Implementation of

ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

In The Thunder Basin

PROCEEDINGS from the SECOND GRASSLANDS SYMPOSIUM of the

THUNDER BASIN GRASSLANDS PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM ASSOCIATION

May 12-13, 2004

Casper, Wyoming

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Session 1.  A COLLABORATIVE ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association:  An Introduction

Thunder Basin GPE Association:  A Collaborative Landowner Led Initiative

Collaborative Conservation:  A Barn Raising for the Modern West

Funding Collaborative Efforts:  The Challenge of Privately Led Planning

Status and Direction of the Collaborative TBGPEA Ecosystem Management Initiative

Session 2.  Ecological Assessments - Ecosystems and Exotics

Biological Site Descriptions:  A Foundation For Resource Management Decisions

Characterizing Grass And Shrub Ecosystems In The Thunder Basin

Summary Of Application Of The Fire:  Grazing Interaction To Restore A Shifting Mosaic On Tall Grass Prairie

West Nile Virus:  Review And Impacts In The Thunder Basin National Grassland Region Of Wyoming

Session 3.  Ecological Assessments - Species

Status of Species Of Concern

Mountain Plover On The Thunder Basin National Grassland

Effects Of Colony Connectivity On The Spread Of Sylvatic Plague in Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs Across the Great Plains

Development of Mountain Plover Habitat Using Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs At Kennecott Energy Company's Antelope Mine

The Ecology of Western Burrowing Owls Within Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colonies In Thunder Basin National Grasslands

Session 4.  On-Going Natural Resources Planning In The Thunder Basin

Thunder Basin National Grassland Plan Implementation:  The Aliens Have Landed

Allotment Management Planning and NEPA: Where Do We Go After The Grassland Plan?

Casper Resource Management Plan:  Status and Relationship To Thunder Basin National Grasslands

Future Direction Of Conservation Efforts By The Wyoming Game And Fish Department In The Grasslands Of Wyoming

High Plains Partnership:  Restoring America's Prairies And Desert Grasslands

Prairie Partners:  Shortgrass Prairie Stewardship

Session 5.  Can Public And Private Lands Be Managed Together Under An Ecosystem Management Plan?  Challenges and Opportunities

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Perspectives

Collaborative Implementation of Ecosystem Management In The Thunder Basin Of Wyoming:  Forest Service (USFS) Perspectives

Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) Perspectives

Wyoming State Lands Perspective

Proceedings Appendix