Goal: To monitor or track all breeding birds in mountain shrubland habitat to document distribution, population trends, and abundance in a statistically acceptable manner.

Objective: All species with AI > 2 will be monitored with count-based methods.

Strategy: Monitoring will be accomplished through the combined efforts of agencies with primary responsibility for managing this habitat.

Strategy: Monitoring efforts will continue to rely on BBS data, with CBO's Monitoring Colorado's Birds (MCB) data incorporated as it becomes available.

Status: MCB implemented mountain shrubland habitat transects in 1998 and ran a total of 29 transects in 1999; trend data should be available for most species within 5-12 years.

Objective: All species with AI 2 will be tracked through count-based methods or their presence/absence noted in the state.

Strategy: The MCB monitoring program will address this.

Status: MCB was implemented in mountain shrubland habitat in 1999.

Objective: All species with PT of 4 or 5 will be tracked with demographic monitoring.

Strategy: CBO's MCB monitoring program will address this.

Status: MCB demographic monitoring will begin in 2001.

Habitat Monitoring

Goal: To document the amount, condition, and ownership of mountain shrubland habitat in Colorado.

Objective: Develop collaborative efforts to use GIS in mapping mountain shrubland habitat, documenting amount, condition, and ownership.

Status: This effort has not been initiated to date. Potential collaborators include CDOW, CNHP, CBO, USGS, BLM, and TNC.

Habitat Core Areas

Goal: To conserve unique representatives and/or large, ecologically-functioning examples of mountain shrubland habitat in Colorado used during the breeding season, during migration, and/or during the winter.

Objective: Identify such areas, use agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving them, and work with the appropriate agency or organization to promote conservation activities.

Status: Appropriate areas that have been identified include USFS Research Natural Areas (Narraguinep in Dolores County), USFS Wilderness Areas, and Colorado Natural Areas Program sites (Deer Gulch Natural Area in Rio Blanco County).

Objective: Identify any of these areas that are appropriate for designation as Important Bird Areas (IBAs), nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: Sites with mountain shrubland habitat were nominated in 1999, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Objective: To maintain or increase the quantity and quality of mountain shrubland habitat on private lands.

Strategy: Encourage landowners to take advantage of funding opportunities and expertise for creating, restoring, and maintaining mountain shrubland habitat on their properties.

Strategy: Promote collaboration/cooperation between agencies, organizations, and individuals in conserving unique representatives/core areas with multiple ownership.

Objective: To maintain or increase the quantity and quality of mountain shrubland habitat on public lands.

Strategy: Integrate the BCP into management plans for public lands in the physiographic area.

Objective: To recreate the heterogeneous landscape mosaic of prehistory so that breeding birds are always offered a patchwork of shrubland parcels in a variety of structural stages and densities.

Strategy: Incorporate landscape-scale habitat management into management plans for public and private lands.

Strategy: Allow wildfires to burn and allow insect outbreaks to run their courses.

Site-based Conservation

Goal: To conserve local breeding sites, migratory stopover sites, and wintering sites in mountain shrubland that are important for the conservation of priority species.

Objective: Identify agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving key local sites. Work with appropriate agencies and organizations to designate such sites, and promote conservation activities.

Objective: Identify key local sites that are appropriate for designation as IBAs, nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: Sites with mountain shrubland habitat were nominated in 1999, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Management Practices

Goal: To promote management practices that benefit birds in mountain shrubland habitats.

Objective: A Best Management Practices (BMP) manual will be produced and distributed.

Status: Not yet initiated.

Objective: Identify key landowners and land managers and encourage them to incorporate best management practices to conserve mountain shrubland birds and their habitat.

Interstate/International Wintering Grounds

Goal: To conserve the wintering ground habitat used by birds of mountain shrubland habitats.

Objective: Track the amount of habitat available on the wintering grounds.

Strategy: Utilize GIS (state GAP projects, Heritage Program, and/or CBO).

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to obtain data.

Objective: Protect key tracts of wintering habitat.

Strategy: Identify the wintering distribution and key habitat associations of priority species.

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to protect wintering habitat through Habitat Core Areas and Site-based Conservation goals and objectives.

Migration Concerns

Goal: To protect migratory stopover habitat of birds of mountain shrubland habitats as they migrate outside of the state.

Objective: Identify important migratory stopover areas for priority species that breed in Colorado, and key sites for priority species that breed elsewhere.

Objective: Track amount, condition, and ownership of key migratory stopover sites.

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to protect migratory habitat through Habitat Core Areas and Site-based Conservation goals and objectives.

Outreach and Education

Goal: To provide information on mountain shrubland birds (conservation, habitat needs, natural history, etc.) to children, teachers, naturalists, landowners, natural resource professionals, and other interested parties.

Strategy: Make educational materials available at local nature centers and natural resource agency offices.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for teachers.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for natural resource professionals (CDOW, BLM, and USFS staff).

Strategy: Develop materials for county commissioners and local planning boards.

Strategy: Present information at Teacher Association meetings, conferences, other annual meetings.

Strategy: Submit manuscripts to popular magazines for children and adults.

Research Priorities

Goal: To identify and facilitate research that will aid in understanding and managing mountain shrubland habitats for Colorado's birds.

Objective: To identify the top ten research needs in mountain shrubland habitat in Colorado.

Strategy: Update the list of research needs annually to reflect shifting conservation priorities and to remove research needs from the list as they are investigated.

Strategy: Solicit input from researchers and managers on research needs and accomplishments.

Status: The following research needs have been identified:

1. Inventory the mountain shrubland in the physiographic area (and state) for area, location, condition, rate and potential of conversions by controlled burns and other means to assess the risk to this habitat and to obtain a monitoring baseline.

2. Determine the relationships of precipitation, habitat condition, and population distributions at the landscape level.

3. Determine the effects of prescribed burning in mountain shrubland on bird populations, with an emphasis on Common Poorwills and Virginia's Warblers.

4. Determine the effects on bird populations of different grazing regimes.

5. Identify key migratory stopover areas and habitats.

6. Conduct demographic studies for Virginia's Warbler and Common Poorwill.

7. Determine minimum shrub canopy cover (threshold level) needed to support viable populations of Virginia's Warbler.

8. Identify areas of concern in the state where impacts from humans have a negative impact on the priority species.

9. Identify principal wintering areas for Virginia's Warbler and Common Poorwill.

Strategy: Facilitate investigations to answer these questions by providing information about priority needs to universities, public and private research entities, identifying funding sources, and promoting collaboration between management and research agencies.