Browsing by Author "Montgomery, Kent"
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Item Bird and Herpetofaunal Inventory on St. Louis County Lands(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1998) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald JNeotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the effects of forest management activities on bird communities in southern St. Louis County, bird census points were established in and around 24 sites which had been previously logged. Herpetofaunal sampling was also established on two of the 24 sites chosen for bird censuses. Results of these surveys were used to determine the use of recently harvested sites (and areas immediately surrounding them) by birds and herpetofauna and to establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird and herpetofaunal communities on these and additional sites. Objectives: The objectives of this initial year of surveying bird and herpetofaunal communities in regenerating habitats were to: (1) survey at least 20 recently-logged sites for breeding birds; (2) establish herpetofaunal sampling on two of these sites; and (3) establish a baseline for continued research on species associations in regenerating and other habitats in southern St. Louis County.Item Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1994(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald JNeotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events, such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components, may possibly influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota’s forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 60% of the more than 150 vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on County Biophysical plots during June 1994. Census points were established on Biophysical plots and monitored for forest birds. Results of these censuses will be used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County lands, establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots, and explore landscape-level effects on avian communities.Item Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1994-1996(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1997) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald JNeotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on biophysical plots. Bird census points were established on biophysical plots and surveyed for forest birds during June of 1994, 1995, and 1996. Results of these surveys were used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County, and establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots.Item Monitoring Bird Populations on Biophysical Inventory Plots: St. Louis County, 1995(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald JNeotropical migrant birds have recently received much attention following reported declines in many species that breed in eastern North America. Probable causes for such declines include events such as habitat alteration, occurring on both breeding and wintering grounds. Changes in forest species composition and age structure, and the spatial arrangement of these forest components may influence bird communities in both regions. The consequences of these changes to birds and other wildlife in Minnesota are not well understood. Minnesota's forests harbor a greater diversity of songbirds than anywhere else in North America. Birds represent more than 70% of the more than 150 terrestrial vertebrate species in northern Minnesota forests. Development of forest management plans designed to sustain the diversity of these forests should address bird communities occupying them. To better understand the affect of forest management activities on bird communities in St. Louis County, a site-specific bird monitoring program was initiated on biophysical plots. Bird census points were established on biophysical plots and surveyed for forest birds during June of 1994 and 1995. Results of these surveys were used to determine avian community composition within plots, refine species/habitat relationships for St. Louis County lands, identify changes in relative abundance of breeding birds between years, and establish baselines for continued monitoring of bird populations on selected plots.Item Monitoring Bird Populations on National Forest Lands: Chippewa National Forest, 1993(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1993) Montgomery, Kent; Hanowski, JoAnn M; Lima, Ann R; Niemi, Gerald JA habitat specific bird monitoring program was established on the Chippewa National Forest in 1991 (see Hanowski and Niemi 1991b, 1992b). The objectives of the program were to: (1) establish the physical layout of the monitoring program (2) monitor abundance of indicator bird species that have been specified by the Forest; (3) monitor abundance of common bird species in the Forest; and (4) begin refining avian/habitat relationships used to assess forest management activities on breeding bird abundance and distribution. Additional goals implemented during 1992 were to: (1) determine the power of statistical analyses in terms of detecting annual differences for a variety of bird community, guild, and species specific parameters; and (2) explore similarities and differences in habitat data collected and the U.S. Forest Service forest types. Objectives for 1993 focused on making statistical comparisons between 1991, 1992, and 1993 bird abundance.Item Monitoring Herpetofauna on St. Louis County Biophysical Plots, 1996: Inventory Results and Preferred Sampling Methods(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1997) Montgomery, Kent; Niemi, Gerald JHerpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) have been experiencing declines in populations worldwide. Explanations for these declines include increased ultraviolet radiation, decreased water quality, and habitat alterations. Although the causes of these losses are unknown, the point remains that this vertebrate group may be one of the most sensitive indicators of environmental health. Identifying habitat requirements of herpetofaunal communities and monitoring trends in their populations may enable forest managers to better understand the effect of forest management activities upon wildlife dependent on forested habitats. We initiated herpetofaunal inventories during 1996 on selected biophysical plots established within the Boulder Lake Management Area by St. Louis County Land Department personnel. Northern white cedar, eastern white pine, and early successional habitats were selected for inventory A variety of inventory techniques were used within each habitat, including drift fences, cover boards, and calling anuran (frogs and toads) surveys. The sampling efficiency, cost effectiveness, and durability of each technique were evaluated. Recommended protocols for herpetofaunal inventory on St. Louis County biophysical plots included in this report were created based upon these evaluations.