Nebraska Project
Understanding landscape constraints on local management decisions
January 2010 - December 2013
Personnel
Participating Agencies
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Throughout the Great Plains the structure and function of grassland and farmland wildlife communities are increasingly threatened by urbanization and the intensification of agricultural production. Even in areas managed exclusively for wildlife, responses to habitat enhancement is often less than predicted and less than desired by managers and the public. Given the incredible costs of wildlife enhancement projects, understanding why populations and communities fail to respond to apparently suitable habitat improvements is imperative to not only sustaining wildlife populations, but ensuring public support for wildlife programs. Traditionally, assessment of wildlife population responses to habitat improvements are focused on local habitat attributes; however, as habitats are increasingly isolated it is becoming obvious that factors beyond local vegetation and resource distribution may play a role in where species are located or the productivity of local populations. We are working to examine how the availability of suitable habitat across a landscape constrains or facilitates local population responses to grassland bird habitat enhancement programs. To this end we are developing models that relate the distribution and abundance of grassland birds to the availability and suitability of habitats across various spatial scales. By understanding how multi-scalar landscape parameters influence local populations we can betters understand how to successfully manage species and appropriate research, monitoring and management efforts. This research will assist managers and conservation professionals within federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations concerned with the management of grassland communities and protecting grassland bird species.
Research Publications | Publication Date |
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Jorgensen, C.F., R.J. Stutzman, L. Anderson, S. Decker, L.A. Powell, and J.J. Fontaine. 2013. Choosing a DIVA: a comparison of emerging digital imagery vegetation analysis techniques. Applied Vegetation Science 16:552-560. Doi: 10.1111/avsc.12037 | Download | December 2013 |
Jorgensen, C.F., L.A. Powell, J.J. Lusk, A.A. Bishop and J.J. Fontaine. 2014. Assessing landscape constraints on species abundance: Does the neighborhood limit species response to local habitat conservation programs? Plos One 9:e99339. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099339 | Abstract | May 2014 |
Presentations | Presentation Date |
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Jorgensen, C.F., L.A. Powell and J.J. Fontaine. 2011. From patches to landscapes: how spatial scale constrains avian responses to grassland management. Special symposium on grassland bird management. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Des Moines, IA | December 2011 |
Jorgensen, C.F., and J.J. Fontaine. 2011. Assessing Landscape and Vegetative Composition at Multiple Scales: What Drives Avian Abundance and Distribution in a Grassland Ecosystem? Cooper Society and Association of Field Ornithologists Joint Meeting, Kearney, NE. | March 2011 |
Jorgensen, C.F., and J.J. Fontaine. 2010. Assessing Landscape and Vegetative Composition at Multiple Scales: What Drives Avian Abundance and Distribution in a Grassland Ecosystem? Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Minneapolis, MN. | December 2010 |
Jorgensen, C.F., J. Holt, and J.J. Fontaine. 2013. Ring-necked pheasants in the Rainwater Basin: The past, present, and future prospects. Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Informational Seminar. Hastings, NE. | February 2013 |
Jorgensen, C.F., L.A. Powell and J.J. Fontaine. 2011. From patches to landscapes: how spatial scale constrains avian responses to grassland management. Special symposium on grassland bird management. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Des Moines, IA | December 2011 |
Jorgensen, C.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2013. If you build it will they come?: Managing pheasants in tomorrow's landscapes. Pheasants Forever State Habitat Meeting. Kearney, NE. | February 2013 |
Jorgensen, C.J., L.A. Powell, and J.J. Fontaine 2012. If you build it will they come?: Managing grassland bird populations in tomorrow’s landscapes. North American Ornithological Conference, Vancouver, Canada | August 2012 |
Theses and Dissertations | Publication Date |
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Jorgensen, C.F. 2012. Assessing Local and Landscape Constraints on Habitat Management for Grassland and Upland Birds.M.S. Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln | December 2012 |