Resources

These raster datasets are output from the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Lab (GIPL) model and represent simulated active layer thickness (ALT) in meters averaged across a decade. These data were generated by driving the GIPL model with a composite of five GCM model outputs for the A1B emissions scenario. The file name specifies the decade the raster represents. For example, a file named ALT_1980_1989.tif represents the decade spanning 1980-1989.

Rural America has changed dramatically over the last century, from having over half the population living in rural settings to only 20 percent residing in a rural area today, and outmigration of younger populations from rural communities remains a constant issue for local governing officials. A declining tax base and concurrent rising costs for maintenance and repair of aging infrastructure add further challenges to policy decisions. Reduced enrollment has caused school closures or mergers. Farm consolidation and technical advances reduced the demand for local labor.

Baseline (1961-1990) average winter total precipitation and projected change in precipitation for the northern portion of Alaska. For the purposes of these maps, 'winter' is defined as December - February. The Alaska portion of the Arctic LCC's terrestrial boundary is depicted by the black line. Baseline results for 1961-1990 are derived from Climate Research Unit (CRU) TS 3.1.01 data and downscaled to 2km grids; results for the other time periods (2010-2039, 2040-2069, 2070-2099) are based on the SNAP 5-GCM composite using the AR5-RCP 8.5, downscaled to 2km grids.

Unconventional oil development in the Bakken shale region has increased rapidly as a result of new technologies. This region also supports a particularly high density and diversity of grassland bird species, which are declining across North America. We examined grassland bird response to unconventional oil extraction sites (i.e. developed with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) and associated roads in North Dakota. Our goal was to quantify the amount of habitat that was indirectly degraded by oil development, as evidenced by patterns of avoidance by birds.

The habitats and food resources required to support breeding and migrant birds dependent on North American prairie wetlands are threatened by impending climate change. The North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) hosts nearly 120 species of wetland-dependent birds representing 21 families. Strategic management requires knowledge of avian habitat requirements and assessment of species most vulnerable to future threats.

We used publically available data on duck breeding distribution and recently compiled geospatial
data on upland habitat and environmental conditions to develop a spatially explicit
model of breeding duck populations across the entire Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Our
spatial population models were able to identify key areas for duck conservation across the
PPR and predict between 62.1 – 79.1% (68.4% avg.) of the variation in duck counts by year
from 2002 – 2010. The median difference in observed vs. predicted duck counts at a transect

Fishery and aquatic scientists often assess habitats to understand the distribution, status, stressors, and
relative abundance of aquatic resources. Due to the spatial nature of aquatic habitats and the increasing
scope of management concerns, using traditional analytical methods for assessment is often difficult.
However, advancements in the geographic information systems (GIS) field and related technologies have
enabled scientists and managers to more effectively collate, archive, display, analyze, and model spatial and

Wetland hydroperiod, the length of time water is available in wetlands, is sensitive to changes in precipitation, temperature and timing due to climate variation. Truncated hydroperiod has major implications for wetland-dependent species (e.g., waterfowl, amphibians) and human water allocation (PPP LCC Need 1). To characterize wetland hydroperiod in the Plains and Prairie Pothole Region, we first identify location and hydroperiod of wetlands using field-based and remotely sensed training data (RapidEye, Landsat).

Wind power is a promising clean energy technology that has grown rapidly in recent years (EIA 2013). In spite of its environmentally friendly reputation, industrial wind energy generation can have serious impacts on wildlife. Bat and bird collision fatality rates have been alarmingly high at some wind farms. Proper siting of wind facilities may help minimize collision impacts as the wind energy industry continues to grow. Bat and bird fatality rates vary greatly among sites; however, there is no reliable method for assessing collision risk prior to development.

The goal of this project was to develop a landscape dynamics model to project future trends in forest area, age class distribution, and forest type (cottonwood vs. non-cottonwood) for four remnant floodplain segments on the Missouri River and, for two river segments, project effects of forest changes on abundances of forest bird species. These four river segments have not been channelized or inundated by reservoirs and thus still retain some of the natural abiotic and biotic processes of the Missouri River as it existed before human alteration.

Rest-rotation grazing, defined as lack of livestock grazing in a pasture for 15-18 months, is suggested to improve the quality of sagebrush, shrubland, and grassland habitat for a wide range of species. However, little work has been done to evaluate impacts of rest-rotation grazing on migratory avian species which serve as indicators of sagebrush ecosystem integrity. Evaluating the impacts of rest-rotation grazing using indicator species can provide valuable insight into how rest-rotation grazing may affect multiple species in the ecosystem.

     Native grasslands have been reduced to a fraction of their original extent, with estimated total loss prior to the 1990s of 70% for prairie grassland (Federal Provincial and Territorial Governments of Canada 2010).

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada contains millions of small prairie wetlands that provide critical habitat to many migrating and breeding waterbirds. Due to their small size and the relatively dry climate of the region, these wetlands are considered at high risk for negative climate change effects as temperatures increase. To estimate the potential impacts of climate change on breeding waterbirds, we predicted current and future distributions of species common in the PPR using species distribution models (SDMs).

This report provides a final update of work performed for the period beginning December 20, 2010 and ending December 31, 2012. The report describes two umbrella projects: (1) to improve fish passage and landscape connectivity for native species and 2) to determine the thermal effects on fish species sensitive to climate change. The work was performed through a partnership led by the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University and the Bozeman Fish Technology Center (BFTC) of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Williston Basin, located in the Northern
Great Plains, is experiencing rapid energy development
with North Dakota and Montana being the epicenter of
current and projected development in the USA. The
average single-bore well pad is 5 acres with an estimated
58,485 wells in North Dakota alone. This landscapelevel
disturbance may provide a pathway for the establishment
of non-native plants. To evaluate potential
influences of energy development on the presence and
abundance of non-native species, vegetation surveys

Many waterbird species utilize a diversity of aquatic habitats; however, with increasing anthropogenic needs to
manage water regimes there is global concern over impacts to waterbird populations. The federally threatened piping
plover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plovers) is a shorebird that breeds in three habitat types in the Prairie Pothole
Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada: riverine sandbars; reservoir shorelines; and prairie wetlands. Water

This carbon sequestration research is part of a new pilot grassland conservation program to protect at-risk grasslands from conversion to cropland in the northern Great Plains. Natural resources partners have leveraged more than $3 million in private and federal funding to support an innovative program that extends protection of privately-owned grasslands that have expired under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In the past two years alone, the number of CRP acres nationally has dropped from 31.2 million to 27 million.

Migration barriers and resulting habitat fragmentation are a major conservation
concern for freshwater fishes. Characterizing the swimming abilities of fish is vital for
fishway design and identifying potential movement barriers. The objective of this study
was to assess the swimming performance of two of the most widely distributed prairie
fishes, the large-bodied, large river sauger Sander Canadensis, and the small-bodied,
small stream longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae. Swimming performance for both

Many waterbird species utilize a diversity of aquatic habitats; however, with increasing anthropogenic needs to
manage water regimes there is global concern over impacts to waterbird populations. The federally threatened piping
plover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plovers) is a shorebird that breeds in three habitat types in the Prairie Pothole
Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada: riverine sandbars; reservoir shorelines; and prairie wetlands. Water

The impact of agricultural drainage and resulting non-point source nutrient export on water quality is a growing concern across the entire Prairie Pothole Region. In Canada, the three Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) are currently revising and reviewing surface water management strategies and have recognized the need for wetland restoration and conservation to help maintain and restore water quality, and sustain watershed health. However, unlike the US portion of the PPR, there is no complete wetland inventory for the Canadian portion of the PPR.

Temperate grassland ecosystems are imperiled globally, and habitat loss in North America has resulted in steep
declines of endemic songbirds. Commercial livestock grazing is the primary land use in rangelands that support
remaining bird populations. Some conservationists suggest using livestock as “ecosystem engineers” to increase
habitat heterogeneity in rangelands because birds require a spectrum of sparse to dense vegetation cover.
However, grazing effects remain poorly understood because local studies have not incorporated broad-scale

This projects primary goal was to provide data on biomass of potential seed resources located within shallow water coastal areas within fresh to saline coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The data set provides biomass of seeds, by species or lowest practical taxon from 2013, 2014 and 2015 across 384 randomly selected sites located in shallow water coastal areas. The data were collected between June and September of each year. This data set can be merged with a dataset which reports submerged aquatic vegetation and environmental data collected at the same time (La Peyre et al.

We worked with state and federal partners to (1) edge match the Oklahoma and Texas Ecological Systems (ECS) datasets with a focus on the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle region, (2) complete an enduring features (ecological site type; geophysical setting) dataset for Oklahoma, and (3) create a process for updating the Ecological Systems (ES) map and dataset by detecting land cover change and modeling the revised ES types.

These present data on sediment carbon within submerged aquatic vegetation beds from fresh to saline coastal locations in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Water quality, site location, vegetation biomass and species composition are presented. This project was co-funded by the Gulf Coast Prairie and the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center. An alternate reference to this product can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7QZ2853.