CEAP National Assessment: Wildlife

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The CEAP Wildlife Component is an effort to quantify the effects of USDA conservation practices and programs on fish and wildlife in landscapes influenced by agriculture in the United States. Because fish and wildlife are affected by conservation actions taken on a variety of landscapes, elements of the Wildlife Component link to and complement the CEAP Cropland Component, Wetlands Component, Grazing Lands Component, and Watershed Assessments, to the extent possible.

Assessment Principles

• Work collaboratively with others engaged in relevant assessments
• Leverage the use of existing data to the extent possible
• Identify critical data gaps and stimulate action to fill them
• Base assessment activity on regional priorities

Assessment Elements

The Wildlife Component Work Plan lays out the approach and identifies priorities and specific assessments underway that contribute to the effort. Assessments are targeted to address priorities identified through interaction with the fish and wildlife conservation community at the regional level in cooperation with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The work plan also identifies related studies and efforts underway that, while not directly supported by Wildlife Component funding, contribute to meeting the objective of quantifying fish and wildlife benefits of conservation practices.

CEAP Wildlife Component Regions

Regions employed by the CEAP Wildlife Component roughly align with regional associations of fish and wildlife agencies. Regions overlap because fish and wildlife agencies in many states belong to more than one regional association. Regional associations of fish and wildlife agencies include the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Literature Reviews

One of the initial efforts of the Wildlife Component was to focus on synthesizing the literature to document what is already known about the effects of conservation practices and programs on fish and wildlife and to identify and prioritize information needs. The Wildlife Society (TWS), in partnership with NRCS and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), led a literature synthesis effort that resulted in the publication of two TWS Technical Reviews, one focused on the effects of conservation programs on fish and wildlife, and the other focused on the effects of specific conservation practices on fish and wildlife resources.

In 2008, the USDA National Agricultural Library produced a 2-volume annotated bibliography, entitled Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife, as part of its CEAP bibliography series. This document compiles citations and abstracts for published literature on topics related to fish and wildlife and agricultural conservation activities included in previous CEAP bibliographies, and adds additional citations from items published from 2000-2008.

Products

• CEAP Conservation Insight—WRP Supports Migrating Waterfowl in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin Region, September 2008 (PDF; 0.4 MB)
• CEAP Conservation Insight—Estimated CRP Benefits to Mixed-Grass Prairie Birds, July 2008 (PDF; 0.5 MB)
• CEAP Conservation Insight—Ecological Monitoring Insights from the Wetlands Reserve Program in Missouri. February 2008 (PDF; 1.0 MB)
• Fish and Wildlife Response to Farm Bill Conservation Practices. A synthesis of the literature on the documented efects of various agriculture conservation practices on fish and wildlife resources. This product is a sequal to the program-based literature review below. Both documents were produced by The Wildlife Society in partnership with NRCS and FSA. Hard copies are available for purchase from The Wildlife Society. September 2007
• Ecology and Management of Scrub-shrub Birds in New England: A Comprehensive Review. Development of early successional habitats for scrub-shrub birds and other at-risk wildlife species has been the focus of conservation program delivery in the Northeast. Under a CEAP agreement, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is conducting an assessment of the effects of conservation program enrollments and conservation practices on scrub-shrub birds in New England. This report builds the ecological science base necessary to conduct an assessment of conservation effects. Over the next two years, work will focus on using this information to analyze the effects of various conservation practices and programs on this important bird group in New England. August 30, 2007 (PDF; 4.5 MB)
• CEAP Science Note: Using NatureServe Information to Assess Conservation Practice Effects on At-Risk Species, June 2007 (PDF; 0.2 MB)
• Conservation Reserve Program Bird Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 2006 Annual Report, February 2007 (PDF; 2.0 MB)
• Using NatureServe Information to Assess Farm Bill Practice Effects on At-risk Species and Habitats, Missouri Pilot Final Report, February 2007 (PDF; 3.2 MB)
• Wildlife Component Work Plan. September 2006.
• Fish and Wildlife Benefits of Farm Bill Conservation Programs: 2000-2005 Update. A synthesis of the literature describing documented effects of conservation programs on fish and wildlife. October 2005.

FSA CRP Studies

• Benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program to Grassland Bird Populations in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota, February 2007 (PDF; 1.6 MB)
• Waterfowl Response to the Conservation Reserve Program and Swampbuster Provision In the Prairie Pothole Region, 1992–2004, February 2007 (PDF; 1.4 MB)
• Estimating Wildlife Response to the Conservation Reserve Program: Bobwhite and Grassland Birds, October 2006 (PDF; 0.5 MB)
• Use of CRP Fields by Greater Sage-grouse and other Shrubsteppe associated Wildlife in Washington, October 2006 (PDF; 4 MB)
• Estimating Response of Ring-necked Pheasant to the Conservation Reserve Program June 2006 (0.7 MB)

Contact

Charles Rewa