Evaluation of land condition trend analysis for birds on a Kansas militarytraining site

Land condition trend analysis (LCTA) is a longterm monitoring program used on military training lands to identify ecological changes that result from training and management activities. We initiated LCTA at the Kansas Army Na tional Guard Training Facility (KANGTF) in Saline County, Kansas, in March 1998. This paper evaluates the LCTA methodology for birds by comparing LCTA results with a modified methodology designed to place sampling transects i n field-identified rather than satellite-identified land-cover types. In th e satellite-identified land-cover types developed at the site, grassland ha bitats included a large component of woody vegetation, which resulted in po or resolution of bird assemblages associated with the different land-cover types. Using these cover classes, mixed grass prairie included five grass/f orb (g/f) and 10 woody-dependent species; old-field included four g/f and f our woody-dependent species; and riparian included one g/f and six woody-de pendent species. LCTA sampling was too limited in the ecologically importan t riparian woodland habitat with the result that bird species were not adeq uately sampled there. In the alternate sampling strategy, we identified thr ee land-cover classes (grassland, hedgerow, and riparian woodland) by field reconnaissance and increased sampling in the riparian woodland. Grassland included six g/f and three woody-dependent species; hedgerow included six g /f and 20 woody-dependent species, and riparian included two gif and 19 woo dy-dependent species. The modifications greatly improved the resolution of bird assemblages associated with land-cover classes at the KANGTF. Use of t he alternative sampling method should improve the ability to detect long-te rm trends in the bird communities.