The 2008 Joint Meeting of the Society for Range Management and the America Forage and Grassland Council. |
Monday, January 28, 2008 - 3:20 PM
Impacts of Sustainable Livestock Production Systems on Ring-Necked Pheasant Nest Success and Density on Post-contract Conservation Reserve Program Lands
B.A. Geaumont1, K.k Sedivec1, and C.S. Schauer2. (1) School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, RM 204, Hastings Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, (2) Hettinger Research and Experiment Station, North Dakota State University, Hettinger, ND 58639
This study is on-going project that began in 2006 to determine the effects of sustainable livestock systems on ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) nest success and density on post-contract conservation reserve program lands (CRP) in southwestern North Dakota . The study was conducted on private lands near Hettinger, ND using five treatments on two blocks (replicates) using a randomized block design. Treatments consisted of; 1) season-long grazing from early June through early January or until 50 % disappearance of standing crop (SL), 2) one-cutting haying system in early July (HAY), 3) no-till barley (NTB), 4) no-till corn (NTC), and 5) non-use representing continued CRP (ID). The barley was harvested as hay in mid-July and corn a stock piled forage system with both grazed from January 1 through April 15. Nest location within each land management type was determined by dragging a 30.5 m chain, 8 mm in diameter between two all-terrain vehicles. Nest presence was determined when a hen was flushed from her nest. Each block was searched five times yearly, in its entirety, beginning early April and ending mid July. Each nest was marked and revisited every 3-5 days until the fate of each nest was known. The Mayfield method was used to determine nesting success and nest density. Results from a one-way ANOVA reported no difference in nesting success (P > 0.41) or density (P > 0.56) between treatments for 2006. A significant difference in nesting success (P < 0.05) occurred between HAY and NTB (P < 0.05; 100 and 0%, respectively) for 2007, while nesting success between other treatments did not differ (P > 0.05). No difference (P > 0.08) in nest density occurred in 2007 between treatments. These initial findings provide some indication to how nesting pheasant may respond to conversion of CRP lands back into agricultural production.