Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the "Vermejo Statement" on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, "Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures." We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and analyzed the current and potential future distributions of bison on the basis of expert assessment. Although more than 500,000 bison exist in North America today, we estimated they occupy <1% of their historical range and in no place express the full range of ecological and social values of previous times. By formulating an inclusive, affirmative, and specific vision through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, we hope to provide a foundation for conservation of bison, and other wide-ranging species, over the next 100 years.

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We surveyed a discrete population of Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) in South Park, Park County, Colorado, to determine the size and relative contribution of this geographically isolated area to the global population of plovers. First, we mapped potential plover habitat within South Park based on landform and vegetation descriptors. Second, we identified occupied habitat using observations from a systematic inventory of potential habitat from 1995–1999 and from a study of breeding biology from 2000–2002. Third, we estimated breeding densities within a framework designed specifically for distance sampling. We mapped 82 750 ha of potential habitat. We recorded 2516 plover locations from which we estimated 29 176 ha of occupied habitat. We estimated densities for 14 960 ha of potential habitat. Average plover density from 2000–2002 was 7.9 ± 0.9 (SE) breeding adults km−2, a high value compared with other sites. We calculated a population of 1187 ± 140 (SE) plovers in the distance sampling area. Assuming density in our sampling area was similar for all documented occupied habitat, we estimated the population of plovers in South Park at 2310 adults. We conclude that South Park represents a contemporarily large concentration of breeding Mountain Plovers. Población de Altura de Charadrius montanus en Colorado Resumen. Estudiamos una población discreta de Charadrius montanus en South Park, condado de Park, Colorado, para determinar el tamaño y la contribución relativa de esta población geográficamente aislada a la población global de C. montanus. Primero, elaboramos mapas de los hábitats potenciales para C. montanus en South Park basándonos en descriptores de formas del paisaje y vegetación. Segundo, identificamos los hábitats ocupados por C. montanus utilizando observaciones de un inventario sistemático de hábitats potenciales realizado entre 1995 y 1999 y a partir de un estudio sobre su biología reproductiva realizado entre 2000 y 2002. Tercero, estimamos las densidades reproductivas utilizando una metodología específicamente diseñada para el método de muestreo con distancias. Elaboramos mapas de 82 750 ha de hábitat potencial. Registramos 2516 localidades en que se encontraron C. montanus, a partir de las cuales estimamos 29 176 ha de hábitat ocupado. Estimamos densidades para 14 960 ha de hábitat potencial. La densidad promedio de C. montanus desde 2000 hasta 2002 fue 7.9 ± 0.9 (ES) adultos reproductivos por km2, un valor alto en comparación con otras localidades. Calculamos una población de 1187 ± 140 (ES) individuos dentro del área censada con el método de muestreo con distancias. Asumiendo que la densidad en nuestra área muestreada fue similar en todos los hábitats documentados como ocupados, estimamos que la población de C. montanus en South Park es de 2310 adultos. Concluimos que South Park representa actualmente un área con alta concentración de individuos reproductivos de C. montanus.

Woodland and forest ecosystems across western North America have experienced increased density and expansion since the early 1900s, including in the widely distributed piñonjuniper vegetation type of the U.S. Southwest. Fire suppression and grazing are often cited as the main drivers of these historic changes and have led to extensive tree-reduction treatments across the region. However, much of the scientific literature on piñon-juniper expansion dates back only to the early 1900s, which is generally a half a century after Euro-American settlement. This study uses General Land Office (GLO) surveys to establish piñon-juniper woodland extent in the late 19 th century at the incipient stages of Euro-American settlement in southeastern Colorado and compares this data with 2017 aerial imagery of woodland cover. We found substantial amounts of woodland contraction as well as expansion: approximately 61% of historically dense woodland is now savanna or open (treeless) whereas approximately 57% of historically open areas are now savannas or woodlands, although analyses at finer spatial scales suggest considerably more contraction relative to expansion. We assessed change in woodland cover and extent as a function of soil type, a dominant biophysical control, and found that the highest rates of expansion occurred upon shallow, rocky soil types with low soil available water capacity (AWC). These low soil AWC areas support little herbaceous vegetation and thus had less grazing pressure and were unlikely to carry frequent surface fires historically, suggesting iii that fire suppression and grazing were not the primary drivers of expansion. Meanwhile, the significant contractions in woodland extent occurred on deeper, upland soils with higher soil AWC, which support greater herbaceous cover and were likely where early settlement and treecutting was prevalent. Our results provide mixed support for the often widespread assumption of woodland expansion since Euro-American settlement and suggest that the expansion that has occurred in our study area is unlikely a result of past grazing or fire suppression. This paper uses important, underutilized sources of ecological data in order to more directly assess the earliest effects of Euro-American settlement on one of the U.S. Southwest's most prevalent and important vegetation types.