Tweeters, just in case any of us are lucky enough to be in Wichita in
February and want to get in out of the cold long enough to hear about
birds...

The Society for Range Management, a professional society for those
interested in the range resources and their management, is holding their
49th Annual International Meeting "Private Rangelands: Stewardship and
Responsibility" in Wichita, Kansas, February 10-15, 1996.

Among the many papers to be given are several relating to birds:

Technical Papers - Tuesday, Feb 13, 1996

1:20 pm Vegetation Characteristics of Northern Bobwhite Quail Thermal
Cover. N. David Forrester, Will E Cohen and Fred S Guthery (Texas A&M Univ)

1:40 pm Response of Breeding Bird Communities to Land Use Change. Jon C
Boren, David M Engle, Ronald E Masters and Terrence G Bidwell. (Okla.
State Univ)

2:00 pm Grassland Songbird Abundance and Range Condition in Southern
Saskatchewan, Canada. Tom M Harrison, Stephen K Davis and David C Duncan
(Sask. Wetland Conservation Corp., Regina)

2:20 pm Distribution, Abundance, and Impacts of Cowbirds in Riparian
Habitats of New Mexico. Sara H Schweitzer, David M Leslie Jr and Deborah
M Finch (Univ Georgia, Okla State Univ, and US Forest Serv. Albuquerque)

Poster Sessions - Tuesday Morning Feb 13, 1996

Northern Bobwhite Response to Prescribed Fires in West Texas. Philip S
Carter and Dale Rollins (Angelo State Univ)

Does Prickly Pear Protect Quail Nests from Predators? Stacey Slater and
Dale Rollins (Angelo State Univ)

Effects of Habitat Fragmentation by Urbanization on Bird Diversity and
Habitat in a Sonoran Desert Environment. Michael G Baker and Douglas M
Green (Arizona State Univ)


Technical Sessions, Workshops, Symposia and Forums will address other
aspects of rangeland ecology, mgmt, etc.:

Monday, 2/12/96 Technical Sessions
Ecology
Grazing Systems
Weeds
Animal Behavior
Strategies for Vegetation Mgmt and Ecosystem Restoration
Grazing Management

Symposia: Rangeland Social Science
Riparian
Molding a Contemporary Image of Society and Profession

Tuesday, 2/13/96 Technical Sessions
Vegetation Management and Ecosystem Restoration
Soils/Hydrology
Remote Sensing
Inventory
Wildlife (where the tech papers relating to birds are..)
Ecophysiology/Livestock Production

Symposia: Remote Sensing
Excellence in Range Management
Ecosystem Restoration on Mid-Continental Rangeland
Legacy and Future Direction of the Conservation Reserve Program

A couple of field tours will be held on Thursday 2/15/96:

Flint Hills Ranches (Thursday 8am - 5pm, $35) This tour features the
scenic and productive Flint Hills east of Wichita. This area is the
largest expanse of native tallgrass prairie in North America and
stretches from North to South across Kansas. Tour stops include a
yearling stocker operation using a Time Management Grazing System, the
Z-Bar/Spring Hill Ranch under the care of the National Park Trust, and a
cow-calf operation on the Strait Ranch. Lunch provided.

Maxwell Game Preserve (Thursday 8am - 1pm, $20) A tram ride through the
Maxwell Game Preserve located in the Smoky Hills Tallgrass Prairie, home
to buffalo and elk. See the prairie and its inhabitants from the past.
(snack, no lunch)

For more information, contact the General Managers of the meeting:

Walt Fick and Mark Moseley
1996 Annual Meeting - SRM
PO Box 303
Manhattan, Kansas 66505-0303
Phone: 913-532-5776

Hope this might be of some interest to the birding community.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov