Shifting management priorities have the potential to drastically alter landscapes over time. This problem is especially striking in heterogeneous, multi-use landscapes, such as the Thunder Basin National Grassland (TBNG) of northeastern Wyoming. The TBNG is situated along the ecotone between the Great Plains and sagebrush steppe, containing some of the largest remaining complexes of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. This patchwork of vegetation types provides habitat for imperiled species of shortgrass, mixed-grass, and sagebrush (Artemisia�spp.) wildlife, while remaining an important resource for the ranching and energy industries. Further, there is specific conflict between shortgrass (i.e., prairie dog) and sagebrush management, as the region is a priority area both for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) conservation and black-footed ferret (Mustela�nigripes) reintroduction. Because habitat requirements for wildlife associated with shortgrass and sagebrush may be mutually exclusive, we initiated a study to specifically assess change in avian community structure across colony edges into adjacent sagebrush habitat. In 2015 and 2016 we surveyed birds on transects within sagebrush habitat (�sagebrush,� n=10), prairie dog colonies (�shortgrass,� n=10), and across prairie dog colony edges (�edge,� n=41). Over two years we observed more than 60 bird species, including 14 Wyoming Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Ordinations of community data indicated distinct bird guilds occupying shortgrass (colony), mixed-grass, and sagebrush habitats, with significant community differentiation between survey strata (PerMANOVA, p<0.01). Guilds were observed along a gradient from colony centers into adjacent sagebrush habitat. However, vegetation composition on colonies varied widely, and some interior colony edges were typified by moderate sagebrush cover. Preliminary results indicate that some prairie dog colonies can support sizeable populations of sagebrush birds. Next steps include identifying threshold tolerances of shortgrass and sagebrush birds to non-habitat, providing guidance to managers to maintain the unique biodiversity of this landscape into the future.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.