Rangeland managers are often faced with the complex challenge of managing sites for multiple uses and for the diverse interests of stakeholders. Standardized monitoring methods that can be used and understood by different agencies and stakeholders would aid management for long-term sustainability of rangelands. In the United States, federal land management agencies have recently based their assessments of rangeland health and integrity on state-and-transition models to consider management trajectories. Ecological sites provide a foundation for these efforts but have not been used to address wildlife habitat. Habitat preferences are documented for North American shrub-steppe songbirds but have yet to be related to ecological sites and site characteristics. We characterized ecological sites at Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, using established rangeland monitoring methods to test whether 1) songbird species density and diversity differ among adjacent shrub-steppe ecological sites and 2) quantifiable ecological site characteristics could be identified that account for significant variation in songbird density and diversity. Vegetation structure (represented as basal and canopy gaps, cover, height, and shrub density) differentiated the four ecological sites and was related to songbird density and diversity. Sage sparrows (Amphispiza belli) and vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineu) selected habitat based on horizontal characteristics of vegetation structure, such as basal and canopy gap and plant species cover. Brewer’s sparrow (Spizella breweri), lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), and songbird diversity were more strongly related to vegetation structure of the plant communities than to plant composition. Our results support use of ecological sites as management units to characterize songbird habitat given that songbird density and diversity were related to site vegetation characteristics. By incorporating basal and canopy gap, height, plant cover, and shrub density monitoring methods into ecological site descriptions, managers would be provided with additional tools to assist in differentiating songbird habitat.

Understanding the long-term effect of summer grazing date and fall stocking rate on herbage production is critical to extending the grazing season in the Nebraska Sandhills. A study was conducted from 1997 to 2002 at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory located near Whitman, Nebraska, to determine the herbage production response to summer grazing date and October stocking rate on two different sites. Site 1 was dominated by warm-season grasses and site 2 was dominated by cool- season graminoids. At each site, three 0.37-ha pastures were constructed in each of four blocks before application of summer grazing treatments. Pastures in each block were grazed at 0.5 animal-unit months (AUM) ha-1 in June or July, or were deferred from summer grazing. Following summer grazing treatments, October stocking rate treatments (no grazing or 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 AUM ha-1) were applied to subunits of each summer grazing date pasture during mid-October. Vegetation was sampled in each pasture in mid-June and mid-August and sorted by functional group to determine the effect of 5 yr of grazing treatments on herbage production and residual herbage. Herbage production was not affected by summer or October grazing treatments on the warm-season grass-dominated site. Increasing October stocking rate, however, reduced cool-season graminoid production and subsequent herbage production 25% by year 5 of the study. Residual herbage at both sites at the end of the October grazing periods explained as much as 16% to 34% of subsequent year’s herbage production. Grazing managers in the Nebraska Sandhills can extend the grazing season by lightly stocking pastures in the summer to facilitate additional fall grazing. Heavy stocking in October over several years on cool-season-, but not warm-season-, dominated sites will reduce production of cool- season graminoids on these sites.

Cattle (Bos taurus) numbers on national forests are allocated based on allotment grazing capacity, but spatial patterns of timing and density at smaller scales are difficult to assess. However, it is often in meadows or riparian areas that grazing may affect hydrology, biodiversity, and other important ecosystem characteristics. To explore real-time animal presence in montane meadows we distributed 18 digital cameras across nine sites in the Sierra National Forest, California. Our objectives were to document seasonal and diurnal presence of both cattle and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), identify the effects of three fencing treatments on animal distribution, and test digital photography as a tool for documenting cattle presence. We recorded 409 399 images during daylight hours for two grazing seasons, and we identified 5 084 and 24 482 cattle ‘‘marks’’ (instances of animal occurrence) in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Deer presence was much lower, with 331 marks in 2006 and 598 in 2007. Morning cattle presence was highest before 0800 hours both years (13.7% and 15.4% of total marks for 2006 and 2007, respectively). Marks decreased until 1100 hours and then increased around 1400 hours and remained relatively stable until 1900 hours. Marks then rose precipitously, with > 20% of total marks recorded after 1900 hours both years. Deer presence was less than 10% per hour until 1800 hours, when >20% of total marks were recorded after this time both years. Among treatments, cattle marks were highest outside fences at partially fenced meadows, and deer were highest within completely fenced meadows. Our experience suggests that cameras are not viable tools for meadow monitoring due to variation captured within meadows and the time and effort involved in image processing and review.

Federally funded range improvement treatments in the United States require that land managers consider the treatment’s impacts to archaeological sites. Pending archaeological clearance can result in the postponement or exclusion of effective seeding practices, which in turn can result in poor seed establishment, increased weeds, recurrent fire, accelerated soil erosion, and damage to cultural sites. Less intensive requirements would help relieve time restrictions, but less-conspicuous sites might be missed. We quantified the displacement and damage that lithic artifacts would incur if missed in an inventory and subsequently subjected to drill seeding treatments. We subjected chert, quartzite, and obsidian materials to impact by a rangeland drill and a no-till drill on sandy and silty soils. Soil texture was the most important factor in perpendicular lithic movement. In the silty soil, lithics were displaced perpendicular to the direction of the drill nearly twice as far as in the sandy soil (7.8 cm +/- 0.9 SE vs. 4.1 cm +/- 0.6 SE, P < 0.01). No experimental factor showed a difference in absolute displacement (mean = 15 cm). Damage to lithics was infrequent (25%) and minor with no experimental factor showing statistical significance. Approximately 30% of lithics were buried by treatments. In the sandy soil, the rangeland drill buried lithics 6.5 mm +/- 1.6 SE deep, on average, which was twice as deep as the no-till drill in the sandy soil (3.0 mm +/- 0.9 SE) and four times as deep as both drills in the silty soil (1.5 mm 60.5 SE; =50.03). Minimal effects of drill seeding on lithics suggest that drill seeding could proceed with less- intensive archaeological surveys.

The generalist fungal pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda occurs primarily in cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) seed banks, where it causes high mortality. We investigated the relationship between this pathogen and its cheatgrass host in the context of fire, asking whether burning would facilitate host escape from the pathogen or increase host vulnerability. We used a series of laboratory and field experiments to address the ability of host seeds and pathogen life stages to survive fire. First, we determined the thermal death point (TDP50; temperature causing 50% mortality) of seeds and pathogen propagules at two time intervals using a muffle furnace. We then measured peak fire temperatures in prescribed burns at sites in Utah and Washington and quantified seed and fungal propagule survival using pre- and postburn seed bank sampling and inoculum bioassays. Finally, we investigated the survival of both seeds and pathogen after wildfires. We found that radiant heat generated by both prescribed and wild cheatgrass monoculture fires was generally not sufficient to kill either host seeds or pathogen propagules; most mortality was apparently due to direct consumption by flames. The 5-min mean TDP50 was 164 degreesC for pathogen propagules and 148 degreesC for host seeds, indicating that the pathogen is more likely to survive fire than the seeds. Peak fire temperature at the surface in the prescribed burns averaged 130 degreesC. Fire directly consumed 85-98% of the viable seed bank, but prescribed burns and wildfires generally did not lead to dramatic reductions in pathogen inoculum loads. We conclude that the net effect of fire on this pathosystem is not large. Rapid postburn recovery of both host and associated pathogen populations is the predicted outcome. Postfire management of residual cheatgrass seed banks should be facilitated by the persistent presence of this seed bank pathogen.

Applications of biosolids to grassland areas might alter the attractiveness of those habitats to wildlife. For the past 21 yr, biosolids have been applied annually to grasslands at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, Havelock, North Carolina. During 2003-2005, we conducted a study to determine if the long-term application of biosolids has altered plant communities and/or wildlife use of grassland areas. Ten circular 1.7-ha plots were established: five plots served as controls (untreated) and five plots were located in areas that received biosolids. We monitored vegetation growth, measured plant community composition, and observed all plots for wildlife activity during December 2003 through December 2005. Long-term application of biosolids to grasslands at MCAS Cherry Point has altered the botanical structure and composition of those areas. Plant communities in grassland areas receiving biosolids were taller (P < 0.001), denser (P < 0.001), and less diverse (P < 0.001) than control areas that did not receive biosolids. Biosolids study plots were dominated by tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum [Schreb.] S.J. Darbyshire), whereas control plots consisted of a diversity of grasses, forbs, and woody plants. We observed more (P < 0.001) total birds 3-min survey-1 using biosolids treatment plots (6.7 +/- 0.5 birds; x +/- SE) than birds using control (2.6 +/- 0.2 birds) plots. Species-specific differences in use of biosolids and control grasslands did occur and was often related to season. We observed no differences in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use of biosolids and control areas when examining information from two types of deer surveys. Long-term biosolids application to cool-season grasslands alters plant communities and favors use of those areas by some grassland birds.