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Review of Individual Management Practice Effects on Nongame Bird Populations and Habitats

A brief discussion, provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's North Dakota Wetland Habitat Office, is presented. The discussion describes the management practice and defines its current level of use. The purpose for each management practice is stated and a list of "qualifiers" is provided. These qualifiers further describe the practice, where and when it's used, and other pertinent information relating to its use and applicability. The qualifiers also offer some insight into the previously discussed concepts of scope and perspective.

The actual evaluation of the practices involves ranking or categorizing the effect of the practice on all known (300+) individual nongame bird species or groups of similar species that breed or migrate through North Dakota. Resident upland game bird species and waterfowl were also included in the evaluations. The effects are categorized as being very beneficial, beneficial, negative, very negative, and unknown.

In the instance where there is no effect on a species or the effect is believed to be insignificant, be it positive or negative, the species is simply not mentioned. For example, an evaluation of a wetland creation in a central North Dakota grassland will show no effect, one way or the other, on rock wrens. This species does not occur in central North Dakota grasslands. The same no-effect determination is given to yellow warblers, even though they occur in the area, because the habitats that they utilize are not im-pacted. Not listing all the species that are unaffected allows for an efficient and focused evaluation of impacts on those species that are affected.

Finally, there is included at the bottom of each evaluation a comments section. The purpose of this section is to provide the reader some insight into potentially difficult and unclear points that were considered during the evaluation process.

These evaluations are not value judgements. Do not use the evaluation of a particular management practice as a final determination without considering the scope, perspective, and other factors. It's up to the individual manager to determine if a management practice is desirable, effective and appropriate for a particular area.

• Grazing -- Short term, 2-4 weeks
• Grazing Systems -- Rotation
• Wetland Restoration -- (restoring drained wetlands ranging from >1 acre to 20 acres)
• Wetland Creation
• Wetland Creation (wet meadow, type II area)
• Wetland Creation (West River)
• Re-seeding Uplands to Dense Nesting Cover (DNC)
• Re-seeding Uplands to Native Grasslands
• Cattail Control -- Chemical Using RODEO
• Cattail Control -- Burning
• Wetland Manipulation/Management on Hayland or Pastures
• Wetland Enhancement
• Delayed Haying
• No Till/Minimum Till
• Island Trapping
• Island Creation/Peninsula Cutoffs
• Predator Fence Exclosures
• Prescribed Burning
• Haying on NWRs/WPAs
• Cropping -- Mostly Used for Process of Rejuvenated DNC and Establishment of Lure Crops
• Tree Planting -- Multi-Row Shelterbelts
• Weed Control -- Chemical Control, Mowing, Grazing, Etc.
• Gravel Shoreline
• Nest Structures/Boxes
• Feeders
• Chemical Fallow