Private Ranches Research Articles

Granular Bait Applications for Management of Rangeland Grasshoppers Using a Remotely Piloted Aerial Application System

Rangeland grasshoppers are an endemic species that play an essential role in the rangeland ecosystem but can cause severe economic damage when populations reach outbreak levels. Remotely piloted aerial application systems (RPAASs) offer an alternative method to carry out aerial insecticide applications in relatively small areas. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a granular bait, 2% Sevin (with the active ingredient carbaryl), applied by an RPAAS. The bait was applied on four replicated 4.05-hectare (10-acre) plots at a rate of 2.27 kg/ha (5 lbs/acre) with an RPAAS on a private ranch in New Mexico. Applications resulted in a normalized population reduction of 70.32% ± 16.54% standard error of the mean (SEM) of bait-susceptible species. Although some of the observed reduction in population may be attributed to aging, the net effect was most likely due to the ingestion of bait based on field observations of rapid mortality after ingestion and other factors, like past experience with carbaryl bait treatments on grasshoppers. Plots required at least two flights due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) maximum takeoff weight requirement for small RPAASs. Combined, these results indicate that RPAASs can provide treatment capabilities in relatively small areas, i.e., population hotspots, preferably before outbreak levels are reached.

An Ensemble Mean Method for Remote Sensing of Actual Evapotranspiration to Estimate Water Budget Response across a Restoration Landscape

Estimates of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) are valuable for effective monitoring and management of water resources. In areas that lack ground-based monitoring networks, remote sensing allows for accurate and consistent estimates of ETa across a broad scale—though each algorithm has limitations (i.e., ground-based validation, temporal consistency, spatial resolution). We developed an ensemble mean ETa (EMET) product to incorporate advancements and reduce uncertainty among algorithms (e.g., energy-balance, optical-only), which we use to estimate vegetative water use in response to restoration practices being implemented on the ground using management interventions (i.e., fencing pastures, erosion control structures) on a private ranch in Baja California Sur, Mexico. This paper describes the development of a monthly EMET product, the assessment of changes using EMET over time and across multiple land use/land cover types, and the evaluation of differences in vegetation and water distribution between watersheds treated by restoration and their controls. We found that in the absence of a ground-based monitoring network, the EMET product is more robust than using a single ETa data product and can augment the efficacy of ETa-based studies. We then found increased ETa within the restored watershed when compared to the control sites, which we attribute to increased plant water availability.

Point-of-care monitoring of milk quality by rapid Immunofluorescence with mechanical deformation of the hydrogel microspheres

Point-of-care testing (POCT) of chloramphenicol (CAP) in fresh milk from private ranches is essential to ensure food safety. It’s still a great challenge to meet simultaneously rapid and accurate during POCT of CAP. Here, we present a POCT device integrating hydrogel microsphere immunoassay and smartphone Fourier analysis for fast and sensitive detection of CAP. Based on the excellent biocompatibility and outstanding mechanical properties of hydrogel microspheres (100 μm), the antibody activity can be maintained and the mechanical deformation of the hydrogel cross-linking lattice is induced by squeezing to accelerate the antigen-antibody reaction of CAP and anti-CAP antibodies. The signal-to-noise ratio of the detection result is optimized adaptively by a designed microsphere Fourier analysis algorithm for precise CAP concentration detection. The results show that the method decreases incubation time from 60 min to 25 min and meets detection limit requirements of industrial production (0.05 ng/mL, with a dynamic range of 0.05–8 ng/mL). This method not only achieves rapid and accurate on-site detection of CAP in milk but also applies to other low concentrations of harmful substances detection in food field.

Effects of Eight Years of Collecting on the Persistence of Liometopum apiculatum Ant Nests in Rangelands of Charcas, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

In Mexico, the pupae of the reproductive castes of the ant Liometopum apiculatum, escamoles, are highly valued in traditional and gourmet cuisine in the country’s central region. Escamoles are collected during the dry season of the year. The recommended collecting process is to open the ant nest by removing soil until the rearing chamber and the trabeculae with attached escamoles are found. A well-managed ant nest can be collected repeatedly for approximately 12 to 40 years. In Charcas municipality, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, 400 ant nests were located and checked under two land tenure conditions: the Laguna Seca private ranch and the Pocitos communal ejido. The exploitation of escamoles on both tenures was characterized by recording the number of dead and live ant nests. This work evaluated the condition of the ant nests registered in 2012 after eight years. The hypothesis was that ant nests’ survival would be greater in the private than in the communal land. The percentage of living ant nests on the ejido decreased by 35.67%. In contrast, on the ranch, it was 26.88%. The percentage of relocated ant nests was lower on the ejido, 37.43%, compared to the ranch, which was 48.1%. The number of dead ant nests on the ejido increased to 33.51% and on the ranch 15.0%. As predicted by the hypothesis, ant nest survival was higher on the private ranch than on the communal ejido lands because of stronger control of the extraction process.

Private land conservation towards large landscape goals: Role of relational values, property rights orientations and perceived efficacy in ranchers' actions

Abstract Many of the world's iconic, endangered and endemic species rely on large, contiguous landscapes for their survival. In the US West, working ranches are integral to large landscape conservation goals and there are numerous influences on ranchers' conservation actions, including their relational values, perceived self‐efficacy and property rights concerns. Using survey data from 681 ranchers in eastern Idaho and western Montana, we sought to answer the question: How do relational values, property rights orientations, perceived efficacy and public lands dependence affect reported conservation actions on private ranch lands? Conservation adoption varied widely by action, with invasive plant removal having the highest (92%) and conifer removal the lowest (21%) rates of adoption. Conservation adoption was higher among ranchers who believe they are responsible for conserving nature, believe their land should be used to provide environmental benefits to the region, have higher perceived self‐efficacy, lower property rights concerns and higher incomes. Programmes encouraging the adoption of conservation on private lands could benefit from message framing that resonates with the worldviews of landowners and land managers. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Review: Rangeland management in Tanzania: Opportunities, challenges, and prospects for sustainability

Abstract. Muzzo BI, Maleko DD, Thacker E, Provenza FD. 2023. Review: Rangeland management in Tanzania: Opportunities, challenges, and prospects for sustainability. Intl J Trop Drylands 7: 83-102. Rangelands in Tanzania play a crucial role in supporting local livelihoods and the country's economic development. However, their long-term sustainability is threatened. This review paper identifies challenges and explores opportunities to ensure their continued sustainability. Opportunities include implementing dedicated policies and regulations, using expertise in range science, leveraging technological advancements, investment land for opening private ranches, ample bushes and shrub resources for small ruminants, and high market demand for milk and meat from ruminants. Major challenges include insufficient technology and limited technical know-how, low and erratic rains leading to dry season pasture scarcity, infectious diseases, and the spread of invasive species. Other challenges include conflicting interests from other land users that have led to the massive conversion of communal rangelands to croplands, areas to protect wildlife, and human settlements. These challenges can be addressed by policy enforcement, strengthening pastoral organizations, fostering the growth of experts in climate-adapted forage breeding, and embracing advanced technology. Active involvement of local communities in decision-making processes and facilitating rangeland restoration can ensure the sustainable management of rangelands in Tanzania. Another promising avenue is the strategic use of locally adapted livestock species to control invasive plants, complemented by governmental enforcement of a grading system for meat and establishing a price-based quality meat market. Incorporating these prospects into rangeland management strategies can enhance the ecological sustainability and resilience of rangelands while supporting local livelihoods. Future research should focus on evaluating and implementing these strategies to promote sustainable rangeland management practices in Tanzania and elsewhere with similar environment.

The Influence of Grazing Systems on Bird Species Richness and Density in the Nebraska Sandhills

Grazing is the de facto method of habitat management used in much of the Nebraska Sandhills. Ranchers use a variety of grazing systems, and our goal was to evaluate the effects of systems on grassland birds. We estimated the species richness and density of grassland birds for three grazing systems used on private ranches: long, medium, and short duration grazing systems. We observed sixty species, and the grazing system with pastures utilizing long duration grazing periods had the highest estimates of species richness as well as the most heterogeneous habitat structure. Differences in species richness among systems were most pronounced in years of limited precipitation. Together, grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta), and brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) accounted for 72% of our observations. We used a model comparison approach to determine the effects of habitat on the densities of six species. Densities of grasshopper sparrows and mourning doves showed effects of the grazing system. More species had higher densities in short duration, rotational systems than other grazing systems. However, species of grassland birds showed responses to a variety of cover types and habitat structures depending on life history needs. Regardless of the grazing system used, managers can use grazing and other tools such as prescribed burning to maintain habitat heterogeneity to support diverse bird communities.

Prescribed Fire Case Studies From Wyoming, USA: Diverse Applications and Common Themes at the Great Plains-Rocky Mountains Interface

Prescribed fire is an important management tool for rangelands and forests in North America and globally. However, the application of prescribed fire is a complex endeavor that involves significant planning, partnerships, and risk. Recent evidence suggests that not enough prescribed fire is being applied to reduce wildfires, in part, because risk and bureaucracy continue to hinder application. While common in the eastern and central Great Plains, prescribed fire is less common in the western United States. Therefore, we summarized 11 prescribed fire projects in Wyoming, USA (or immediately adjacent to in one case) across five U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ecoregions (High Plains, Northwestern Great Plains, Wyoming Basin, Southern Rockies, and Middle Rockies)—a state where the prairies converge with the western mountains. Fires were conducted from 2014 to 2022 and ranged in size from <1 acre to 3,000 acres (a total of 8,795 acres). Fires occurred on a variety of land ownerships including private ranch, university, state trust, Army, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Crew sizes ranged from 1 to 40 people. Approximately half of the burns were in the spring, a third were in the fall, and two were in the winter; no summer burns were reported. Duration of planning ranged from a few months to 5 years. Drip torches were the most common ignition device used; however, we noted the use of propane torches, terratorches, helitorches, and drones for lighting fires. Weather prescriptions varied across fires with some choosing low humidity to make up for low fuel loads and others choosing moderate humidity to minimize risk. A wide variety of plant communities, purposes, and applications were noted. Weather prescriptions particularly in the spring were consistently challenging and the importance of partnerships with neighbors and other agencies for planning and implementation was noted frequently. Across these unique prescribed fire case studies, we have noted commonalities that can communicate important practicalities of applying fire across complex land types and jurisdictions. Sharing such information is important in a state with the least population density in the country to enhance the professional application of prescribed fire across a diversity of situations.

Policy development to support ecosystem services on pasture systems in Saskatchewan: A case study

Grasslands provide a wide variety of public and private environmental benefits arising from ecosystem services. At the same time, grassland ecosystems are being irreversibly altered. To protect grassland ecosystems and services, many policies have been introduced to encourage private grassland owners and users to adopt management practices to conserve and enhance ecosystem services. However, because such practices are largely voluntary, they are only effective if private ranchers and landowners opt in. The purpose of this case study was to identify acceptable and cost-effective policy tools to increase the provision of ecosystem services on Saskatchewan grasslands. A sample of Saskatchewan ranchers were surveyed to investigate their opinions and attitudes toward ecosystem services produced by grasslands, preferred policy parameters associated with grassland enhancement, and willingness-to-accept (WTA) to forego production in return for grassland conservation. The results indicated Saskatchewan ranchers place positive value on ecosystem services, but would require incentives ranging between $34.83 and $42.58 per acre ($86.06 and $105.21 per hectare) to compensate for a 10 % loss in production associated with increasing grassland conservation. Additionally, ranchers prefer policy options most closely aligned with their values indicating that conservation practices that enhance water quality and wildlife/habitat were far preferred to carbon sequestration. Results have implications for policy options and grassland conservation, particularly in a time where public grasslands in Saskatchewan have been privatized.

Interspecific patterns of small cats in an intraguild-killer free area of the threatened Caatinga drylands, Brazil.

The semi-arid Caatinga is the largest dry forest ecoregion in the Americas; nevertheless, it is experiencing alarming rates of habitat loss. Most vegetation fragments in the biome are either unprotected or within private lands; however, these private areas are susceptible to anthropogenic activity, and often have the presence of non-native wildlife such as domestic dogs and cats. Two small felid species, the northern tiger cat and the jaguarundi co-occur throughout the Caatinga and have overlapping niches, which require segregation mechanisms to avoid interference competition. Assessing these species strategies for coexistence is crucial, as it can guide conservation actions. With this aim, a private ranch in the Brazilian Caatinga drylands was surveyed and multi-species occupancy models were used to assess co-occurrence patterns between northern tiger cats and jaguarundis. The degree of temporal overlap between both felids and domestic dogs and cats were also assessed. Evidence was found of positive co-occurrence between tiger cats and jaguarundis, suggesting a lack of spatial segregation at our study site; and low temporal overlap was found between both felids, with tiger cats being nocturnal and jaguarundis diurnal. High temporal overlap was found though between domestic dogs and both wild felid species. Our results suggest that small felids can coexist in private areas of the Caatinga with sufficient habitat. However, there is a need to highlight the potential threat of disease transmission by non-native carnivores as something that should be addressed in these private landscapes.

TRADITIONAL AND UPDATED EVALUATION OF THE RANGELAND SITE AND CONDITION IN THE SEMIARID SCRUB OF THE HIGH PLATEAU

In Mexico, the concepts of rangeland site and condition are not well known. For this reason, most of the rangelands of private ranches on the high plateau of San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas are undergoing a process of severe generalized deterioration. The purpose of this study was to survey and characterize multi-branched rangeland sites of three beef cattle ranches on the San Luis Potosí-Zacatecas High Plateau, as well as to assess their condition using a quantitative ecological method complemented by updated technological tools. The hypothesis proposed was that the site and condition of rangeland evaluated with the quantitative ecological method (used for grasslands and soil), complemented by updated technology, are also identifiable in multi-branched rangelands of this type of production units on the San Luis Potosí-Zacatecas High Plateau. Based on a Landsat satellite image, an unsupervised classification process was performed for the three ranches, which was then confirmed by field observations. A total of 11 sites were surveyed, three on each ranch (microphyll desert scrub, predominantly Bouteloua gracilis; microphyll desert scrub, with predominance of Sporobolus airoides; and an ecotone between microphyll desert scrub and rosetophile desert scrub) and two exclusive locations (crassicaule scrub and rosetophile desert scrub with predominance of Muhlenbergia villiflora). Rangeland condition was evaluated by measuring density and volume (volumetric biomass) of the main plant species, categorized by forage value, and the actual state of the soil surface was assessed in terms of bare soil and vegetation, litter, feces and rock cover. The data were ordered and classified with the DECORANA and TWINSPAN modules from the PC-ORD program. Site and condition evaluation under this approach was satisfactory for surveying the state of the rangelands of the three private cattle ranches studied on the San Luis Potosí-Zacatecas High Plateau.

A ranching economic analysis of ventenata (Ventenata dubia) control in northeast Wyoming

AbstractInvasive species pose a threat to the livelihoods of many people living on rangelands of the western United States. Invasive species impact many ecosystem goods and services of the areas they invade and represent one of the largest causes of habitat degradation. On private ranches, economic analyses often find that conservation practices, such as invasive species control, are not economically viable, in contrast to what is found at the landscape scale. In northeast Wyoming, ventenata [Ventenata dubia (Leers) Coss.] is a relatively new invader in the Great Plains ecoregion that threatens forage production on ranches. Our objective was to explore the economic costs of V. dubia for two options available to a ranch operation: purchasing extra hay to offset losses in forage and controlling V. dubia with herbicide. Using a partial budget analysis, we compare these two options in three invasion scenarios using a range of forage utilization rates and discount rates. Controlling V. dubia with herbicide was a cheaper option compared with purchasing additional hay in many cases. In fact, at 50% utilization, it is cheaper to control V. dubia in all of our scenarios at all discount rates given our assumptions. For lower grazing utilization rates, it becomes cheaper to purchase hay in some cases other than in our worst-case invasion scenario. In these cases, coordination among ranchers is needed to effectively control V. dubia. There are many ranch-specific differences that may make a different option more feasible, and we did not explore options of reducing herd sizes. However, our results suggest that controlling V. dubia can be an economically viable option under certain circumstances. Additional assistance in the form of a cost-share program, and facilitation of coordination is needed to overcome the difficulties of private management of invasive species.

Examining the State of Pastoral Resources under Common Property Regime, and Pastoralists Accessibility in Drylands of Niger and Nigeria

Pastoralism faces changes in Nigeria and Niger. This raised the call for interrogating the two countries’ stewardship of pastoral resources. The objectives of this study were to examine state of pastoral resources and make comparison on how legal and institutional, frameworks determine access to these resources in the drylands of Niger and Nigeria. Cropland, land under permanent meadows and pasture and forests lands data for Niger and Nigeria for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 were downloaded from UN Food and Agricultural Organisation website. Seven communities namely: Abalak, Dakoro and Gaya (in Niger) and Augei, Dakingari, Gummi and Wurno (in Nigeria) were purposively selected and pastoralists were interviewed and/or observed. Descriptive statistics was employed in data analysis. We found that croplands in the two countries have significantly expanded. These expansions might have benefited from forestland depletion but not from land under permanent meadows and pastures (LUPMP) especially in Niger. LUPMP has increased in area in the two Countries. Pastoralists in Niger abhor privatization of pastoral resources. They also demand more access to pasture. In Nigeria, encroachment of pastoral resources by farmers, private ranches and mining, scarce and decaying infrastructure, lack of tenure right to pastoral resources are some of the problem’s pastoralists face. We conclude that agricultural intensification, through its conversion of other forestlands, threatens livestock production more essentially in Niger than in Nigeria and recommend that pastoral resources need to be prioritized by Governments as a regional strategy for communities’ livelihood enhancement and conflict prevention mechanism.

Description of the first definitive Corythosaurus (Dinosauria, Hadrosauridae) specimens from the Judith River Formation in Montana, USA and their paleobiogeographical significance.

Despite the long history of research in the late Campanian Judith River Formation in northern Montana, most of the vertebrate fossils are represented by fragmentary remains, making precise taxonomic identifications difficult. Contrary to this, the partially contemporaneous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada is known for its tremendous fossil preservation, permitting rigorous studies of dinosaur diversity, evolution, and biostratigraphy. Hadrosaurids comprise one of the most abundant dinosaur clades in the Dinosaur Park Formation, but taxonomic affinities of hadrosaurid specimens remain poorly understood in the Judith River Formation. Corythosaurus is the most common hadrosaurid in the Dinosaur Park Formation and, to date, has been restricted to this formation. This study reports the first definitive Corythosaurus specimens from the Judith River Formation, which were discovered on two private ranches in northern Montana. The attribution of the most complete skeleton to Corythosaurus is indicated by: wide crest-snout angle, presence of premaxilla-nasal fontanelle, dorsoventrally expanded nasal, laterally exposed ophthalmic canal of the laterosphenoid, and tall neural spines. A second specimen preserves a large ilium that can be positively identified as Corythosaurus based on its associated skull, which is now in private hands. The specimens were recovered from the Coal Ridge Member of the Judith River Formation, which is approximately time equivalent to the Dinosaur Park Formation. Thus, the discovery of Corythosaurus in the Judith River Formation extends the biogeographic range of this genus and establishes a framework for future interformational biostratigraphic studies of Late Cretaceous dinosaur faunas in North America.

174 All Things Bison: The Known and the Unknown

Abstract Bison (Bison bison) are a majestic species native to North America that have a rich yet turbulent history. This iconic species is valued due to its cultural significance among indigenous people, impact on the vast geography that it inhabited and commercially for its meat products with desirable attributes. Conservation efforts have included both public and privately owned herds, and efforts to increase their numbers presently continue on both fronts. The objective of this presentation is to provide some historical context about bison, an overview of bison ranching in North America, review research on bison and suggest research topics of importance for this species. Bison roamed North America from Alaska to the northern tier of Mexican states in massive numbers up until the late 1800’s where relentless hunting and waste dwindled their numbers to no more than 1500 head. Today the farmed bison industry in North America is a thriving livestock industry with over 300,000 bison on farms and a keen consumer interested in the story and sustainability of bison. The primary product from the industry is meat, but skulls, hides and farm tourism are also sources of revenue for the industry. There is much about bison that is unknown, but the body of knowledge is increasing as research is published and through code of practice development. Genetic testing and disease surveillance are important tools for species preservation, both on private ranches and public herds. Understanding bison seasonality, adaptations to low quality forages, interactions with their environment and sensitivity to stress helps both the conservation and commercial raising of bison. More research into nutrition, meat quality, reproduction, technology adoption and handling techniques to lower impacts of stress will help efforts towards successfully raising and enjoying bison.

The scavenger spyglass: how recruiting hunters to watch carrion boosts wildlife research

AbstractHunters support scavengers with seasonal pulses of carrion. If those hunters also deploy remote cameras at kill sites, they could simultaneously contribute data to wildlife research while gaining first‐hand knowledge of scavenger ecology. In 2018–2020, we recruited hunters to monitor carcasses and offal with remote cameras across western Montana, USA. We increased our sampling effort by also setting up cameras following successful elk (Cervus canadensis) hunts at a private ranch. Cameras recorded 19 scavenger species. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) appeared at 55% of sites, and 3 individuals wore auxiliary markers, demonstrating how hunters can augment efforts to detect tagged wildlife. Cameras also documented elusive predators (e.g., wolves [Canis lupus]) and a seasonality of scavenging among American black bears (Ursus americanus). At 42% of the sites, ≥1 cervid investigated the carrion within 1 m, a behavior that may transmit the prions associated with chronic wasting disease. Hunters are willing and competent citizen scientists that can help generate wildlife observations at a broad spatial scale.

Short duration overnight cattle kraaling in natural rangelands: Does time after kraal use affect their utilization by wildlife and above ground grass parameters?

In east and southern Africa some private ranch owners are corralling (hereafter kraaling) cattle overnight for short periods (for example, seven days) in natural rangelands to create nutrient enriched hotspots which are attractive to large herbivores. However, the effect of season and time after kraal use (alt. age of nutrient enriched hotspots) on large herbivore use of these sites has not been examined. We collated the number of large herbivore sightings per day from camera traps during wet, early and late dry season in nutrient enriched hotspots of varying ages (1, 2, 3 and 4 years) and surrounding vegetation. In addition, above ground grass biomass and height in nutrient enriched hotspots was compared to that of the surrounding vegetation. Furthermore, we tested if repeated grazing in nutrient enriched hotspots stimulated grass compensatory growth. Large herbivore use of nutrient enriched hotspots was similar during wet, early and late dry season. Time after kraal use had a significant effect on mixed feeders (impala and African savanna elephant) utilization of nutrient enriched hotspots but not grazers (zebra and warthog) and browsers (giraffe and greater kudu). Both impala and African savanna elephants mostly used nutrient enriched hotspots one year after kraal use. Aboveground grass biomass and height were higher in surrounding vegetation than in nutrient enriched hotspots. Repeated clipping (proxy for grazing) resulted in compensatory aboveground grass biomass in nutrient enriched hotspots, which declined with time after kraal use. We concluded that nutrient enriched hotspots created through short duration overnight kraaling were important foraging sites for large herbivores.

Population Density Estimates of the Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) in West Texas

In Texas, USA, populations of Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) can be found scattered across mountain ranges in the Trans-Pecos region, including the Davis and Guadalupe, and farther east into the Edwards Plateau region. Abundance and distribution information to assist land managers in the enhancement of Montezuma quail populations is scarce due to the species’ secretive behavior and unknown abundance. We aimed to provide population density indices to fill this information gap by using a search path technique. We searched for quail in the winter of 2018–2019 in West Texas at 6 study sites: 5 private ranches and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area (EMWMA). We chose survey locations based on previous quail sightings and our perception that an area contained suitable Montezuma quail habitat. We searched small watersheds using at least 2 dogs while walking along contours. The average search path length was 1.82 km (range = 0.80–4.30). We produced a hexagonal grid with a cell size of 1 ha such that no pair of coveys can be encountered on the same cell. The area associated to each search was the sum of the areas of all hexagonal cells intersected by the search path. For density index, we directly used the definition of density (birds encountered divided by area searched). Mean covey density was 1.51 ± 2.53 (± standard error) coveys/km2 (range = 0.50–4.17), although abundance data were overdispersed. The highest density estimate was for EMWMA. Mean covey size was 6.55 ± 0.61 birds/covey. These data yielded an estimate of 10.07 ± 17.45 birds/km2. As we did not account for imperfect detection, our quail density estimates are lower bounds of actual density. These quail density estimates are lower than estimates for Arizona, USA but higher than density estimates reported for the Edwards Plateau and central Mexico. A prevailing concern regarding the harvest of the Montezuma quail among some wildlife professionals and the public in Texas is the perception that Montezuma quail are scarce. Therefore, our density estimates suggest that abundance of Montezuma quail in West Texas may not be as low as perceived and that Montezuma quail populations may be appropriate for an open hunt season.

Northern Bobwhite Response to Vegetation Management and Recovery in South Texas

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) requires habitat structure and composition with grass cover for nesting, predator avoidance, and thermal refuge and forb cover for feeding on phytophagous arthropods and seeds. During the past 2 decades, many land managers with interest in promoting quail hunting opportunities have reduced or completely eliminated livestock across South Texas, USA, rangelands. Resting the land from grazing allows vegetation—especially grasses and forbs—to recover and thus provide nesting and foraging habitat for bobwhite and other birds. How bobwhite respond to postgrazing vegetation recovery is of keen interest to rangeland quail managers, but this topic is poorly known because case histories with quantitative data are lacking. Our objective was to investigate how bobwhite respond to the vegetation changes following removal of cattle grazing. Our study was conducted on a private ranch in Jim Hogg County, Texas and involved 3 different categories of postgrazing recovery and management: 1 area at 15 years post-cattle grazing where the landscape has been brush-sculpted and is actively managed since removal of cattle, 1 area at 3 years post-grazing with a previous stocking density of 7 ha/animal unit (high stocking density), and 1 area at 3 years post-grazing with a previous stocking density of 14 ha/animal unit (moderate stocking density). We trapped, radio-marked, and located bobwhites from March to September during 2015–2016 on the 3 comparative units. We estimated nest survival, adult breeding-season survival, home range size, and early winter density. We hypothesized that the 15-year postgrazing site would have higher early winter density, higher adult breeding season survival, and higher nest survival along with smaller mean home range size compared to the 2 more recently grazed sites. On average, the probability of a nest surviving the 23-day incubation period was highest on the 15-year postgrazing site at 0.61 ± 0.12 (mean nest survival ± standard error), with estimates of 0.32 ± 0.12 on the 3-year moderate postgrazing site and 0.33 ± 0.12 on the 3-year high postgrazing site. Adult breeding season survival did not differ among the 3 sites, and was instead influenced mostly by month within the season, probably a result of summer heat. An adult bobwhite had a 0.48 ± 0.04 probability of surviving the breeding season. Early winter density, after summer and fall production was complete, increased on all sites from 2015 to 2016 and was consistently highest on the 15-year postgrazing site. Home range sizes on the

Northern Bobwhite Response to Control of Red Imported Fire Ants in the Gulf Coast Prairie of Texas

The population decline of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) on the Texas Gulf Coast Prairie, USA is largely attributed to habitat loss. However, red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) occur throughout the region and are considered a possible contributing factor to the bobwhite decline. The objectives of our study were to determine the influence of red imported fire ants on bobwhites by comparing bobwhite nest success, survival, and density between sites treated with fire ant bait (treatment) and reference (control) sites. Our study was conducted on 3 private ranches in Goliad and Refugio counties, Texas. Each ranch contained 2 paired experimental units that consisted of a treatment and control site (500 ha each). The treatment sites received an aerial application of fire ant bait (Extinguish® Plus) during April 2018, whereas the control sites were not treated. We estimated mound density by counting fire ant mounds using distance sampling. We used radio-telemetry to monitor bobwhite nest success and survival, and we estimated bobwhite densities using distance sampling via helicopter surveys. Fire ant mound density decreased through time on both treatment and control sites. However, fire ant mound density was lower on treatment sites than control sites, indicating the insecticide was effective at decreasing fire ant mound density. Bobwhite survival, nest success, and density did not statistically differ between control and treated sites either pre-treatment (2017) or post-treatment (2018), but survival and nest success metrics were numerically higher in treated units. Bobwhite survival remained relatively stable in the treatment units 4 weeks after application but decreased in the control units. Following treatment, apparent nest success in the treated units increased by 37.4% while nest success in the control units decreased by 35.2%. Bobwhite populations were low in this ecoregion, which influenced our ability to trap and monitor many bobwhites or monitor many nests. In addition, it may be possible that repeated, annual treatments for fire ants are necessary for a benefit to accrue and be observed in bobwhites. Our results indicate that there may be potential benefits to bobwhites from fire ant reduction that deserve further research attention.