measurements. These
differences could be due to field measurement errors, variance in NAIP image quality, shifts in subplots
due to GPS inaccuracies, and/or that our object-based image analysis techniques over-segments pixels
and may classify small portions of bare ground, shrubs, or grasses as trees.
0303
Native Rangeland Initiative: Invasive Species Control and Culturally Sensitive Species
Diana Doan-Crider1, Alicia Seyler2
1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2Intertribal Ag Council, Tulsa, OK, USA
As with other land management agencies, invasive species management is becoming a priority for many
tribes. Predictions for climate shifts suggest drought, increased temperatures and precipitation require
planning for future spread of invasive species in order to protect culturally significant species within
reservation boundaries. Tribes are faced with having to include invasive species management decisions
and identify sensitive areas to protect plant species used for cultural purposes. Furthermore, budgets and
qualified personnel are limited, often hindering tribes from implementing high priority projects. Often,
outside contracted services are utilized, and tribal staff goes untrained. The development of low-cost
and innovative ideas that will help tribes implement practical and effective programs is needed. Several
areas of particular concern pertain to educating tribal agricultural producers and farmers on invasive
species ecology, and the inclusion of culturally important species in development of tribal management
plans. Finally, invasive species management plans must include feedback from tribes in identifying
culturally significant species that may be threatened or more difficult to find current day. These plans
should likewise provide recommendations for restoration projects relative to culturally significant native
species on tribal lands.
0305
Revitalizing Rangeland Education: A Plan for the Future
Karen Launchbaugh1, Christopher Call2, Karen Hickman3, Laurie Abbott4, Susan Marshall5, Melvin
George6, Patricia Johnson7, John Taylor8, Edwin Krumpe1
1University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, 2Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA, 3Oklahoma State
University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 4New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 5Humboldt State
University, Arcata, CA, USA, 6University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA, 7South Dakota State
University, Brookings, SD, USA, 8Rangelands Australia, Bellbowrie, Queensland, Australia
Do our current university rangeland curricula prepare professionals for the modern challenges of
rangeland management? The current rangeland curriculum was largely defined by academics in the
1970's and rests on a handful of core rangeland courses. No significant changes have been made to the
basic rangeland curriculum in the last 40 years despite significant changes in the management context. Is
our profession keeping up with the new demands, new trends, and new tasks required to manage
rangelands? Do new rangeland science graduates have the academic, social, and technological skills to
meet today's land management challenges? In this workshop we will facilitate a series of engaging
discussions on ways to modernize rangeland curricula and draft a set of skills, knowledge and abilities
needed by rangeland management professionals today and into the future. We will report on the results of
surveys and focus group discussions that examine the gap between university education programs and
the needs of modern rangeland managers, extension specialists and scientists. A facilitated panel of
leaders from selected land management agencies and conservation organizations, along with university
educators and land management consultants will discuss the changing context for the rangeland
management profession. Finally, workshop participants will discuss changes in education programs
needed to prepare the rangeland management workforce for the challenges facing our profession. We
anticipate that this workshop will guide revision of federal hiring requirements, accreditation criteria, and
university course offerings. Everyone interested in the future of our profession and rangeland education is
invited to participate.
0306
Nature vs. Nurture: How can we create adapted animals?
Karen Launchbaugh1, Fred Provenza2
1University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, 2Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Where herbivores choose to graze, rest, or traverse a landscape results from inherited attributes,
individual and social learning systems, and spatial memory. Behavioral patterns are set on a foundation
of inherited morphological, physiological, and neurological characteristics. An animals propensity to use
or avoid specific locations and habitats is rooted in the genetic guidelines the animal's inherited from their
forbearers. On this genetic foundation are built individual experiences that yield habitat preferences and
aversions based on consequences experienced while foraging. Social interactions with parents, siblings,
and herd members further inform spatial decisions and shape learned behaviors across generations. The
more we study animal behavior the more blurred the lines between nature and nurture become. For
example, animals learn to graze in locations that have yielded positive feedback in terms of foraging
resources and other conditions in the past. However, inherited morphological, physiological, and
neurological characteristics alter the nature and magnitude of consequences experienced by the animal.
The relatively new field of epigenetics has further blurred the boundary between genetics and learned
responses by showing that the social and biophysical environments experienced during growth and
development influences gene expression in ways that can transcend generations. The key to
understanding landscape use patterns of herbivores therefore resides in grasping the continual
interaction of genetic codes and environmental conditions. We will describe the basic principles that
underlie how animals make landscape and habitat decisions and will build a framework for understanding
interactions between the genome and learning systems.
0307
Needs for Practical Quantitative Functional Monitoring of Lentic Riparian Areas
Sherman Swanson
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
For riparian areas to sustainably provide important resource values, they must function properly. PFC
assessment by an interdisciplinary team identifies areas functioning at-risk due to soil vegetation or
hydrologic attributes or processes. The primary risks for lentic systems relate to change in water supply,
loss or impairment of ability to retain water, changes to surface flow patterns that cause erosion
especially if it would drain the system, watershed perturbations that alter water or sediment supply, or
chemicals that impairs physical functions. Managers prioritize at-risk riparian areas for changes in
management if trending downward or not apparent. Once functionality is assessed and root cause
analysis focuses attention on appropriate resource objectives needed to secure functionality, an ID team
is not needed to monitor trend. To determine trend, monitor key attributes that need improvement or that
could undermine system functions; that is monitor SMART objectives. Occasionally, monitor a fix to the
structure that is holding water in place. Usually, monitor vegetation in key places, where vegetation filters
sediment coming from uplands and/or stabilizes banks against the forces of wave action. Often
monitoring vegetation also records changes in water availability, water quality, and habitat
values. Suggested techniques include: 1.) Riparian greenline community type or dominant species
composition; 2.) Distances from greenline to greenline; and 3.) Transects from the greenline in toward a
non-vegetated center and outward toward uplands. Based on ID team assessment and setting of
objectives, technician monitored attainment of objectives infers achievement of proper functioning
condition.
0310
Teaching and Use of Riparian Proper Functioning Condition Assessment in Nevada
Robert Gibson, Sherman Swanson
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) was developed in the early 1990's as a tool for rapid assessment of
the condition, trend, and needs of riparian systems (Prichard et al. 1998). In Nevada, PFC has been
taught for 15 years by the Nevada Creeks and Communities Team (Nevada Team) and is in widespread
use by various land management agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the
USDA Forest Service (USFS). A survey of Nevada Team classes' participants, field users, and land
managers investigated the effectiveness of the teaching of PFC, its utility in the field, and its current use
in management. The content and presentation of PFC classes were rated highly, as was PFC's utility and
importance to management. In all sections, questions regarding the basic concepts of performing riparian
assessment scored higher than those involving the finer points of addressing riparian needs and building
cooperative, adaptive management. However, an examination of documents prepared by the Elko District
BLM indicates that this office has incorporated many of these ideas in their management practices. The
Nevada Team may wish to make minor adjustments to their curriculum or presentation at PFC classes to
build greater understanding and use of the insights available from the PFC assessment process. In
concert with such changes, the Nevada Team should continue to seek avenues outside of the PFC
classes to teach effective management through cooperative and adaptive strategies.
0311
The Effect of Proper Functioning Condition Driven Management on Water Quality in Elko County,
NV
Robert Gibson, Sherman Swanson
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
The role of riparian systems in sustaining healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems is well recognized,
as are the benefits of riparian attributes and processes to biological, chemical, and physical water quality.
Because of widespread degradation throughout the western US a variety of state and federal agencies,
tribes, ranchers, recreationists, and others are attempting to improve management of these critical
systems. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has adopted Proper Functioning Condition (PFC)
assessment to assess the problems and challenges riparian systems might be facing, prioritize areas for
management, and inform choices among management options. This approach contrasts with the
nonpoint pollution strategy of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Nevada Department
of Environmental Protection (NDEP), where water quality standards are developed based on beneficial
uses, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are allocated to meet those standards, and widespread water
quality sampling is carried out to identify areas where TMDLs are being exceeded. We examined a
variety of available water quality and riparian monitoring data to see if the use of PFC-driven practices
has improved water quality of streams within the Elko BLM District. Several riparian and water quality
indicators showed trends over time, and one, riparian zone width, showed a difference in trend for
reaches receiving PFC-driven management. Our conclusions are tempered by challenges with the
available data and appropriate study design. The currently available water quality and riparian data may
not provide the information needed to effectively manage nonpoint pollution and riparian ecosystem
function.
0312
Historic fire frequencies of oak woodlands in the southern plains
Michael Stambaugh, Richard Guyette
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
The goal of this research was to review existing information describing historic fire frequencies in
southern plains oak ecosystems and to describe local to regional trends and complexities. Presettlement
period fire scar records show comparable burning frequencies (mean fire intervals of 3 to 7 yrs).
Publications with mapped estimates, though from multiple sources, were in general agreement. Based on
coarse-scale model estimates we expect that fire frequency generally increased with latitude (decreasing
temperature). However, east to west fire frequency was controlled by differing influences of precipitation.
In the east we expect precipitation controlled fire frequency through requirements of activation energy for
ignition. In the west we expect precipitation controlled fire frequency by limiting fuel production and
continuity.
0313
Women and Range Education
Amy Ganguli1, Karen Launchbaugh2
1New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
Women play an increasingly pivotal role in rangeland education as our profession adapts to an expanding
diversity of rangeland values and stakeholder interests. Like other natural resource disciplines, rangeland
ecology and management was historically dominated by men. The range managers, agency personnel,
consultants, scientists, outreach specialists and educators that founded and built our profession were,
with few exceptions, men. Over the last 30 years, rangeland education programs nationwide have
undergone considerable evolution to be more inclusive of contemporary issues facing rangelands
including a higher emphasis on resource conservation and multiple use management. This expansion of
traditional rangeland education programs has been accompanied by a dramatic influx of non-traditional
students and educators. The gender demographic in rangeland education has progressively become
more balanced similar to patterns observed in other biological and agricultural disciplines. The objective
of this paper is to discuss the history of women as rangeland educators and highlight the specific role that
greater participation of women in rangeland education plays in mentoring and preparing a cohort of
professionals ready to face the modern challenges of rangeland management. We will also discuss
research findings from related disciplines that suggest a benefit of having greater gender balance in the
rangeland profession. Finally, we will suggest strategies for retaining and sustaining women in rangeland
education to advance the profession of rangeland management and ensure the relevance of our
profession well into the future.
0317
Manipulating Prolonged Drought Conditions on a Prickly Pear Encroached Rangeland
Gabriela Sosa
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
A history of overgrazing and fire suppression along with prolonged drought events has resulted in
elevated soil erosion and decreased forage productivity throughout Texas rangelands. This study is
examining how prickly pear (Opuntia) cactus responds to seasonal disturbances (e.g. prescribed fire and
grazing) following periods of drought. Prickly pear is a native succulent that has significantly increased in
cover during the past century to the point of being considered a problematic pest-like species. This
experiment is being conducted at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station, in Sonora, Texas, on a site
with significant Opuntia cactus encroachment. In early June 2010, a total of 48 cactus mottes were
selected and randomly assigned an experimental treatment combination that included prescribed fire
(dormant season fire, growing season fire, or no fire/control) and a drought treatment (rain-out shelter or
ambient conditions/control). This experimental design provided eight replicates of each treatment
combination. The mottes assigned a drought treatment were placed under a rainout shelter structure
covered by a clear polycarbonate plastic that intercepts precipitation from reaching the motte. Monitoring
and data collection of the treatment sites shows a decrease in herbaceous species under the shelters,
however it is still early for us to determine if these combined drought and prescribed fire treatments have
resulted in prickly pear mortality. In the mottes where rainfall is suppressed, I expect that the growth of
the cactus mottes will be temporarily limited; in addition this environmental stress could result in an
increased susceptibility to other disturbances (e.g. herbivory, fire).
0320
Lespedeza cuneata suppression in tallgrass prairie through integration of herbicide control and
patch-burning
Valerie Cook Fletcher1, Karen Hickmn1, Bob Hamilton2, Sam Fuhlendorf1, Dave Engle1
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2The Nature Conservancy, Pawhuska, OK, USA
Sericea lespedeza is an invasive legume rapidly establishing and spreading through the tallgrass
prairie. The allelopathic polyphenols in sericea displace native plants, alter soil chemistry and microbial
communities, and reduce forage availability. Traditional control efforts are ineffective singularly: fire
promotes germination, grazing pressure is limited by condensed tannins, and herbicides provide only
short-term control. We argue integrating range management and control (herbicides) practices makes
successful sericea control possible. We sought to determine the environmental and management factors
most influential on sericea control. We established 21 (2010) and 14 (2011) permanent transects within
recently burned patches at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve of Oklahoma. Within 16, 1-m2 quadrats along
each transect, we quantified initial sericea density, percent canopy cover, and stems grazed. Following
seasonal burns and grazing, one fourth of each transect received each of the following herbicide
application treatments: early-season, mid-season, late-season, or no-herbicide control. Using ANOVA
and multiple regression, we analyzed sericea control as the proportion of initial stem density each
growing season after treatment (GSAT). One GSAT, densities were 0.42, 0.46, 0.80, and 1.86 times the
initial density for early-, mid-, late-season spray, and control treatments. Two GSAT, densities were 0.71,
0.55, 1.39, and 2.86 times the initial density for respective treatments. At 2 GSAT, we found spray timing,
pasture burn treatment, initial density, and fire return interval (FRI) were best predictors of sericea
control. Our preliminary results indicated greatest control was attained with a 3-yr FRI receiving both
spring and summer burns and mid-season treatments of triclopyr.
0323
Coupling fire physics and fire ecology to quantify state transitions and guide restoration actions
Dirac Twidwell1, Samuel Fuhlendorf1, Charles Taylor, Jr.2, William E. Rogers2
1Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA, 2Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Restoration priorities are typically established in rangelands without quantitative information on how to
overcome thresholds that prevent successful restoration of desirable ecological states. Many restoration
actions are therefore unsuccessful. As an example, restoration efforts based on the prevailing scientific
knowledge of fire-based thresholds in non-resprouting Juniperus woodlands have been largely incapable
of restoring grassland and savanna ecosystems. In this paper, we discuss how understanding the
physical process of fire and incorporating the process as a mechanism driving transitions in state-andtransition models can provide a more comprehensive approach to rangeland restoration. We
demonstrate the usefulness of such an approach in a field manipulation where experimental fires were
conducted in low fine fuel moistures, which represent conditions that have not been targeted in previous
fire studies in the Great Plains, and met restoration objectives by causing 100% mortality of Juniperus
ashei trees. Using these field data, we were able to quantify the critical surface fire intensity threshold
required for Juniperus mortality (I > 160 kJ m -1 s-1). This value establishes a critical threshold that
managers should target when attempting to use restoration to collapse Juniperus woodlands. We
present this information within a broadly applicable decision support framework, based on state-andtransition models, that demonstrates how quantifying critical thresholds for mechanisms driving state
transitions can directly guide restoration priorities.
0326
Wildfires in the southern Great Plains and novel approaches to fuels management
Dirac Twidwell
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
The unprecedented pulse of wildfire activity at the wildland-urban interface in the southern Great Plains
requires innovative approaches to the management of volatile fuels that have arisen as a result of longstanding changes to disturbance dynamics in rangeland ecosystems. In recent years, the amount of area
burned and number of structures lost to wildfires in this region has far exceeded rates from previous
decades. Multiple interacting feedbacks have led to this pulse of wildfire activity. Legislation restricting
the occurrence of prescribed fire, the alteration of human ignition sources, and modifications to herbivore
distributions and subsequent reductions in herbaceous biomass and continuity have contributed to
uninhibited woody plant encroachment and the widespread conversion of rangelands to high density
Juniperus woodlands. Providing solutions in response to these emerging fuels and wildfire problems
represents a major challenge for today’s rangeland managers. I introduce a novel approach to the
reduction of volatile fuels that are based on experimental fires conducted during periods of high wildfire
activity. I demonstrate how landscapes can be designed to control the spread of wildfires in southern
rangelands and highlight local land ownerships that have begun to use this approach as a as a fuels
management strategy in areas dominated by Juniperus species.
0328
Climate Change and Invasion: Does a loss of ecological integrity affect the cultural expression of
an indigenous culture?
Valerie Small1 ,2, Thomas J. Stohlgren3, Paul Evangelista3, George Beck1, Cini S. Brown1, Kathleen Ann
Sherman4
1Colorado State Unv--Weed Sciences Division, Fort Collins, USA, 2Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency,
USA, 3USGS Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Fort Collins, USA, 4Anthropology Dept., CSU Fort Collins,
USA
The invasive woody species, Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.), was promoted in the early 20th
century to serve as field wind-breaks and bank stabilization, but quickly became naturalized within
riparian systems throughout the semi-arid northwest. The Bighorn and Little Bighorn Rivers of Montana
are heavily regulated, and are now heavily dominated by the invasive Russian olive, which are quickly
replacing native plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides L.). Historically to present day, the Crow Tribe in
south-central Montana use cottonwoods for
ceremonial purposes, yet Tribal Elders have expressed concern over their decline. We used the
Maximum Entropy Modeling tool (MaxEnt) to predict suitable habitat and near-term future spread of
Russian olive within riparian systems on the Crow Indian Reservation. Climate variables (n = 22)
contributed significantly to the model, suggesting that climate change may contribute to the spread of
Russian olive, particularly downstream from dams. Interviews with Tribal Elders overwhelmingly agreed
(~80%) that sub-adult trees were the most difficult to find now, as compared to 25 years ago. Perceptions
of cottonwood availability by Elders matched the field plot data using cottonwood stem heights comparing
near (< 150m) ceremony sites to sites farther away (> 2.4 km away; p < 0.01). Coupled with local
perceptions of reduced cottonwood availability, we suggest that mid-sized cottonwoods may become
increasingly difficult to locate for ceremonial purposes. Containment of Russian olive and management
plans to increase cottonwood availability will protect the cultural as well as the ecological integrity of these
important riparian systems.