Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Wisconsin Wildlife
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Grassland ecosystems originally dominated central North America, but now, prairies in general, and tall-grass prairies in particular, are one of the most extensively human-altered ecosystems and one of the most vulnerable to changing climate. Grassland bird conservation focuses on habitat restoration, but there is little understanding of how effects of changing climate on grassland birds might be mitigated by management actions. Understanding if habitat microclimates might help nesting grassland birds avoid some of the impacts from events such as drought and heat waves will help inform the development of new habitat management strategies for grassland birds. This project is a collaboration across multiple organizations and includes the USGS Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, US Fish and Wildlife Service, non-governmental organizations, and State natural resource managers in Wisconsin. A report documenting the importance of habitat microclimates for grassland bird productivity will be developed to inform natural resource managers in Wisconsin.