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Thunder Basin Research Initiative UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources USDA Agricultural Research Service, Rangeland Resources Research Unit Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association and Regional Grazing Associations Thunder Basin National Grassland, USDA-Forest Service Thunder Basin Research Initiative • Provide knowledge base to guide the management of Thunder Basin for multiple ecosystem services – – – – Livestock production Conservation of shortgrass ecosystems and associated species Conservation of sagebrush ecosystems and associated species Energy production • Produce updated Ecological Site Description (ESDs), state-and-transition models (STMs), decision support tools and/or best practices for public and private land managers. Natural Resource Scientists Land Mgmt Agencies Non-gov Organizations Livestock Producers Energy Companies • Management for shortgrass vs. sagebrush ecosystems – Cannot have both in the same place at same time – Multiple bird species of conservation concern with mutually exclusive habitat requirements – Sagebrush vs. livestock production tradeoffs? – Shortgrass (prairie dog) vs livestock production tradeoffs • Ecological Uncertainty – Historic role of fire and relationship to sagebrush? – Spatial variation in the effects of herbivores (domestic and native)? – Area requirements for “sustainable” populations of sage grouse, blackfooted ferrets, mountain plovers? – Effects of prairie dog/ferret management on sage grouse conservation? University of Wyoming Bret Hess (AES director) Jeff Beck (sage grouse) Derek Scasta (grazing ecology, extension) Brian Mealor (invasive species) Courtney Duchardt (grassland birds) Lauren Connell (grazing ecology) TBGPEA Dave Pellatz (everything) Frank Eathorne (ranch management) Laurel Vicklund (energy) Thunder Basin National Grassland (USFS) Agricultural Research Service Lauren Porensky (landscape ecology) David Augustine (prairie dogs, plovers) Justin Derner (livestock grazing management) Dana Blumenthal (invasive species) Billy Armstrong (GIS) Shane Walker (district manager) Misty Hayes (asst. district manager) Cristi Painter (wildlife, shortgrass) Moriah Shadwick (livestock/vegetation) Tim Byer (wildlife, sagebrush) Grazing Associations Additional Key Collaborators, Interests Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. USFWS/USGS – Ferret reintroduction; plague management NRCS – soil mapping, ESDs, STMs Colorado State University (LFTL: Fernandez-Giminez, Aldridge, Timmer) Univ of Colorado (Wunder – plover migration) Conservation NGOS (Defenders, Audubon, WWF) Wyoming Stockgrowers Association USFS Research (Butler) Thunder Basin Research Initiative: Current Efforts 1. Role of wildfire in Thunder Basin ecosystems 2. Effects of multiple herbivores on plant community dynamics across varying soils/ecological sites (cattle, pronghorn, lagomorphs, prairie dogs) 3. Landscape management for multiple grassland bird guilds (1) How do different kinds of fire impact Thunder Basin ecosystems? • Lead Scientist: – Lauren Porensky, USDA-ARS • Effects of wildfire on: – forage quantity and quality for livestock and other ungulates – abundance of brome species – forage and habitat for different kinds of birds – soil stability and erosion Drivers of interest – Fire: years since fire, fire size, fire season, fire shape, weather before/during/after fire – Landscape: ecological site, soil, elevation, slope, aspect, landform 2014 Field Research • 30 historic fires of varying ages • All inside TBNG, MLRA 58B, and a grazing allotment • Mix of land ownership Wildfires dramatically reduce sagebrush density; even in very old burns (1937 and 1974) sagebrush recovery is quite slow Burned areas have less cactus Burning does not increase cheatgrass cover…if anything, cheatgrass is slightly more abundant in unburned areas (2) How do different kinds of herbivores affect Thunder Basin ecosystems? Project Leads: Lauren Connell (UW), Derek Scasta (UW), Lauren Porensky (ARS) Questions: (1) What is the relative influence of livestock and multiple guilds of native herbivores (pronghorn, lagomorphs, prairie dogs) on plant community dynamics? (2) To what extent are effects contingent on variability in soil texture and topography? (2) How do different kinds of herbivores affect Thunder Basin ecosystems? Project Leads: Lauren Connell (UW), Derek Scasta (UW), Lauren Porensky (ARS) (3) Landscape management for multiple grassland bird guilds Project Leads: Courtney Duchardt (UW), Jeff Beck (UW), David Augustine (ARS) Objectives: (1) Quantify the distribution of 7 grassland bird species (4 sage associates; 3 shortgrass associates) in relationship to habitat heterogeneity (prairie dogs, sagebrush, soils, topography) (2) Examine influence of landscape distribution of prairie dog colonies on occurrence and population dynamics of select species. (3) Landscape management for multiple grassland bird guilds (3) Landscape management for multiple grassland bird guilds (3) Landscape management for multiple grassland bird guilds