Biennial Report
January 1997 - December 1998
The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program was established to facilitate cooperation among the U.S. Department of the Interior (currently through the US Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division), universities, state fish and wildlife agencies, and private organizations, by developing and conducting programs of research and education related to fish and wildlife resource conservation. The Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit emphasizes research on impacts of human activities on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that are of state, regional, and national significance. The research program addresses not only the biological, but also social and economic aspects of both game and nongame fisheries and wildlife management in the context of maintenance of biological diversity, and integrity and sustainability of ecosystems. The Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was established in 1987, and staffed beginning in 1988. This is the 5th biennial report produced by the Minnesota Coop Unit and summarizes Unit activities during 1997 and 1998. The period from 1997-1998 was one of relative stability for both the Coop Unit Program and the Minnesota Unit. The Coop Unit Program was moved to the US Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division in 1996, and has remained within that agency since. The Minnesota Coop Unit has continued to serve its federal, state, and non-governmental partners, and furthered its mission through research, teaching, and technical assistance. With the addition of a social scientist (Dr. David C. Fulton, Assistant Leader-Wildlife) to our staff at the end of 1998, we are now positioned to more fully address social aspects of natural resource conservation into the 21st century. Three research scientists currently staff the Minnesota Unit. I continue my position as Leader, Dr. Bruce Vondracek continues in his position as Assistant Leader-Fisheries, and Dr. David C. Fulton joined the Unit as Assistant Leader-Wildlife in October 1998. As always, we welcome your comments and questions concerning the focus of our research and specific research projects, and look forward to continued cooperation with partners old and new.
Dr. David E. Andersen, Leader
Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
March 1999
Table of Contents
COMPLETED RESEARCH
- APPLIED ECOLOGY
- Anurans and Invertebrates as Indicators of Wetland Condition in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole Region
- Assessing Ecological Structure, Function, and Dynamics of Undisturbed and Restored Northern Prairie Wetlands
- Biodiversity Monitoring: Breeding Productivity, Habitat, and Winter Distribution of Nongame Birds
- Paleolimnology: Reconstructing the Chronology of Fish Residency in Alpine and Subalpine Lakes of Glacier National Park, Montana
- Winter Ecology of Ferruginous Hawks at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado
- CONTAMINANTS
- HUMAN ACTIVITIES,
MANAGEMENT, AND CONSERVATION
- Effects of Land Use, Sediment, and Temperature on the Distribution of Benthic Invertebrates and Fish in the Whitewater Watershed
- Impact of Management Intensive Grazing Practices on the Stream Biota and Stream Habitat of Five Southeastern Minnesota Farms
- Individual-Based Walleye Simulation Model
- Status Assessment for the Great Lakes Population of Common Terns
- The Effect of Human Disturbance on the Endangered Great Lakes Population of Piping Plover
- Trophic Ecology of Young-of-the-Year Walleye in Minnesota Rearing Ponds
ONGOING RESEARCH
- APPLIED ECOLOGY
- Age and Growth of Lake Herring in Lake Superior
- Eastern Prairie Population Canada Goose Breeding Ecology
- Fall Local Movements, Foraging, and Population Dynamics of Tundra Swans on the Upper Mississippi River
- Foraging Behavior of California Sea Lions at San Miguel Island, California
- Great Lakes Colonial Waterbird Survey
- Great Lakes Piping Plover Research Review
- Microhabitat Selection, Spawning Behavior, and Growth of Three Trout
- Population Ecology of California Sea Lions in the California Current Ecosystem
- Review of Research Pertaining to Double-crested Cormorants in the Eastern US
- Review of Research Pertaining to Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in the Western Great Lakes Region and Ontario
- Trophic Cascade Interaction in a Coldwater Stream
- HUMAN ACTIVITIES, MANAGEMENT,
AND CONSERVATION
- Breeding Ecology of Forest-nesting Birds in North Central Minnesota
- Citizen Monitoring: Can Widely-used Protocols Discriminate Benthic Communities in Relation to Land Management Changes?
- Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Presentation in Support of Comprehensive Management Planning
- Development of a Research and Monitoring Framework for Northern Goshawks in the Western Great Lakes Region
- Evaluation of the Effects of the Grass Lake Wetland Restoration on Migratory Birds
- Larval Fish Populations on Tributaries of the Red River
- Stream Fish Distribution and Habitat in Relation to Land Use, Geology, and Geomorphology in Southeastern Minnesota
- Winged Mapleleaf Mussel (Quadrula fragosa) Host Fish Experiments, Phase II
ACTIVITIES
Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
University of Minnesota
Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
1980 Folwell Avenue, 138 Hodson Hall
St. Paul, MN 55108
phone: 612-624-3421
fax: 612-625-5299
coopunit@tc.umn.edu