Sagebrush Steppe Wildlife in a Working Landscape: Habitat Use, Abundance, and Detection

Allison Marie Stift

doi:10.7273/000007093

Sagebrush steppe habitat and associated wildlife are a conservation priority in Washington. However, much of the remaining sagebrush steppe in east-central Washington has been degraded and fragmented from conversion to agricultural fields, increased wildfire frequency, over-grazing by livestock, and invasion of non-native plants. In response, conservation actions such as shifting from conventional to no-till farming and restoring permanent vegetation cover on former croplands through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have been implemented. We compared wildlife communities across the mosaic of sagebrush steppe, CRP, and row-crop agriculture within east-central Washington using camera trap and bird point count surveys at 89 sites from May-August in 2021 and 2022. Across all sites, 36 bird and 14 mammal species were detected, and the highest number of species were detected in sagebrush steppe, followed by CRP, conventional agriculture, then no-till agriculture. For several species, frequency of use and relative abundance were statistically equal or even higher in CRP sites than in sagebrush steppe sites, highlighting the effectiveness of CRP as a conservation initiative. Species site use and relative abundance were strongly influenced by both vegetation characteristics of the sites, including the proportion of shrubs or grasses, and the landscape context. Our results demonstrate the benefits of intact sagebrush steppe and restored agricultural fields to wildlife communities in a working landscape. The degradation and fragmentation of native grassland and sagebrush steppe in the western US has caused population declines and range contractions for several sagebrush steppe-associated species including black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii). Conserving these species requires developing effective methods to monitor populations and inform management practices. We evaluated the effectiveness of camera and fecal pellet surveys at detecting the presence and confirming species identification of black-tailed and white-tailed jackrabbits in two study areas in central Washington from September 2022 - June 2023. We also examined the effects of season and bait on detection and identification, and the cost and effort to conduct each method. Camera and pellet surveys were generally equally effective at detecting and distinguishing jackrabbit species, with camera detection probabilities ranging from 0.14-0.43 and pellet surveys from 0.01-0.36. Thus, the choice of method would depend on regional weather patterns and the resources available. Bait increased camera species identification rates and detection probabilities, and season influenced detection probability for pellet surveys but not camera surveys. Camera surveys required less time to conduct than pellet surveys, but total cost of camera surveys was much higher than pellet surveys. Our research provides the foundation for future studies to monitor jackrabbit populations and evaluate their conservation status in Washington and throughout their range, to better conserve jackrabbits and the ecosystems that depend on them.

Sagebrush Steppe Wildlife in a Working Landscape: Habitat Use, Abundance, and Detection

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