Proceedings of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium
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Proceedings of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium Held Tuesday October 1st, 2013 at The Weston Family Tall Grass Prairie Interpretive Centre, Stuartburn, Manitoba Sugested Citation: Pearn, Melissa & Cary Hamel (Editors). 2014. Proceedings of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium. Nature Conservancy of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 49 pages. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................ 3 MAP OF MANITOBA TALL GRASS PRAIRIE PRESERVE PARTNER LANDS .............................................................................. 4 AGENDA........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 PARTICIPANT RESEARCH SUMMARIES .............................................................................................................................. 7 Prairie Plants and Pollinators 1. Sarah Jericho Semmler ............................................................................................................................................. 7 The Nectar Sources and Flower Preferences of the Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) in Manitoba .......... 7 2. Sarah Jericho Semmler ............................................................................................................................................. 9 The Short Term Effects of Fire and Climate on Plant-Insect Interactions in Canada’s Tall Grass Prairie ...................... 9 3. Cary Hamel..............................................................................................................................................................11 Unravelling the Mystery of the Range-wide Decline of Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) ....11 4. Diana Bizecki Robson...............................................................................................................................................13 Pollination Ecology of Rare and Common Tall-grass Prairie Plants ...........................................................................13 5. Melissa Pearn ..........................................................................................................................................................15 Pollination and Comparative Reproductive Success of Lady’s Slipper Orchids Cypripedium candidum, C. parviflorum, and Their Hybrids in Southern Manitoba .................................................................................................................15 6. Christie Borkowsky ..................................................................................................................................................17 Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera praeclara) Pollination and Nectar Production .....................................17 Prairie Ecology and Restoration 7. Stephen Gietz ..........................................................................................................................................................18 Native Prairie Evaluation in the Tall Grass Prairie Natural Area ................................................................................18 8. John Markham and Ryan Sheffield...........................................................................................................................19 Hydrological Niches in Tall Grass Prairie Plant Communities ....................................................................................19 9. Chris Hay and Julie Sveinson Pelc.............................................................................................................................21 Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Treatments in Southeastern Manitoba, Canada ..21 10. David Toop ............................................................................................................................................................23 Hydrogeological Influences on Cypripediums Habitat in Manitoba ..........................................................................23 11. Cary Hamel ............................................................................................................................................................25 Near-surface groundwater monitoring (in advance of hydrological restoration) ......................................................25 1 Proceedings of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium Land Management 12. Cary Hamel ............................................................................................................................................................27 Habitat Conservation & Restoration in Light of a Changing Climate: Adapting Conservation Strategies for the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve .......................................................................................................................27 13. Laura Reeves .........................................................................................................................................................29 A comparison of once-over, twice-over and no grazing on vegetation cover, biomass, and species composition. ....29 14. Russell Reisz ..........................................................................................................................................................30 Prairie Management through Conservation Grazing, Controlled Burns and Invasive Species Control .......................30 15. Julie Sveinson Pelc .................................................................................................................................................32 Characterization of Wildfire Event in the Tall Grass Prairie Region of Manitoba .......................................................32 16. Lionel Leston .........................................................................................................................................................34 Transmission Lines as Tall-grass Prairie Habitats: Local Mowing, Spraying, and Surrounding Urbanization as Determinants of Wildlife Richness and Abundance ..................................................................................................34 17. Julie Sveinson Pelc .................................................................................................................................................36 Tall Grass Prairie Roadside Invasive Species Survey .................................................................................................36 Monitoring and Data Management 18. Dr. Robert E. Wrigley .............................................................................................................................................38 Mammal and Arthropod Studies at the Tall-grass Prairie Preserve ...........................................................................38 19. Robert E. Jones and Christie Borkowsky.................................................................................................................43 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) at the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.......................................43 20. Ron Bazin ..............................................................................................................................................................44 Least Bittern Surveys in Southern Manitoba in Support of Recovery Planning and Critical Habitat Identification .....44 21. Stephen Gietz ........................................................................................................................................................45 GIS Datasets Available to Researchers .....................................................................................................................45 22. Chris Friesen and Colin Murray ..............................................................................................................................46 The Conservation Data Centre’s Work Flow: Species-at-Risk Surveys to Developing Conservation Oriented Information Products ..............................................................................................................................................46 RESOURCES .....................................................................................................................................................................47 Local Amenities ...........................................................................................................................................................47 Key Manitoba Research Questions ..............................................................................................................................49 2 Proceedings of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium INTRODUCTION The main goals of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Research Symposium were to bring together Preserve researchers and conservation practitioners to share their work with one another, and to provide a forum for an open discussion and exchange of knowledge, information, and ideas. The round table format of the symposium gave participants the opportunity to speak briefly about their current and recent projects and observations, interact with one other in an open environment, and compare and contrast their understandings of the Preserve ecosystem