. Using LiDAR-derived vegetation metrics for high-resolution, species distribution models for conservation planning. Ecosphere 4(3):42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-000352.1Abstract. Advances in remotely sensed data for characterizing habitat have enabled development of spatially explicit predictive species distribution models (SDM) that can be essential tools for management. SDMs commonly use coarse-grain metrics, such as forest patch size or patch connectivity, over broad spatial extents. However, species distributions are likely driven in part by local, fine-grained habitat conditions. Conservation and management are often planned and applied locally, where coarse predictions may be uninformative or not sufficiently precise. We investigated the integration of high-resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) with avian point sampling data to develop a detection-corrected occupancy model to quantify habitat-occurrence relationships for two species with different habitats: the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) and black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) on a military installation in central Texas. We compared occupancy models that used only the more conventional, coarse remotely sensed metrics to models that also incorporated high-resolution LiDAR-derived metrics for vegetation height and canopy cover, to assess their use for predicting distributions. Models including LiDAR-derived vegetation height and canopy cover metrics were competitive for both species, and models without LiDAR-derived vegetation height had substantially lower model weights and explanatory strength. Area under curve estimates for the highest ranked models were high for warblers (0.864) and moderate for vireos (0.746). Using the best supported models for each species, we predicted the occurrence distribution for both species. The resulting predictions provide a decision support tool that enables assessment of the status, impacts, and mitigation of impacts to endangered species habitat on the installation due to land management and military training activities that is more standardized and accurate than current assessment approaches based on visual gestalt of habitat and expert opinion. Additionally, although previous species distribution models have been created for our focal species, most fail to match the grain and extent of most management actions or include local, fine-grained metrics that influence distributions. In contrast, we demonstrate that use of LiDAR with species occurrence data can provide precision and resolution at a scale that is relevant ecologically and to the operational scale of most conservation and management actions.

A majority of North American breeding habitat for neotropical migrants exists on private lands, requiring monitoring strategies focused on habitat in these private holdings. We outline study designs and protocols using repeated presence-absence surveys across a gradient of patch sizes to develop a range-wide monitoring program for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) in Texas, USA. We surveyed 200-400 point-count locations across approximately 30 private properties annually from 2005 to 2008. We used data from our surveyed patches (n 5 147) and the Y (occupancy), p (detection), and c 5 1 2 e parameterization to estimate patch dynamics and associated detection probabilities for golden-cheeked warblers. Patch size had a strong association with patch occupancy, and all patches .160 ha were predicted to be occupied. We found no evidence that large golden-cheeked warbler populations located on public lands in the vicinity of our study area influenced occupancy dynamics. We conducted simulations across a range of detection probabilities to evaluate potential sample sizes for both standard-and removal-based occupancy modeling. Simulations using parameter estimates from our analysis indicated that removal-based sampling is superior to standard sampling. Based on our results, surveying golden-cheeked warbler presence in oak-juniper (Quercus-Juniperus) patches under a removal modeling framework should be considered as one alternative for range-wide monitoring programs because patch-level monitoring would be necessary to estimate proportion of range occupied. Large contiguous patches are rare across the species' range; hence, conservation and management of the mosaic of smaller patches within a landscape context would be required for maintaining species viability. Thus, we recommend the identification of areas where smaller, contiguous patches represent a significant portion of the available habitat within the local landscape and targeting these areas for habitat maintenance and improvement.

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Opportunities for wildlife undergraduates to engage in land conservation planning can bridge the gap between formal academic training and professional wildlife experiences. Land conservation plans are an important component in managing wildlife habitat. In 1995 state legislation offered Texas landowners the opportunity to remain under agricultural valuation (Texas House Bill 1358, Proposition 11, 1-d-1) by designating wildlife management activities as qualifying agricultural practices. To obtain a wildlife management tax valuation, a landowner must have an active, written wildlife management plan. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists often provide technical guidance to landowners in this process. Allowing wildlife undergraduates to have an active role in this process offers a unique opportunity for them to gain practical ''hands-on'' experiences while improving their writing skills. Students enrolled in Wildlife Habitat Management and Conservation (WFSC 406) work in groups (3-4 students) to develop a management plan for 3 local landowners. In addition to writing an actual management plan, students gain experience in land surveying, vegetation sampling, GIS/GPS technology, and public speaking. Landowners receive 3 peer-reviewed management plans they can select from to implement on their property. Students assist TPWD biologists and Texas Cooperative Extension staff in providing technical guidance to local landowners. Wildlife education can be enhanced by integrating land conservation planning in the classroom via partnerships with natural resource agencies and landowners. (WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN 34(1): 223-228; 2005)

In 2005, Fort Hood Military Reservation (Fort Hood, TX, USA) staff sought assistance from the Texas Department of Agriculture and several partner organizations to develop a mitigation approach that included the ability to mitigate temporary impacts to habitat through temporary mitigation agreements with private landowners. Fort Hood, which is home to the largest known population of the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia; warbler), was at that time facing increased demands for military training activities that had the potential to disturb, but not likely destroy warbler habitat. Texas Department of Agriculture assembled an advisory committee and 3 stakeholder committees (science, economics, and policy), and tasked them with developing a cost-efficient system that provided the desired mitigation, while also contributing to the recovery of the warbler. The resulting Recovery Credit System (RCS) enabled Fort Hood to purchase both permanent and temporary credits that represent habitat conservation actions from private landowners for use to mitigate impacts on the installation. We describe our experiences developing and implementing the RCS and briefly discuss new regional credit markets now underway or in development in Utah, USA, for the Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens); in Texas for the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus), golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla), and lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus); and in Colorado, USA, for the greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). ß