"Bird use of heterogeneous native prairie biofuel production plots" will be presented by Jarret Pfrimmer.
Agricultural intensification has driven the loss of more than 90% of native grassland habitats in the Midwest. Consequently, grassland birds have declined more drastically than any other North American guild. Current biofuel production systems rely on high input monoculture crops that provide little habitat value to most grassland birds. The research investigates bird use of four diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for biofuel production on three diverse soil types. This seminar will present data on visual breeding bird surveys and nest monitoring conducted over multiple years of growing, managing, and harvesting native prairie species for biomass production.