Multiscale occupancy modeling provides insights into range-wide conservation needs of Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus)

ABSTRACT The range-wide monitoring program for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) plays an important role in landscape conservation initiatives for the recovery of this species. Methodologies to evaluate the species' responses to habitat conditions and conservation practices are necessary to evaluate the success of these initiatives. We adapted the design of the range-wide monitoring program and applied a multiscale occupancy model. The objectives were to (1) estimate occupancy at multiple spatial scales and (2) conduct an exploratory evaluation of responses to habitat condition and conservation practices at multiple spatial scales. The application of the model to a single year of data from the range-wide monitoring program yielded a coefficient of variation (CV) of large-scale occupancy of 17%. The CVs of small-scale occupancy for the 4 ecoregions ranged between 21% and 52% and were acceptable for detecting differences between strata. We used the method of multiple working hypotheses...