Animal habitat selection is an important and expansive area of research in ecology. In particular, the study of habitat selection is critical in habitat prioritization efforts for species of conservation concern. Landscape planning for species is happening at ever‐increasing extents because of the appreciation for the role of landscape‐scale patterns in species persistence coupled to improved datasets for species and habitats, and the expanding and intensifying footprint of human land uses on the landscape. We present a large‐scale collaborative effort to develop habitat selection models across large landscapes and multiple seasons for prioritizing habitat for a species of conservation concern. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter sage‐grouse) occur in western semi‐arid landscapes in North America. Range‐wide population declines of this species have been documented, and it is currently considered as “warranted but precluded” from listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Wyoming is predicted to remain a stronghold for sage‐grouse populations and contains approximately 37% of remaining birds. We compiled location data from 14 unique radiotelemetry studies (data collected 1994–2010) and habitat data from high‐quality, biologically relevant, geographic information system (GIS) layers across Wyoming. We developed habitat selection models for greater sage‐grouse across Wyoming for 3 distinct life stages: 1) nesting, 2) summer, and 3) winter. We developed patch and landscape models across 4 extents, producing statewide and regional (southwest, central, northeast) models for Wyoming. Habitat selection varied among regions and seasons, yet preferred habitat attributes generally matched the extensive literature on sage‐grouse seasonal habitat requirements. Across seasons and regions, birds preferred areas with greater percentage sagebrush cover and avoided paved roads, agriculture, and forested areas. Birds consistently preferred areas with higher precipitation in the summer and avoided rugged terrain in the winter. Selection for sagebrush cover varied regionally with stronger selection in the Northeast region, likely because of limited availability, whereas avoidance of paved roads was fairly consistent across regions. We chose resource selection function (RSF) thresholds for each model set (seasonal × regional combination) that delineated important seasonal habitats for sage‐grouse. Each model set showed good validation and discriminatory capabilities within study‐site boundaries. We applied the nesting‐season models to a novel area not included in model development. The percentage of independent nest locations that fell directly within identified important habitat was not overly impressive in the novel area (49%); however, including a 500‐m buffer around important habitat captured 98% of independent nest locations within the novel area. We also used leks and associated peak male counts as a proxy for nesting habitat outside of the study sites used to develop the models. A 1.5...

Animals can require different habitat types throughout their annual cycles. When considering habitat prioritization, we need to explicitly consider habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle, particularly for species of conservation concern. Understanding annual habitat requirements begins with quantifying how far individuals move across landscapes between key life stages to access required habitats. We quantified individual interseasonal movements for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) using radio-telemetry spanning the majority of the species distribution in Wyoming. Sage-grouse are currently a candidate for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act and Wyoming is predicted to remain a stronghold for the species. Sage-grouse use distinct seasonal habitats throughout their annual cycle for breeding, brood rearing, and wintering. Average movement distances in Wyoming from nest sites to summer-late brood-rearing locations were 8.1 km (SE ¼ 0.3 km; n ¼ 828 individuals) and the average subsequent distances moved from summer sites to winter locations were 17.3 km (SE ¼ 0.5 km; n ¼ 607 individuals). Average nest-to-winter movements were 14.4 km (SE ¼ 0.6 km; n ¼ 434 individuals). We documented remarkable variation in the extent of movement distances both within and among sites across Wyoming, with some individuals remaining year-round in the same vicinity and others moving over 50 km between life stages. Our results suggest defining any of our populations as migratory or non-migratory is innappropriate as individual strategies vary widely. We compared movement distances of birds marked using Global Positioning System (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio marking techniques and found no evidence that the heavier GPS radios limited movement. Furthermore, we examined the capacity of the sage-grouse core regions concept to capture seasonal locations. As expected, we found the core regions approach, which was developed based on lek data, was generally better at capturing the nesting locations than summer or winter locations. However, across

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) exhibit boom and bust cycles in landscapes where they are affected by outbreaks of plague caused by the introduced bacterium Yersinia pestis. We examined spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies in the Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming over a period of 21 years. The colony complex experienced three plague epizootics during that time, and consequently three boom and bust cycles. The entire prairie dog colony complex collapsed over a 1-year period during the first and third epizootics, and over a 3-year period during the second epizootic. The boom and bust cycles were characterized by relatively rapid contractions in total area occupied by prairie dogs during a plague outbreak (e.g., >99% decline from 10,604 ha to 47 ha over 1 year [2017–2018]) followed by much slower recovery times (e.g., an increase from 410 ha to 10,604 ha over 11 years [2006–2017]). Prairie dogs occupied a total of 10,604 ha during at least one survey within the study period, but much of the area was not continuously occupied over time. We found that each of the three plague outbreaks occurred in years with highly connected prairie dog colonies and slightly above-average temperatures and summer precipitation, which were preceded by a dry year. Although plague outbreaks were associated with climatic conditions, we were unable to detect a role of climate in driving colony expansion. Our results illustrate the cyclic and extreme nature of fluctuations in black-tailed prairie dog colony size and distribution in a landscape where plague occurs and illuminate some of the drivers of these cycles. Further, our work shows how introduced diseases can dramatically influence populations of a keystone species, with important consequences for the broader ecological system.

Wildlife issues at surface coal mines in the Powder River Basin of northeast Wyoming have been a topic of discussion since operations first began in the early 1970s. Since then, wildlife monitoring and mitigation programs have evolved to address changing concerns, and incorporate new information and techniques. Over the last 26 years, biologists with Thunderbird -Jones & Stokes (J&S) have developed, enhanced, and/or implemented mitigation measures for numerous avian species of concern, including nesting raptors and mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus). The appropriate use of mitigation techniques has yielded proven methods to minimize conflicts between nesting raptors and surface coal mine operations, and thus reduced the potential for work stoppages. By February 2006, J&S had relocated (both active and inactive nests) or created more than 100 nests for seven different raptor species. Nesting raptors used 65% of the previously active nests after mitigation measures were implemented, and 22% of previously inactive nests. The establishment of mitigation programs for other avian species of concern has also benefited companies willing to experiment with innovative reclamation techniques for wildlife habitat. One coal mine supported a unique effort to reestablish mountain plover habitat by translocating black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) into man-made colonies in reclamation. Although mountain plovers have not yet been documented in those colonies, the prairie dogs have expanded the original boundaries and maintained the low, sparse vegetation characteristic of mountain plover nesting habitat.