Conservation of grassland bird populations on military installations in the eastern United States with special emphasis on Fort Campbell Army Base, Kentucky

This study was conducted to provide basic life history and nest site habitat use information as well as information about populations and potential region-wide habitat availability to enhance current and future land management planning for grassland bird conservation. I focused on Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Henslow's Sparrow ( Ammodramus henslowii), Field Sparrow (Spizella pusillia), Dickcissel (Spiza americana), and Eastern Meadowlark ( Sturnella magna) populations. The objectives were: (1) to provide life history parameters for five grassland bird species at Fort Campbell Army Base, Kentucky, 1999--2003; (2) to use the life history parameters to examine population viability grassland bird populations, and examine the implications of the timing of management activities; (3) to examine nest site habitat selection; and (4) to examine the potential for United States Department of Defense installations in the eastern United States to provide grassland habitat for breeding and wintering grassland bird populations. A total of 811 nests were monitored between 1999--2003. The population viability models indicated the grassland bird species were sink populations in most years with Grasshopper Sparrow being the only species indicating overall stable populations at Fort Campbell. Mowing within the breeding season had a negative impact on population viability, even with multiple brooding. The nesting habitat selection analysis indicated grassland birds selected areas with deeper litter, less bare ground, and taller grass than was generally available at Fort Campbell. This result was probably caused by annual burning, which was too frequent to create suitable habitat for these grassland bird species. Finally, Of the 186 land areas in the eastern US managed by the DOD, 45 contained at least one large (>40 ha) patch of grassland, including 1 port managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, 23 Army, 3 Air Force, 3 Marine, 11 Navy, and 4 National Guard installations, providing at least 65,000 ha of grassland. Most of the selected military installations were located in the southern United States within 300 km of the coast. With planning, military installations could have major positive impacts on the declining populations of birds that depend on frequent habitat disturbance to maintain early-successional habitats like grasslands.