Just Passing Through: For much-needed food and rest during their long-distance migrations, shorebirds rely heavily on the extensive, ephemeral wetland systems found throughout the Northern Great Plains states, including North Dakota. USGS Fort Collins Science Center (Colorado) researchers are examining shorebird population and habitat sampling problems to develop more accurate population estimates and methods for monitoring these highly mobile and dispersed shorebirds. This information can help managers to prioritize habitat management activities.
The Conservation Reserve Programis the largest environmental program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture , with enrollment exceeding 34 million acres across all 50 states. In North Dakota alone, more than 3.3 million acres on 17,621 farms are in the CRP. At average rental payments, the CRP brings in over $110 million per year to North Dakota’s farm economy. Improvement in program performance is an enduring goal of CRP administrators. For the past 9 years and continuing today, scientists from the Fort Collins Science Center have been working in partnership with the USDA Farm Service Agency to help improve the program by evaluating program performance both socially (how is it working for CRP contractees) and ecologically (how is wildlife habitat improved?). In June 2004, FORT and the FSA sponsored a national meeting for more than 200 participants and presenters to address and present research on these issues as well as future CRP directions. The proceedings, The Conservation Reserve Program: Planting for the Future, was published in 2006.
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
Just Passing Through: For much-needed food and rest during their long-distance migrations, shorebirds rely heavily on the extensive, ephemeral wetland systems found throughout the Northern Great Plains states, including North Dakota. 