On Grassland Bird Conservation in the Northeast

Populations of many grassland birds in North America have declined significantly during the last 30 years (Knopf 1994, Peterjohn and Sauer 1999). Although population trends of many groups of breeding birds vary across geographic regions (James et al. 1992, Herkert 1995, Sauer et al. 1997), the declining trend for grassland birds is consistent across much of North America, including the Northeast (Bollinger and Gavin 1992, Askins 1993, Peterjohn and Sauer 1999). Declining trends and relatively low population levels for many grassland birds in the Northeast (Shriver et al. 1997), defined here as New York and the six New England states, has led to concern for the status of many species. By the early 1990s, birds of grassland and open habitats were the species most frequently listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern by states in the Northeast, with 12 species classified by three or more states (Vickery 1992). Reasons for grassland bird decline in the Northeast include farmland abandonment with subsequent succession to woodland habitat, decline of hayfield area, and increased haycropping during the nesting season (Andrle and Carroll 1988, Bollinger et al. 1990, Askins 1997, Vickery and Dunwiddie 1997). Because many grassland bird species are area-sensitive, those species are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation (Herkert 1994, Vickery et al. 1994). In New England and New York, grassland area has declined by 60% since the 1930s (Vickery et al. 1994). Concern for grassland birds in the Northeast has stimulated research, educational initiatives, conservation-oriented management, and habitat acquisition by federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations (Vickery et al. 1994, Jones and Vickery 1997, National Resources Conservation Service 1997, Shriver et al. 1997, Vickery and Dunwiddie 1997, Casey 1998). However worthwhile those activities may be, they have occurred without a comprehensive regional plan for managing grassland birds. Such a regional plan, preferably as part of a general plan for all native birds in the region, is crucial for several reasons. First, the plan would provide a rationale for conserving grassland birds in the Northeast in the context of current and historical land-use patterns.