20034 RESEARCH ENDEAVORS

1
Landscape dynamics of bird and small mammal
communities in sagebrush-dominated mountain
meadows A hierarchical, multi-scale
study Elizabeth J. Johnson, Tammy L. Wilson, and
John A. BissonetteUSGS Utah Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit
INTRODUCTION Sagebrush ecosystems have been
seriously influenced, over much of their range,
by human use and are now considered one of the
most endangered ecosystems in North America.
Over 50 of western grassland and shrubland bird
species are in decline, and some of these species
live only in sagebrush. The majority of the
studies of sagebrush habitats, however, have
focused on low elevations, and the contribution
of high-elevation sagebrush remains relatively
unstudied. High-elevation sagebrush habitats,
particularly sagebrush-dominated mountain
meadows, may have been less affected by human
activities than the sagebrush steppe found at
lower elevations. Careful management and
conservation of currently intact
sagebrush-dominated mountain meadows may be a
cost-effective supplement to the restoration of
lower sagebrush-steppe.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS

• GOALS OBJECTIVES
• Determine the contribution of high elevation
  sagebrush steppe to bird and small mammal species
  diversity patterns and evaluate the use of these
  habitats by known sagebrush obligate and
  near-obligate species
• Elizabeth J. Johnsons ObjectivesDetermine the
  relationship between meadow characteristics and
  species composition and relative abundances.
• Tammy L. Wilsons ObjectivesAssess the
  influence meadow arrangement on bird and small
  mammal diversity and density.

• Mammals trapped
• 256 Deer Mice
• 65 Least Chipmunks
• 35 Great Basin Pocket Mice
• 28 Uinta Chipmunks
• 11 Southern Red-backed Voles
• 7 Golden Mantled Ground
• Squirrels
• 7 Snowshoe Hares
• 3 Uinta Ground Squirrels
• 2 Long-Tailed Voles
• 1 Short-Tailed weasel or Ermine
• 1 Northern Pocket Gopher

• Sagebrush species of concern identified in the
  first field season
• Brewers Sparrow (SO)
• Least Chipmunk (SO)
• Gray Flycatcher (SO)
• Green-tailed Towhee (SNO)
• Vesper Sparrow (SNO)
• SO sagebrush-obligateSNO
  sagebrush-near-obligate

STUDY AREA The study area is located in the Bear
River portion of the Wasatch Mountains of the
Wasatch-Cache National Forest
DISCUSSION A variety of sagebrush-obligates and
near-obligates are found in high-elevation
sagebrush, but not all of the species of concern
were detected. Some, such as Greater Sage
Grouse, may not have been detected using the
above methods. Others, may not be using these
areas or are in densities low enough to avoid
detection. It appears that these areas are
important for conservation, but cannot be used as
a one-to-one substitute for low elevation
habitat. Analysis of the meadow and landscape
characteristics on species compositions and
relative abundances has not yet been conducted.

• METHODS
• Meadows were randomly selected within the
  forested areas of the Wasatch-Cache National
  Forest. Fieldwork is being conducted from late
  spring through late summer in both 2003 and 2004
  and include
• Variable distance bird point counts, also known
  as point transects
• Small mammal trapping using Tomahawk, Sherman,
  and rat snap traps on 50 meter radius
• trap webs
• Vegetation sampling including species lists,
  measuring shrub cover, shrub age state
• classification, and using Daubenmire frames
• Spot checks of the surrounding matrix are done to
  ensure the accuracy of our remotely
• sensed GIS data