Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Cultural and Environmental Resource Management

Committee Chair

Dr. Jennifer Lipton

Second Committee Member

Dr. Alison Scoville

Third Committee Member

Shaun Morrison

Abstract

Bird species, globally, are declining at an alarming rate. Birds of the shrubsteppe are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss caused by agricultural development, invasive vegetation, and heightened wildfire frequency and severity. Fire and invasive vegetation create a positive feedback cycle that threatens complete conversion of shrubsteppe to grasslands. Restoring habitat following wildfire is a top priority for land managers. As bioindicators of ecosystem health, bird populations reflect landscape changes and restoration efficacy. I analyzed bird populations in the Whiskey Dick and Quilomene units of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area in Kittitas County, Washington following the 2022 Vantage Highway fire. Using in-person surveys and autonomous recording units, I inventoried bird species in burned and unburned upland and riparian habitat and investigated fire’s impact on diversity metrics through its effect on habitat characteristics. I discovered that species richness and Shannon diversity are significantly lower in burned upland areas, but not different among riparian areas. Sagebrush cover is driving diversity trends and influencing the occurrence of sage thrashers (+), brewer’s sparrows (+), two sagebrush-obligate birds, and grassland-associated horned larks (-). Tree cover influences diversity trends in riparian areas (+), but more research is needed to understand riparian fire-impact. Wildlife area managers should focus restoration efforts on re-establishing sagebrush to promote biodiversity and support habitat of sagebrush-obligate bird species.

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