In cooperation with Bureau of Land Management Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment—Pre-Assessment Report Open-File Report 2015–1003 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Front cover photographs: Shortgrass prairie in Comanche National Grassland, Colorado. (Photo courtesy of the U.S Forest Service) (Inset) Swift fox. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Back cover photograph: Black-tailed prairie dogs. (Photo by Dean Biggins, U.S. Geological Survey) Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment—Pre-Assessment Report Edited by Timothy J. Assal, Cynthia P. Melcher, and Natasha B. Carr Open-File Report 2015–1003 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2015 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Suggested citation: Assal, T.J., Melcher, C.P., and Carr, N.B., eds., 2015, Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment—Pre-assessment report: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015– 1003, 284 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151003. ISSN 2331-1258 (online) Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. ii Contents Contributing Authors ........................................................................................................................................................ xi Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................................... xii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... xiv Section I. Southern Great Plains Ecoregional Assessment—Background and Overview ................................................ 1 Chapter 1. Introduction—Bureau of Land Management Rapid Ecoregional Assessments .............................................. 1 Purpose of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessment ........................................................................................................... 1 Overview of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Process ........................................................................................... 1 Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Products .................................................................................................................... 2 Components of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessment .................................................................................................... 2 Assessment Management Team ................................................................................................................................. 4 Technical Team ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Process for Identifying and Selecting Priority Conservation Elements and Management Questions ........................... 5 References .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 2. Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Overview ................................................................. 8 Background on the Southern Great Plains Region—Ecological Setting ...................................................................... 8 Background on the Southern Great Plains Region—Human Context ........................................................................ 13 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 3. Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment ............................................................................... 19 Conservation Elements and Primary Management Issues ........................................................................................ 19 Change Agents .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Organizational Diagram of CEs and CAs .................................................................................................................. 26 Management Questions Overview ............................................................................................................................. 27 Overview of Assessment Framework ........................................................................................................................ 28 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Section II. Conservation Elements ................................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 4. Mixed-Grass Prairie ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Key Ecological Attributes ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Associated Species of Management Concern ........................................................................................................... 35 Change Agents .......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Components ............................................................................................................ 40 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter 5. Shortgrass Prairie ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Key Ecological Attributes ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Change Agents .......................................................................................................................................................... 49 Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Components ............................................................................................................ 53 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 54 Chapter 6. Riparian Areas and Wetlands ...................................................................................................................... 58 Key Ecological Attributes ........................................................................................................................................... 58 Change Agents .......................................................................................................................................................... 61 Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Components ............................................................................................................ 64 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 65 Chapter 7. Playas and Saline Lakes ............................................................................................................................. 71 Key Ecological Attributes ........................................................................................................................................... 71 iii Change Agents .......................................................................................................................................................... 74 Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Components ............................................................................................................ 77 References ................................................................................................................................................................ 79 Chapter 8. Lakes and Reservoirs .................................................................................................................................. 82 Key Ecological Attributes ..........................................................................................................................................