Land-use patterns surrounding greater prairie-chicken leks in northwesternMinnesota

To better manage wildlife populations, managers must know which combination of land uses creates optimal habitat. We used spatial analysis at a landsc ape scale to describe land-use patterns and patch characteristics surroundi ng leks of greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus L.) in the Agassiz Beach Ridges (ABR) landscape (2,467 km(2)) in northwest Minnesota. We hypothesized that types and patterns of land use favorable to greater pr airie-chickens would be associated positively with lek versus non-lek point s, and particularly more stable (traditional) leks. Using a Geographic Info rmation System (GIS), we analyzed landuse proportions and patch characteris tics within an 810-ha area (1.6-km radius) surrounding traditional leks, te mporary leks, and randomly located non-lek points. We found locations of gr eater prairie-chicken leks were strongly dependent on land use as revealed by a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA; P < 0.001). A discriminant function analysis and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that s everal land-use characteristics were associated most strongly with leks: sm aller amounts of residential-farmstead, smaller amounts and smaller patches of forest, and greater amounts of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands . Comparisons between traditional and temporary leks revealed that traditio nal leks were surrounded by a lesser proportion of forest and cropland than were temporary leks (P < 0.001). Univariate ANOVAs showed that traditional leks also were associated with larger patches of grassland (P < 0.001), an d grassland (P = 0.016) and forest patches (P = 0.017) having more irregula r shapes. Our study suggests efforts to manage and conserve greater prairie -chicken populations in the Tallgrass Prairie Region should focus on landsc ape-scale land-use patterns in addition to local habitat characteristics. L andscape-scale efforts could include enlarging grasslands around traditiona l leks by completing prairie restorations and CRP plantings, while local-sc ale strategies should seek to improve the quality of habitat in existing an d new grassland areas.