DOCSLIB.ORG

Scale Landscape Conservation Design for Temperate Grasslands

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Scale Landscape Conservation Design for Temperate Grasslands R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E ABSTRACT: In support of natural resource agencies in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, we report on a series of component analyses and an updated Landscape Conservation Design for temperate • grassland conservation. We targeted 12 major grassland ecosystem types that occur across the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert regions. Component analyses included (1) documenting long-term trends in extent by grassland type, (2) identifying species of concern associated with the major grassland types, Continent- (3) documenting current protected areas including each grassland type, (4) assessing landscape intactness and connectivity among grassland areas, and (5) identifying Grassland Potential Conservation Areas Scale Landscape (GPCAs) to advance grassland conservation. Most severe declines in grassland extent have occurred in tallgrass prairie types, followed by mixed-grass, shortgrass, and semi-desert grasslands. Similar trends Conservation by type were documented for landscape intactness and connectivity. Some 174 species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants considered by NatureServe as critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable are Design for strongly associated with these grassland types, and 103 are listed under protective legislation in one or more countries. Just 1.2% of historic extent for all types combined is currently found within designated Temperate protected areas. A total of 177 GPCAs were identified to represent grassland type diversity in areas least likely to conflict with other land uses. Within identified GPCAs, type-specific representation varied from Grasslands of the a low of just 1% of historic extent for Texas Blackland Tallgrass Prairie to a high of 27% for Western Great Plains and Great Plains Sand Prairie. Combined across all 12 grassland types, 15% of historic extent is represented. Chihuahuan Desert Index terms: Aichi Target 11, conservation land investments, Landscape Conservation Design, long-term trends in extent, temperate grassland types Patrick J. Comer1,5 INTRODUCTION the Great Plains to Mexico’s Chihuahuan 1Ecology Department Desert grasslands have declined by almost NatureServe Due to land use intensification (Hoekstra 70% since 1970. Among the diverse her- 1680 38th Street Suite 120 et al. 2005) and projected impacts of cli- bivores of the grasslands, the black-tailed Boulder, CO 80301 mate change (Sala et al. 2000), temperate prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus Ord), grasslands are considered among the most often considered a “keystone” species in Jon C. Hak1 threatened biomes worldwide. North Amer- these grasslands, has experienced dramatic 2 Kelly Kindscher ican prairies and desert grasslands have population decline due to multiple factors Esteban Muldavin3 sustained extensive loss to land conversion including use of poison, habitat conversion, and degradation since the 1800s due to and sylvatic plague, and was recently con- Jason Singhurst4 agricultural conversion, overgrazing, and sidered for listing under the Endangered infrastructure development (Buffington and Species Act (Hoogland 2013). 2Kansas Biological Survey Herbel 1965). Those grasslands, extending University of Kansas from the Canadian prairie provinces of Regional patterns in climate (from cool and 2101 Constant Avenue Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, moist to hot and dry) and soils explain much Lawrence, KS 66047 south across the US Great Plains and of the natural variation in major temperate through the Chihuahuan Desert of Northern grassland types. Tallgrass prairies occur 3Natural Heritage New Mexico Mexico, have experienced similar declines in a north–south belt from Manitoba to Biology Department to others found worldwide. Significant east Texas. Mixed-grass prairies dominate MSC03 2020 1 University of New portions of the vast trinational area (3M the Canadian prairies, extending south Mexico km2) are considered a “breadbasket of the throughout the central Great Plains to Albuquerque, NM 87131 world” with some of the most productive central Texas. Both shortgrass and sand and intensively cultivated croplands and prairies, occurring on loamy and sandy 4Texas Parks and Wildlife Department pasture lands (Gauthier et al. 2003). soils, respectively, predominate the west- 4200 Smith School Road ern and southern Great Plains. Finally, Austin, TX 78744 Wildlife has paid a steep price for this semi-desert grasslands occur throughout agricultural output. Grassland birds have the Chihuahuan Desert in southern Arizona, seen sharp declines with increasingly frag- New Mexico, and west Texas, and extend • mented and converted habitat (With et al. south and east to San Luis Potosí and 2008; Hill et al. 2014), as have many other Nuevo León, Mexico (Figure 1). 5 Corresponding author: grassland-dependent plants and animals. [email protected]; (703) 797- For example, the grassland avian commu- Patterns in habitat loss vary among grass- 4802 nity is among the highest conservation con- lands and are also related to climate and Natural Areas Journal 38:196–211 cern due to rapidly declining populations soils, which influence agricultural poten- (NABCI 2016). Species that migrate from tial. By combining agricultural potential 196 Natural Areas Journal Volume 38 (2), 2018 Figure 1. Approximate historical extent of 12 major temperate grassland types. Volume 38 (2), 2018 Natural Areas Journal 197 with distribution of infrastructure and intact habitat, establishing redundancy Gap Analysis Program (https://gapanalysis. access to markets, one can identify major where needed, ensuring fine-scale and usgs.gov/gaplandcover/; see type descrip- trends of grassland conversion over the past broad-scale connectivity for species and tions at http://explorer.natureserve.org/). century. More recent trends in agricultural processes, providing refugia for species Recent investments in continental-scale intensification of the Chihuahuan Desert from rapid landscape change, and restoring mapping have identified 12 major grassland (Pool et al. 2014), biofuel production targeted habitats and species. The project types across this trinational area. (Wright and Wimberly 2013), and energy was designed to demonstrate the capacity development (Pruitt et al. 2009; Fargione of available data and analytical tools and Within the United States, LANDFIRE has et al. 2012) have introduced pockets of approaches to identify priority conservation produced map products for “biophysical rapid change across the region (Drummond areas to focus individual decisions and setting” of major upland ecological system et al. 2012). conservation investments by agencies, and type—effectively an estimate of potential/ potential coordinated efforts. Below we historical location and extent—using in- Prevailing patterns of land ownership shape report on a series of component analyses ductive modeling that utilizes field-based conservation priorities and actions in these leading to an updated Landscape Conser- observations of each type and correlates temperate grasslands. Privately held lands vation Design (LCD) identifying Grassland these with mapped information on cli- prevail throughout the Canadian and US Potential Conservation Areas (GPCAs) as mate, landform, and soil (Rollins 2009). prairies, while communal land ownership focal areas for conservation action. NatureServe then applied the same meth- is more frequently encountered in Mexico. ods with data extending across temperate Private ownership predominates where Component analyses included: Canada and south across Mexico (Comer agricultural productivity remains high, and (a) documenting long-term trends in extent et al. unpub. data) to provide a complete so historic triggers for concentrated public of 12 major temperate grassland types; distribution for each major grassland type ownership (e.g., tax-reversion of lands (b) identifying species of concern associ- at spatial resolutions of approximately 5-ha during the Great Depression) were limited ated with the major grassland types; minimum map unit. Using these estimates to shortgrass prairie and desert grasslands (c) documenting current protected areas of historical extent, the 12 most extensive (Gauthier et al. 2003; Samson et al. 2004). including each grassland type; grassland types were identified and served Given these ownership patterns, conserva- (d) assessing landscape intactness and as the focus for this analysis. Figure 1 tion largely takes place on lands controlled connectivity among grassland areas; and depicts predicted historical extent of each by private individuals, corporations, or (e) complete landscape conservation of the 12 major temperate grassland types. communal land stewards. Consequently, a design to identify GPCAs to advance These grassland types range in estimated mix of public land acquisition, government grassland resiliency. historical extent from a high of nearly subsidies for private conservation action, 630,000 km2 for Northwest Great Plains conservation easements, and multi-stake- Brief summaries of methods and results are Mixed-grass Prairie, occurring from Ne- holder partnerships (Gauthier et al. 2003; provided with each component analysis. braska north across southeastern Alberta, to Drum et al. 2015) may be important for a low of 8100 km2 for Chihuahuan Sandy addressing pervasive and critical threats to Plains Semi-Desert Grassland occurring in these grasslands, and to achieving desired TRENDS IN EXTENT OF MAJOR cross border region of Texas, New Mexico, conservation outcomes. GRASSLAND TYPES and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Historic Illinois and Percentage of Prairie
    Historic Illinois and Percentage of Prairie The tall grass prairie is found in the easternmost third of the Great Plains. It receives the most rainfall, averaging 30-40 inches a year. The tallgrass prairie is predominantly made up of Indian grass, switchgrass, and especially big blues stem, which can grow up to 12 feet high and a half an inch a day. The tallgrass prairie is the most lush , with much taller and denser grasses than the western prairie. An acre of intact tallgrass hosts somewhere between 200 and 400 species of native plants—3 out of 4 of them wildflowers. Each week from April to September, about a dozen new kinds of flowers come into bloom. An acre of good tallgrass may have 5 to 10 acres of leaf surfaces and produce 5000 pounds of forage a year. Grazing cattle typically gain 2-3 pounds a day on these grasslands. Today, what was the tallgrass prairie is now the ‘cornbelt’. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/percentprairie.gif Illinois Symbols The land that became the state of Illinois was covered by prairie grasses. Big Bluestem may have been the most widespread and abundant grass throughout the true prairie. Big Bluestem grows in such tall and dense stands that it often prevents other grasses from growing around it by shading them out. In the past this resulted in large areas of almost pure big bluestem in the prairies. Big bluestem grows to the height of between three and twelve feet (one to three meters). It has tall slender stems. The grass is green throughout most much of the summer ; the stem turns to blue-purple as it matures; thus the name bluestem.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Mixedgrass Prairie Ecological System (Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion Version)
    CENTRAL MIXEDGRASS PRAIRIE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (CENTRAL SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE ECOREGION VERSION) ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT Draft of June 29, 2007 Prepared by: Karin Decker Colorado Natural Heritage Program Colorado State University 254 General Services Building Fort Collins, CO 80523 Table of Contents A. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 3 A.1 Classification Summary ........................................................................................... 3 A.2 Ecological System Description ................................................................................ 5 A.2.1 Environment....................................................................................................... 5 A.2.2 Vegetation & Ecosystem.................................................................................... 6 A.2.3 Dynamics ........................................................................................................... 8 A.2.4 Landscape......................................................................................................... 10 A.2.5 Size................................................................................................................... 11 A.3 Ecological Integrity................................................................................................ 12 A.3.1 Threats.............................................................................................................. 12 A.3.2 Justification of Metrics....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie Is Strongly Influenced by Wet-Dry Cycles
    Rapid Assessment Reference Condition Model The Rapid Assessment is a component of the LANDFIRE project. Reference condition models for the Rapid Assessment were created through a series of expert workshops and a peer-review process in 2004 and 2005. For more information, please visit www.landfire.gov. Please direct questions to [email protected]. Potential Natural Vegetation Group (PNVG) R4PRMGn Northern Mixed Grass Prairie General Information Contributors (additional contributors may be listed under "Model Evolution and Comments") Modelers Reviewers Cody Wienk [email protected] David Engle [email protected] Lakhdar Benkobi [email protected] John Ortmann [email protected] Vegetation Type General Model Sources Rapid AssessmentModel Zones Grassland Literature California Pacific Northwest Local Data Great Basin South Central Dominant Species* Expert Estimate Great Lakes Southeast Northeast S. Appalachians AGSM KOMA LANDFIRE Mapping Zones STIPA BUDA Northern Plains Southwest 30 39 N-Cent.Rockies BOUT 31 40 CAFI 33 Geographic Range Northeastern Montana, western North and South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska. Biophysical Site Description Elevations range from 1,300 to 4,000 feet. Temperatures range between extremes of hot summers and cold winters that are typical of a continental climate. Precipitation increases from west (12 in.) to east (24 in.). Two-thirds of the precipitation occurs during the growing season. Soils vary, but are generally aridicols in the west and mollisols in the east. Soils in the northern Great Plains, west of the Missouri River in the Dakotas, northwestern Nebraska, northeastern Wyoming and Montana are formed from sandstone and shales. These soils range from clayey, fine-loamy, to fine silty soils of mixed origin in level and hilly- undulating lands with major contributions from loess, eolian sand, alluvium, and mountain outwash.
    [Show full text]
  • COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN Southwestern Manitoba Mixed
    Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-grass Prairie IBA Page 1 of 1 COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN for the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-grass Prairie IMPORTANT BIRD AREA A Grassland Bird Initiative for Southwestern Manitoba's - • Poverty Plains • Lyleton-Pierson Prairies • Souris River Lowlands Prepared by: Cory Lindgren, Ken De Smet Manitoba IBA Program Species At Risk Biologist Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Conservation Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba R0E 2Z0 200 Saulteaux Crescent, Winnipeg R3J 3W3 Manitoba IBA Program 10/03/01 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-grass Prairie IBA Page 2 of 2 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 The Poverty Plains.......................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Souris River Lowlands ................................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Lyleton-Pierson Prairies ................................................................................................................ 9 2.0 THE IBA PROGRAM........................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 IBA Manitoba ...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Prairie Dog Empire: a Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters University of Nebraska Press 2005 Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie Paul A. Johnsgard University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Johnsgard, Paul A., "Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie" (2005). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 6. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Prairie Dog Empire 11 [First Page] 12 13 [-1], (1) 14 15 Lines: 0 to 22 16 17 ——— 18 * 388.16002pt PgVar ——— 19 Normal Page 20 * PgEnds: PageBreak 21 22 23 [-1], (1) 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Kim—UofNPress/Pagei//Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie / Paul A. Johnsgard 1 Other Titles by Paul A. Johnsgard 2 Published by the University of Nebraska Press 3 4 Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History 5 The Nature of Nebraska: Ecology and Biodiversity 6 This Fragile Land: A Natural History of the Nebraska Sandhills 7 Crane Music: A Natural History
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montana's Glaciated
    Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains Final Report Prepared for: Bureau of Land Management Prepared by: Stephen V. Cooper, Catherine Jean and Paul Hendricks December, 2001 Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains Final Report 2001 Montana Natural Heritage Program Montana State Library P.O. Box 201800 Helena, Montana 59620-1800 (406) 444-3009 BLM Agreement number 1422E930A960015 Task Order # 25 This document should be cited as: Cooper, S. V., C. Jean and P. Hendricks. 2001. Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains. Report to the Bureau of Land Management. Montana Natural Heritage Pro- gram, Helena. 24 pp. plus appendices. Executive Summary Throughout much of the Great Plains, grasslands limited number of Black-tailed Prairie Dog have been converted to agricultural production colonies that provide breeding sites for Burrow- and as a result, tall-grass prairie has been ing Owls. Swift Fox now reoccupies some reduced to mere fragments. While more intact, portions of the landscape following releases the loss of mid - and short- grass prairie has lead during the last decade in Canada. Great Plains to a significant reduction of prairie habitat Toad and Northern Leopard Frog, in decline important for grassland obligate species. During elsewhere, still occupy some wetlands and the last few decades, grassland nesting birds permanent streams. Additional surveys will have shown consistently steeper population likely reveal the presence of other vertebrate declines over a wider geographic area than any species, especially amphibians, reptiles, and other group of North American bird species small mammals, of conservation concern in (Knopf 1994), and this alarming trend has been Montana.
    [Show full text]
  • Literature Review- Quantity of Native Prairie Remaining in Saskatchewan, 2011
    Literature Review- Quantity of Native Prairie Remaining in Saskatchewan, 2011 For the Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Complied By: M-over-C Land & Cattle Co. Ltd. Julie MacKenzie P.Ag. Hazenmore, SK (306)264-3884 [email protected] 1 Lewis and Clark were the first to explore the Northern Great Plains and report on the vastness of grass, wildlife and diverse plant communities across the plains (Kirby, 2010). Since then, the Northern Great Plains (NGP) have changed drastically. Settlement, conversion to annual cropland and modern agriculture have all impacted the quantity of native prairie remaining. This literature review’s goal is to gauge the amount of native prairie currently remaining in Saskatchewan. It will also help to identify where knowledge gaps may exist. For the sake of this review, native prairie has been defined as native aquatic and terrestrial habitats within the Prairie Ecozone of Saskatchewan which includes four eco-regions: Aspen Parkland, Moist-Mixed Grassland, Mixed Grassland and Cypress Upland in line with the Saskatchewan PCAP’s definition and overall goals. Previous Estimates In 1994 the Southern Digital Land Cover (SDLC) Digital Data Files where compiled and deciphered by the PFRA (now AAFC-AESB). Many agencies and organizations have used this data and continue to use it today. From the SDLC Hammermister et al. (2001) estimated the amount of native prairie remaining in Saskatchewan at 21%. Hammermister et al.(2001) published this data, which now, 17 years later, is still the source used by many in the native prairie field (Nernberg and Ingstrup 2005, Askins et al. date unknown).
    [Show full text]
  • The Mounties and the Origins of Peace in the Canadian Prairies∗
    The Mounties and the Origins of Peace in the Canadian Prairies∗ Pascual Restrepo October 2015 Abstract Through a study of the settlement of the Canadian Prairies, I examine if differences in violence across regions reflect the historical ability of the state to centralize authority and monopolize violence. I compare settlements that in the late 1880s were located near Mountie- created forts with those that were not. Data from the 1911 Census reveal that settlements far from the Mounties’ reach had unusually high adult male death rates. Even a century later the violence in these communities continues. In 2014, communities located at least 100 kilometers from former Mountie forts during their settlement had 45% more homicides and 55% more violent crimes per capita than communities located closer to former forts. I argue that these differences may be explained by a violent culture of honor that emerged as an adaptation to the lack of a central authority during the settlement but persisted over time. In line with this interpretation, I find that those who live in once-lawless areas are more likely to hold conservative political views. In addition, I use data for hockey players to uncover the influence of culture on individual behavior. Though players interact in a common environment, those who were born in areas historically outside the reach of the Mounties are penalized for their violent behavior more often than those who were not. Keywords: Culture, Violence, Culture of honor, Monopoly of violence, Institutions. JEL Classification: N32, N42, D72, D74, H40, J15, K14, K42, Z10 ∗I thank Daron Acemoglu, Abhijit Banerjee, Alberto Chong, Pauline Grosjean, Suresh Naidu, Ben Olken and Hans-Joachim Voth for their comments and helpful discussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrological Extremes in the Canadian Prairies in the Last Decade Due to the ENSO Teleconnection—A Comparative Case Study Using WRF
    water Article Hydrological Extremes in the Canadian Prairies in the Last Decade due to the ENSO Teleconnection—A Comparative Case Study Using WRF Soumik Basu * , David J. Sauchyn and Muhammad Rehan Anis Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; [email protected] (D.J.S.); [email protected] (M.R.A.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 8 September 2020; Accepted: 21 October 2020; Published: 23 October 2020 Abstract: In the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, agricultural production depends on winter and spring precipitation. There is large interannual variability related to the teleconnection between the regional hydroclimate and El Niño and La Niña in the Tropical Pacific. A modeling experiment was conducted to simulate climatic and hydrological parameters in the Canadian Prairie region during strong El Niño and La Niña events of the last decade in 2015–2016 and 2010–2011, respectively. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was employed to perform two sets of sensitivity experiments with a nested domain at 10 km resolution using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA) interim data as the lateral boundary forcing. Analysis of the hourly model output provides a detailed simulation of the drier winter, with less soil moisture in the following spring, during the 2015–2016 El Niño and a wet winter during the La Niña of 2010–2011. The high-resolution WRF simulation of these recent weather events agrees well with observations from weather stations and water gauges. Therefore, we were able to take advantage of the WRF model to simulate recent weather with high spatial and temporal resolution and thus study the changes in hydrometeorological parameters across the Prairie during the two extreme hydrological events of the last decade.
    [Show full text]
  • BREAKDOWN of SUB-REGIONS Americas
    BREAKDOWN OF SUB-REGIONS Americas Atlantic Islands and Central and Canada Eastern US Latin America Southwest US Argentina Atlantic Canada Kansas City Boston Atlantic Islands British Columbia Nebraska Hartford Brazil A Canadian Prairies Oklahoma Maine Brazil B Montreal & Quebec Southwest US A New York A Central America Toronto Southwest US B New York B Chile St. Louis Philadelphia Colombia Pittsburgh Mexico Washington DC Peru Western New York Uruguay Midwest US Southeastern US Western US Chicago Florida Colorado Cleveland Greater Tennessee Desert US Indianapolis Louisville Hawaii Iowa Mid-South US Idaho Madison North Carolina Los Angeles Milwaukee Southern Classic New Mexico Minnesota Virginia Northern California Southern Ohio Orange County West Michigan Portland Salt Lake San Diego Seattle Spokane Asia Pacific Oceania Eastern Asia Southeastern Asia Southern Asia Brisbane Beijing Cambodia Bangladesh Melbourne Chengdu Indonesia India A New Zealand Hong Kong Malaysia India B Perth Japan Philippines India C Sydney Korea Singapore Nepal Mongolia Thailand Pakistan Shanghai Vietnam Sri Lanka Shenzhen A Shenzhen B Taiwan Europe, Middle East, and Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Eastern Europe Northern Europe Southern Europe Ethiopia Bulgaria Denmark & Norway Croatia Ghana Czech Republic Finland Cyprus Kenya Hungary Ireland Greece Mauritius Kazakhstan Sweden Israel Nigeria A Poland A Istanbul Nigeria B Poland B Italy Rwanda Romania Portugal South Africa Russia A Serbia Tanzania Russia B Slovenia Uganda Slovakia Spain Zimbabwe Ukraine A Ukraine B Middle East and Western Europe North Africa Austria Bahrain Benelux Doha France Egypt Germany Emirates Switzerland Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Morocco Oman Saudi Arabia .
    [Show full text]
  • Weather and Climate Extremes on the Canadian Prairies: an Assessment with a Focus on Grain Production
    Environment and Ecology Research 5(4): 255-268, 2017 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/eer.2017.050402 Weather and Climate Extremes on the Canadian Prairies: An Assessment with a Focus on Grain Production 1,* 2 E. Ray Garnett and Madhav L. Khandekar 1Agro-Climatic Consulting, Canada 2Former Environment Canada Scientist, Expert Reviewer IPCC 2007, Climate Change Documents, Canada Copyright©2017 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract The Canadian prairies are Canada’s granaries, 1 . Introduction producing up to 75 million tons of grain (primarily wheat, barley, and oats) and oilseeds (primarily canola) during the The Canadian prairie provinces have an area of about 2 summer months of June to August. Canada is a major grain million square kilometers, an area greater than Spain and exporting country; exports have a market value of about Portugal combined, and they make up about 20% of the total 30-40 billion US dollars. The Canadian prairie agricultural area of Canada. The prairie provinces are situated in western industry is a major socio-economic activity for western Canada; Canada extends from Victoria (British Columbia) in Canada, employing thousands in farming communities and the west to St John’s (Newfoundland) in the east. The current in other industries such as transportation on a year-round population of the three prairie provinces is now over 6 basis. A good grain harvest in a given year depends critically million, about 1/6th of the total population of Canada, about on various summer weather and climate extremes which can 36.5 million.
    [Show full text]
  • Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife
    Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife Scott W. Gillihan, David J. Hanni, Scott W. Hutchings, Tony Leukering, Ted Toombs, and Tammy VerCauteren Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife Scott W. Gillihan, David J. Hanni, Scott W. Hutchings, Tony Leukering, Ted Toombs, and Tammy VerCauteren 14500 Lark Bunting Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Lane Brighton, CO 80603 (303) 659-4348 www.rmbo.org AboutIntroduction the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO): Our mission is to conserve Rocky Mountain, Great Plains, and Intermountain West birds and their habitats through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. We conduct on-the-ground conservation in cooperation with other private organizations and government agencies responsible for managing areas and programs important for birds. We also work with private landowners and managers to encourage practices that foster good land stewardship. Much of our work is designed to increase understanding of birds and their habitats by educating children, teachers, natural resource managers, and the general public. Because birds do not recognize political boundaries, and may even spend most of their lives outside of the United States, RMBO works to bring a unified approach to conservation among states and countries, and many of our projects focus on issues associated with winter grounds, especially those in Mexico. At the core of our conservation work is bird population monitoring. Only through long-term monitoring can we identify which species are in need of help, and evaluate our success at protecting or recovering them. About this manual: This third edition of this manual (formerly entitled Sharing Your Land With Shortgrass Prairie Birds) is about how to help birds and other wildlife make a living from the land while you do the same.
    [Show full text]