Multi-species functional connectivity modelling approach using a suite of hypothetical, but realistic, species to look at the synoptic patters of connectivity for species across the CCE. These models use the resistant kernel modelling approach to understand the migration rates for each species at every location in the Crown of the Continent. By providing a comprehensive look at connectivity over the CCE, this work offers managers important information on the ecology of the region needed to make collaborative and appropriate management decisions.
Resources
LCCs have produced a wealth of informational documents, reports, fact sheets, webinars and more to help support resource managers in designing and delivering conservation at landscape scales.
This cost-weighted distance (CWD) raster was developed from a generalized shrub-steppe and grassland (SSGL) species guild resistance model based on 20th percentile of resistance values for the five statewide analysis (WHCWG 2010) focal species in this biome, including sage-grouse, black-tailed jackrabbit, white-tailed jackrabbit, badger, and sharp-tailed grouse.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Presenter: Molly Cross, Wildlife Conservation Society
Co-authors: Regan Nelson, Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative; Lara Hansen, EcoAdapt; Gary Tabor, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Date posted: June 23, 2018
This decision support tool provides spatially explicit information pertaining to modeled wildlife connectivity value across major roads, total wildlife mortality counts along major roads, carnivore mortality counts along major roads, the extent to which wildlife connectivity value and road mortality align, and potential priority sites for mitigation of road impacts on wildlife from diverse stakeholder perspectives.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
NorWeST Modeled Mean August Stream Temperature for the Salmon River Basin, Idaho
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Wolverines are the essence of wilderness. High in the mountains, they lurk near avalanche paths and earn their Latin name, Gulo gulo (glutton), by gorging on half-buried animals and breaking bones with powerful jaws. They traverse deep snows with plate-sized feet and scale mountain summits so quickly it puts the world’s greatest human mountaineers to shame.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Estimates of nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico indicate that nine states within the Mississippi River Basin are responsible for approximately 75% of all nitrogen and phosphorus delivered to the Gulf. The Mississippi Basin also supports a rich assemblage of fish species; at least 25% of all species in the conterminous United States are found in the Basin. These assemblages reflect their habitats, human landscape disturbances, and fragmentation of the river network by dams. Climate also has close associations with aquatic habitat conditions and ultimately fish community composition.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
In FY12, hydrogeomorphic methodology was applied along 670 miles of the Missouri River from Decatur, Nebraska to St. Louis, Missouri. In FY15, additional resources extended the HGM up river to Gavin’s Point Dam, West Yankton, South Dakota (approximate river mile 811), the location of the most downstream mainstem dam; thus encompassing the entire free flowing reach of the Missouri River and increasing the study area by approximately 800,000 acres.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Reports document development of models and Decision Support Tools (DSTs) that inform conservation delivery for easements and habitat management within the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area (LCA) that address population and habitat objectives for surrogate species.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Reports from a project to determine biodiversity impacts of land restoration associated with clean and renewable energy development; specifically, natural gas production through an aerobic digestion of hog manure and native plant material, as being forwarded by Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) and Smithfield Foods. RAE has the stated goal of scaling up to restore30 million acres across the Midwestern U.S., but quantitative data in support of their claims of beneficial impacts on biodiversity are currently lacking. This research seeks to fill this gap.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Creating a detailed vegetation classification and digital map for Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge to use for habitat management decisions and tracking land use changes.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
To better understand the motivations of landowners, specifically farmers, to participate in programs that improve wildlife habitat and water quality in the region. The LCC is working with U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate factors influencing landowners’ enrollment in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that improve water quality by reducing sedimentation and nutrient loading, and, landowners’ incentives to enter into sustainable agricultural systems.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The Midwestern Region is dominated by intensive agricultural production, primarily corn and soybeans. Economic pressures result in optimizing acreage planted and may place pressure on producers to resign not enroll in conservation programs. At issue is the balance between ecosystem services provided by acres in conservation programs and those in agricultural production. Intensive agricultural production (e.g., high levels of fertilizers) in this region are major contributors to Gulf hypoxia (i.e., reduced levels of ecosystem services) in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
During the Spring 2016 semester, graduate students in a capstone course atIndiana University - School for Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) produced a capstone report for Sycamore Land Trust that describes the potential wetland corridors connecting hubs of protected lands, including Muscatatuk, Big Oaks, and Patoka National Wildlife Refuges.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Proposal narrative and preliminary fact sheet for this project to improve the practice of prairie reconstruction by developing criteria by which success can be measured and related to reconstruction methodology. To accomplish this goal, the project will utilize past reconstruction efforts and records for two of the largest tallgrass prairie reconstructions in North America, Neal Smith National wildlife Refuge near Des Moines, Iowa and Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge near Crookston, Minnesota.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The multi-LCC Mississippi River Basin/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative is a joint effort to find the nexus of water quality, wildlife, and people in the Mississippi River Basin.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The multi-LCC Mississippi River Basin/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative is a joint effort to find the nexus of water quality, wildlife, and people in the Mississippi River Basin.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The framework for this landscape conservation design is objective-driven across three sectors for wildlife, water quality and agriculture – ultimately doing our part to strategically maximize the value of every conservation dollar for the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf of Mexico. An intensive year-long dialogue culminated in the Memphis workshop in August 2014, setting the stage for research and development of design tools this past year. Forum notes, agenda, summary, participants and invitation.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The efficiency and effectiveness of aerial photography by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Aviation Program has been improved with upgraded components for the Applanix DSS 439 Camera System, including a 60 millimeter lens and gyro-stabilization mount. Both are installed and in use. The stabilization mount improves image resolution and minimizes asymmetrical pixels. The 60 millimeter lens also improves image resolution for higher quality aerial photographs.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Researchers with U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Centers in Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts collaborated to conduct a comprehensive literature search of both published and ongoing research (2000-present) that sheds light on the interactions between climate change, agriculture and water quality across the combined geographies of the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers LCC and neighboring Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Report on advanced technology in mobile rearing to evaluate how different water sources support growth and survival of young freshwater mussels. A mobile aquatic rearing station, or MARS, was deployed along the banks of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin in the summer of 2012 to raise rare and endangered mussel species, including Higgins’ eye pearlymussel, hickorynut, black sandshell and snuffbox.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
This project proposes development of a spatial decision support system (DSS) designed to address an identified major conservation goal of the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative (ETPBR LCC), in collaboration with adjacent LCCs in the Midwestern U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Monarch butterfly and other pollinators are in trouble. Monarch butterfly habitat— including milkweed host plants and nectar food sources—has declined drastically throughout most of the United States. Observed overwinter population levels have also exhibited a long-term downward trend, suggesting a strong relationship between habitat loss and monarch population declines. Preliminary research results from a U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Monarch butterfly and other pollinators are in trouble. Monarch butterfly habitat— including milkweed host plants and nectar food sources—has declined drastically throughout most of the United States. Observed overwinter population levels have also exhibited a long-term downward trend, suggesting a strong relationship between habitat loss and monarch population declines. Preliminary research results from a U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Monarch butterfly and other pollinators are in trouble. Monarch butterfly habitat— including milkweed host plants and nectar food sources—has declined drastically throughout most of the United States. Observed overwinter population levels have also exhibited a long-term downward trend, suggesting a strong relationship between habitat loss and monarch population declines. Preliminary research results from a U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The Floodplain Forest Workshop that was held in Dubuque on September 15-17, 2015. The agenda included presentations and discussions regarding floodplain forest issues ranging from system level influences to floodplain forest threats to site level management. The program included a field trip and several breakout sessions including landscape level considerations, factors to consider when writing management prescriptions, identifying specific research needs, and discussing how to best collaborate and communicate moving forward.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Report on research that has shown that management of river connectivity of channels to floodplains is an effective mitigation strategy to remove nutrients, sediment, and carbon from river flows.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The Upper Midwest and Great Lakes (UMGL) and the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie & Big Rivers (ETP) Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are convening State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinators in the Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin to work across state boundaries to conserve species of greatest conservation need and their habitats.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
In June 2015, the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) granted $80,000 to the City of St. Louis (City) to promote urban monarch conservation by expanding activities associated with Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project (M4M). Generally speaking, the USFWS grant was to: (1) enhance urban education and outreach efforts, and (2) conduct research on urban monarch habitat. The project spent $51,583.57 on activities for ed and $27,785.68 for research.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Monarch butterfly and other pollinators are in trouble. Monarch butterfly habitat— including milkweed host plants and nectar food sources—has declined drastically throughout most of the United States. Observed overwinter population levels have also exhibited a long-term downward trend, suggesting a strong relationship between habitat loss and monarch population declines. Preliminary research results from a U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The Monarch’s View of a City project will lay the groundwork for design principles to guide the development, testing and deployment of future urban conservation for the Monarch butterfly across the Eastern half of the country. This strategy will need to reflect an integrated and interdisciplinary approach, one that includes ecological and social dimensions specific to an urban landscape.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Estimates of nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico indicate that nine states within the Mississippi River Basin are responsible for approximately 75% of all nitrogen and phosphorus delivered to the Gulf. The Mississippi Basin supports a rich assemblage of fish species; at least 25% of all species in the conterminous United States are found in the Basin. These assemblages reflect their habitats, human landscape disturbances, and fragmentation of the river network by dams. Climate also has close associations with aquatic habitat conditions and ultimately fish community composition.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Report from a workshop is to share experiences, technical knowledge, and successful approaches to urban conservation – a true networking opportunity with other officials from cities and towns, NGOs, and researchers committed to urban conservation. This will increase the capacity for organizations, the public and decision makers to engage in responsible, creative, collective-impact-focused solutions and build upon already existing urban conservation efforts.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Monarch butterfly and other pollinators are in trouble. Monarch butterfly habitat— including milkweed host plants and nectar food sources—has declined drastically throughout most of the United States. Observed overwinter population levels have also exhibited a long-term downward trend, suggesting a strong relationship between habitat loss and monarch population declines. Preliminary research results from a U.S.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Despite growing interest in ecosystem services and multi-functional landscapes, there are still relatively few examples of projects that assess the delivery of multiple goods and services and evaluate how multi-objective conservation strategies can improve outcomes relative to single-objective or species-centric approaches (Boody et al. 2005). Quantifying the impact of conservation on the delivery of multiple ecosystem services and habitat values requires specialized expertise and extensive data collection.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Sediment and nutrient runoff contributes to loss of agricultural productivity, degradation of local streams, and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The North Fork Maquoketa Basin has been identified as a major contributor of sediment and nutrients. Agricultural best management practices are now being implemented in the upper basin through the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service in conjunction with local watershed groups.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Description of the Ecological Places in Cities, EPiC, is a network of cities and conservation groups working together towards a new vision that integrates nature’s benefits and natural defenses with the needs of our urban future. We use advanced urban planning approaches along with innovative civic leadership to ensure that urban nature and our future generations can grow and thrive together.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Notes from the Urban Core Team Strategic Planning Workshop was an organizational meeting held to: 1. Discuss Green Infrastructure as an organizational framework for EPIC and receive feedback on EPIC. 2. Walk through the EPiC framework 3. Determine next steps on Core Team establishing mission, visions, goals/objectives.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
This multi-LCC project is designed to evaluate delivery of existing courses offered through the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) as “pilots” to enhance expertise needed within the regional context of LCC and Climate Science Center (CSC) communities. Feedback from these offsite training sessions and other strategic discussion will help identify and prioritize which tools to include in future training for staff and partners.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Report on enclosures at Columbia Mine to house approximately 60 turtles (translocated animals) that were collected off of the right-of-way for sections 2 and 4 of I-69. Monitor the behavior, survival and reproduction of trans-located box turtles during the captive phase of the new home-range adoption process. Determine the population and habit-use characteristics of the remnant, resident box turtle population at Columbia Mine. Determine the genetics profile of individual trans-located, resident and hatchling turtles and to conduct parentage analysis of hatchlings or eggs detected.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Sum of all watershed-based (HU-8) implementation interests or priorities identified as of June 2016 within the Mississippi River Basin. These watersheds represent areas identified as a focus for investment to improve either water quality or aquatic habitat. Data was compiled from state, federal, regional, and non-governmental organizations including, but not limited to USDA-NRCS, USEPA, USFWS, Fish Habitat Partnerships, Gulf Hypoxia Task Force, and State Nutrient Reduction Strategies. Some HUC-12 priority watersheds were included as well, but coded to the HUC-8 level.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The purpose of this workshop is to identify important hydro- and ecological relationships that will affect the ability of floodplain managers to optimize their approaches to providing: 1) fish habitat; 2) wildlife habitat; 3) nutrient and sediment processing; and 4) flood regulation. The resulting conceptual model will guide future floodplain science, including the development of numerical simulation models of high interest relationships.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
The multi-LCC Mississippi River Basin/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative is a joint effort to find the nexus of water quality, wildlife, and people in the Mississippi River Basin.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
New Indiana University Grand Challenge initiative to tackle major environmental threats to Hoosier health, economy: $55 million research initiative to launch collaborative Environmental Resilience Institute and create a Hoosier Resiliency Index. “Prepared for Environmental Change: Resilient Ecosystems, Livable Communities, and Healthy Hoosiers” will develop research for pilot applications, specifically developing tools for strategic management of wildlife, water quality and agricultural productivity in the Lower Wabash River Floodplains / Patoka River NWR Landscape Conservation Design.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Reports describe research by Iowa State University in collaboration with Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and other partners has discovered that strategically adding a little bit of prairie back onto the agricultural landscape can result in many benefits – for water and soil quality, habitat for wildlife and pollinators, as well as opportunities for biomass production.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
In order to make the framework as useful as possible for monarch conservation planning efforts, the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative sponsored a practitioners workshop and bringing together local urban conservation leaders and communities engaged in urban monarch conservation efforts to help guide the final products for this project. Participants are expected to be technical expertise in community engagement and/or geospatial modeling/mapping. The objectives of the meeting are to:1.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Conservation estate and conservation priority areas identified by states, joint ventures, NGO's, etc. within the greater Mississippi River Basin. NOTE: While the data layers "Sum - Conservation Focus Areas (2016)" and "Sum - Conservation and Watershed Interests (2016)" include conservation opportunity areas delineated by Louisiana DWF, this map service does not include that layer separately due to data sharing restrictions.
Date posted: June 23, 2018
Seven Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are working together to identify key scientific uncertainties associated with design and management of a sustainable ecosystem/floodplain landscape that provides multiple benefits for agricultural productivity, water quality, and wildlife conservation—both locally and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Date posted: June 23, 2018