Iowa Staff Member
Dr. Rolf Koford
Assistant Unit Leader
Phone: (515) 294 - 3057
Email: rkoford@iastate.edu
Education
- Ph D University of California, Berkeley 1979
- BS University of California, Davis 1970
Biography
Assistant Leader, Wildlife B.S. California-Davis, 1970 Ph.D., California-Berkeley, 1979 I came to Iowa in 1995, having spent 7 winters in North Dakota at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. There I gained an understanding of waterfowl biology and the importance of the Prairie Pothole Region. Before my federal employment, I worked on basic ecology and behavior of birds and small mammals.. Focus: Population Ecology, Grassland Birds, Waterfowl Ecology Rolf's research has focused on developing information needed by managers seeking to provide high-quality habitat for diverse bird communities in Iowa and nearby midwestern states. Birds that breed in grasslands are of particular interest because some are harvested and others are in trouble. His research program built on his earlier examination of the effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on bird densities and nest success. In many parts of the Midwest, this program has doubled the amount of grass/forb cover in landscapes dominated by agriculture. As this cover ages, its plant-species composition can be expected to change. Compositional and structural changes will vary with the kinds of grasses planted (cool-season vs. warm-season), soils, topography, and other factors. Additional cover in agricultural landscapes is provided by tracts of public and private land managed to benefit wildlife. Some of these tracts are reclaimed cropland and some are remnants of prairie. The variety of grassland habitats availa...
| Research Publications | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Vogel, J., R. Koford, and D. Otis. 2011. Assessing the role of conspecific attraction in habitat restoration for Henslow’s sparrows in Iowa. Prairie Naturalist 43:23-28. | June 2011 |
| Vogel, J. A., R. R. Koford, and D. M. Debinski. 2010. Direct and indirect responses of tallgrass prairie butterflies to prescribed burning. Journal of Insect Conservation 14:663-677. | Publisher Website | May 2010 |
| Vogel, J. A., D. M. Debinski , R. R. Koford, and J. R. Miller. 2007. Butterfly responses to prairie restoration through fire and grazing. Biological Conservation 140:78-90 | October 2007 |
| Ribic, C. A., R. R. Koford, J. R. Herkert, D. H. Johnson, N. D. Niemuth, D. Naugle, K. K. Bakker, D.W. Sample, and R.B. Renfrew. 2009. Area sensitivity in North American grassland birds: patterns and processes. The Auk 126: 233-244. | April 2009 |
| Phillips, M. L., W. R. Clark, M. A. Sovada, D. J. Horn, and R. R. Koford. 2003. Predator selection of prairie landscape features and its relation to duck nest success. Journal of Wildlife Management 67:104-114 | April 2003 |
| Koford, R.R., G. Dodici, G. Zenner, J.A. Vogel, B.Ness, R.W. Klaver. 2016. Influence of patch shape on mallard nest survival in northern Iowa. Wildlife Society Bulletin | Abstract | Download | December 2016 |
| Koford, R. R., and J. A. Fitzgerald. 2005. Measuring the success of bird conservation plan implementation. Proceedings of the Asilomar Partners in Flight Conference, 2002. Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191 | October 2005 |
| Koford, R. R., and H. Stallman. 2002. Habitat conservation for birds in the Mississippi Headwaters/Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem. Great Plains Research 12:123-139 | May 2002 |
| Koford, R. R., B. S. Bowen, J. T. Lokemoen, and A. D. Kruse. 2000. Cowbird parasitism in grassland and cropland in the northern Great Plains. Pp. 229-235 in J. N. M. Smith, T. Cook, S. I. Rothstein, S. K. Robinson, and S. G. Sealy (eds. ) Ecology and management of cowbirds and their hosts. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. | February 2000 |
| Johnson, D.H., S. K. Davis, and R. R. Koford. Conservation planning for prairie waterfowl: what are we doing for grassland birds? Pp. 2-8 in D. Williams, B. Butler, and D. Smith, eds. Restoring a National Treasure. Proceedings of the Twenty-Second North American Prairie Conference; 2010 August 1-5; Cedar Falls, IA. University of Northern Iowa. | March 2012 |
| Jain, A., R. Koford, A. Hancock, and G. Zenner. 2011. Bat mortality and activity at a northern Iowa wind resource area. American Midland Naturalist 165:185-200. | January 2011 |
| Jacobs, R. B., F. R. Thompson, III, R. R. Koford, F. A. La Sorte, H. Woodward, and J. A. Fitzgerald. 2012. Habitat and landscape effects on grassland birds in Missouri. Journal of Wildlife Management 76:372-381 | January 2012 |
| Jacobs, B., R. R. Koford, F. R. Thompson, III, H. Woodward, M. Hubbard, J. A. Fitzgerald, and J. R. Herkert. 2005. The grassland bird conservation efforts in Missouri and Iowa: how will we measure success? Proceedings of the Asilomar Partners in Flight Conference, 2002. Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. | July 2005 |
| Hovick, T. J., J. R. Miller, R. R. Koford, D. M. Engle, and D. M. Debinski. 2011. Postfledging survival of grasshopper sparrows in grasslands managed with fire and grazing. Condor 113:429-437 | May 2011 |
| Horn, D. J., and R. R. Koford. 2006. Landscape Composition Influences Relationship Between Abundance of Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Field Size. Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conference 19:109-116 | July 2006 |
| Horn, D. J., and R. R. Koford. 2002. Effects of field size and landscape composition on grassland birds in south-central Iowa. J. Iowa Acad. Sci. 109:1-7 | September 2001 |
| Horn, D. J., and R. R. Koford. 2000. Relation of grassland bird abundance to mowing of Conservation Reserve Program fields in North Dakota. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 28:653-659. | October 2000 |
| Horn, D. J., R. J. Fletcher, Jr., and R. R. Koford. 2000. Detecting area-sensitivity: a comment on previous studies. American Midland Naturalist 144:28-35. | July 2000 |
| Horn, D. J., M. L. Phillips, R. R. Koford, W. R. Clark, M. A. Sovada, and R. J. Greenwood. 2005. Landscape composition, patch size, and distance to edges: interactions affecting duck reproductive success. Ecological Applications 15:1367-1376. | August 2005 |
| Herkert, J. R., D. L. Reinking, D. A. Wiedenfeld, M. Winter, J. L. Zimmerman, W. E. Jensen, E. J. Finck, R. R. Koford, D. H. Wolfe, S. K. Sherrod, M. A. Jenkins, J. Faaborg, and S. K. Robinson. 2003. Effects of prairie fragmentation on the nest success of breeding birds in the midcontinental United States. Conservation Biology 17:587-594 | April 2003 |
| Fletcher, R., and R. R. Koford. 2003. Changes in bird populations with habitat restoration in northern Iowa. American Midland Naturalist 150:83-94 | June 2003 |
| Fletcher, R. J., and R. R. Koford. 2003. Spatial responses of an area-sensitive songbird near different types of edges. Auk120:799-810. | July 2003 |
| Fletcher, R. J., Jr., and R. R. Koford. 2004. Consequences of rainfall variation for breeding wetland blackbirds. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82:1316-1325 | November 2004 |
| Fletcher, R. J., Jr., and R. R. Koford. 2002. Habitat and landscape associations of breeding birds in native and restored grasslands. Journal of Wildlife Management 66:1011-1022 | November 2002 |
| Fletcher, R. J., Jr., R. R. Koford, and D. A. Seaman. 2006. Critical demographic parameters for declining songbirds breeding in restored grasslands. J. Wildlife Management 70:145-157. | January 2006 |
| Cordts, S., G. Zenner, and R. Koford. 2002. Comparison of helicopter and ground counts for waterfowl in Iowa. Wildlife Society Bulletin 30:317-326 | September 2002 |
| Arnett, E. B., W. K. Brown, W. P. Erickson, J. K. Fiedler, B. L. Hamilton, T. H. Henry, A. Jain, G. D. Johnson, J. Kerns, R. R. Koford, C. P. Nicholson, T. J. O'Connell, M. Piorkowski, and R. D. Tankersley, Jr. 2008. Patterns of bat fatalities at wind energy facilities in North America. J. Wildl. Manage. 72:61-78. | January 2008 |
| Technical Publications | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Koford, R.R., and D. L. Otis. 2008. Bird response to enhanced vegetation diversity in the Spring Run Complex. Progress Report, SWG project, to Iowa DNR. | July 2008 |
| Koford, R.R. 2010. Assessing the Role of Conspecific Attraction in Habitat Restoration for Henslow’s Sparrows in Iowa. Final Report. | June 2010 |
| Koford, R. R., and W. R. Clark. 2000. Abundance and nest success of grassland birds in relation to landscape features and predator movements. Prepared by the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as a progress Report to USGS Biological Resources Division, Reston, Virginia. | January 2000 |
| Koford, R. R., and S. D. Cordts. 1999. Assessment of waterfowl productivity and abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region of northern Iowa. Prepared by the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as a final Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3, Fort Snelling, Minnesota; and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. | January 2000 |
| Koford, R. R., and D. L. Otis. 2010. Bird Response to Enhanced Vegetation Diversity in the Spring Run Complex | September 2010 |
| Koford, R. R., and D. L. Otis. 2009. Bird Response to Enhanced Vegetation Diversity in the Spring Run Complex | July 2009 |
| Koford, R. R. 2009. Potential and realized habitat for area-sensitive bird species on State Preserves | June 2009 |
| Koford, R. R. 2000. Effect of habitat restoration on grassland birds in the southern part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Prepared by the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as a progress Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3, Fort Snelling, Minnesota; and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. | January 2000 |
| Koford, R. 2002. Effect of habitat restoration on grassland birds in the southern part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Progress Report, Research Work Order 50, Submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wildlife Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources. | March 2002 |
| Koford, R. 2001. Effect of habitat restoration on grassland birds in the southern part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Progress Report, Research Work Order 50, Submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wildlife Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources. | March 2001 |
| Koford, R. 2001. Bird Survey of the Kellerton Bird Conservation Area. Report submitted to the Wildlife Bureau and Wildlife Diversity Program, Iowa Department of Natural Resources. | March 2001 |
| Debinski, D., R. Koford, and J. Miller. 2007. Effects of Prairie Restoration Using Fire and Grazing Regimes on the Butterfly Community of Iowa?s Loess Hills | July 2007 |
| Role and Organization | Individual | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wildlife Society - President, Iowa Chapter | Koford | October 2004 | October 2006 |
| The Wildlife Society - Member | Koford | January 1988 | Present |
| The Wildlife Society - Chair, Wildlife Program Committee, North Central Section | Koford | January 2001 | December 2001 |
| Society for Ecological Restoration - Member | Koford | August 1999 | Present |
| Society for Conservation Biology - Member | Koford | May 1987 | Present |
| Sigma Xi - Member | Koford | January 1980 | Present |
| Ecological Society of America - Member | Koford | January 1981 | Present |
| Cooper Ornithological Society - Member | Koford | January 1980 | Present |
| Cooper Ornithological Society - Chair, Student Travel Award Committee | Koford | January 2008 | Present |
| Animal Behavior Society - Member | Koford | August 1984 | Present |
| American Society of Mammalogists - Member | Koford | January 1976 | Present |
| American Ornithologists' Union - Member | Koford | August 1984 | Present |