The decision to establish a network of researchers centers on identifying shared research goals. Ecologically specific regions, such as the USA’s National Ecological Observatory Network’s (NEON’s) eco-climatic domains, are ideal locations by which to assemble researchers with a diverse range of expertise but focused on the same set of ecological challenges. The recently established Great Lakes User Group (GLUG) is NEON’s first domain specific ensemble of researchers, whose goal is to address scientific and technical issues specific to the Great Lakes Domain 5 (D05) by using NEON data to enable advancement of ecosystem science. Here, we report on GLUG’s kick off workshop, which comprised lightning talks, keynote presentations, breakout brainstorming sessions and field site visits. Together, these activities created an environment to foster and strengthen GLUG and NEON user engagement. The tangible outcomes of the workshop exceeded initial expectations and include plans for (i) two journal articles (in addition to this one), (ii) two potential funding proposals, (iii) an assignable assets request and (iv) development of classroom activities using NEON datasets. The success of this 2.5-day event was due to a combination of factors, including establishment of clear objectives, adopting engaging activities and providing opportunities for active participation and inclusive collaboration with diverse participants. Given the success of this approach we encourage others, wanting to organize similar groups of researchers, to adopt the workshop framework presented here which will strengthen existing collaborations and foster new ones, together with raising greater awareness and promotion of use of NEON datasets. Establishing domain specific user groups will help bridge the scale gap between site level data collection and addressing regional and larger ecological challenges.

Bats arouse from hibernation both naturally and in response to disturbances. Frequent bat arousals can decrease survival due to increased energetic costs. An active sand mine in west‐central Wisconsin hosted over 52,000 hibernating bats of 4 species in inactive tunnels, and regularly blasted with explosives to remove sand. We collected environmental and acoustic data at this mine during two hibernation seasons (November 1 through February 28 in 2013–2014 and 2014–2015) to examine the effect of blasting on echolocation calls (bat activity), a measure of bat arousal from hibernation. We used total bat activity recorded 7 h before and 7 h after blast time as the response variable, assigned it to a binary category and used that as a fixed effect. We used explosive charge per delay (kg), number of blasts per day, number of consecutive blast days, barometric pressure, temperature, and hibernation season as fixed effects. We used generalized linear mixed models with a negative binomial distribution and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) for model selection. The BIC‐optimal model did not include any of the variables associated with blasting, but included activity timing, temperature, barometric pressure, and season as fixed effects, of which all were significant. Blasting did not influence bat activity significantly in this mine.

ABSTRACT The northern long‐eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis ) is one of the bat species most affected by white‐nose syndrome. Population declines attributed to white‐nose syndrome contributed to the species’ listing as federally threatened under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Although one of the most abundant Myotine bats in eastern North America prior to white‐nose syndrome, little is known about northern long‐eared bats in the upper Midwest, USA. We assessed the habitat associations of the northern long‐eared bats on a regional scale using occupancy models that accounted for uncertainty in nightly detection to provide needed information on the distribution as white‐nose syndrome has recently arrived in this area. We monitored bat activity using zero‐crossing frequency‐division bat detectors for 10–15 nights at 20 detector sites at each of 3 sampling areas in Michigan, USA, and 6 sampling areas in Wisconsin, USA, stratified by mesic and xeric habitat types. We constructed northern long‐eared bat nightly detection histories for our occupancy analysis using maximum likelihood estimates from 2 commercially‐available automated identification programs: Kaleidoscope and Echoclass. We sampled for a total of 2,174 detector‐nights. Both Kaleidoscope and Echoclass identified northern long‐eared bat passes on 110 detector‐nights, whereas on 1,968 detector‐nights neither program identified a northern long‐eared bat call. Only one program or the other identified northern long‐eared bat calls on 206 detector‐nights, indicating an overall agreement rate of 35% on nights when calls were detected. We analyzed these data using an occupancy analysis accounting for the potential for false positives to assess the relationship between northern long‐eared bat presence and habitat characteristics. Our analyses indicated that the probability of a false positive at a site was low (0.015; 95% CI 0.009–0.021), and detection probability, but not occupancy, declined from 2015 to 2016 for sites in Wisconsin sampled in both years. Occupancy was positively associated with distance into the forest interior (distance from nearest road). © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

AbstractGrassland birds have exhibited dramatic and widespread declines since the mid‐20th century. Greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) are considered an umbrella species for grassland conservation and are frequent targets of management, but their responses to land use and management can be quite variable. We used data collected during 2007–2009 and 2014–2015 to investigate effects of land use and grassland management practices on habitat selection and survival rates of greater prairie chickens in central Wisconsin, USA. We examined habitat, nest‐site, and brood‐rearing site selection by hens and modeled effects of land cover and management on survival rates of hens, nests, and broods. Prairie chickens consistently selected grassland over other cover types, but selection or avoidance of management practices varied among life‐history stages. Hen, nest, and brood survival rates were influenced by different land cover types and management practices. At the landscape scale, hens selected areas where brush and trees had been removed during the previous year, which increased hen survival. Hens selected nest sites in hay fields and brood‐rearing sites in burned areas, but prescribed fire had a negative influence on hen survival. Brood survival rates were positively associated with grazing and were highest when home ranges contained ≈15%–20% shrub/tree cover. The effects of landscape composition on nest survival were ambiguous. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of evaluating responses to management efforts across a range of life‐history stages and suggest that a variety of management practices are likely necessary to provide structurally heterogeneous, high‐quality habitat for greater prairie chickens. Brush and tree removal, grazing, hay cultivation, and prescribed fire may be especially beneficial for prairie chickens in central Wisconsin, but trade‐offs among life‐history stages and the timing of management practices must be considered carefully.

One of the North American bat species most impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) is the northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis, which as a result has been listed under the Endangered Species Act. WNS was first detected in Wisconsin in 2014. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the ecology of M. septentrionalis in this state pre-WNS to guide management supporting post-WNS recovery efforts. The objectives of our research were to (1) assess characteristics of trees that are associated with roost tree selection and (2) investigate how characteristics of maternity colony networks compare to colonies in the eastern USA. We mist-netted at 3 sites in Wisconsin in 2015 and 2016, and affixed radio transmitters to 39 female M. septentrionalis. We tracked bats to 53 confirmed day roosts. We found that roost trees were larger, more decayed, and more likely to be in dominant canopy closure areas than random trees. Oaks Quercus spp. were used most frequently and in proportion to their availability in the landscape at 2 field sites, whereas invasive black locust Robinia pseudoacacia was used more than expected based on availability at another site. Overall, minimum convex polygon sizes for maternity roosts were variable (5.2 to 8.9 ha) but similar to values reported for other regions. However, network centrality was low, indicating equitable use of day roosts and more frequent roost switching compared to other regions. Our findings provide information that increasing availability of potential day roosts in the landscape during the reproductive period may improve recruitment, which may in turn mitigate some of the detrimental population effects from WNS.

Woodpeckers and nuthatches are resident species sharing similar year-round habitat in northeastern North America, but little is known about how these species distribute themselves within the same wintering area. From 2009 to 2015, we conducted a mark-recapture study of 7 Downy Woodpeckers, 15 Hairy Woodpeckers, 9 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and 39 White-breasted Nuthatches to determine geographical winter home-range partitioning between and within species. We used multinomial log-linear models to estimate the likelihood of capturing each species in a particular baited trap when other species had been caught in the same trap during the same year. Our results show the presence of each species influenced the likelihood at least 1 other species would inhabit the same area. Most of these relationships were positive and indicate active sharing of the same space. However, Hairy Woodpeckers appeared to deter White-breasted Nuthatches, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers avoided conspecifics. Little evidence of space partitioning suggests minimal competition occurs during winter months between these species. Since these species occupy similar habitats, the appearance of one may indicate suitable habitat influencing the presence of others.

Field borders are used to supplement early successional habitat critical for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) nesting that is lost to modern intensive agricultural practices. The suitability of field border habitat for nesting may be affected by microhabitat characteristics at the site and patch scale and placement relative to various land-cover types at the landscape scale. We sought to determine whether bobwhite select nest locations at site, patch, and landscape scales. We collected microhabitat data (stem density, percent cover, and ground composition) and distance to land-cover type data (woody edge, crop, ditch, and road) from 26 bobwhite nests and 26 control sites in field borders in North Carolina, USA, during 2010 and 2011. We modeled nest site selection by comparing nests with random locations using conditional logistic regression at the site scale and logistic regression at the combined patch–landscape scale. We performed model selection using the small sample Akaike’s Information Criterion (AICc). The top site-scale model showed that bobwhite selected for the presence of woody cover and avoided open soil at the nest. There was no clear top model at the combined patch–landscape level. In an agriculture-dominated landscape, managers should focus on microhabitat characteristics of field borders to improve suitability for bobwhite nesting.

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined because of habitat loss and fragmentation. Field borders provide additional habitat for northern bobwhites and other wildlife that depend on early-succession habitat. However, their proximity to woods as well as other edge types may result in increased bobwhite nest depredation. We examined if northern bobwhite nest survival in field borders decreased with increasing proximity to edges such as woods, crop fields, ditches, and roads; effects of year, camera presence, and field border width also were considered. We examined if snakes are the primary nest predator with 24-hr video camera surveillance. We searched for and monitored northern bobwhite nests on ~ 77 ha of field borders in southeast North Carolina during summers 2010 and 2011. We found 26 nests and monitored them every 3–4 days. Fourteen nests were monitored with cameras. We built nest survival models using the covariates of distance to nearest woody edge, crop field, ditch, and road as well as year, camera effect, and field border width. The most explanatory model was constant northern bobwhite nest survival with an estimated daily nest survival 6 SE of 0.9512 6 0.0119 (AICc weight 1⁄4 0.23). Models with covariates suggested similar daily nest survival rates. Four snake and two mammalian predation events were recorded on camera. Distance to edge types and field border width did not appear to influence the outcome of nests in an agriculture-dominated landscape. Thus, landowners and managers in an agriculture-dominated landscape may have flexibility with field border placement and distance to edge type as they relate to nest success. Citation: Piispanen, J. N., and J. D. Riddle. 2012. Depredation patterns and northern bobwhite nest success in field borders. Proceedings of the National Quail Symposium 7:256–261.

Forest management practices that mimic natural canopy disturbances, including prescribed fire and timber harvests, may reduce competition and facilitate establishment of favorable vegetative species within various ecosystems. Fire suppression in the central Appalachian region for almost a century has contributed to a transition from oak-dominated to more mesophytic, fire-intolerant forest communities. Prescribed fire coupled with timber removal is currently implemented to aid in oak regeneration and establishment but responses of woodland salamanders to this complex silvicultural system is poorly documented. The purpose of our research was to determine how woodland salamanders respond to shelter-wood harvests following successive burns in a central Appalachian mixed-oak forest. Woodland salamanders were surveyed using coverboard arrays in May, July, and August September 2011 and 2012. Surveys were conducted within fenced shelterwood-burn (prescribed fires, shelterwood harvest, and fencing to prevent white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus] herbivory), shelterwood-burn (prescribed fires and shelterwood harvest), and control plots. Relative abundance was modeled in relation to habitat variables measured within treatments for mountain dusky salamanders (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), slimy salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus), and eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). Mountain dusky salamander relative abundance was positively associated with canopy cover and there were significantly more individuals within controls than either shelterwood-burn or fenced shelterwood-burn treatments. Conversely, habitat variables associated with slimy salamanders and eastern red-backed salamanders did not differ among treatments. Salamander age-class structure within controls did not differ from shelterwood-burn or fenced shelterwood-burn treatments for any species. Overall, the woodland salamander assemblage remained relatively intact throughout the shelterwoodburn silvicultural treatment compared to previous research within the same study area that examined pre-harvest fire effects. However, because of the multi-faceted complexities of this specific silvicultural system, continued research is warranted that evaluates long-term, additive impacts on woodland salamanders within managed central Appalachian deciduous forests. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Few annual survival and capture-probability estimates exist for sittid and picid species common in North America. We used a mark recapture study and robust design analysis in Program MARK to estimate annual survival rates based on a sample of 51 Sitta carolinensis (White-breasted Nuthatch), 12 Picoides pubescens (Downy Woodpecker), and 15 Picoides villosus (Hairy Woodpecker) wintering in central Wisconsin, 2006-2013. Apparent survival probability was similar between the two woodpecker species (Downy Woodpecker: p = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.34-0.68; Hairy Woodpecker: p = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.36-0.68). Apparent annual survival modeled as constant across time was low for both sexes of White-breasted Nuthatch (0.25 [CI = 0.12-0.44] and 0.28 [CI = 0.14-0.49] for males and females, respectively), but there was some evidence for annual variation in survival. All three species showed evidence for a trap-happy response in which recapture probability was higher than original capture probability, but it was stronger in the White-breasted Nuthatches than the two woodpecker species. There is little evidence of temporary emigration for any of the woodpecker taxa we studied. Our results provide baseline demographic data for these species in Wisconsin and will be useful in planning future trapping studies.

Comparisons between field observers and acoustic recording systems have shown great promise for sampling birds using acoustics methods. Comparisons provide information about the performance of recording systems and field observers but do not provide a robust validation of their true sampling performance—i.e., precision and accuracy relative to known population size and richness. We used a 35-speaker bird song simulation system to experimentally test the accuracy and precision of two stereo (Telinga and SS1) and one quadraphonic recording system (SRS) for estimating species richness, abundance, and total abundance (across all species) of vocalizing birds. We simulated 25 bird communities under natural field conditions by placing speakers in a wooded area at 4–119 m from the center of the survey at differing heights and orientations. We assigned recordings randomly to one of eight skilled observers. We found a significant difference among microphones in their ability to accurately estimate richness (p = 0.0019) and total bird abundance (p = < 0.0001). Our study demonstrates that acoustic recording systems can potentially estimate bird abundance and species richness accurately; however, their performance is likely to vary by its technical characteristics (recording pattern, microphone arrangement, etc.).

Populations of many shrubland bird species are declining in the eastern United States. Efforts to restore shrubland and early-successional forest may help to ameliorate these declines. However, uncertainty remains about how the size and shape of habitat patches and the surrounding habitat matrix affect patch occupancy by shrubland passerines. Our objectives were to determine if shrubland birds avoid small or irregularly shaped habitat patches and to identify minimum area requirements for area-sensitive species. Additionally, we sought to determine if the proportion of mature forest cover in the landscape influences patch occupancy. We surveyed 35 individual habitat patches in 2007 and 43 in 2008 for the presence of eight shrubland birds. Then, we modeled the probability of five of these species occupying an individual patch relative to patch area, patch shape, and percent forest cover within 1 km of the patch. We documented evidence of area sensitivity for the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) and Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor) and estimated their minimum area requirements at 2.3 and 1.1 ha, respectively. The Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) also was area-sensitive in irregularly shaped patches. Predicted patch-occupancy probability was >0.9 in patches >= 5.5 ha for all area-sensitive species. Patch shape alone and proportion of forest cover were not important predictors of occupancy for these shrubland birds. Restored shrubland and early-successional forest in agricultural landscapes can provide habitat for many shrubland birds, but patches should be >5 ha to maximize shrubland bird diversity.

In recent decades, many early-succession songbird species have experienced severe and widespread declines, which often are related to habitat destruction. Field borders create additional or enhance existing early-succession habitat on farmland. However, field border shape and the landscape context surrounding farms may influence the effectiveness of field borders in contributing to the stabilization or increase of early-succession bird populations. We examined the influence of linear and nonlinear field borders on farms in landscapes dominated by either agriculture or forests on nest success and Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) brood parasitism of Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) and Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) nests combined. Field border establishment did not affect nest survival probability and brood parasitism frequency of Indigo Bunting and Blue Grosbeak nests. Indigo Bunting/Blue Grosbeak nest success probability was more than twice as high in agriculture-dominated landscapes (39%) than in forested landscapes (17%), and brood parasitism frequency was high (33%) but did not differ between landscapes. Edges in agriculture-dominated landscapes can be higher-quality habitats for early-succession birds than edges in forest-dominated landscapes, but our field border treatments did not enhance nest success for these birds on farms in either landscape.

There are various methods of estimating detection probabilities for avian point counts. Distance and multiple-observer methods require the sometimes unlikely assumption that all birds in the population are available (i.e., sing or are visible) during a count, but the time-of-detection method allows for the possibility that some birds are unavailable during the count. We combined the dependent double-observer method with the time-of-detection method and obtained field-based estimates of the components of detection probability for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). Our approach was a special case of Pollock's robust capture-recapture design where the probability that a bird does not sing is analogous to the probability that an animal is a temporary emigrant. Top models indicated that observers' detection probabilities were similar (0.78-0.84) if bobwhite were available, but bobwhite only had an approximately 0.61 probability of being available during a 2.5-minute sampling interval. Additionally, observers' detection probabilities increased substantially after the initial encounter with an individual bobwhite (analogous to a trap-happy response on the part of the observer). A simulated data set revealed that the combined method was precise when availability and detection given availability were substantially lower. Combined methods approaches can provide critical information for researchers and land managers to make decisions regarding survey length and personnel requirements for point-count-based surveys.

ABSTRACT. Survey methods that account for detection probability often require repeated detections of individual birds or repeated visits to a site to conduct counts or collect presence-absence data. Initial encounters with individual species or individuals of a species could influence detection probabilities for subsequent encounters. For example, observers may be more likely to redetect a species or individual once they are aware of the presence of that species or individual at a particular site. Not accounting for these effects could result in biased estimators of detection probability, abundance, and occupancy. We tested for effects of prior detections in three data sets that differed dramatically by species, geographic location, and method of counting birds. We found strong support (AIC weights from 83% to 100%) for models that allowed for the effects of prior detections. These models produced estimates of detection probability, abundance, and occupancy that differed substantially from those produced by models that ignored the effects of prior detections. We discuss the consequences of the effects of prior detections on estimation for several sampling methods and provide recommendations for avoiding these effects through survey design or by modeling them when they cannot be avoided.

ABSTRACT. Multiple-observer point-count methods allow estimation of detection probability and have some advantages over other point-count methods. We introduce the unreconciled double-observer method, an independent double-observer method that does not require observers to match or otherwise reconcile individual observations. The modeling of the counts uses the repeated-counts model (Royle 2004). We compared estimates of detection probability and abundance from the unreconciled double-observer method with estimates from the traditional independent double-observer method (which requires matching of individual animals) using field-simulated bird-point-count data. The unreconciled double-observer method provided point estimates of detection probability and abundance that were essentially identical to the results of the independent double-observer method, even though much less effort was required to collect data with the unreconciled method. Estimates of detection probability from the unreconciled double-observer method were usually less precise—and estimates of abundance always less precise—than those from the independent double-observer method, because there is less information available in the unreconciled double-observer approach. We also evaluated the unreconciled double-observer method on 12 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes. The unreconciled double-observer method provided estimates of route-level abundance for most routes and for most of the 20 species we considered. We believe that this method has potential for established bird-monitoring programs such as the BBS because no changes in historical data-collection methods are required other than collecting data simultaneously using two or more observers.

Hunting has shaped the history of wildlife conservation, but research exploring the relationship between hunting and conservation is new. A decline in the popularity of hunting has spurred research on hunting participation and recruitment, but less is known about how hunting influences societal negotiation of the appropriate roles for humans and wildlife. We addressed this need with a personally administered survey to 320 college students at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The survey sampled 17 courses in eight of the nine colleges at NCSU with 100% compliance rate. Hunters were more likely to view wildlife in utilitarian, dominionistic, and naturalistic ways than non-hunters who tended to view wildlife in moralis- tic, humanistic, and symbolic ways. Women were more likely to view wildlife in moralistic and humanistic ways than men who tended to view wildlife in utilitarian and scientific ways. Religious respondents were more likely to view wildlife in utilitarian ways than non-religious respondents who tended to view wildlife in scientific and humanistic ways. Non-hunters overestimated the importance of hunting for sport and understated the importance of collecting meat and managing wildlife as motivations for hunters. Hunters overestimated the importance of animal rights as a key motivation for not hunting among non-hunters. These results provide preliminary guidance for tailoring college level wildlife education materials based on hunting participation, religion, and gender. Such efforts could help correct misconceptions regarding motivations for hunting and choosing not to hunt among society's future decision makers.

Abstract We compared the time-of-detection and logistic regression methods of estimating probability of detection for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) coveys. Both methods are unusual in that they allow estimation of the total probability of detection (i.e., the product of the probability that a covey is available for detection [i.e., that a covey vocalizes] and detection given availability). The logistic regression method produced an average detection probability of 0.596 (SE = 0.020) and the time-of-detection method produced a detection probability estimate of 0.540 (SE = 0.086), and the 2 estimates were not significantly different. This is the first evaluation of the time-of-detection method with empirical field data. Although the time-of-detection and logistic regression method each have advantages, both can be used under appropriate conditions to improve estimates of bobwhite abundance by allowing for the estimation of detection probabilities. Improved estimates of bobwhite abundance will allow land managers to make more informed management decisions.

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined nationally for at least the past 4 decades. Field borders have been promoted as an important component of conservation plans to reverse this decline. Field border characteristics, such as shape and the landscapes in which the borders are established, have the potential to influence their effectiveness for recovering northern bobwhite populations. We established narrow linear (approx. 3-m-wide) and nonlinear field borders on farms in agriculture-dominated and forest-dominated landscapes in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA, after collecting pretreatment data on summer bobwhite abundance. After establishment of field borders, summer bobwhite abundance nearly doubled on farms in agriculture-dominated landscapes and increased approximately 57% on farms with nonlinear field borders. Summer bobwhite abundance did not increase on farms with linear field borders in forest-dominated landscapes. Nonlinear and narrow linear field borders can be used to increase bobwhite numbers on farms in landscapes dominated by agriculture. Less flexibility exists in forest-dominated landscapes, where we found only nonlinear field borders resulted in an increase.

Christopher E. Moorman Jason D. Riddle Principal Investigator Doctoral Candidate North Carolina State University North Carolina State University Dept. of Forestry and Env. Resources Dept. of Forestry and Env. Res. Box 8003 Box 8003 3028E Biltmore Hall 2023C Biltmore Hall Raleigh, NC 27695 Raleigh, NC 27695 Office: (919) 515-5578 Office/Mobile: (919) 215-9517 FAX: 919-515-6883 FAX: 919-515-6883 Email: chris_moorman@ncsu.edu Email: jdriddle@unity.ncsu.edu