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Publications

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center staff publish results of their research in USGS series reports and in peer-reviewed journals. Publication links are below.  Information on all USGS publications can be found at the USGS Publications Warehouse.

Filter Total Items: 1907

Does presence of permanent fresh water affect recruitment in prairie-nesting dabbling ducks?

In the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, USA, American mink (Mustela vison) are a major predator of ducklings. Mink populations plummet during severe droughts, but some mink survive where permanent fresh water is available. In 1992–1993, we evaluated whether development of a permanent water body, the 125-km McClusky Canal (MC), had affected survival of gadwall (Anas strepera) and malla
Authors
G.L. Krapu, P.J. Pietz, D.A. Brandt, R. R. Cox

Why I support federal wolf delisting

This article details why the delisting of the gray wolf that is about to be proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be supported.
Authors
L. D. Mech

Less waste corn, more land in soybeans, and the switch to genetically modified crops: Trends with important implications to wildlife management

American agriculture has provided abundant high-energy foods for migratory and resident wildlife populations since the onset of modern wildlife management. Responding to anecdotal evidence that corn residues are declining in cropland, we remeasured waste corn postharvest in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska during 1997 and 1998 to compare with 1978. Post-harvest waste corn average
Authors
G.L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt, R. R. Cox

Impacts of water development on aquatic macroinvertebrates, amphibians, and plants in wetlands of a semi-arid landscape

We compared the macroinvertebrate and amphibian communities of 12 excavated and 12 natural wetlands in western North Dakota, USA, to assess the effects of artificially lengthened hydroperiods on the biotic communities of wetlands in this semi-arid region. Excavated wetlands were much deeper and captured greater volumes of water than natural wetlands. Most excavated wetlands maintained water throug
Authors
Ned H. Euliss, David M. Mushet

The flora of the Cottonwood Lake Study Area, Stutsman County, North Dakota

The 92 ha Cottonwood Lake Study Area is located in south-central North Dakota along the eastern edge of a glacial stagnation moraine known as the Missouri Coteau. The study area has been the focus of biologic and hydrologic research since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the site in 1963. We studied the plant communities of the Cottonwood Lake Study Area from 1992 to 2001. During this
Authors
D.M. Mushet, N.H. Euliss, S.P. Lane, C.M. Goldade

Analysis of predator movement in prairie landscapes with contrasting grassland composition

Mammalian predation influences waterfowl breeding success in the U.S. northern Great Plains, yet little is known about the influence of the landscape on the ability of predators to find waterfowl nests. We used radiotelemetry to record nightly movements of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in two 41.4-km2 study areas in North Dakota. Study areas contained either 15–2
Authors
M.L. Phillips, W.R. Clark, S.M. Nusser, M.A. Sovada, R. J. Greenwood

Tracking of white-tailed deer migration by Global Positioning System

We used global positioning system (GPS) radiocollars on female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to document details of onsets of migrations, rates of travel, patterns of travel, durations of migrations, and distances traveled by 8 deer in spring and 4 deer in autumn in northeastern Minnesota in 1998, 1999, and 2001. In spring, deer migrated 23–45 km during 31–356 h, deviating a maximum 1
Authors
M.E. Nelson, L. D. Mech, P.F. Frame

Writing refuge management goals and objectives: a handbook

Goals and objectives are the unifying elements of successful refuge management. They identify and focus management priorities, provide a context for resolving issues, guide specific projects, provide rationale for decisions, and offer a defensible link among management actions, refuge purpose(s), Service policy, and the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) mission. Pursuant to Refuge Pl
Authors
Robert S. Adamcik, Elizabeth Bell, Don C. DeLong, John H. Schomaker, David B. Hamilton, Murray K. Laubhan, Richard L. Schroeder

Swift fox Vulpes velox (Say, 1823)

No abstract available.
Authors
A. Moehrenschlager, M.A. Sovada

Grey wolf Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758

No abstract available.
Authors
L. D. Mech, L. Boitani