scholarly journals Prairie Pothole Region Wetlands and Subsurface Drainage Systems: Key Factors for Determining Drainage Setback Distances

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Tangen ◽  
Mark T. Wiltermuth
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Wetland Hydrology ◽  
Subsurface Drainage ◽  
Conservation Easements ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Drainage Systems ◽  
Fish And Wildlife Service

Abstract Use of agricultural subsurface drainage systems in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America continues to increase, prompting concerns over potential negative effects to the Region's vital wetlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects a large number of wetlands through conservation easements that often utilize standard lateral setback distances to provide buffers between wetlands and drainage systems. Because of a lack of information pertaining to the efficacy of these setback distances for protecting wetlands, information is required to support the decision making for placement of subsurface drainage systems adjacent to wetlands. We used qualitative graphical analyses and data comparisons to identify characteristics of subsurface drainage systems and wetland catchments that could be considered when assessing setback distances. We also compared setback distances with catchment slope lengths to determine if they typically exclude drainage systems from the catchment. We demonstrated that depth of a subsurface drainage system is a key factor for determining drainage setback distances. Drainage systems located closer to the surface (shallow) typically could be associated with shorter lateral setback distances compared with deeper systems. Subsurface drainage systems would be allowed within a wetland's catchment for 44–59% of catchments associated with wetland conservation easements in North Dakota. More specifically, results suggest that drainage setback distances generally would exclude drainage systems from catchments of the smaller wetlands that typically have shorter slopes in the adjacent upland contributing area. For larger wetlands, however, considerable areas of the catchment would be vulnerable to drainage that may affect wetland hydrology. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easements are associated with > 2,000 km2 of wetlands in North Dakota, demonstrating great potential to protect these systems from drainage depending on policies for installing subsurface drainage systems on these lands. The length of slope of individual catchments and depth of subsurface drainage systems could be considered when prescribing drainage setback distances and assessing potential effects to wetland hydrology. Moreover, because of uncertainties associated with the efficacy of standard drainage setback distances, exclusion of subsurface drainage systems from wetland catchments would be ideal when the goal is to protect wetlands.

A Case Study Examining the Efficacy of Drainage Setbacks for Limiting Effects to Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, USA

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 513-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Tangen ◽  
Raymond G. Finocchiaro
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Wetland Hydrology ◽  
Subsurface Drainage ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Snowmelt Runoff ◽  
Drainage Systems ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Surface Areas

Abstract The enhancement of agricultural lands through the use of artificial drainage systems is a common practice throughout the United States, and recently the use of this practice has expanded in the Prairie Pothole Region. Many wetlands are afforded protection from the direct effects of drainage through regulation or legal agreements, and drainage setback distances typically are used to provide a buffer between wetlands and drainage systems. A field study was initiated to assess the potential for subsurface drainage to affect wetland surface-water characteristics through a reduction in precipitation runoff, and to examine the efficacy of current U.S. Department of Agriculture drainage setback distances for limiting these effects. Surface-water levels, along with primary components of the catchment water balance, were monitored over 3 y at four seasonal wetland catchments situated in a high-relief terrain (7–11% slopes). During the second year of the study, subsurface drainage systems were installed in two of the catchments using drainage setbacks, and the drainage discharge volumes were monitored. A catchment water-balance model was used to assess the potential effect of subsurface drainage on wetland hydrology and to assess the efficacy of drainage setbacks for mitigating these effects. Results suggest that overland precipitation runoff can be an important component of the seasonal water balance of Prairie Pothole Region wetlands, accounting on average for 34% (19–49%) or 45% (39–49%) of the annual (includes snowmelt runoff) or seasonal (does not include snowmelt) input volumes, respectively. Seasonal (2014–2015) discharge volumes from the localized drainage systems averaged 81 m3 (31–199 m3), and were small when compared with average combined inputs of 3,745 m3 (1,214–6,993 m3) from snowmelt runoff, direct precipitation, and precipitation runoff. Model simulations of reduced precipitation runoff volumes as a result of subsurface drainage systems showed that ponded wetland surface areas were reduced by an average of 590 m2 (141–1,787 m2), or 24% (3–46%), when no setbacks were used (drainage systems located directly adjacent to wetland). Likewise, wetland surface areas were reduced by an average of 141 m2 (23–464 m2), or 7% (1–28%), when drainage setbacks (buffer) were used. In totality, the field data and model simulations suggest that the drainage setbacks should reduce, but not eliminate, impacts to the water balance of the four wetlands monitored in this study that were located in a high-relief terrain. However, further study is required to assess the validity of these conclusions outside of the limited parameters (e.g., terrain, weather, soils) of this study and to examine potential ecological effects of altered wetland hydrology.

scholarly journals Fat Dynamics of Arctic-Nesting Sandpipers During Spring in Mid-Continental North America

The Auk ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-334
Author(s):  
Gary L. Krapu ◽  
Jan L. Eldridge ◽  
Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor ◽  
Deborah A. Buhl
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
North Dakota ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Total Body Fat ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Total Body

Abstract We measured fresh body mass, total body fat, and fat-free dry mass (FFDM) of three species of Arctic-nesting calidrid sandpipers (Baird's Sandpiper [Calidris bairdii], hereafter “BASA”; Semipalmated Sandpiper [C. pusilla], hereafter “SESA”; and White-rumped Sandpiper [C. fuscicollis], hereafter “WRSA”) during spring stopovers in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, and evaluated the contribution of stored fat to (1) energy requirements for migration to their Arctic-breeding grounds and (2) nutrient needs for reproduction. All spring migrant WRSA (n = 124) and BASA (n = 111), and all but 2 of 99 SESA we collected were ≥2 years old. Male and female BASA migrated through North Dakota concurrently, male SESA averaged earlier than females, and WRSA males preceded females. Fat indices (ratio of fat to FFDM) of male and female SESA and WRSA averaged approximately twice those of male and female BASA. Total body fat of male and female BASA increased with date in spring 1980, but not in 1981; slopes were similar for both sexes each year. Male and female SESA arrived lean in 1980 and 1981, and total body fat increased with date in both years, with similar slopes for all combinations of sex and year. Male and female WRSA arrived lean in 1980–1981 and 1981, respectively, and total body fat increased with date, whereas females arrived with fat reserves already acquired in 1980. Interspecific and sex differences in migration schedules probably contributed to variation in fat storage patterns by affecting maintenance energy costs and food availability. Estimated flight ranges of BASA suggest that few could have met their energy needs for migration to the breeding grounds exclusively from fat stored by the time of departure from North Dakota. Estimated flight ranges of SESA and WRSA, along with fresh body masses of both species when live-trapped on or near their breeding grounds in northern Canada, suggest that major parts of both populations stored adequate fat by departure from temperate mid-continental North America to meet their energy requirements for migration and part of their nutrient needs for reproduction. Dinámica de la Grasa en Chorlos que Nidifican en el Ártico durante la Primavera en el Área Continental Central de América del Norte

scholarly journals Land Cover and Land Use Change in the US Prairie Pothole Region Using the USDA Cropland Data Layer

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woubet G. Alemu ◽  
Geoffrey M. Henebry ◽  
Assefa M. Melesse
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
North Dakota ◽  
Trend Analysis ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
The North ◽  
The Us ◽  
Data Layer ◽  
Pasture Area

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is a biotically important region of grassland, wetland, and cropland that traverses the Canada-US border. Significant amounts of grasslands and wetlands within the PPR have been converted to croplands in recent years due to increasing demand for biofuels. We characterized land dynamics across the US portion of the PPR (US–PPR) using the USDA Crop Data Layer (CDL) for 2006–2018. We also conducted a comparative analysis between two epochs (1998–2007 & 2008–2017) of the CDL data time series in the North Dakotan portion of the US–PPR. The CDL revealed the western parts of the US–PPR have been dominated by grass/pasture, to the north it was spring wheat, to the east and southern half, soybeans dominated, and to the south it was corn (maize). Nonparametric trend analysis on the major crop and land cover types revealed statistically significant net decreases in the grass/pasture class between 2006 and 2018, which accounts for more than a quarter of grass/pasture area within the US–PPR. Other crops experiencing significant decreases included sunflower (-5%), winter wheat (-3%), spring wheat (-2%), and durum wheat (-1%). The combined coverage of corn and soybeans exhibited significant net increases in 23.5% of its cover; whereas, the individual significant net increases were 5% for corn and 11% for soybeans. Hotspots of increase in corn and soybeans were distributed across North and South Dakota. Other crop/land covers with huge significant increases include other hay/non-alfalfa (15%), and alfalfa (11%), which appear to be associated with the sharp increase in larger dairy operations, mostly in Minnesota. Wetland area increased 5% in the US–PPR, due to increased precipitation as well as inundation associated with Devils Lake in North Dakota. Hotspots of decreasing grass/pasture area were evident across the study area. Comparative trend analysis of two epochs (1998–2007 vs. 2008–2017) in North Dakota revealed that grass/pasture cover showed a negligible net trend (-0.3 %) between 1998 and 2007; whereas, there was a statistically significant decrease of more than 30% between 2008 and 2017. Combined coverage of corn and soybeans experienced statistically significant net increases in both epochs: 11% greater during 1998–2007 and 17% greater during 2008–2017. Recent sharp losses of grasslands and smaller wetlands combined the expansion of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa bode ill for wildlife habitat and require a re-examination of agricultural and energy policies that have encouraged these land transitions.

scholarly journals Effects of Water Conditions on Clutch Size, Egg Volume, and Hatchling Mass of Mallards and Gadwalls in the Prairie Pothole Region

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 936-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Pietz ◽  
Gary L. Krapu ◽  
Deborah A. Buhl ◽  
David A. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Egg Volume ◽  
Water Conditions ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Basin Area

AbstractWe examined the relationship between local water conditions (measured as the percent of total area of basins covered by water) and clutch size, egg volume, and hatchling mass of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Gadwalls (A. strepera) on four study sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and Minnesota, 1988–1994. We also examined the relationship between pond density and clutch size of Mallards and Gadwalls, using data collected at another North Dakota site, 1966–1981. For Mallards, we found no relationships to be significant. For Gadwalls, clutch size increased with percent basin area wet and pond density; hatchling mass marginally increased with percent basin area wet. These species differences may reflect, in part, that Mallards acquire lipid reserves used to produce early clutches before they reach the breeding grounds, whereas Gadwalls acquire lipid reserves locally; thus Gadwall clutches are more likely to be influenced by local food resources.

scholarly journals Influence of Wind Turbines on Presence of Willet, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope and Black Tern on Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota

Waterbirds ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal D. Niemuth ◽  
Johann A. Walker ◽  
Jeffrey S. Gleason ◽  
Charles R. Loesch ◽  
Ronald E. Reynolds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
North Dakota ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Black Tern ◽  
Wilson’S Phalarope
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