Steven T. Knick, David S. Dobkin, John T. Rotenberry, Michael A. Schroeder, W. Matthew Vander Haegen, and Charles Van Riper III.  2003.  Teetering on the edge or too late? Conservation and research issues for the avifauna of sagebrush habitats.  Condor 105:611-634. Abstract. Degradation, fragmentation, and loss of native sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes have imperiled these habitats and their associated avifauna. Historically, this vast piece of the Western landscape has been undervalued: even though more than 70% of all remaining sagebrush habitat in the United States is publicly owned, <3% of it is protected as federal reserves or national parks. We review the threats facing birds in sagebrush habitats to emphasize the urgency for conservation and research actions, and synthesize existing information that forms the foundation for recommended research directions. Management and conservation of birds in sagebrush habitats will require more research into four major topics: (1) identification of primary land-use practices and their influence on sagebrush habitats and birds, (2) better understanding of bird responses to habitat components and disturbance processes of sagebrush ecosystems, (3) improved hierarchical designs for surveying and monitoring programs, and (4) linking bird movements and population changes during migration and wintering periods to dynamics on the sagebrush breeding grounds. This research is essential because we already have seen that sagebrush habitats can be altered by land use, spread of invasive plants, and disrupted disturbance regimes beyond a threshold at which natural recovery is unlikely. Research on these issues should be instituted on lands managed by state or federal agencies because most lands still dominated by sagebrush are owned publicly. In addition to the challenge of understanding shrubsteppe bird-habitat dynamics, conservation of sagebrush landscapes depends on our ability to recognize and communicate their intrinsic value and on our resolve to conserve them.   Read the Press Release Read the full article permission to post this paper was granted by the Cooper Ornithological Society   Source Data for Tables:   Table 1 Ownership Metadata View Download Regional map of Vegetation cover Metadata View Download   Table 2 Breeding Bird Survey Routes of North America   Metadata View Download Regional map of Vegetation cover Metadata View Download Source Data Layers for Figures:   Figure 1 Percent Landcover in Sagebrush Habitat within 25-km Radius Metadata View Download TNC Ecoregions Metadata View Download   Figure 2 Percent Land Cover in Sagebrush Habitat within 25-km Radius  Metadata View Download Sagebrush Complexity  Metadata View Download   Figure 3 Percent Land Cover in Sagebrush Habitat within 25-km Radius  Metadata View Download Agricultural Lands in Washington, Idaho, and Montana  Metadata View Download   Figure 4 Percent Land Cover in Sagebrush Habitat within 25-km Radius  Metadata View Download Oil and Gas Developments in Wyoming  Metadata View Download Oil Developments in Wyoming  Metadata View Download Gas Developments in Wyoming  Metadata View Download Powerlines and Roads in Wyoming Metadata View Download 1.5-km Buffer of Powerlines in Wyoming Metadata View Download   Figure 5 No GIS layers   Figure 6 Combined Breeeding Ranges for Sagebrush-breeding Birds Metadata View Download Combined Wintering Ranges for Sagebrush-breeding Birds Metadata View Download

SAGEMAP Get GIS Data Documents Links U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR, USA Snake River Field Station, Boise, ID, USA URL: http://sagemap.wr.usgs.gov/index.asp Last Update: 11/06/2003 Contact: sean_finn@usgs.gov USGS Disclaimer