General Resources and Publications
In the working lands library, you will find project reports, presentations, peer-reviewed studies, and more.
Beef, Grass, and Bobwhites – Quail Management in Eastern Native Warm-Season Grass Pastures
This technical bulletin is targeted to technical advisors working with cattlemen and women in the eastern U. S. who are interested in managing for bobwhites. The authors combine a review of the literature, current research and first-hand experience to present this first-of-its-kind technical manual integrating grazing and bobwhite management in the eastern U. S. Published by NBTC and funded by WLFW.
Prescribed Grazing
NRCS Conservation Practice Standard: Prescribed Grazing (528)
Map: Gopher Tortoise Range-Wide PACs
Gopher Tortoise Range-Wide Priority Areas of Conservation (PACs): July 2016
Reconnecting Cattle and Quail
Learn about the Working Lands for Wildlife program and work in Ohio between USDA-NRCS and local farmers and ranchers. Grazing cattle on warm season, native grasses is great for cattle as well as critical species like the Northern Bobwhite Quail. Video for landowners and cattle producers. Presented by Nick Schell (USDA-NRCS Ohio) and Dr. Pat Keyser (UT - Center for Native Grasslands Management) at the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council Conference in 2017.
Small carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus)
Small carpetgrass is also known as hairy joint and/or joint head grass. It is a low-growing, sprawling annual grass. Small carpet grass grows up to one and a half feet in height. Stems root at nodes and have bright green clasping leaves which are often sparsely hairy on the margins. This grass grows in wet areas such as stream banks, shorelines, flood plains and wet meadows. It prefers sunny, moist areas.
Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata)
Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) is a trailing vine with barbed stems and triangular leaves. In contrast to other invasive vines, mile-a-minute is an herbaceous annual, meaning it dies each fall and new plants grow from germinating seeds in the spring. Each vine can grow 20 to 30 feet long, forming a dense, tangled blanket of intertwined vines. In the peak growing season, mile-a-minute can put on up to 6 inches of growth a day. Its leaves are distinctly triangular or arrowhead-shaped, 1 to 3 inches wide, vibrant green, and bear many hooked barbs along the underside of the central vein and leaf stem. The dense foliage of this invasive weed blankets and slowly suffocates native vegetation, making it extremely destructive and persistent despite being an annual plant.
WLFW-GWWA Project Boundary Shapefiles
This map of the outer project boundary for the partnership excludes 3 states within the species range in Appalachia that declined to participate due to staff shortages and competing priorities. The image shows the WLFW-GWWA project boundary on a national map of WLFW partnership geographies.
Regional abundance and local breeding productivity explain occupancy of restored habitats in a migratory songbird
Ecological restoration is a key tool in offsetting habitat loss that threatens biodiversity worldwide, but few projects are rigorously evaluated to determine if conservation objectives are achieved. We tested whether restoration outcomes for an imperiled bird, the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera; GWWA) met the assumptions of the ‘Field of Dreams’ hypothesis or whether local and regional population dynamics impacted restoration success. From 2015 to 18, we surveyed 514 points located in recently restored successional habitats. We used new- and published data on the survival of 341 nests and 258 fledglings to estimate GWWA breeding productivity. Occupancy and colonization of restored habitats were significantly higher in our Western Study Region (Minnesota and Wisconsin) than our Eastern Study Region (Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey), a pattern that mirrored broader regional population trends. At local scales, productivity was high in Eastern Pennsylvania (> 3 independent juveniles/pair/year) but low in Central Pennsylvania (1 juvenile/pair/year) while both Western and Central Minnesota hosted intermediate productivity (between 1 and 2 juveniles/pair/ year). Productivity and occupancy covaried locally in the Eastern Study Region, while occupancy was high in the Western Study Region, despite intermediate productivity. These differences have profound implications for restoration outcomes, as GWWA possessed robust capacity to respond to habitat restoration in both regions, but this capacity was conditional upon local productivity where the species is rare. Our findings suggest that, even when restoration efforts are focused on a single species and use comparable prescriptions, interactions among processes governing habitat selection, settlement, and productivity can yield variable restoration outcomes.
Multiscale drivers of restoration outcomes for an imperiled songbird
Habitat restoration is a cornerstone of conservation, particularly for habitat-limited species. However, restoration efforts are seldom rigorously monitored at meaningful spatial scales. Poor understanding of how species respond to habitat restoration programs limits conservation efficacy for habitat-restricted species like the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera, GWWA). We provide one of the first concerted assessments of a national conservation program aimed at restoring songbird habitat across its breeding range. We studied GWWA response to forest habitat restoration across two broad regions with opposing population trajectories and assessed factors driving species use of restored habitats across multiple spatial scales. From 2015 to 2017, we conducted 1,145 (n = 457 locations) and 519 point counts (n = 215 locations) across the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes (respectively) within restored habitats. Warbler abundance within restored habitats across the Great Lakes varied with latitude, longitude, elevation, forest type, and number of growing seasons. In the Appalachian Mountains, occupancy ( ^ ψ) varied with longitude, elevation, forest type, and number of growing seasons. Detections were restricted to areas within close proximity to population centers (usually <24 km) in the Appalachian Mountains, where GWWAs are rare ( ^ ψ= 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20–0.25), but not in the Great Lakes, whereGWWAs remain common ( ^ ψ= 0.87, 95% CI: 0.84–0.90). Our study suggests that, even when best management practices are carefully implemented, restoration outcomes vary within/across regions and with multiscale habitat attributes. Although assessments of concerted habitat restoration efforts remain uncommon, our study demonstrates the value of monitoring data in the adaptive management process for imperiled species.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone of Canada
The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone comprises the contact zone between the prairie parkland and the greater boreal ecosystems (Figure 1). Whereas the prairie biome is dominated by grasses and the boreal biome by coniferous tree species and mixed woods, the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is dominated by deciduous trees, especially Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), in complex mosaics with grassland and wetlands. The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is the only remaining large area within the Golden-winged Warbler range where Blue-winged Warbler does not occur. Thus, maintaining healthy populations of Golden-winged Warbler in this area is critical.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Shrub Wetlands of the Great Lakes
Shrub wetlands are extensive in the region, particularly in the western Great Lakes. Not all shrub wetlands are occupied by Golden-winged Warbler for a variety of reasons including high water levels, lack of desired woody and herbaceous vegetation patchiness, lack of scattered canopy trees, and distance to upland deciduous forest. Dense mature stands of unbroken woody shrub cover over large areas often are unsuitable. Reduced flooding and beaver activity may be partially responsible for these conditions and restoration of these natural disturbance regimes could improve habitat quality. In other cases, mechanical treatments provide the mechanism for creating or restoring breeding habitat (Figure 1) and are the focus of the included guidelines. For this insert, shrub wetlands are defined as palustrine wetlands dominated by broad-leaved deciduous woody vegetation less than 20 feet tall. The species include true shrubs, young trees, and scattered trees of varying size. See Table 1 for common dominant shrub and tree species.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Abandoned Farmlands in the Great Lakes
Since the early 20th century, abandoned farmland has become an important component of the Great Lakes landscape. When crop and pasture lands become inactive, they begin succeeding into their pre-agricultural state, which is often deciduous forest. The span of time from field to forest takes decades, during which there is a period of years where the ratio of herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, and young trees on a given site can potentially create habitat for breeding Golden-winged Warblers (Figure 1). Without active management, this is a temporary condition that typically persists for less than a decade. Throughout the region there is an excellent opportunity, especially on private lands, to create habitat for Golden-winged Warbler on abandoned farmlands. Perhaps the best opportunities exist on poorly drained soils that are too wet for pasture or crops.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Utility Rights-of-way in the Great Lakes
Utility ROWs consist of long, linear corridors that are often managed in a way that can provide habitat for Golden-winged Warbler and other shrubland birds. Many landscapes within the Great Lakes region are traversed by extensive and growing networks of electric transmission lines and gas pipelines (Figure 1), and in some of these the utility corridors are the principal sites of extensive shrubland habitat. Only a small proportion of these utility ROWs are managed for Golden-winged Warbler; therefore, substantial opportunities exist to benefit this species while still meeting the vegetation management goals of utility companies and working within acceptable budgets.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Deciduous Forests of the Great Lakes
This supplement for Deciduous Forests accompanies Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great Lakes Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in this area. Users should refer to both documents to develop a comprehensive management strategy for Golden-winged Warbler. The following are guidelines and not absolute rules for the creation of breeding habitat, thus prescriptions that fall outside the numerical ranges presented can provide habitat, too. Consult a Golden-winged Warbler or young forest habitat expert for assistance in tailoring a management plan to your property, and, if available, follow forest management guidelines for your state or province. Historically, young forest in this region was generated by natural disturbances such as wind, ice, insect outbreaks, flooding, beaver activity, and fire. Today, much habitat is created through commercial management of deciduous forests, which is the focus of this habitat guide. Deciduous forest management opportunities exist throughout the Great Lakes on public, private, and tribal lands.
Best Management Practices For Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great Lakes Region: A Guide for Land Managers and Landowners
This guide is intended to provide land managers and landowners with regional, habitat-specific strategies and techniques to begin developing and restoring habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This document includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Great Lakes region and should be used along with supplemental documents dedicated to the management of specific regional habitat types (deciduous forests, aspen parkland transition zone, abandoned farmlands, utility rights-of-way, forest and shrub wetlands) most important to Golden-winged Warblers.
Golden-Winged Warbler Habitat: Best Management Practices for Forestlands in Maryland and Pennsylvania
This document presents management prescriptions to forestland managers interested in providing breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers through management actions associated with timber harvesting.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Forest and Shrub Wetlands of the Appalachians
This is a supplemental document that provides information on managing forest and shrub wetlands in the Appalachians to develop and restore habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This guide should be used in conjunction with the Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Appalachian Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Appalachian region.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Utility Rights-of-way in the Appalachians
This is a supplemental document that provides information on managing utility rights-of-way in the Appalachians to develop and restore habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This guide should be used in conjunction with the Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Appalachian Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Appalachian region.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Grazed Forestland and Montane Pastures in the Appalachians
This is a supplemental document that provides information on managing grazed forestland and montane pastures in the Appalachians to develop and restore habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This guide should be used in conjunction with the Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Appalachian Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Appalachian region.
Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Abandoned Farmlands in the Appalachians
This is a supplemental document that provides information on managing abandoned farmlands in the Appalachians to develop and restore habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This guide should be used in conjunction with the Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Appalachian Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Appalachian region.
