Office of the Regional Executive for Biology - Central Region
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BUREAU INFORMATION NEEDS
ANNUAL STATUS REPORT
FY 1999
prepared by
U. S. Geological Survey
Biological Resources Division
National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, LA 70506
Prepared for
National Park Service
April 2000
Contents:
A Systems Approach to Management of Nonindigenous Plants
Population Trends and Habitats of Neotropical Migratory Birds in National Parks
Biological Information Needs
BRD Central Region
Identification of Needs for Biological Information:
BRD science centers identify needs through formal and informal contact with DOI bureau and other agencies.
BRD science centers identify needs through focused workshops with partners (each Central Region center will be conducting 2 workshops during FY2000).
BRD science center principle investigators identify emerging issues in their respective fields.
BRD science centers host science and cooperator meetings involving presentation and discussions among principle investigators and partners and cooperators.
Addressing Identified Needs: BRD science centers meet natural resources information needs through:
Redirection of Center Base Funding (based on research and technical support capabilities that become available through completion of studies).
Consultations between principle investigators and partner resource managers.
NPS focused Natural Resource Preservation Program (Needs and priorities established by NPS).
FWS focused Quick Response Program (Needs and priorities established by FWS).
FWS focused Species at Risk Program (Species and geographic area identified by FWS followed by solicitation of proposals.
Budget Increases (Needs and priorities are established by respective DOI bureau for increases identified as "DOI Science Support").
Reimbursable funding (Need identified and funded by other bureaus or agencies).
Providing Information: BRD science centers provide information through:
Reports, publications and fact sheets at the conclusion of studies.
Consultations between principle investigators and partner resource managers.
Workshop results.
Science center home pages and the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
Annual science center summary reports to partner bureaus.
Presentations and discussions among principle investigators and partners and cooperators at BRD science centers’ science and cooperator meetings.
TITLE: A Systems Approach to Management of Nonindigenous Plants
SUBMITTING BUREAU: National Park Service (NPS)
DATE SUBMITTED: May 21, 1996
BRD REGION: Central
DESCRIPTION OF NEED: The invasion of nonindigenous plants is recognized as one of the most serious threats to natural resources. Although NPS has the most stringent laws and policies regarding the introduction and control of nonindigenous plants, efforts to mitigate the problem have been mostly ineffective. Most of the problems in past and current attempts at nonindigenous plant control can be linked to a lack of knowledge of the species of concern, insufficient funding, and the lack of a systematic landscape approach.
A major land management agency, the NPS has recently drafted a strategic plan for control and management of invasive nonindigenous plants. The plan recognizes the need for at least six components for success. These are: (1) prevent invasion; (2) education to increase awareness and develop a skilled work force; (3) inventory and monitoring; (4) research and technology transfer; (5) integrated planning and evaluation; and (6) control.
As the provider of needed biological research and information, the NPS needs the assistance of BRD in all aspects of integrated invasive plant management. Specifically, assistance is needed in surveys of exotic plants in the NPS central region parks and their environs and in ranking exotic plants according to their level of impacts or their potential to cause impacts. Assistance is also needed in evaluating the feasibility of control of exotic plants. Monitoring techniques need to be developed to efficiently detect trends and evaluate the effectiveness of various control alternatives. Research is needed on individual species considered to be serious threats in order to guide prevention and control programs. The NPS also needs assistance in the logical development of landscape level management plans, development and selection of action alternatives, and in the evaluation and adaptation of management programs.
MANAGEMENT PROBLEM WITH NEED: Numerous parks within the Central Region have identified impacts from invasive nonindigenous plants as one of the most serious threats to park resources. Effects include interference with restoration of disturbed sites and decrease in value of animal habitat to replacement or major modification of natural plant assemblages and extirpation of rare plant species. In many cases it is not well known what exotic taxa are present, what their distributions and abundances are, and what types and degree of impacts they have. For a few parks, exotic plants have been surveyed and ranked for management by using a scheme by Hiebert and Stubbendieck. Integrated control programs are in place for species such as leafy spurge at Theodore Roosevelt NP, Canadian thistle at Wind Cane NP, and purple loosestrife at Voyaguers NP. In these parks, however, the effects of control programs need to be monitored. In some cases, control programs are limited by funds and the availability of biological control agents. A systematic integrated approach to nonindigenous plant management is needed for the entire region and for individual parks and their environs.
BUREAU CONTACT: Steve Cinnamon Phone: (402) 221-3437;
Gulf Coast: John Yancy Phone: (404) 562-3279
BRD CENTER: NWRC
NWRC CONTACT: Carroll Cordes Phone: (337) 266-8653
E-mail: carroll_cordes@usgs.gov
RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATION: Diane Larson (BRD) initiated communication with the NPS (Ron Hiebert) in November, 1998. At that time concern was expressed that efforts to understand exotic plants and their impacts to park resources were fragmented and largely piecemeal. No organized regional or landscape-based approach to nonindigenous plant management was in place by either the NPS or USGS-BRD. Subsequently, during FY99 BRD identified invasive species to be a major research program need. Virginia Burkett, NWRC, is one of several BRD administrators and scientists requested to organize such a program as a future budget initiative for USGS.
After conversations with Ron Hiebert, Diane Larson reported that BRD needs to bring additional plant ecologists into the workforce if the USGS is to mount a successful research effort to deal with the growing problem of invasive nonindigenous plants. Further, she reported that more research was needed in two areas in particular: (1) impacts of invasive species on native communities and ecosystems, including their secondary and cascading impacts to these systems; and (2) implications of lag times for predicting outcomes of invasions.
SUMMARY FY99 UPDATES OF NWRC PROJECTS RELATED TO INVASIVE SPECIES:
(Underlined working titles are NOT official project titles)
Assessment, ecology, and management of Chinese tallow. Initial results from the study of the invasive nonindigenous tree, Chinese tallow, along the gulf coastal region, suggest that prescribed burning may be an effective control measure. Preliminary assessments revealed that repeated burns can suppress the spread (by topkill) of even the largest trees. Follow-up studies have confirmed the potential effectiveness of fire on Chinese tallow, though fire conditions and especially fuel conditions can reduce fire effectiveness. Growing season burns appear to be more effective than dormant season burns, though the latter may have their place in management strategies. Results tentatively suggest that prescribed burning may be a useful tool when used in combination with other management practices as part of an integrated pest control strategy. The following publication includes more specific information related to the use of fire in suppressing the invasive Chinese tallow. An oral presentation of the above results was made at the Big Thicket NP=s Science Conference in October 1999.
Grace. J. B. 1998. Can prescribed fire save the endangered coastal prairie ecosystem from Chinese tallow invasion? Endangered Species 15:70-76.
NWRC Contact: Jim Grace Phone: (337) 266-8632
E-Mail: jim_grace@usgs.gov
Monitoring and modeling Chinese tallow invasion in coastal Louisiana. Tom Doyle established a monitoring network of permanent plots on the Barataria Unit of Jean Lafitte NP. During FY99 measurements of the rate and extent on Chinese tallow invasion on the study site were made. The effects of tallow invasion on the native plant communities were also noted. Tree ring data collected by Doyle indicate that Chinese tallow first invaded the park about 30 years ago. On some areas, the invading tallow has displaced much of the native willow species, Salix nigra. After sufficient field data are collected, a systems-based simulation model will be developed for use in relating the role of rising sealevel in the gulf and surface water control to Chinese tallow management on the NPS Barataria Unit.
NWRC Contact: Tom Doyle Phone: (337) 266-8647
E-Mail: tom_doyle@usgs.gov
Discovery and control of the invasive species cogongrass adjacent to Big Thicket NP. In FY99 cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), an invasive nonindigenous grass, was discovered adjacent to Big Thicket NP by Sue Grace of the NWRC. This plant poses a severe threat to native plant communities along the entire gulf coast. The small outlier population of cogongrass at Big Thicket NP is 200-300 miles west of the present westward advancing front for the species. NWRC scientists, in collaboration with the Texas A&M Extension Service, conducted a workshop in 1999 to alert local managers and to develop an extermination plan for cogongrass. Additional surveys indicate that no other escaped populations of this invasive species occur in the region.
NWRC Contact: Jim Grace Phone: (337) 266-8632
E-Mail: jim_grace@usgs.gov
Use of remote sensing technology in Chinese tallow detection. Elijah Ramsey initiated development of techniques for applying remote sensing technology in the detection of Chinese tallow. Research in FY99 focused on development of methods for temporal characterization of canopy structure and for determining the spectral properties of Chinese tallow and native vegetation most likely to be at risk from tallow invasion.
NWRC Contact: Elijah Ramsey Phone: (337) 266-8575
E-Mail: elijah_ramsey@usgs.gov
DATE SUBMITTED TO NPS: April 12, 2000
DATE SUBMITTED TO CENTRAL REGION: April 12, 2000
PREPARED BY: Carroll Cordes
USGS National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Blvd
Lafayette, LA 70506
Phone: (337) 266-8653
E-Mail: carroll_cordes@usgs.gov
TITLE: Population Trends and Habitats of Neotropical Migratory Birds in National Parks
SUBMITTING BUREAU: National Park Service (NPS)
DATE SUBMITTED: March 31, 1995
BRD REGION: Central
DESCRIPTION OF NEED: There is much concern that populations of Neararctic-Neotropical migrant songbirds (migratory birds) are declining. Declines of migratory songbirds were initially thought to be caused by habitat degradation on the wintering areas (deforestation primarily). Habitat degradation and loss is accelerating in Mexico and Central American wintering areas. But habitat degradation also affects the breeding area. As an example, in the western United States, riparian habitats are critical as breeding habitat and migration stopovers for migratory birds. More than 80% of migratory birds use riparian habitats during breeding season or migration. Riparian habitat has suffered because of diversion of stream flows for irrigation and development (which continues today). Thousands of miles of riparian habitat have been lost beneath reservoirs including Lakes Powell and Meade and Flaming Gorge Reservoir, for example. The shoreline habitats that have been created are not as diverse as the original habitat and are dominated by exotic species (e.g., Tamarisk). Even the remaining free-flowing systems are greatly affected by impoundments because river processes (e.g., sedimentation) are drastically altered, which in turn alters riparian succession and development. Riparian areas are also greatly impacted, especially in arid systems, by cattle and wildlife grazing and browsing. National parks protect the best remaining examples of riparian habitats on the Colorado River system including the Colorado, Green, Virgin, and Yampa Rivers as well as many miles of smaller tributaries. Monitoring in these areas will provide information on population trends and information (when compared with monitoring outside of national parks) on the effects of riparian habitat degradation on songbird populations.
Other heavily impacted habitats are also important for migratory birds including grasslands, bottomland hardwood forests, and mature coniferous forests. These systems require work to document population trends and habitat conditions.
Migratory bird population declines have also resulted from next parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds. Cowbirds, a native species, parasitize the nests of numerous other bird species. Producing up to 45 eggs per season, they lay their eggs in the nests of smaller songbird species, often removing the eggs of their host. Even if host eggs remain, the young cowbird hatches sooner, grows faster, and out competes host nestlings for food. Birds such as the nationally threatened Southwest willow flycatcher often exhibit parasitism rates as high as 60-80 percent.
Cowbird population increases have been attributed to human influences. Cowbirds are attracted to new openings in forests and shrublands. Cattle feedlots, stables, and towns are all known cowbird feeding areas. While these birds feed in these disturbed habitats, they often parasitize nests up to 20 km away. Towns bordering national parks, as well as horse stables and housing areas within parks, may be serving as cowbird concentration areas, which may be affecting the nesting birds within the park and the surrounding area.
Because of their migratory habits, many bird populations may be at a greater risk because they depend on habitats spread over a huge geographic area (and under the jurisdiction of different land managers and countries). Impacts to or within the various habitats may threaten migratory birds during any phase of their annual cycle. For example, while a species may be secure on the wintering ground, it may become extinct due to an impact on the migration route.
MANAGEMENT PROBLEM WITH NEED: Although national parks are areas well protected from development and other habitat altering practices, migratory bird habitats have been impacted within parks. Many western parks allow grazing; other park habitats are impacted by heavy herbivore use (in the absence of native predators). Virtually all park ecosystems have been impacted by invasion of exotic plant species. These impacts within parks can be managed in many cases to prevent adverse effects on migratory birds.
Even though parks protect habitats for migratory birds, no park is large enough to protect the entire breeding range of a migratory bird. Impacts outside of park boundaries affect park populations and must be understood if the NPS is to adequately protect migratory birds. The problem is particularly difficult to understand and appreciate when the habitats used during migration and on the wintering areas are considered. By determining population and habitat trends for migratory birds the NPS and other interested agencies and groups can determine whether there are problems (by species) and attempt to detect and mitigate the cause(s).
BUREAU CONTACT: Mike Britten Phone: (303) 987-6705
BRD CENTER: NWRC
NWRC CONTACT: Carroll Cordes Phone: (337) 266-8653
E-mail: carroll_cordes@usgs.gov
RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATION: Susan Skagen (MESC) made initial contacts with the NPS and confirmed the importance of this BIN to management of Neotropical migratory birds on NPS lands.
SUMMARY FY99 UPDATES OF NWRC PROJECTS RELATED TO THIS BIN (Underlined working titles are NOT official project titles).
Landscape-scale study of Neotropical migratory birds at Big Bend NP. Wylie Barrow, NWRC, in collaboration with Baylor University (TX), completed field work on "Landscape-Scale Habitat Relations for Neotropical Migratory Birds at Big Bend National Park," which analyzes how landscape-scale features influence the richness and abundance of Neotropical migrants during migration. Data analyses and scientific report are expected in FY00. This project will result in practical information for managers about landscape-scale habitat relations for Neotropical migrants in Big Bend National Park during spring migration, and will illustrate how managers can use landscape-scale habitat relations to predict the consequences of land-use changes on assemblages of Neotropical migrants.
NWRC CONTACT: Wylie Barrow Phone: (337) 266-8668
E-Mail: wylie_barrow@usgs.gov
DATE SUBMITTED TO NPS: April 12, 2000
DATE SUBMITTED TO CENTRAL REGION: April 12, 2000
PREPARED BY: Carroll Cordes
USGS National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, LA 70506
Phone: (337) 266-8653
E-Mail: carroll_cordes@usgs.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/NWRCNPS00StatusReport.htm
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