Sagebrush Bird Conservation Network

Project Name: Shrubsteppe Habitat Change and Bird Response

Objectives:

  1. To determine the primary local and large scale changes in land cover composition and configuration in the Intermountain West.
  2. To estimate the short and long-term trends in populations of birds breeding in the Intermountain West.
  3. To better understand how populations of breeding birds respond to changes in land cover.

Location: shrubland regions of WA, ID, CA, OR, NV, UT, AZ, WY, NM

Project duration: May 2001-Sep 2004.

Project contact:
Steve Knick
Research Ecologist
USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
970 Lusk Street
Boise, ID 83706
email: steve_knick@usgs.gov
phone: (208) 426-5208

Matthias Leu
Post-doctoral Associate, National Research Council
USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
970 Lusk Street
Boise, ID 83706
email: mleu@usgs.gov
phone: (208) 426-2598

Bird sampling methods: Use standard BBS sampling protocol

Vegetation sampling:

  1. Transects: 10 randomly selected 100m transects (within each 2.5 mile segment of BBS route). Transects are not measured on private lands. Using the line intercept method, we measure cover and height for each woody plant species. At 10, 30, 50, 70, 90m, we measure cover of cheat grass and native grass species in 5m circles. We also take two reference photos 30m away from the transect midpoint. GPS coordinates (±10 m) are recorded for transect start, midpoint, and finish.
  2. Vegetation Typing: While driving along the BBS route, dominant vegetation types are recorded to capture the overall gestalt of the land cover. Dominant vegetation is defined by the two to three most abundant plant species (woody plants, cheat grass, agriculture). Cover is estimated <250m on either side of the road. All route information is linked to a GPS unit to record locations of changes in cover types along the BBS route and create a coverage for input into a GIS.
  3. Landscape analysis: We are estimating multiscale changes in landscapes surrounding each BBS route from satellite imagery taken during at 10-yr intervals between 1970 and present. By buffering each transect at multiple intervals ranging from 250-m to 50-km, we can estimate the change in composition and configuration of habitats within which the BBS route is embedded.
  4. Photographs of each survey plot will be available on an interactive page on SAGEMAP

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