Daren Carlson – MN DNR 14 April 2010

Overview Prairie monitoring – Change analysis – Status/trend monitoring – Grassland adaptive management collaborative Adaptive management planning process and database for DNR Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs) A few other bits

Prairie monitoring - Objectives Amount of Native Prairie – Change analysis Status and trends in plant and animal community composition – Drivers of change: landscape context and climate change Adaptive management – Vegetation – Structure – Composition

Prairie monitoring – Status/trends High quality, native prairie plant and animal communities How is their condition changing over time in response to key drivers of change? Drivers of change:  Climate change – stratify by geography  Landscape context – stratify by “large sites w/in a grassland matrix” vs. “small, isolated sites”

Grassland Adaptive Management Collaborative US Fish and Wildlife Service Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Fish & Wildlife, Parks, Eco Resources) The Nature Conservancy US Geological Survey Concordia College

Overlapping Management Objectives Vegetation -Maintain or increase the % cover of native prairie vegetation -Minimize % cover of non-native vegetation Structure - Maintain structural diversity (height, litter) Community - Maintain diverse plant and animal communities Grassland Adaptive Management Collaborative

Hierarchical protocols Basic Level – Option A Plant groups, indicator spp. Intermediate Level – Option B Basic + more extensive spp. indicator checklist Deluxe Model – Option C Intermediate + plant composition, more indicator species, animals Grassland Adaptive Management Collaborative

Methods Belt transect – 25m long by 10 cm wide with 50, half-meter quadrats along transect Indicator checklist 1.5 m on each side of main transect 25m 0.1m 3 m

Methods – cont. At each of the ½ m by 0.1 m plots record (plant group score): – Relative amount of invasive vs. native plants > 75 % invasive, 50-75% invasive, 50-75% native, > 75% native – Relative amount of herbaceous vs. woody vegetation Herbaceous > 50% Low shrub (less than 1 m. tall) > 50% Tall shrub (more than 1 m. tall) >50% – Relative amount of grasses vs. forbs Grass > 75% Grass-forb 25-75% Forb > 75%

Methods – cont. Invasive species:

Methods – cont. Quality indicators:

Methods – cont. Species composition:

Chippewa Prairie monitoring transects total (100 in 2008, 30 in 2009) - 25 Bird point counts (18 in 2008, 14 in 2009)

Monitoring data summary transects total (100 in 2008, 30 in 2009) - 25 Bird point counts (18 in 2008, 14 in 2009)

Pooled dataset Grassland Adaptive Management Collaborative

Adaptive Management Planning and Database CONSERVATION FEATURES 1) N. Hardwood Forest (MHn47) 2) Forest salamanders (FS) FACTORS 1)Landing sites 2)Vernal pool disturbance CONDITION 1)Invasive spp (IS) 2)FS Presence OBJECTIVES 1)Maintain IS presence at <10% 2)Maintain FS population at current levels Measure indicators 1)% of plots with IS 2a) Presence of moss hummocks 2b) % of plots occupied by FS EVALUATE! ACTIONS 1)Limit transport from invaded sites 2)Avoid pools

Other/next steps Manitou Adaptive Management Collaborative Prairie insects Data analysis, including sensitivity analysis of vegetation data Develop the long-term network

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