Newsletter 2, May 2001

Upcoming Annual Meeting-Woodward, Oklahoma, 5-8 November 2001

 

Some Links

Back to Newsletter 3
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. 

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
STATE REPORTS AND UPDATES
  Status of Sharp-tailed Grouse in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (1946-2000)
  An Assessment of Open Landscapes in Northern Minnesota for Management of Brushland Wildlife Habitat
  Kansas Update
  Distribution and Abundance of Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington
OTHER INFORMATION
  Some Recent Literature About Grouse
  Newsletter Schedules and Information

REGISTRATION AND MEETING INFORMATION

The Meeting
The 24th Prairie Grouse Technical Council Biennial Meeting will be held Monday through Thursday, 5-8 November 2001, in Woodward, Oklahoma. 
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. 

 

Registration
Please register early for the meeting. 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: 

Regular (Received on or before 17 August) $100
Regular (Received 18 August to 1 November) $135
Regular (At the door) $150
   
Student $65
   
Spouse $65

 

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

Stephanie Harmon
Ecological Services
US Fish and Wildlife Service
222 South Houston Suite A
Tulsa, OK 74127-8909
918- 581-7458 x229
stephanie_harmon@fws.gov

 

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, on the south side of town. 

Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum: 2009 Williams Avenue, about one mile north of the Northwest Inn and about one 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. 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. 

Pioneer Room: About one block south of the Arts Theater, in easy walking distance. Parking is available just 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

Activity Venue Day and Time
Reception Museum Monday, 7 - 9 pm
Morning Field Trips   Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 - 9 am.
Scientific Session Arts Theatre Tuesday, 9 am - 4:30 pm
Barbeque Pioneer Room Tuesday, 6 - 10 pm
Scientific Session Arts Theatre Wednesday, 9 - 11 am
Business Session Arts Theatre Wednesday, 12 noon - 3 pm
Poster Session / Trade Show Pioneer Room Wednesday, 3 - 5 pm
Banquet Arts Theatre Wednesday, 5 - 9 pm
Thursday Field Trip   Thursday, 7 am - 5 pm
Open Grill Barbeque   Thursday, 5 - ?? pm


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. 

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). 

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 and across 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).  

CALL FOR PAPERS
By David A. Wiedenfeld

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

ALL PROBLEMS OF PRAIRIE GROUSE RESOLVED. 

I. M. SMART*, Dept. Biological Sciences, Slapout Univ., Slapout, OK 73848 USA, N. O. ITALL and D. UNNIT, Oklahoma Conservation Dept., Foraker, OK 74000 USA. 

Biologists have been plagued by problems of prairie grouse conservation since time immemorial. Our research has shown that the solution to all of these problems is …

imsmart@slapout.edu

I. M. Smart
Department of Biological Sciences
Phillips Building
123 Highway 270
Slapout, OK 73848

580-555-1212

LECTURE

SLIDE PROJECTOR

NOTE: This presentation should come at the end of the meeting.


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. 

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HAMERSTROM AWARD

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 

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Greetings My Fellow Grousers:

I hope that this newsletter finds each of you in good health and spirits.

Well, winter has flown, and now we find ourselves in the midst of the spring season. Here in Oklahoma our fickle springtime weather has been aggravating in typical fashion. We had a rather harsh (by recent standards) winter, but were glad for good soil moisture going into the spring growing season. Just that quickly, however, we found ourselves rapidly losing ground in terms of normal rainfall totals, and began to wonder if the summer dry season had arrived early. Lo and behold, as I write this, over the past three days, portions of this state have had the type of rainfall that upland bird biologists dread. We are now concerned about nest failure or abandonment in the face of recent thunderstorms. This just reinforces the point that we go as far as we can go in terms of habitat management and improvement, and then hope that the weather, and various other factors which we cannot control, do not wreak too much havoc on the birds we all love. With the passing of time, I find I myself more amazed by and appreciative of the ability of these birds to survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. May each of us take heart, and continue to do the best that we can with the abilities that we have.
We are now less than six short months away from the 24th International Prairie Grouse Technical Council "Gathering of the Flock," set to occur from 05-09 November 2001 in wonderful Woodward, Oklahoma. The planning committee continues to work diligently to ensure that the meeting will happen logistically, but we all understand that attendance and participation by as many of us as possible are what will ensure that the meeting is a success. I hope that each of you can make it to what promises to be an enjoyable and productive meeting.
Also included within this newsletter are two items to which I hope we receive an enormous response. The first is the call for papers to be presented at the upcoming meeting. As you all know, sharing of information is crucial to ensuring that our management efforts are as effective as possible, both in terms of actual on-the-ground work, and making the best use of perpetually inadequate funding. I encourage all of you to share with the rest of us the results of your hard work since last we met.
The second item is the call for nominations for the Hamerstrom Award(s). Please review the enclosed criteria for this award, and then take the time necessary to nominate a worthy individual and/or organization. Far too often, the hard work and lifetime achievements of many individuals does not garner the proper recognition, and this award represents one way of giving a significant, and well deserved, pat on the back.
As always, if there is anything that we need to know or that we can do to be of assistance to any of you, or to further ensure the success of the upcoming meeting, please feel free to contact me at any time. I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meeting. Until then,

Regards,
Russ Horton

STATE REPORTS AND UPDATES

Status of Sharp-tailed Grouse in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (1946-2000): Integrating Surveys with Multi-Species Assessment

by R. Gregory Corace, III
School of Forestry and Wood Products, MTU
Stephen J. Sjogren and John R. Probst
U.S. Forest Service
David J. Flaspohler and P. Charles Goebel
School of Forestry and Wood Products, MTU

The Sharp-tailed Grouse (or "sharptails," Tympanuchus phasianellus) is one of the many bird species common to openlands (e.g., grasslands, shrublands and early successional stages of forest development) that have declined in numbers throughout North America. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, populations of sharptails represent the most easterly distribution of the species in the United States. We present findings from the first two years of a renewed monitoring of the regional sharptail population. Using established lek survey protocols, we counted a total of 602 sharptails in 1999 and 498 in 2000. The majority of these birds (600 and 477 birds respectively) were found in the eastern Upper Peninsula (Alger, Chippewa, Luce, Mackinac, Schoolcraft Counties). Results suggest a regionally increasing sharptail population when corrections for survey effort were factored into our surveys and into Michigan Department of Natural Resources long-term population data (1945-96) from the same counties. Sharptail abundance was evenly distributed between agricultural lands and xeric ecosystems and did not differ between years (chi-sq.= 3.8, df = 1, P = 0.05). Moreover, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found when mean lek size was compared between these two habitat types. We also describe and compare the bird communities of these landscapes finding fewer differences within than between ecosystem types. We documented at least 14 other listed avian species in landscapes inhabited by sharptails. In the Upper Peninsula, low intensity farming and the restoration of pine barren ecosystems through the use of prescribed fire and even-aged timber management, provide important, if not critical, habitat for sharptails and other openland bird species. 

 

An Assessment of Open Landscapes in Northern Minnesota for Management of Brushland Wildlife Habitat

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is nearing completion of an assessment of open landscapes in the transitional (Tallgrass Aspen Parklands Provinces and the Hardwood Hills and Anoka Sand Plain Subsections of the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province) and forested regions (Laurentian Mixed Forest Province) of northern Minnesota. The primary goal is to provide information on brushland ecosystems that will aid land managers in considering these habitats when making landscape planning decisions, thus benefiting brushlands, the wildlife populations which need them, and the people who utilize and enjoy them. 

The assessment was proposed by the Division of Wildlife and approved by the DNR Forest Resources Issues Team. Specific project objectives included:
· Identifying large, open landscape complexes, based on Ecological Classification System (ECS) at the land type association (LTA) level; and 
· Assessing where habitat enhancement efforts for wildlife species dependent upon them would be most effective. 

This assessment will facilitate consideration of open landscape complexes, particularly brushlands, in landscape planning efforts. It is hoped that planning will result in agreement on identification and management of these open landscapes complexes by various land owners and administrators, documentation of funding needs, and distribution of funds for their maintenance, enhancement, and restoration.

Funding from Minnesota's 1998 Governor's "Access to the Outdoors Initiative" set the assessment process in motion. This initiative provided $375,000 in fiscal year 1999 and $325,000 in fiscal years thereafter from the General Fund for brushland and Sharp-tailed Grouse management, thus providing a long term funding source for brushland management for the first time. The Division of Wildlife allocated ten percent annually for three fiscal years to fund this assessment to improve the effectiveness of future brushland management efforts.

The assessment focused on these prairie / forest transitional and forested regions of northern Minnesota because of the presence of large brushland ecosystems and Sharp-tailed Grouse. Identification and assessment of large, open landscapes complexes within this area was necessary because brushland ecosystems have declined in quantity and quality due to advancing natural succession, conversion to other land cover, and lack of information about them. Complexes which are hundreds to thousands of acres in size are needed to sustain populations of many open landscape dependent species and larger areas are more cost effective to manage. 

Brushlands were once a conspicuous feature of Minnesota. Based on presettlement vegetation information, up to 11.3 million acres (37%) of the assessment area (30.7 million acres), was vegetated with brushy prairie, oak openings and barrens, jack pine barrens and openings, conifer bogs and swamps, and open muskeg. All of these habitats can meet brushland criteria and were historically created and maintained by natural disturbances such as flooding, windstorms, infestations of defoliating insects, disease, grazing, and especially fire. During settlement, agricultural and logging activities also created and maintained open landscapes such as brushlands. Today, planned management is necessary to create or mimic disturbances. 

Like many open landscapes, brushlands in Minnesota have declined in quantity and quality. Based on 1990's land use and cover information, only 1.3 million acres (4%) of the assessment area remains in brushland. As a result, wildlife populations which are dependent upon them have declined. For example, Sharp-tailed Grouse have experienced a major long term decline, with hunter harvest decreasing from more than 150,000 Sharp-tailed Grouse in 1949 to the 15,000s in the late 1990s. From 1980 to 2000, Minnesota=s northwest population of Sharp-tailed Grouse declined 68% and the east central population declined 76%. 

The Ecological Classification System was used as a framework to select lands for assessment because of its compatibility with current and future landscape planning processes. LTAs were chosen as the ecological unit for assessment because their size was considered an appropriate scale at which to manage many open landscape wildlife populations. Based on known locations of open landscape dependent wildlife and past brushland management, 86 LTAs within 13 subsections were selected for assessment. Geographical information systems were used to compile, display, and assess information for these subsections and LTAs. Mapped assessment information included:
· Presettlement land cover;
· 1990's land use and cover;
· Land stewardship (ownership/administration); and 
· Locations of open landscape dependent wildlife. 

To facilitate mapping and assessment of open landscapes, land use and cover data from "Minnesota Land Use and Cover - A 1990's Census of the Land" was utilized. The land use and cover categories were classified as follows: 
· Open Landscape - A portion of land supporting an open to semi-open complex of vegetation consisting of < 2/3 total cover by trees. Open water, transportation systems, and urban, industrial, or rurally developed areas are not included. 
   Openland - A portion of land supporting an open complex of vegetation (i.e. a habitat type) consisting of < 1/3 total cover by shrubs and/or trees (cultivated land; hay/pasture/grassland; bog/marsh/fen; mining). 
   Brushland - A portion of land supporting a semi-open complex of vegetation (i.e. a habitat type) consisting of > 1/3 total cover by shrubs and/or 1/3 - 2/3 total cover by trees (brushland).
· Other Landscapes - Any landscape which does not meet open landscape criteria (urban and rural development; forested). 

An assessment of regularly and permanently occurring wildlife species which utilize or depend upon open landscapes of the assessment area was compiled from the Minnesota Wildlife Resource Assessment Project (MnWRAP). Of the 404 species which occur regularly or permanently in the open landscape assessment area, 301 species use openland and 256 use brushland. Of these species, 154 and 18 are dependent upon openland and brushland, respectively, for their survival. Thirty-five species which use open landscapes are listed under Minnesota statute as endangered, threatened, or special concern, of which 22 species are dependent upon open landscapes. Fifty-eight species which use open landscapes are game species under Minnesota statute, of which 29 species are dependent upon open landscapes. 

If you have questions or comments regarding this assessment, please contact Jodie Provost, Minnesota DNR Wildlife Resource Assessment Specialist, at 218-855-5079 or jodie.provost@dnr.state.mn.us. 

 

Distribution and Abundance of Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington
by Michael A. Schroeder
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The current range of Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington consists of 8 relatively small, isolated, remnant populations in Okanogan, Douglas, and Lincoln counties. These remaining populations comprise less than 3 % of the historic distribution. Information collected since 1960 indicates that declines in both distribution and abundance have been dramatic. Approximately 63% of 107 known leks are currently vacant. Many of the vacant leks (47%) are in areas where Sharp-tailed Grouse have been extirpated since 1960. Based on annual changes in number of birds counted, Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington declined by about 94% from 1960 to 2000. The current population appears to be about 600. The historic and recent declines of Sharp-tailed Grouse appear to be linked to the dramatic declines in quantity and quality of native habitat.

Kansas Update
by Randy Rodgers and Roger Applegate

Greater Prairie-Chicken
The Kansas Chapters of The Wildlife Society and the Society for Range Management held a joint meeting in March to discuss range management in the Flint Hills. Several excellent talks concerning annual burning were presented including one by Russ Horton. Russ combined Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation lek survey information with results from a Greater Prairie-Chicken study in NE Oklahoma conducted by the Sutton Avian Research Center. Good discussion between wildlifers and range managers followed the paper session and, hopefully, this represented a good step toward modifying burning practices to be more tolerable for ground nesting birds.
Work is underway at Emporia State University to quantify the extent of annual burning in the Flint Hills. Currently, satellite imagery is being classified and analysis will being this summer.
Plans are also being formulated for another study which will look at grazing and burning regimes in the Flint Hills relative to prairie-chicken nest success. This study will be run through Kansas State University.
The Kansas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, National Park Service, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are also starting to radio Greater Prairie-Chickens this spring to evaluate the annual burning / early-intensive grazing practices currently occurring on the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Graduate students associated with Kansas State University continue to expand their research on lessers in the sandsage prairie near Garden City. In addition to that work, eight Lesser Prairie-Chickens are being collected this spring from the extremes of the Kansas LPC range for genetic comparisons.
Personnel with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, along with a few volunteers, are continuing their effort to locate lesser chicken leks north of the Arkansas River. This is the third spring of this effort, which is expected to continue through 2003. Well over 100 leks have been located so far.
A graduate student with Fort Hays State University is beginning a behavioral study of mixed leks (with both Lesser and Greater prairie-chickens in attendance) in west-central Kansas this spring. He will be working in an area into which lessers have expanded in recent years.
Plans are being developed for a radio-telemetry study of Lesser Prairie-Chickens in northwest Kansas. This work is scheduled to start in 2002 through Colorado State University in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. This study is expected to focus on lessers' use of the various CRP and native rangeland habitats in that area, particularly focusing on forb interseeding that is occurring in CRP.
Discussion is occurring relative to use of the funding that will become available through the "CARA-lite" bill that was passed last year. Currently, one of the potential projects under consideration is use of some of this funding to help ranchers in the Red Hills area remove eastern red cedar which is taking over much of that region's prairie. This is expected to benefit lessers and other grassland birds. A jointly-funded range management position is planned to work with ranchers of the "Comanche Pool," located in the Red Hills.

Sharp-tailed Grouse
Visits to known sharptail leks in Kansas are not yet completed this spring. Information from past years, however, seems to indicate that these birds are slowly dwindling in number, although reproduction has certainly occurred. Last December, hunters turned in a banded hen sharptail they took near one of the old release areas. The hen was six years old.

OTHER INFORMATION

Some Recent Literature About Grouse
compiled by Jim Evrard

Two articles concerning Sharp-tailed Grouse were recently published in the Passenger Pigeon, the journal of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. 

Evrard, J. O., J. E. Hoefler, and P. A. Kooiker. 2000. The history of Sharp-tailed Grouse in the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. Passenger Pigeon 62(2): 175-183.

Gregg, L. and N. D. Niemuth. 2000. The history, status, and future of Sharp-tailed Grouse in Wisconsin. Passenger Pigeon 62(2): 159-174.

 

Newsletter Schedules and Information

Three newsletters are planned to be sent before the meeting next year: the first newsletter in November, 2000, this one, and a third newsletter at the end of September, 2001. I will send another call for information for the last newsletter before the meeting by e-mail only in mid-August 2001. 

If you have pictures of prairie grouse (especially sharptails, sage-grouse, or Lesser Prairie-Chickens) that you would like to show off in the next newsletter, I'd like to have them. You'll get credit, and others will get to see your neat pictures. 

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

 

George M. Sutton Avian Research Center Web Site