Monitoring at management scales: Multi-scale trend estimates for bird populations in the western United States

Abstract

Widespread declines in North American birds have elevated the need for proactive conservation planning and delivery to promote recovery. Long-term monitoring at large spatial and temporal extents has been critical to identifying declines, but there is also a need for monitoring designs that can track species at scales relevant to management activities, which often occur within smaller jurisdictions. We highlight Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR), a rigorous monitoring program in the western United States providing population estimates at multiple spatial scales from individual management units to state and region-wide. Additionally, we publicize the availability of program trend estimates to management professionals via the Rocky Mountain Avian Data Center (RMADC). Here, we explore contemporary IMBCR trends in three western states, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, and document the continued decline of grassland bird species as well as declines in common generalists. We also provide an example of spatial heterogeneity in trends among management boundaries and discuss potential applications of fine-resolution trend data, such as evaluating the effects of management. Finally, we provide an example application demonstrating the value of regional IMBCR trends in species prioritization efforts by state management agencies as a part of State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) revisions.