We have been saddened by the events on September 11 in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, and wish to send out heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks, and to all those who were affected by the attacks. 
The meeting of the PGTC will go on as planned, and we hope to see you there.

Important Deadlines!

Register Early and save $15!    Abstracts for Scientific Program Must be received by 5 October!   See call for Agenda Items, below!    Bring items for auction!    Nominate for Hamerstrom Award!

Some Links

Newsletter 2, May 2001
Newsletter 1, November 2000

Woodward, Oklahoma: www.woodwardok.com
Lodging in Woodward, Oklahoma: www.woodwardok.com/lodging.htm
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation:  www.wildlifedepartment.com. 
Weather in Woodward: www.weather.com/weather/local/USOK0589

George M. Sutton Avian Research Center Web Site

Contents of This Newsletter

REGISTRATION AND MEETING INFORMATION
  The Meeting
  Registration
  Venues
  Check-in and Registration
  Activities and Schedule
  Accommodations
  Transportation
  Parking
  Quail Hunting
  For More Information
CALL FOR PAPERS
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HAMERSTROM AWARD
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
  Call for Agenda Items
AUCTION ITEMS NEEDED
STATE REPORTS AND UPDATES
  Rangewide Study of Genetic Patterns in Sharp-tailed Grouse
  Minnesota Grouse, 2001
  The Wisconsin Prairie-Chicken
  Missouri Update
  Kansas Prairie Grouse Survey Results - 2001
  Colorado Lesser Prairie-Chicken Breeding Survey 2001
  Attwater's Prairie-Chicken Update
  Status of Sage-Grouse at the U. S. Army Yakima Training Center, Washington, 2001 
OTHER INFORMATION
  Some Recent Literature About Grouse
  Newsletter Editor

FINAL NOTICE

The Meeting
The 24th Prairie Grouse Technical Council Biennial Meeting will be held Monday through Thursday, 5-8 November 2001, in Woodward, Oklahoma. That's only a month away, folks!
The aim of the conference is to bring together all those involved or interested in research and conservation on prairie grouse, especially Lesser and Greater Prairie-Chickens, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and sage grouse. Research papers and discussion sessions will be held on 6 & 7 November. Field trips in the area will provide opportunities to see and learn about Lesser Prairie-Chicken research and habitat conservation efforts. 
Woodward is located in northwestern Oklahoma about 140 mi northwest of Oklahoma City. It's about a 2½ hour drive from the nearest airport (in Oklahoma City), and over three hours (200 mi) from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, airport. Woodward is 180 mi from Amarillo, Texas, about three hours' drive, and 210 mi from Wichita, Kansas. For information about Woodward and the surrounding area, see the Woodward web site,  www.woodwardok.com. Weather this time of year can range from freezing and windy with rainfall to sunny and 80º F, so come prepared. For a local weather forecast see www.weather.com/weather/local/USOK0589. 

Registration
Please register early for the meeting, so we can estimate the number who will be coming. Even if you intend to pay at the door, please help us get a head count by notifying Stephanie Harmon (stephanie_harmon@fws.gov) that you plan to attend.

Registration includes:

1. Welcome Reception 
2. Conference registration 
3. Technical program 
4. Printed Abstracts 
5. Field Trip Transportation
6. Three lunches
7. Banquet
8. BBQ

The registration fees are: 

To register, please send your name, address, phone, and e-mail along with your registration check (made out to "High Plains RC&D") to: 

Venues
The meeting will take place primarily at four locations:

Northwest Inn: This is the conference hotel. It is at the intersection of Williams Avenue (=Highway 270) and 1st Street, about 1.5 miles south of downtown on the south side of town. There will be a shuttle van that will provide transportation between the Inn and the other meeting sites.  

Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum: 2009 Williams Avenue, 1.0 mile north of the Northwest Inn and about 1/2 mile south of the Arts Theater. 

Woodward Arts Theater: Most sessions will take place at the Arts Theater. It's downtown, on Main Street between 9th and 8th Streets, on the north side of the street, and 1.5 miles north of the Northwest Inn. There are many shops and cafés along Main Street in the area around the Arts Theater. Parking is best at the public lot less than one block south of the theater (see "Parking," below). 

Pioneer Room: In the Civic Center, on the east side of 9th Street at corner of Oklahoma Avenue, a little over one block south of the Arts Theater, in easy walking distance. Parking is catty cornered across the street. 

Check-in and Registration
Check-in and on-site registration will take place at the Northwest Inn on Monday, 5 November, from noon until 5 pm, then at the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum from 5 - 9 pm. This will continue Tuesday morning, 6 November, 8 - noon at the Woodward Arts Theatre. 

Activities and Schedule

The banquet speaker will be Dr. Peter Hudson, a Red Grouse biologist, who will be coming over from Scotland. 
The Morning Field Trips will include the possibility of visiting an active gobbling ground of Lesser Prairie-Chickens near Woodward. The Thursday Field Trip will include visits to Lesser Prairie-Chicken study sites and habitat conservation projects in the Woodward area. Although the Thursday Field Trip is scheduled for all day, it will have an easy break-point at noon, so those wishing to leave then may do so. 

Accommodations
The Woodward area is known for its quail hunting, and the meeting hotel will likely fill up with quail hunters from far and wide, so early registration is important! We have asked for a block of 50 rooms for the conference at the conference hotel (Northwest Inn), but as mentioned in the previous newsletter, if you plan to attend the meeting, please make your reservations as soon as possible. If it turns out that the meeting attendees will need more than 50 rooms, it will be necessary for us to make those reservations early. If you do not make reservations early, primitive campsites will be available at Cooper WMA. 
To make reservations, contact the Northwest Inn (800-727-7606; 580-256-7600; fax 580-254-2274; P.O. Box 1006, Woodward, Oklahoma 73802, USA). Be sure to tell them that you are booking for the Prairie Grouse Technical Council Meeting. 
Other hotels and Bed-and-Breakfasts in Woodward are listed at www.woodwardok.com/lodging.htm. 

Transportation
Because Woodward isn't right near the airport, some of you will have transportation needs. For the meeting there will be a small number of vans to bring people from the Oklahoma City and Tulsa airports. If possible, we'd like to get an estimate on how many people will need transportation from and back to these airports. If you think you'll need transportation, even if you aren't sure or don't know what day you might need to travel, please contact Russ Horton (405-202-5901; rhorton@onenet.net). 

There will be a shuttle van that will provide transportation between the Northwest Inn and the other meeting sites within Woodward.  

Parking
Parking for the Woodward Arts Theatre or the Pioneer Room is available along Main Street, but it is perhaps better at the public lot less than one block south of the theater on the west side of 9th Street and Texas Avenue by the Stock Exchange Bank.  This is catty cornered northwest from the Civic Center, which houses from the Pioneer Room. 

Quail Hunting
For those interested in quail hunting while at the meeting, please contact Russ Horton (405-202-5901; rhorton@onenet.net) beforehand for details on licenses, etc. The meeting hotel (Northwest Inn) has a free kennel for those who wish to bring their dogs, but it costs an extra $10 per night for the dog to be quartered in your room. 
For more information about quail hunting seasons, regulations, and how to obtain a license, direct your browser to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.  

For More Information
For more information contact Russ Horton (405-202-5901; rhorton@onenet.net) or Stephanie Harmon (918- 581-7458 x229; stephanie_harmon@fws.gov).  

Abstracts for the 24th Prairie Grouse Technical Council meeting are now being accepted. The deadline for receipt of the abstracts is 5 October 2001. 

All contributed papers will be scheduled at 20-minute intervals. Presentations should therefore be limited to 15 minutes to allow time for questions and comments. Speakers will be notified of the day, time and location of their presentations. 
An example of the abstract format is given below. First give title in caps, double space, then provide author(s) and their affiliation. Capitalize all authors names and state abbreviations. In cases of two or more authors, place an asterisk after the name of the person presenting the paper. Then double space again and start the abstract. Do not indent any part of the abstract. Abstracts, including authors and title lines, should be no more than 250 words (including title and authors). 

Following the abstract, provide the following information:
1) e-mail address (if available) for corresponding author
2) Full address of corresponding author
3) Telephone number of corresponding author
4) Type of presentation (LECTURE or POSTER)
5) Audio-visual needs (SLIDE PROJECTOR, POWER-POINT PROJECTOR, OVERHEAD PROJECTOR, VIDEOTAPE PLAYER, AUDIO TAPE PLAYER, etc.)
6) Any additional comments about the presentation.

Abstracts should include a statement of objectives, brief description of methods used, presentation of results, and a summary of conclusions/inferences drawn. 


SAMPLE ABSTRACT

Please e-mail materials to DWIEDENFELD@OU.EDU. It is best if you include the abstract in the BODY of the e-mail message, not as an attachment. If you do not have e-mail available, you may mail or fax the abstract (in the same format) to:

Dr. David Wiedenfeld
Sutton Avian Research Center
P. O. Box 2007
Bartlesville, OK 74005
Telephone: 918-336-7778
Fax: 918-336-7783
dwiedenfeld@ou.edu 

The deadline for receipt of the abstracts is 5 October 2001. Persons submitting abstracts will be notified of their receipt. 

The Awards Committee is currently seeking nominations for possible recipients of the Hamerstrom Award for the 24th PGTC Conference. As you know, this award was established in honor of Fred and Fran Hamerstrom, pioneers of prairie grouse research and management. It will be awarded at the meeting of the Prairie Grouse Technical Council. The award will consist of a plaque with the engraved name of the recipient.

Award Criteria:
1. To recognize and individual(s) and organization(s) who have made significant contributions in prairie grouse research, management or other support programs which have enhanced the welfare of one or more species of prairie grouse in a particular state or region.
2. The contribution should be evidenced by a sustained effort over at least 10 years.
3. The contribution may be related to research, management activity, promotion of an integrated program, or some combination thereof. The relative importance given to these three categories of contributions is the prerogative of the Awards Committee but it should be based on how it has helped the overall welfare and survival of prairie grouse.

Selection Procedure:
1. The selection of award recipients will be made by the three-member Executive Board and two additional members appointed by the Chairman.
2. Nominations will be accepted at large as well as from members of the Awards Committee.
3. Nominations will be submitted to the designated Awards Committee Chairman one month before the biennial meeting of the Prairie Grouse Technical Council.
4. Nominations should include the following information:
  A. Name, address, and phone number of nominee.
  B. Biographic sketch of individual of brief history of an organization.
  C. Overview of contributions indicating the nature of the contributions, duration, how it has contributed to the welfare of one or more species of prairie grouse, and the geographic area influenced by the contributions.
5. A maximum of two individual awards and two organization awards may be presented at a biennial meeting. No awards will be given if the Awards Committee feels that no deserving individuals or organization are available at the time.

The Awards Committee consists of Nova Silvy (Texas), Chairman; Rick Baydack (Manitoba), Russ Horton (Oklahoma), Randy Rodgers (Kansas), and David Wiedenfeld (Oklahoma). Send your nominations directly to the Chairman:

Nova J. Silvy
210 Nagle Hall Phone: 979-845-5777
2258 TAMU Fax: 979-845-3786
Texas A&M University e-mail: n-silvy@tamu.edu
College Station, TX 77843-2258 

Call for Agenda Items

If you have a topic of importance you wish placed on the business meeting agenda for discussion, please contact me, 
Russ Horton, at 405-202-5901 or rhorton@onenet.net.

My Fellow Grousers:

Greetings once again from the Great State of Oklahoma. No doubt all of us have been affected immensely by the tragic events on the east coast. May each of us, as we reflect on these events, remember to appreciate and not take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy, and may we also understand that freedom has a great price. May we also look for every opportunity to be a help and encouragement to our fellow man.

As I write this, it is only six short weeks until we are scheduled to gather in Woodward. I trust that all have made the necessary arrangements, and that attendance and participation will ensure a wonderful meeting.

Likely most of you would not have heard, but due to a scheduling conflict, I will not be able to attend this meeting. The state planning committee, however, comprising a number of exceptional individuals, will ensure the success of this meeting. I will continue to be involved in the planning, and certainly encourage you to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

We have been blessed these last weeks with some beautiful fall-like weather, and much of the state has been getting some much needed rainfall. It looks like the weather for the meeting should be pleasant (not too hot), which will certainly make the outdoor activities more enjoyable. I do have to report that our August roadside quail surveys indicated that quail populations are rather low. The country around Woodward, however, is without question some of the best quail habitat in the U.S., and all are encouraged to spend a few extra days here enjoying the outdoor experience that Oklahoma offers.

I regret that I will not be able to meet with you, and will greatly miss the fellowship and opportunity to learn more about the birds that we love. I wish each of you a safe and enjoyable trip, and pleasant and profitable days.

Regards,
Russ Horton

As at previous meetings, we plan to have an auction. Funds from the auctions are used to support the meeting (and therefore keep your registration low).

But to have an auction, we need something to sell! We rely on your donated items to fill out our catalog. Could you please donate items for the auction? Items may be small and fun, or go up to whatever you may want to give. Previous auction items have included caps with state or province wildlife department logos; t-shirts; food items (I remember wild rice being popular in Gimli); sets of note cards with wildlife motif; books (if you have duplicate copies this is a great place to get rid of the extras), etc.

Needed Auction Items

Caps	Pictures / Paintings
T-shirts	Food Items
Books	Etc.

If you wish to donate an item for the auction, please bring it with you to the meeting. If it’s something you wish to ship, please contact Russ Horton (405-202-5901; rhorton@onenet.net) for shipping instructions.

by Karen Mock
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Utah State University  

Karen Mock is embarking on a rangewide genetic study of Sharp-tailed Grouse. This project is being performed in conjunction with Michael Schroeder and Ken Warheit in the Wildlife Research Division of the Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. This work is intended to expand on that of Ellsworth et al. (Auk, vol. 111, no. 3, pp. 661-671, 1994) by including a broader geographic range and using very sensitive DNA fingerprinting techniques. The results of this study should help to answer questions about the genetic uniqueness of different subspecies or regions. An understanding of these patterns will provide game managers with the tools to make more informed decisions about translocation strategies and conservation priorities. A large-scale effort to collect wings and other tissues from grouse hunters is underway this fall. Although this seems to be a low grouse production year, these researchers hope to collect hundreds of samples, thanks to the cooperation of hunters and game managers in 20 different states and provinces. If you are asked to contribute wings or tissue samples from grouse this year, please help out! A detailed summary and update on this project will be presented at the PGTC Meeting in November.

After consecutive but slight sharptail population increases in the Northwest and East-Central Ranges for the last 4-5 years, sharptails dropped substantially in both zones this year to near-record lows. The range-wide decline of 37% resembled those of the Ruffed Grouse; sharptails are somewhat cyclic, but not to the extent Ruffed Grouse are. Survey cooperators included Division of Wildlife, Agassiz Refuge, and Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society volunteers.

In the East-Central Range, sharptail males on leks dropped 43%. Pine and Kanabec counties experienced the least decline (2%), but all other work areas declined 20% - 64%. Only 94 of the 160 leks checked (59%) had birds. These contained 646 males, and average of 6.9 per lek. Of the 143 leks that were also surveyed in 2000, males increased on 21%, declined on 76%, and were stable on 3%. East-Central sharptails are down about 80% from 1980 levels. In the Northwest Range, males on leks dropped 30%. The declines ranged from 12% - 60% in all work areas except northern Beltrami, which increased 1% (good work, Steve!). A total of 659 males were tallied on the 70 occupied leks (53%) that contained birds (9.4 per lek). Of the 110 leks that were also counted in 2000, 26% had more birds, 64% had fewer birds, and 10% were stable. Northwest sharptails are about 76% below 1980 levels. The similarities between the sharptail and Ruffed Grouse trends are striking, and suggest that similar forces were responsible for both declines.

The prairie chicken here in Wisconsin has been referred to as “the most intensively managed grouse in North America.” Once found in every county, it is now a threatened species present only in the limited grassland habitat of the central part of the state. >

The 2001 spring census of booming males is complete. Because we have a limited range (and prairie-chicken numbers), we can make an attempt to survey all known locations. Our count of males is as close to complete as we can make it.

If we can assume that the number of booming males reflects the total population, there has been a 22% decline since the last survey in April, 2000. This decline was evident throughout the range, including Buena Vista and Leola Grasslands, our primary grassland management areas. There was a total of 586 males in 2001 (321 on Buena Vista and Leola) compared to 749 last year (411 on Buena Vista and Leola).

A combination of factors may have led to this recent decline, but my money is on the cool and wet spring last year. Production may have been reduced. Unfortunately a quick glance out the window any day for the past two weeks will tell you that central Wisconsin is again unusually cool and wet. It is now June 6 and the chickens are hatching! This raises questions about the upcoming level of production this summer.

Our “statewide” chicken survey each spring has identified areas of central Wisconsin with a limited amount of grassland on private lands, that have no public land, and that maintain low numbers of prairie chickens. We now have a priority effort targeted toward the improvement of grassland habitat on private lands in these areas. As many of you know, generating habitat management on private land and by private landowners can be a very tough nut to crack, but we have decided it is worth the effort. The timing may be critical because these small populations of prairie chickens seem to be declining.

These same areas have been identified as some of the best areas for songbird habitat management and restoration in this state. Results will have many benefits—this effort has a multiple-species focus.It is an undertaking with many partners, increasing the chance for success (and the potential for prairie chicken benefits!).

We attempted complete censuses of Greater Prairie-Chicken males on leks in 1988, 1993 and every year since 1998 due to the dramatic declines in our population. In 2001, 281 males were counted on leks, down 13% from 2000 and 73% from 1993. Time is critical as work of the Grassland Coalition in nine focus areas, where our best populations remain, gains momentum. Counts this year were down in five focus areas from 2000 and stable in four others. Activities on focus areas included receipt of $50,000, $30,000 and $100,000 grants, $25,000 WHIP proposal, fall and summer burns including spot burning of pastures coupled with grazing experiments, grazing to control fescue and experimental light to moderate grazing for habitat improvement, woody removal on 600+ acres including work done in cooperation with AmeriCorp, workshops for citizens, landowners and teachers, installation of predator-proof fencing, chemical eradication of tall fescue, high mowing, leasing of wheat and lespedeza fields, and cost share on NWSG plantings

Lesser Prairie-Chicken
The rangewide index for Lesser Prairie-Chickens was little changed (+5%) compared to 2000 this year. New routes were run for the first time in Kiowa and Hodgeman counties this spring. The new Hodgeman County route produced the second-highest index of the 13 routes now established. This is a little surprising in that this survey area does not have a significant sand sagebrush component in the area (there is a little several miles west), but there is a fair amount of CRP along with the pretty well managed native range.

Efforts to continue documenting Lesser Prairie-Chicken pioneering in regions north of the Arkansas River in west-central Kansas continued this spring. During the springs of 1999 through 2001, displaying lessers have been audibly located at 165 sites in 16 counties north of the Arkansas. Lesser Prairie-Chickens are present in areas just south of Interstate 70. These birds currently overlap with Greater Prairie-Chickens in a band 40 to 50 miles wide and leks with both species present are surprisingly common. Hybridization is now evident.  Unusual-sounding chickens were detected in the spring of 2000 in a few places. This spring we were able to watch presumed hybrid males produce intermediate sounds on one lek and a hybrid bird was collected on another lek. In both cases, no evidence of hybrids was indicated when these two leks were first visited in 1999 and 2000. The most evident morphological characteristic of the hybrids seemed to be the tympanum which was colored similarly to those of Greater Prairie-Chicken, but considerable smaller in size. Subtle plumage differences were observed on the collected bird.

During the spring of 2001 Colorado Division of Wildlife personnel, U. S Forest Service employees from the Comanche National Grasslands, and volunteers from the public counted Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) on known established lek sites and conducted searches for new leks. This intensive effort put forth in 2001 was similar to that expended in 1998, with the exception of more time spent north of the Arkansas River in 2001. The increased effort to the north yielded the discovery of four new leks in Cheyenne and Kiowa counties. The intensive effort was somewhat reduced in Baca County due to a tremendous wind and snow storm on the second day of the scheduled three-day effort, sending many of the observers home early. The majority of counts and lek searches took place in April with some time spent in late March and early May.

Total bird count for 2001 was 298 with high-count totals for males of 181 and females of 52. Birds whose sex was unknown (65) were added into the high-count total, but were not used to calculate means for high male and female counts. Total number of active leks counted in 2001 was 30 with nine in Baca County, four in Cheyenne County (actually six because access was denied to two known leks, but birds could be heard on them), five in Kiowa County, and 12 in Prowers County. Of these leks, five were new: four in Cheyenne County and one in Prowers County.

This represents a decrease of 6% in total Lesser Prairie-Chicken numbers over counts conducted in 2000. Total bird count for 2000 was 317, with a high count for males of 211, females of 63, and 43 unknowns. Total number of active leks found in 2000 was 27, with nine in Baca County, one in Cheyenne (access was denied on private property where two known leks exist), six in Kiowa County, and 11 in Prowers County. Approximately 30% of Lesser Prairie-Chickens counted in 2000 were females compared to 22% females in 2001. This calculation does not use unknowns, only counts where sex could be distinguished.

Note: The high percentage of females counted in 2000 may be the result of inexperienced observers misidentifying males vs. females on leks. That may have occurred in 2001 as well.

The protocol for lek searches and counts included providing each participant with a topographic or county map showing locations of known leks or blocks of potential Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat. Effort was also made to follow up any reports of potential prairie-chicken sightings received from the public or private landowners. The survey method consisted of arriving at the lek or block 30 minutes before sunrise and thoroughly looking and listening for birds within that general area until approximately 9:00 A.M. When a lek was located, every effort was made to count all males, all females and all unknowns to obtain a total bird count.

The Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken continues to teeter on the brink of extinction. Spring 2000 booming ground counts in the two remaining free-ranging populations found 22 males, down from 25 spring 1999. Supplementation with captively-reared birds continues to play a pivotal role in keeping wild populations from becoming extirpated. However, post-release survival has been very poor during the last two years. Fewer than 15% of birds released in late summer-early winter survived until 1 May of the following year. It is believed that drought conditions led to poor post-release survival during 1999. Delays in releasing birds in 2000 due to health issues in the captive flock resulted in releases occurring after wintering raptors had arrived. As a result, 2000 post-release survival was also very poor. Plans are to complete release of an estimated 100 captively-reared birds in August-September 2001 before migrant raptors arrive.

An attempt was made in spring 2001 to allow hens to nest in pens and then release the hen with her brood at hatch. Results were marginal, but merit further evaluation. Of four hens released with broods, one survived to a point where chicks should have been capable of independent survival.

Aldridge, C. L., S. J. Oyler-McCance, and R. M. Brigham. 2001. Occurrence of Greater Sage-Grouse X Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrids in Alberta. Condor 103: 657-660.

Aldridge, C. L., and R. M. Brigham. 2001. Nesting and reproductive activities of Greater Sage-Grouse in a declining northern fringe population. Condor 103: 537-543.

Schroeder, Michael A., and Richard K. Baydack. 2001. Predation and the management of prairie grouse. Wildlife Society Bulletin 29: 24-32.

Woodward, Alan J. W., Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, and J. Shackford. 2001. Influence of Landscape Composition and Change on Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) Populations. American Midland Naturalist 145: 261-274.

David A. Wiedenfeld
Editor, PGTC Newsletter
Sutton Avian Research Center
P. O. Box 2007
Bartlesville, OK 74005
USA
918-336-7778
918-336-7783 fax
dwiedenfeld@ou.edu