23 Feb2019
Using science to preserve biological diversity and improve habitat in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument: A new Decision Support Tool
February 23, 2019 . Written by Caitlyn Gillespie. Posted in Announcements, Conservation, Partners, Science
We are excited to announce a new Decision Support Tool describing more than a decade of Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) science in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument — Using science to preserve biological diversity and improve habitat in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was the first U.S. National Monument set aside specifically for the preservation of biodiversity. It was created in 2000, the same year KBO was officially incorporated. (Check out the post here for the full story of KBO science and the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.)
KBO's new Decision Support Tool highlights recent studies from KBO scientists and partners and demonstrates how we used science and birds as indicators to inform an adaptive management process in the Monument. The Monument was created to protect biodiversity, including migratory birds that need protection to prevent or reverse recent population declines. The Monument's establishment, and its expansion in 2017, provided increased protection for critical habitats that many priority migratory bird species need, including oaks and grasslands that are among the most at-risk habitats in the western United States. When the Monument was established KBO completed a study that demonstrated measurable impacts of livestock on the Monument's migratory birds. Results from this and other studies informed a process to eliminate livestock grazing from most of the Monument. KBO then did a follow up study that showed the measurable benefits of removing cattle from the Monument for migratory birds in oak woodlands.
Like KBO's other Decision Support tools, this new four-page document is intended for managers, conservation resource professionals, and anyone else that is interested in how science can be used to make natural resource management decisions and measure the effectiveness of management actions that incorporate bird and habitat conservation objectives. Click here to find the DST on Avian Knowledge Northwest!