Species Adaptations to Climate Change: Baseline Data for Grassland, Sagebrush, and Riparian - Associated Landbirds in Bird Conservation Region 10

This region-wide coordinated bird monitoring program, supported by state, federal, tribal, nongovernmental organizations, and two statewide bird conservation partnerships, is designed to provide spatially-referenced baseline data for science-based biological planning and conservation design for the Great Northern LCC and its partners that is directly comparable with other landscapes and BCRs.  We are requesting a third year of funding to continue sampling in BCR10 Montana and Idaho to enhance our ability to make robust inference to bird populations on grassland, shrublands, and riparian systems. These data currently are being used by project partners to develop spatially-explicit models that will allow assessment of priority bird species responses to climate and other landscape-scale stressors.

Objectives:

• Acquire robust, spatially-explicit density or occupancy estimates for grassland, sagebrush, and riparian-associated birds: 10-15 Species of Concern in Montana; 5-15 Species of Greatest Conservation Concern in Idaho; and approximately 70 more common landbird species;
• Link population estimates generated through the monitoring program to habitat conservation objectives at multiple spatial scales through ongoing modeling efforts, such as the Intermountain West Joint Venture HabPops modeling effort and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Crucial Areas and Corridors Assessment;
• Integrate existing bird monitoring efforts in the region to provide better information on distribution and abundance of all breeding birds, especially for high priority species;
• Maintain a high-quality database that is accessible to all of our collaborators as well as to the public over the internet, in the form of raw and summarized data and;
• Generate decision support tools that guide conservation planning and delivery efforts and can ultimately provide improved assessments of conservation actions at multiple spatial scales.

Deliverables:

1. Acquire robust, spatially-explicit density or occupancy estimates for grassland, sagebrush, and riparian-associated birds: 10-15 Species of Concern in Montana; 5-15 Species of Greatest Conservation Concern in Idaho; and approximately 70 more common landbird species;
2. Link population estimates generated through the monitoring program to habitat conservation objectives at multiple spatial scales through ongoing modeling efforts, such as the Intermountain West Joint Venture HabPops modeling effort and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Crucial Areas and Corridors Assessment;
3. Integrate existing bird monitoring efforts in the region to provide better information on distribution and abundance of all breeding birds, especially for high priority species;
4. Maintain a high-quality database that is accessible to all of our collaborators as well as to the public over the internet, in the form of raw and summarized data and;
5. Generate decision support tools that guide conservation planning and delivery efforts and can ultimately provide improved assessments of conservation actions at multiple spatial scales.

Specific deliverables for 2012 include:

1. An annual progress report will be provided to the GNLCC by September 1 of each year
2. Data will be provided to the GNLCC according to a Data Management Plan prepared in cooperation with the GNLCC Science Coordinator
3. Annual reports with density and occupancy estimates by stratum will be prepared by March of the following year and made available through the interactive, web-based Avian Data Center
4. Presentations at the Montana and Idaho Bird Conservation Partnership meetings, and other relevant opportunities (Wildlife Society meetings, etc.)
5. Numerous partner products will be prepared, including MaxEnt, multi-scale occupancy estimation, and HabPops models
6. Strengthening of a science-based Idaho Bird Conservation Partnership to increase communication and collaboration among bird conservation partners in Idaho and the region

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