Grassland bird habitat has declined substantially in the United States. Remaining grasslands are increasingly fragmented, mostly privately owned, and vary greatly in terms of habitat quality and protection status. A coordinated strategic response for grassland bird conservation is difficult, largely due to the scope and complexity of the problem, further compounded by biological, sociological, and economic uncertainties. We describe the results from a collaborative Structured Decision Making (SDM) workshop focused on linking social and economic drivers of landscape change to grassland bird population outcomes. We identified and evaluated alternative strategies for grassland bird conservation using a series of rapid prototype models. We modeled change in grassland and agriculture cover in hypothetical landscapes resulting from different landowner decisions in response to alternative socio-economic conservation policy decisions. Resulting changes in land cover at all three stages of the annual cycle (breeding, wintering, and migration) were used to estimate changes in grassland bird populations. Our results suggest that successful grassland bird conservation may depend upon linkages with ecosystem services on working agricultural lands and grassland-based marketing campaigns to engage the public. With further development, spatial models that link landowner decisions with biological outcomes can be essential tools for making conservation policy decisions. A coordinated non-traditional partnership will likely be necessary to clearly understand and systematically respond to the many conservation challenges facing grassland birds.

Wilson and others, 2014). A large scale, long-term bird monitoring strategy will require implementation and investments of time and money by multiple decision makers, stakeholders, and conservation practitioners across the region. The group of conservation partners that met at NCTC was chosen to represent as many of these decision makers as possible and the larger conservation community (such as stakeholders).

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pReFaCeThis report describes the study area, methods, results, and conclusions drawn from the 2005-06 Ivory-billed Woodpecker (IBWO) (Campephilus principalis) search effort in eastern Arkansas. The report first provides a brief background on the IBWO rediscovery and the circumstances leading up to the 2005-06 search. Although others may find the report useful, the primary audiences are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the national IBWO Recovery Team. The report has four primary goals:(1) Provide a definitive statement of methodology, results, and conclusions (2) Aid conservation and management decision making at all levels and geographical scales () Inform future search strategies in Arkansas and provide a platform for developing search strategies throughout the IBWO's historical range (4) Fulfill reporting requirements for USFWS Grant Agreement No. 401816G060