FWP/NHP Multiple Species
Monitoring Effort

History Kalispell
Missoula
Great
Falls
Havre
Lewistown
Sidney
Helena Miles
City
Anaconda
Butte
Billings
Bozeman Laurel
Livingston
Sampling Locations
• FWP Diversity Monitoring Project (T-020)
• NHP Statewide Amphibian Surveys
• FWP/NHP Acoustic Bat Surveys
• Other

3-Year Goals (2008-2010)
• Document occurrence of previously neglected
faunal groups in Montana
• Estimate occupancy with reasonable precision
while accounting for imperfect detection
• Develop a statewide monitoring framework for
several faunal groups that is rigorous, repeatable,
documented, and acceptable to a wide variety of
potential participants (USFS, BLM, USFWS, etc.)

2008 Field Season Goals
• Hone field methodology for reliable
detection of bats (acoustics) and reptiles
• Gather more baseline occupancy and
detection estimates
– These will help inform future sample allocation
• Thorough sampling in two ecoregions along
the Highline (mainly due to logistics)
• Coordinator + three crews of two

Focal Faunal Groups
• Reptiles
• Volant Mammals
• Small Mammals
• Amphibians
• Birds

Parameters to be Estimated
• Proportion of Area Occupied (PAO) or Ψ
• Probability of Detection or p
• Ways to estimate these parameters
– Design based estimates
– Model based estimates
• We have designed a sampling scheme that
accounts for potential confounding factors
that may affect our estimate

New Sampling Methodology
• Stratified Random Sampling
– Bailey’s Ecoregions (Or alternative)
– Landcover class
• Spatially Balanced Design
– GRTS sampling
– Allows for oversample (in case of landowner denial)
• Targeted Sampling Separately (Adapted
Sampling)

First Level of Stratification
Bailey’s Ecoregions
Flathead Northern
Valley Glaciated
Northern Plains Section
Section Northwestern
Rockies
Section Glaciated
Plains Section
Rocky Mountain
Front Section
Bitterroot
Mountains
Section Northwestern
Bitterroot Great Plains
Valley Belt Section
Section Mountains
Section Powder
Idaho River Basin
Batholith Section
Section
Beaverhead
Mountains
Section Yellowstone
Highlands
Section
Bighorn
Basin Bighorn
Section Mountains
Section

2nd Level Stratification
National Landcover Dataset 2001
NLCD 2001 Landcover Class (Percent)
Coverclass
Barren Land
Cultivated Crops
Deciduous Forest
Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands
Evergreen Forest
Grassland/Herbaceous
High Intensity
Low Intensity
Medium Intensity
Mixed Forest
Open Space
Pasture/Hay
Perennial Ice/Snow
Shrub/Scrub
Water
Woody Wetlands
55.4 Grassland/Herbaceous
36.6 Cultivated Crops
3.7 Shrub/Scrub
2.2 Evergreen Forest
Havre 0.9 Water
0.5 Pasture/Hay
0.4 Woody Wetlands
Kalispell
0.1 Barren Land
0.1 Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands
0.1 Low Intensity
Sidney
Great
Falls
Lewistown
Missoula

Nested Grid Cells
7.5 Minute Quads
Quads 10 5 0 10 Miles

Nested Grid Cells
Quarter Quads
Quads
Quarter Quads 10 5 0 10 Miles

Nested Grid Cells
Quarter-Quarter Quads
Quads
Quarter Quads
Quarter-quarter quads 10 5 0 10 Miles

Nested Grid Cells
Quarter-Quarter-Quarter Quads
Quads
Quarter Quads
Quarter-quarter quads
Quarter-quarter-quarter quads 10 5 0 10 Miles

Spatially-Balanced Sample-Site
Selection
Sam ple S electi on
LandCover
LC C ODE
Wat er
Perennial Ice/ Snow
Open S pace
Low Int ens ity
Medium I ntensit y
Hi gh I ntensit y
Barren Land
Deciduous Forest
Evergre en Forest
Mixed F orest
Shrub/S crub
Grassland/ Herb aceous
Pasture/ Hay
Cul tiv at ed Crops
Woody Wetl ands 10 5 0 10 Miles
Em erge nt Herbac eous Wet lands