Progress 05/01/09 to 04/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The research was designed to take data collected during the first three years of the project and use this information to work with landowners to develop management practices to increase functionality both on their properties and across landscapes. This year, we worked with three landowners specifically to explore the uses and multifunctional values of their properties and to assess generally the potential for cross-property management. The work was performed with two groups of students. The first group was graduate students enrolled in an interdisciplinary course entitled 'Multifunctional Agricultural Systems.' These students arranged one-on-one interviews to assess mulitifunctionality of individual properties, and then used this information to organize a focus group with all of the landowners to explore possible avenues for cross-property management activities. The exercise culminated with student development of a series of cross-property management scenarios to present to the landowners. From the results generated with the landowners, we used this information for implementation in a second class: 'Environmental Problem Solving and Impact Assessment.' This is a service-learning capstone class in the Rubenstein School of Environmental Resources at UVM and is required of all students. Students work in teams with community partners to help partners address environmental issues for which they have limited capacity. Individually, each of the landowners had had issues with beavers, but past trapping programs had led them to believe that management needed to be a) at a larger scale than their own property, and b) that management needed to work "with" beavers rather than against them. Thus in the second class, a group of 7 students worked with the same group of landowners to implement a humane set of management activities to address overabundant beaver populations. The students met with each of the landowners to assess the potential for conducting non-lethal beaver management actions and subsequently implemented a series of pip- and-cage systems across the three properties to manage water levels in a non-lethal manner. This work was done by the students independently, who also secured a small grant from UVM's Community and University Partnership and Service-Learning Office. In addition to these hands-on courses, we also interacted with a wide range of landowners to continue our efforts to engage landowners in "bird-friendly" management practices, specifically around hayfield cutting cycles. Strong had informal conversations with approximately 35 landowners during the final year of the project and gave presentations to two citizen's groups in Vermont and one in Virginia about management practices to increase biodiversity generally and grassland birds specifically. Additionally, he worked with two partners that are implementing bird-friendly management practices in other parts of Vermont, one group in the Connecticut River Valley and one group in the Waterbury/Stowe area. In both cases, we provided outreach material for landowners that outlines a diversity of management activities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? We have provided direct training to 16 undergraduate students who assisted in collecting field ecological data, 5 graduate students who are using these data for their dissertations/theses or assisted with data collection. Three graduate students have used data collected during the research project to make presentations at professional conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We have used this information to work with landowners to address ways in which they can increase ecological functionality while maintaining the production function. Much of this is described in the "Target Audience" section. In addition to hands-on courses in which graduate and undergraduate students work directly with landowners, we have also worked with a wide range of landowners to continue our efforts to engage landowners in "bird-friendly" management practices, specifically around hayfield cutting cycles. We have had informal conversations with over 100 landowners during the project and have given presentations to many citizens groups in Vermont and one in Virginia about management practices to increase biodiversity generally and grassland birds specifically. Additionally, we have worked with five partners that are implementing bird-friendly management practices in other parts of Vermont, three in the Champlain Valley, one in the Connecticut River Valley and one group in the Waterbury/Stowe area. In all cases, we provided outreach material for landowners that outlines a diversity of management activities. We estimate that this work has led to changes in management practices on over 500 acres of agricultural land. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our research found that landscape composition has a significant effect on the functionality of agricultural systems. The greatest differences were between agricultural and forested landscapes; mixed landscapes typically showed intermediate levels of functionality across all metrics. We found significant differences in ecological and production functionality with more forested landscapes showing significantly greater ecological functionality than agricultural landscapes, whereas agricultural landscapes showed significantly greater production function than forested landscapes. There was no effect of landscape composition on socio-cultural functionality (wildlife, recreation, visual, or conservation). Within the production function, agricultural production varied with landscape composition with agricultural landscapes having greater functionality than forested landscapes; for non-agricultural production, mixed landscapes showed greater functionality than forested landscapes. Within the ecological function we found a significant effect of landscape on bird and tree species richness with forested and mixed landscapes showing significantly greater ecological functionality than agricultural landscapes. We used number of patches as the metric of landscape configuration. Functionality varied with landscape configuration. This variation was not consistent across configuration categories as the moderately complex landscapes were more similar to complex landscapes for some functional metrics and more similar to simple landscapes for others, especially when comparing subfunctional categories. Overall, we found a significant effect of landscape composition on ecological function with moderately complex landscapes showing greater ecological functionality than simple landscapes. Within the ecological function, moderate and complex landscapes showed greater scores for both bird and plant species richness. However, landscape configuration did not have an effect on either production or social function as a whole. Landscape composition had no effect on riverine systems functionality. Within the production function, landscape composition had only a marginal effect on agricultural production and no effect on non-agricultural function. Within the social function, the greatest effects of landscape configuration were for visual quality and recreation. For recreation value, complex landscapes were significantly greater than moderately complex landscapes and for visual quality, complex landscapes were significantly greater than simple landscapes. There was no effect of landscape composition on wildlife or conservation subfunctions. We found a significant non-linear relationship between percent agriculture in the landscape and ecological function and a significant positive linear relationship with percent agriculture in the landscape and the production function. Ecological functionality remained relatively constant until agricultural land made up ~45% of the landscape at which point functionality declined fairly rapidly. In contrast, production function increased linearly with proportion of agriculture in the landscape. There was no relationship between percent agriculture in the landscape and sociocultural function. These results suggest that there are tradeoffs among functional axes, particularly between the production and ecological functions, especially when the landscape is composed of >45% agricultural land. The data also suggest that landowners have strong ties to the landscape such that composition and configuration metrics have limited influence on sociocultural functionality. In addition to these findings, two students have used avian reproductive success as indicators of ecological functionality. The overwhelming dogma is that forest fragmentation, especially through the conversion of forest land to agriculture, has significant negative effects on avian reproductive success through increased predation and nest parasitism. However, these students' research has shown that a wide range of generalist species have high reproductive success along habitat edges and in small patches. This result has signficant management implications in that relatively small "treed" habitat patches such as hedgerows, which are often considered to be ecological traps, may be useful features to increase avian species richness in agricultural landscapes without sacrificing reproductive success.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Sutti, F., and A. M. Strong. Temperature loggers decrease costs of determining bird nest survival. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2010
Citation:
Sutti. F., and A. M. Strong. 2010. Identifying priority conservation areas for grassland birds in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Oral presentation, joint meeting of the Cooper Ornithological Society and the American Ornithologists' Union.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Morris, W., A. Strong, V. E. Mendez, A. Troy, F. Sutti, and S. Taylor-Lovell. 2012. The Landscape Context: A Way of Quantifying Multifunctionality of Agricultural Systems in the Northeastern United States. 2012 Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, New York, New York.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Gulka, A. 2012. The effects of agricultural habitat edges on avian nesting success of edge-tolerant species. 29th Annual Rubenstein School Graduate Research Symposium.
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Progress 05/01/10 to 04/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Our research is designed to assess the effects of landscape composition and configuration on mulitfunctionality of agricultural land. In May 2010, we began field work on Phase 2 of the project. This phase of the research was designed to look at the effects of landscape composition/configuration on three components of ecosystem services: production function, ecological function, and cultural function. We collected data from 9 sites (200 ha; 800 m radius from center of river channel) in the major watersheds that drain into Lake Champlain. At each site, we collected a set of ecological and socioeconomic data. We quantified avian biodiversity at 4 point counts and two riparian transects. At the same locations, we conducted surveys to quantify tree species richness. At the center of each site, we assessed stream bank condition using the Vermont Rapid Geomorphic Assessment protocol. Because fragmentation has been shown to have a negative effect on reproductive success of a variety of bird species, we located and monitored as many nests as possible at each site (n = 270 nests). At each site, we conducted a 1-2 hour interview with the landowner. The interview was based on a technique known as multifunctional mapping, in which we ask specific questions about the production, cultural, and ecological function of each "sub-parcel" of each landowner's property. Short answer questions addressed landowner demographics, livelihoods, recreational values, visual quality, and conservation activities and conservation activities on the property. Open ended questions addressed cultural values, long-term vision for the property, drivers of landscape change, and potential to work with neighbors on shared management concerns. The results from these data will enable us to create a landscape scale assessment of the ways in which landowners are using their property, commonalities across property boundaries, and the potential to implement multi-landowner conservation practices. Phase 2 data collection will conclude in 2012 with field collection of ecological data wrapping up in August and landowner interviews concluding in the late fall and early winter. Data analysis has been completed for Phase 1 data and we will be submitting a manuscript for publication in the next few months. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Strong - PI - Set up study sites for Phase 2, managed bird, tree, and stream condition field work and data entry during the 2010 field season, managed the budget, and provided oversight for other paperwork and documentation for the grant. V. Ernesto Mendez - Co-PI - Managed the field work for landowner interviews and provided oversight for interview data entry. Sarah Taylor Lovell - Co-PI - Wrote the landowner interview and field tested it with local farmers. Austin Troy - Co-PI - Provided logistical help with study design and GIS database set up, provided assistance with statistical analyses. Noah Perlut - Co-PI - Helped with field work and landowner contacts. Training/professional development was provided for three graduate students at the University of Vermont with respect to landowner interactions, sampling methodology, and GIS technology. Bill Morris - PhD student - Provided help with creation of maps of study sites and conducted Phase 2 landowner interviews. Flavio Sutti -PhD student - Provided oversight of collection of Phase 2 ecological data and summary of Phase 1 data. Allison Gulka - MS student - Conducted research on the ecological factors affecting nesting birds along forest-agricultural edges. Training/professional development was provided for 5 undergraduates/recent postgraduates who worked as field technicians on the project. These skills included bird and tree identification, data entry and proofing, report writing, landowner interactions, and GPS skills. Rachel Bakerian - Field technician - Collected bird, tree, and nest success data and provided assistance with data entry. Eamon Harrity - Field technician - Collected bird, tree, and nest success data and provided assistance with data entry. Natalia Fajardo - Field technician - Collected bird, tree, and nest success data and provided assistance with data entry. Leah Tansey - Field technician - Collected bird, tree, and nest success data and provided assistance with data entry. Emily Menzel - Field technician - Collected bird, tree, and nest success data and provided assistance with data entry. Partner Organizations included Audubon Vermont, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. We have been working with Audubon Vermont and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies on a Champlain Valley grassland bird conservation initiative, working directly with landowners to provide consultations on best management practices. We have been working with the NRCS to help promote conservation programs, particularly the delayed mowing option in WHIP and the grassland bird conservation initiative in EQIP. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our target audience has been landowners in the major watersheds that flow into Lake Champlain. Efforts have been informal conversations with landowners about management options, distribution of informational brochures, and dissemination of information from property-based field surveys. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
We have continued to address the effects of agricultural management on the nesting success of grassland birds. We have worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a new "Grassland Bird Incentive" with provides a $135/acre payment to farmers who delay their second hay cutting. This is an innovative program that allows farmers to maintain agricultural productivity (early cut, prior to 31 May), but then provides a sufficiently long window to allow for renesting after cutting (65 days). Our research has shown that this management practice leads to similar grassland bird productivity as fields cut after the nesting season (mid-August). Outreach to landowners, collaboration with Audubon Vermont, and two articles on our research in Vermont newspapers has increased enrollment in the program by over 600 acres during the past year (up to 970 acres total). Additionally, we have worked with the Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center of NRCS to produce a technical bulletin entitled "Management Considerations for Grassland Birds in Northeastern Haylands and Pasturelands", which was just published this summer (available online at http://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspxcontent=271 75.wba).
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 05/01/09 to 04/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Our research is designed to assess the effects of landscape composition and configuration on mulitfunctionality of agricultural land. In May 2009, we began field work on Phase 1 of the project. This phase of the research was designed to look broadly at the effects of landscape composition/configuration on three components of ecosystem services: production function, ecological function, and cultural function. We collected data from 59 sites (78.5 ha; 500 m radius from center of river channel) in the 7 major watersheds that drain into Lake Champlain. At each site, we collected a set of ecological and socioeconomic data. We quantified avian biodiversity at 4 point counts and two riparian transects. At the same locations, we conducted surveys to quantify tree species richness. At the center of each site, we assessed stream bank condition using the Vermont Rapid Geomorphic Assessment protocol. At each site, we conducted a 20-30 minute interview with the landowner. Short answer questions addressed landowner demographics, livelihoods, recreational values, visual quality, and conservation activities and conservation activities on the property. Open ended questions addressed cultural values, long-term vision for the property, drivers of landscape change, and potential to work with neighbors on shared management concerns. Phase 2 data collection is ongoing. In this component of the research, nest success data were collected and combined with species richness data to better assess avian performance (nest success, number of young fledged) with respect to landscape characteristics. Socioeconomic data for Phase 2 will be conducted in the fall, with landowners participating in functional landscape mapping on their properties. Data analysis is currently underway for Phase 1 data. Birds and trees showed a similar pattern, with maximum species richness occurring at sites with intermediate levels of agricultural land. Socioeconomic data for Phase 1 are currently being analyzed. Socioeconomic data for Phase 2 will be conducted in the fall, with landowners participating in functional landscape mapping on their properties. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Strong - PI - Set up study sites for Phase I, managed bird, tree, and stream condition field work and data entry during the 2009 field season, managed the budget, and provided oversight for other paperwork and documentation for the grant. V. Ernesto Mendez - Co-PI - Managed the field work for landowner interviews and provided oversight for interview data entry. Sarah Taylor Lovell - Co-PI - Wrote the landowner interview and field tested it with local farmers. Austin Troy - Co-PI - Provided logistical help with study design and GIS database set up. Noah Perlut - Co-PI - Helped with field work and landowner contacts. Bill Morris - MS student - Provided help with creation of maps of study sites. Training/professional development was provided for three graduate students at the University of Vermont with respect to landowner interactions, sampling methodology, and GIS technology. Sarah Williams - MS student - Provided assistance with landowner contacts and interviews. Katie Goodall - PhD student - Provided assistance with landowner contacts and interviews. Flavio Sutti - New PhD student. Training/professional development was provided for 7 undergraduates/recent postgraduates who worked as field technicians on the project. These skills included bird and tree identification, data entry and proofing, report writing, landowner interactions, and GPS skills. Eliese Dykstra - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Heidi Henrichs - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Alia Richardson - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Chris Mulvey - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Caitlin Margolin - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Michael Lester - Field technician - Collected bird and tree data and provided assistance with data entry. Rachel Bakerian - Work study student - helped with data proofing and reports for landowners. Partner Organizations included Audubon Vermont, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. We have been working with Audubon Vermont and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies on a Champlain Valley grassland bird conservation initiative, working directly with landowners to provide consultations on best management practices. We have been working with the NRCS to help promote conservation programs, particularly the delayed mowing option in WHIP and the grassland bird conservation initiative in EQIP. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our target audience has been landowners in the major watersheds that flow into Lake Champlain. Efforts have been informal conversations with landowners about management options, distribution of informational brochures, and dissemination of information from property-based field surveys. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
We have continued to address the effects of agricultural management on the nesting success of grassland birds. We have worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a new "Grassland Bird Incentive" with provides a $135/acre payment to farmers who delay their second hay cutting. This is an innovative program that allows farmers to maintain agricultural productivity (early cut, prior to 2 June), but then provides a sufficiently long window to allow for renesting after cutting (65 days). Our research has shown that this management practice leads to similar grassland bird productivity as field cut after the nesting season (mid-August). Outreach to landowners, collaboration with Audubon Vermont, and two articles on our research in Vermont newspapers has increased enrollment in the program by over 600 acres during the past year (up to 970 acres total). Additionally, we have worked with the Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center of NRCS to produce a technical bulletin entitled "Management Considerations for Grassland Birds in Northeastern Haylands and Pasturelands", which was just published this summer (available online at http://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspxcontent=271 75.wba).
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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