Platte River Ecology Study

This report summarizes findings of the Platte River Ecology Study. The 3-year investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to 1) determine the role of the Platte River Valley in contributing to the requirements of midcontinent migratory bird populations and 2) develop guidelines for management of riverine habitats and adjacent lands supporting populations of selected species of migratory birds.

A research team formed by investigators from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several universities conducted the study. Individual investigations focused principally on various aspects of migratory bird usage of the Platte River Valley and on factors affecting habitat conditions on riparian lands.

Nearly all facets of the research program described in this report will be submitted for publication in scientific journals. Readers requiring a more detailed description of individual studies should consult the technical papers that will be forthcoming.

Gary L. Krapu
Project Leader

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This resource is based on the following source (Northern Prairie Publication 0344):

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  1981.  The Platte River ecology study special research report.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamestown, ND.  187pp.

This resource should be cited as:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  1981.  The Platte River ecology study special research report.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamestown, ND.  Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.  http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/plriveco/index.htm (Version 16JUL97).

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Contents

• Synopsis
• Major Contributors to the Report
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• The Study Area
  • Geography
  • Climate
  • Geology
  • Vegetation
  • History
  • Economy
• Sandhill Cranes
  • Introduction
  • Distribution and Abundance
  • Staging Interval
  • Home Range Characteristics
  • Habitat Use
  • Feeding Ecology
  • Fat Storage and Utilization
  • Population Energy and Food Requirements
• Whooping Cranes
  • Historical Perspective
  • Migration Corridor
  • Chronology of Migration
  • Feeding Ecology
  • Roost Sites
• Waterfowl
  • Introduction
  • Distribution and Abundance
  • Habitat Use
  • Feeding Ecology
  • Fat Storage
• Bald Eagles and Other Raptors
  • Introduction
  • Distribution and Abundance
  • Habitat Use
  • Bald Eagle Feeding Ecology
• Breeding Birds
  • Distribution and Abundance
  • Habitat Affinities
• Effects of Habitat Alteration on Migratory Birds
  • Sandhill Cranes
  • Whooping Cranes
  • Bald Eagles
  • Breeding Birds
• Disease Concerns
  • Introduction
  • Botulism
  • Duck Plague
  • Avian Cholera
• Development of Woody Vegetation
  • Background
  • Depletion of Annual flows and Channel Shrinkage
  • Forest Age
  • Hydrology and Radial Growth
  • Vegetation-Soil Relationships
  • Vegetation Development Scheme
  • Relationship of Riverine Hydrology to Seed Viability
  • Relationship of Riverine Hydrology to Seedling Establishment and Survival
• Maintenance of Crane Habitat
  • Potential Effects of Habitat Degradation
  • Native Grassland
  • Channel Habitat
  • Public Facilities
• References
• Figures, Tables, and Appendices

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