Response of grassland birds to management in national battlefield parks |
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Authors: | Megan Massa Elizabeth R Matthews W Gregory Shriver Emily B Cohen |
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Institution: | 1. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Laboratory, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD, 21532 USA;2. National Park Service, 1100 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC, 20242 USA;3. University of Delaware, 210 S College Avenue, Newark, DE, 19716 USA |
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Abstract: | Grassland birds are in steep decline, with population declines reported in 74% of North American grassland species in the past 50 years. Declines are particularly severe in the eastern United States where they are influenced by habitat loss and alteration due to urbanization, forest regrowth, and agricultural intensification. The United States National Park Service maintains civil war battlefields in the eastern United States as historical and cultural parks that may also provide habitat refuge for grassland birds within an increasingly urbanized matrix. To assess the conservation importance of battlefield parks and the role of park management in sustaining grassland birds, we surveyed for 2 declining grassland-breeding species, eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), at 242 points across 4 battlefield parks in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, USA, from 2014–2019 and in 2021. We modeled the effects of park management activities (prescribed fire, agricultural leases, and delayed harvest) and habitat and landscape characteristics on breeding-season occupancy. There was support for the influence of local habitat features, landscape, and management. Breeding-season occupancy of both species was consistently higher in hayfields and pasture than in row crops, and both species responded positively to hay and crop harvest delays intended for grassland bird conservation. Prescribed fire within the past 2 years had a positive effect on occupancy of grasshopper sparrows but did not influence eastern meadowlarks. Eastern meadowlarks responded to land cover at multiple spatial scales that are influenced by land use within and outside the parks. Management activities that maintain the parks' cultural goals, including partnerships between national parks and private agricultural operators, are likely to provide valuable habitat for these 2 obligate grassland birds. |
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Keywords: | Ammodramus savannarum eastern meadowlark grasshopper sparrow grassland birds habitat management harvest timing national parks prescribed fire public lands Sturnella magna |
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