Winter habitat selection patterns of Merriam's turkeys in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota

In northern areas of their expanded range, information on Merriam's turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo merriami ) is lacking, specifically pertaining to wintering behavior and factors associated with winter habitat selection. Forest managers need detailed quantification of the effects of logging and other management practices on wintering habitats needed by Wild Turkeys and other wildlife. Therefore, we examined winter habitat selection patterns within ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) forests and determined factors associated with use of farmsteads by Merriam's turkeys in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota. We radio-marked 86 female Merriam's turkeys (70 adults and 16 yearlings) and monitored them during winter (1 December–31 March), 2001–2004. Female Wild Turkeys used recently burned pine forest less than expected but selected farmsteads and stands of mature ponderosa pine ( 22.9 cm diameter at breast height [DBH] trees) for foraging sites. Within forests, female Wild Turkeys selected foraging sites with less understory vegetation and visual obstruction, and larger-diameter ponderosa pine. Ponderosa pine seed abundance varied among years, and pine seeds were most abundant in stands of 30–35 cm DBH with basal area of 22–28 m2 ? ha–1. Abundance of pine seeds may have influenced use of farmsteads by Wild Turkeys, more so than ambient temperatures or snow depth. In the southern Black Hills, management should emphasize open- to mid-canopy and mature-structural-stage pine stands, where seed production was greatest. During winters when mast from pine is unavailable, farmsteads likely provide nutritional supplementation and may be important for maintaining Merriam's turkey populations.     

Habitat use and selection and home ranges of Merriam's Wild Turkey in Oregon

Habitat use and selection by Merriam's Wild Turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo merriami ) in Wasco County, Oregon, was studied during 1981-82. This turkey population selectively used forested cover types (such as ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir-oak, ponderosa pine-oak) characterized by a variety of structural features, species, and age classes. The population used single species forested cover types (oak, ponderosa pine) less than expected, used nonforested cover types in proportion to their availability, and avoided forested cover types with structure simplified by logging activities. The four age and sex classes had large seasonal home ranges (￣x = 1,615 ha); the smallest home ranges were exhibited by adult males in winter and the largest were shown by subadult males in fall. In most instances, turkeys used cover types as they were available. We suggest that structural complexity of vegetation, both within and among cover types, is an important component of habitat for Merriam's Wild Turkeys that should be considered in the evaluation of potential release sites and in habitat management plans.     

Colorado's rare flora

Distribution, status, habitat, elevational range, original literature citations, synonymy, and specimens deposited at Brigham Young University (BRY), University of Colorado (COLO), Colorado State University (CS),Denver Botanical Garden (KHD), Kansas State University (KSC), University of Kansas (KANU), Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), and the Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM) are given for 79 species of rare Colorado plants. Species federally listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act, candidates for listing, and species that qualify as federal candidates because of limited range, small populations, or known threats are included. Suggested changes in status are offered where appropriate. Maps and tables indicating the Colorado range of these species are provided.     

Utah's rare plants revisited

Presented is a current evaluation of the status and distribution of Utah's rare plant species, including those officially listed as endangered or threatened, those under review for listing, those recommended by the Utah Native Plant Society, and those which recently have been removed from consideration. Taxa are discussed alphabetically. Information on status, distribution, habitat, elevation, and specimens deposited at Brigham Young University are included in the discussion of each species. Maps showing the state distribution of each listed or candidate plant are also provided. New combinations include Dalea flavescens (Wats.) Welsh var. epica (Welsh) Welsh & Chatterley and Schoenerambe suffrutescens (Rollins) Welsh & Chatterley.        

Brood-rearing habitat use by Rio Grande Wild Turkeys in Oregon

Wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) brood-rearing sites have been described for portions of their range, but brood-rearing habitat use and characteristics of brood-rearing sites used by Rio Grande Wild Turkeys ( M. g. intermedia ) in the Pacific Northwest were unknown. We described cover types at 362 brood-rearing sites and measured habitat characteristics at 64 of these sites used by a recently established Rio Grande Wild Turkey population in southwestern Oregon during May-September 1989 and 1990. Hens with broods used 9 of 10 available cover types. Meadows, mixed hardwood/conifer woodlands, and savannas were used more often than expected (47% of observations, P ≤ 0.05). Broods used mature mixed conifer and dense sapling/pole mixed conifer cover types less than expected and did not use brush-fields. Many brood-rearing sites were characterized by a parklike appearance. Understory vegetation averaged P ≤ 0.05). We suggest that land managers maintain mixed hardwood/conifer woodland and savanna cover types adjacent to meadows on south slopes to provide brood-rearing habitat for Rio Grande Wild Turkeys in southwestern Oregon.     

Daily and yearly movement of the Devil's Hole pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis Wales in Devil's Hole, Nevada

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Breeding records for Clark's Grebe in Colorado and Nevada

Described as a new breeding species is Clark's Grebe in Colorado and Nevada.     

A comprehensive ecological land classification for Utah's West Desert

Land managers and scientists need context in which to interpolate between or extrapolate beyond discrete field points in space and time. Ecological classification of land (ECL) is one way by which these relationships can be made. Until regional issues emerged and calls were made for ecosystem management (EM), each land management institution chose its own ECLs. The need for economic efficiency and the increasing availability of geographic information systems (GIS) compel the creation of a national ECL so that communication across ownership boundaries can occur. ECOMAP, an 8-level, top-down, nested, hierarchical, multivariable approach designed to solve this problem has been endorsed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee. While the coarsest, upper 4 levels of ECOMAP have been produced for the entire U.S., the task of completing the 4 finer-grained levels has been left to local practitioners. We tried to apply the suggestions of ECOMAP for completing an ECL for a 4.5-million-hectare area centered in western Utah. Due to the lack of complete and consistent sets of spatial databases suggested as necessary by ECOMAP for completing the ECL for this area, we developed alternatives to complete the ECL using extant information. We stressed 1 dominant landscape feature per hierarchical level, using repeatable protocols to identify landscape units. We added 2 additional levels below the 8 suggested by ECOMAP. Ecological sites (ESs), the 9th level, are designed to overcome the nestedness of ECOMAP that we found prevented us from using important data on ESs already available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Vegetation stands (VSs), the 10th and finest-grain level, are subdivisions of individual polygons of ESs based on differences in disturbance histories that have led to differing current vegetation structure and composition. The ECL we created should help federal, state, and private land managers in western Utah more easily communicate about issues that cross ownership boundaries.     

On the Distribution of Utah's Hanging Gardens

This is a summary monograph of the hanging gardens as they occur in the Colorado River and Virgin River portion of the Colorado Plateau in Utah. Discussed in this paper are the hanging gardens, their geography, geomorphology, aspects of distribution and diversity, and principal vascular and algal plant species. Animal trapping studies and pland productivity aspects are reviewed.     

Effects of exotic species on Yellowstone's grizzly bears

Humans have affected grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) by direct mortality, competition for space and resources, and introduction of exotic species. Exotic organisms that have affected grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Area include common dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ), nonnative clovers ( Trifolium spp.), domesticated livestock, bovine brucellosis ( Brucella abortus ), lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ), and white pine blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola ). Some bears consume substantial amounts of dandelion and clover. However, these exotic foods provide little digested energy compared to higher-quality bear foods. Domestic livestock are of greater energetic value, but use of this food by bears often leads to conflicts with humans and subsequent increases in bear mortality. Lake trout, blister rust, and brucellosis diminish grizzly bears foods. Lake trout prey on native cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii ) in Yellowstone Lake; white pine blister rust has the potential to destroy native whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis ) stands; and management response to bovine brucellosis, a disease found in the Yellowstone bison ( Bison bison ) and elk ( Cervus elaphus ), could reduce populations of these 2 species. Exotic species will likely cause more harm than good for Yellowstone grizzly bears. Managers have few options to mitigate or contain the impacts of exotics on Yellowstones grizzly bears. Moreover, their potential negative impacts have only begun to unfold. Exotic species may lead to the loss of substantial highquality grizzly bear foods, including much of the bison, trout, and pine seeds that Yellowstone grizzly bears currently depend upon.     

The identity of Bocourt's lizard Eumeces capito 1879

Eumeces capito Boucourt, 1879, is a senior synonym of Eumeces xanthi Günther, 1889. No exception to application of the Law of Priority is recommended in this case. The type locality of E. capito as originally published (“La côte oriental des Etats - Unis”) is erroneous. Undoubtedly the correct locality is China, but it is not restricted at present.         

Clark's Nutcrackers harvest sugar pine seeds from cones

This is the first report of Clark’s Nutcrackers ( Nucifraga columbiana ) harvesting seeds from the cones of sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana ), based on observations over several years in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The harvesting period in late September corresponded to peak cone-opening dates. Nutcrackers placed harvested seeds in their throat pouches, a behavior associated with seed caching.     

Selecting wilderness areas to conserve Utah's biological diversity

Congress is currently evaluating the wilderness status of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands in Utah. Wilderness areas play many important roles, and one critical role is the conservation of biological diversity. We propose that objectives for conserving biodiversity on BLM lands in Utah be to (1) ensure the long-term population viability of native animal and plant species, (2) maintain the critical ecological and evolutionary processes upon which these species depend, and (3) preserve the full range of communities, successional stages, and environmental gradients. To achieve these objectives, wilderness areas should be selected so as to protect large, contiguous areas, augment existing protected areas, buffer wilderness areas with multiple-use public lands, interconnect existing protected areas with dispersal and movement corridors, conserve entire watersheds and elevational gradients, protect native communities from invasions of exotic species, protect sites of maximum species diversity, protect sites with rare endemic species, and protect habitats of threatened and endangered species. We use a few comparatively well-studied taxa as examples to highlight the importance of particular BLM lands.     

Ground nesting and aggressive behavior by the Swainson's Hawk ( Buteo swainsoni )

A successful ground nesting by Swainson’s Hawks, Buteo swainsoni, is reported for central Utah. Unusual aggressive nest defense behavior is described for this ground nesting pair.     

Planting depth of 'Hobble Creek' mountain big sagebrush seed

We conducted a greenhouse study in which 'Hobble Creek' mountain big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana ) seeds were planted at various depths in soil to determine the optimal planting depth. Results showed that the optimal planting depth is 5 mm or less.     

Role of post-Pleistocene dispersal in determining the modern distribution of Abert's squirrel

Abert's squirrel is a forest-dwelling mammal, dependent upon ponderosa pine, that now ranges from southern Wyoming to northern Mexico. During the late Pleistocene, ponderosa pine and this squirrel occurred no further north than central Arizona and New Mexico. In consequence, the present range of the squirrel north of the 36thparallel must have been the result of post-Pleistocene (Holocene) dispersal. If such dispersal took place after the fragmentation of the northern montane conifer forest, at least some leakage across barriers of unsuitable (non-ponderosa pine) habitat must have occurred. Dispersal following transplanting "experiments" has shown that such barriers can be crossed; other evidence is provided that suggests this may occur sufficiently often to produce significant changes in distribution within short periods of time. Thus, explanations for the distribution of Abert's squirrel, based only on historical legacy and local extinctions, are found to be insufficient. An alternative explanation is proposed in which post-Pleistocene dispersal also plays an important role.     

Increased willow heights along northern Yellowstone's Blacktail Deer Creek following wolf reintroduction

Gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995–1996. In August 2004 we measured plant architecture of Geyer willow ( Salix geyeriana ) stems along three 100-m reaches of Blacktail Deer Creek in Yellowstone's northern elk ( Cervus elaphus ) winter range to evaluate changes in patterns of browsing and height growth following wolf reintroduction. Average browsing intensities ( n = 3 stream reaches) of 100% in 1997 decreased to 0%–55% by 2003, whereas average stem heights of 25–74 cm in 1997 increased to 149–268 cm by 2003, indicating that willow height growth was inversely related to browsing intensity. In addition, average willow canopy cover over the streams increased from < 5% in 1997 to 14%–73% in 2004. These findings were consistent with a hypothesis that increased willow heights following the 1995–1996 wolf reintroduction represent a trophic cascade involving wolves, elk, and deciduous woody vegetation.     

Least Bell's Vireo breeding records in the Central Valley following decades of extirpation

The Least Bell&rsquo;s Vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus ) was listed as state endangered in 1980 and federally endangered in 1986 in response to a sharp population decline and range reduction. This vireo commonly bred in riparian forests throughout the Central Valley of California, but prior to 2005, no nesting pairs had been confirmed in the region in over 50 years. On 29 June 2005, a Least Bell&rsquo;s Vireo nest was located in a 3-year-old riparian restoration site at the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge in Stanislaus County, California. In 2006, a Least Bell&rsquo;s Vireo pair returned to the refuge to successfully breed, followed by an unsuccessful attempt in 2007 by an unpaired female. These records are approximately 350 km from the nearest known breeding population and appear to be part of a growing number of sightings outside of the species&rsquo; current southern California breeding range. These nesting attempts lend credence to the idea that extirpated species can recolonize restored habitat by long-distance dispersal.     

Summer food habits of coyotes in Idaho's River of No Return Wilderness Area

Summer food habits of coyotes ( Canis latrans )in the River of No Return Wilderness Area, Idaho, were determined. Analysis of 51 scats (fecal samples) revealed that Columbian ground squirrels ( Spermophilus columbianus ), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ), and deer mice ( Peromyscus manniculatus ) exhibited the greatest frequency of occurrence for identified food items, being detected in 57%, 27%, and 16%, respectively, of scats examined.