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Investigation Into the Decline of Populations of Administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Carlsbad Field Office, New Mexic

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Investigation Into the Decline of Populations of Administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Carlsbad Field Office, New Mexic INVESTIGATION INTO THE DECLINE OF POPULATIONS OF THE LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN (Tympanuchuspallidicinctus) ON LANDS ADMINISTERED BY THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, CARLSBAD FIELD OFFICE, NEW MEXICO Cooperative Agreement GDAO 10007 FINAL REPORT Submitted 30 June 2004 Submitted to John Sherman and Steve Belinda Bureau of Land Management, Carlsbad Field Office 620 E. Greene Street, Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220 John L. Hunt and Troy L. Best Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849-541 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1: BIOLOGY OF THE LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) WITH EMPHASIS ON POPULATIONS IN NEW MEXICO .... 5 Taxonomy and Nomenclature ................................................................... 5 Evolution................................................................................................... 6 Diagnosis .................................................................................................. 7 General Characters and Morphology ........................................................ 8 Distribution ............................................................................................. 10 Ontogeny and Reproduction ................................................................... 12 Breeding ...................................................................................... 12 Nesting ........................................................................................ 15 Young ......................................................................................... 17 Hybridization .............................................................................. 18 Ecology ................................................................................................... 20 Habitat ......................................................................................... 20 Feeding ....................................................................................... 22 Water relations ............................................................................ 24 Parasites and Pathogens ..............................................................25 Predators .....................................................................................26 Demographics .........................................................................................27 Survival ......................................................................................27 Population Densities ...................................................................27 Sex Ratio .....................................................................................28 Age Ratio ....................................................................................28 Nesting Success ..........................................................................28 Behavior ..................................................................................................28 Mating Behavior .........................................................................28 Movement, Dispersal. and Migration .........................................32 Genetics ..................................................................................................35 Conservation and Management ..............................................................36 Population Status ........................................................................36 Drought .......................................................................................38 Population Density ......................................................................39 Grazing .......................................................................................40 Fire ..............................................................................................41 Oil and Gas Industry ...................................................................41 Fragmentation ............................................................................-42 Hunting .......................................................................................42 Predation .....................................................................................43 Power Lines ................................................................................44 Roads ..........................................................................................44 Conservation .............................................................................. -44 Literature Cited ....................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 2: VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVE AND ABANDONED LEKS OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ..................................... 61 Introduction............................................................................................. 61 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 64 Results ....................................................................................................67 Discussion ............................................................................................... 71 Acknowledgments .................................................................................. 77 Literature Cited .......................................................................................77 CHAPTER 3: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION AND DECLINE IN POPULATIONS OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ............92 Introduction............................................................................................. 92 Materials and Methods ........................................................................... 97 Results .................................................................................................... 99 Discussion ............................................................................................. 100 Acknowledgments ............................................................................... 105 Literature Cited ..................................................................................... 105 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS OF SURVEYS FOR LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) ON LANDS ADMINISTERED BY THE CARLSBAD FIELD OFFICE OF THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ..........................................................116 Introduction .....................................................................................116 Materials and Methods .........................................................................117 Results ................................................................................................118 Discussion .............................................................................................119 Acknowledgments ...............................................................................-121 Literature Cited .....................................................................................121 CHAPTER 5: FACTOR ANALYSIS OF VARIABLES INVOLVED IN DECLINE IN POPULATIONS OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ...................................124 Introduction ...........................................................................................124 Materials and Methods .........................................................................127 Results ...............................................................................................131 Discussion .............................................................................................132 Acknowledgments ...............................................................................135 Literature Cited .....................................................................................135 CHAPTER 6: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVELS OF NOISE AND ABANDONMENT OF LEKS OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) IN SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ...................................142 Introduction ...........................................................................................142 Materials and Methods .........................................................................144 Results and Discussion ........................................................................ 145 Acknowledgments ................................................................................ 146 Literature Cited .................................................................................... 146 CHAPTER 7: MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................... 152 Introduction ........................................................................................... 152 Management Recommendations .......................................................... 153 Shifi of Emphasis ...................................................................... 153 Petroleum Development ........................................................... 154 Overgrazing .............................................................................. 155 Reestablishment of Populations of Lesser Prairie-chickens ..... 156 Off-road Vehicles ..................................................................... 158 Power Lines .............................................................................. 158 Cooperative
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