Great Plains Natural Science Society
Date of this Version
9-2008
Document Type
Article
Citation
The Prairie Naturalist 40(3/4): SeptemberlDecember 2008, pp 119-123
Abstract
require ranchers to move their cattle throughout the range from one paddock to another, thereby allowing formerly grazed paddocks to regenerate. This is beneficial in a number of ways: overgrazing is reduced, cattle weight-gains are improved, suitable nesting cover for ground nesting birds is produced, and the overall health of the grassland is enhanced (Sedivec and Barker 1991). The objectives of my study were to investigate nesting success of the upland sandpiper as a function of grazing regime. Specifically, I was interested in comparing nesting success between RGS and non-rotational grazing systems (NRGS) and to examine relationships between nest site locations and vegetative cover heights and densities. Therefore, I hypothesized that no differences existed between nest site preference and nesting success of the upland sandpiper within RGS and NRGS. During the summer of 1997, three pairs of treatment/control grazing systems were evaluated within the CLPP in Stutsman County, North Dakota. Study sites were located in the Missouri Coteau, a glacial moraine that bisects North Dakota from the southeast to the northwest comers of the state. The area was within the PPR and was characterized by rolling topography and abundant wetlands. Each treatment/control pair included an RGS (treatment) and a NRGS (control) area.
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