The Bookshop

Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States

Burrowing owls are a grassland-dependent species. As grasslands disappear, so go the owls. The bird is listed as endangered in Canada, threatened in Mexico, and endangered, threatened, or species of concern in nine U.S. states. At the national level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) lists the burrowing owl as a National and Regional Bird of Conservation Concern. Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States is the Service’s technical publication that documents the bird’s status and offers recommendations for its conservation.

The publication is organized into chapters titled Taxonomy, Legal Status, Description, Distribution, Natural History, Habitat, Populations, Monitoring Activities, Threats, Recommendation on Current Conservation Status, Management and Conservation, Research Needs, and Literature Cited. The appendices provide state-by-state summaries of the bird’s status, a summary of recommendations for conservation, a distribution list for the publication, and a list of scientific and common names for plants and animals referenced in the document.

Softcover, 8 1/2 x 11, 108 pages, 15 color and black-and-white maps, and seven tables. The document is available free of charge from Stephanie Jones, Nongame Migratory Bird Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225, stephanie_jones@fws.gov. It also is available as a PDF file at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/birds, click on “Western Burrowing Owl.”

A Guide to Creating Vernal Ponds

A Guide to Creating Vernal Ponds, written by Thomas Biebighauser and published by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and the Izaak Walton League of America, is designed to help educators, private landowners, and public land managers construct vernal ponds that look and function like natural wetlands.

The book’s four chapters discuss the habitat values of vernal ponds, explain how to plan for a vernal pond construction project, describe five construction methods, and list sources of other information relating to vernal ponds and their construction. The author describes how to identify a suitable location, test soils, and decide if a shaded or sunlit location would work best for the project. One does not have to be a civil engineer or a land surveyor to be successful.

Soft cover, 5 x 8.5, 33 pages, 84 color photographs, five drawings, one map. Order with check from SEEC-Vernal Pond Book, 2375 Kentucky Highway 801 South, Morehead, Kentucky 40351. Cost for 1-19 copies is US$1.00 each; 20-99 copies, US$0.50 each; more than 100 copies, US$0.25 each. An order form and the online version of the book is available at http://www.southernregion.fs.fed.us/boone/.