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During emergency situations, such as natural disasters or the current pandemic, there may not be immediate access to research-based information or information may be nonexistent or conflicting. In such scenarios, Extension personnel may be required to make best guesses based on "what is known so far." Depending on the urgency of the situation, Extension personnel should draw on opinions and expertise from diverse networks of people and resources before making a best guess. When making a best guess, the Extension professional should follow up to determine whether any information disseminated and recommendations made were correct or not. In either case, the result should be made known.

Cameras are important tools used to determine nest fate, identify predators and evaluate behaviour; however, they may impact the parameters they are used to measure, thereby biasing results. We evaluated the impact of cameras ˜ 10 m from the nest on shorebird nest survival at the Canning River Delta, Alaska, 2017–2018 (ncontrol = 122, ncamera = 109) using a much larger sample size than in previous studies conducted in the Arctic and random assignments at nest discovery. We found no effect of camera presence at the nest on daily nest survival (model‐averaged daily survival rate (DSR) 85% confidence interval (CI); control: 0.971–0.983, camera: 0.969–0.982). We suggest that nest survival studies of tundra‐nesting birds should consider the use of cameras to minimize researcher disturbance, increase the accuracy of fate assignments, and broaden the ecological data collected (e.g. incubation behaviour, predator identification and non‐anthropogenic non‐predation disruption such as by caribou). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River deltas along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coast are used by hatch-year semipalmated sandpipers ( Calidris pusilla) after leaving their terrestrial natal sites, but the drivers of their use of these stopover sites on the first 'hop' of fall migration are unknown. We quantified sandpiper temporal distribution and abundance as related to food resources at three river deltas during the beginning of their fall migration (post-breeding period) to compare the habitat quality among these deltas. We conducted population counts, sampled invertebrates, and captured birds to collect blood samples from individuals for triglyceride and stable isotope analyses to determine fattening rates and diet. Patterns of sandpiper and invertebrate abundance were complex and varied among deltas and within seasons. River deltas were used by sandpipers from late July to late August, and peak sandpiper counts ranged from 1000 to 4000 individuals, of which 98% were hatch-year semipalmated sandpipers. Isotopic signatures from blood plasma samples indicated that birds switched from a diet of upland tundra to delta invertebrate taxa as the migration season progressed, suggesting a dependence on delta invertebrates. Despite differences in diet among deltas, we found no differences in fattening rates of juvenile sandpipers as indicated by triglyceride levels. The number of sandpipers was positively associated with abundance of Amphipoda and Oligochaeta at the Jago and Okpilak-Hulahula deltas; an isotopic mixing model indicated that sandpipers consumed Amphipoda and Oligochaeta at Jago, mostly Chironomidae at Okpilak-Hulahula and Spionidae at Canning. Regardless of the difference in sandpiper diets at the Beaufort Sea deltas, their similar fattening rates throughout the season indicate that all of these stopover sites provide a critical food resource for hatch-year sandpipers beginning their first migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents a study on the relative density and species composition of shorebirds that congregate on the coastal areas of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge prior to a fall migration. It notes that understanding density and composition is vital in managing the impacts of habitat changes. Results show the importance of managing large sites with high average densities in protecting shorebird foraging habitat. It adds that the sites need to be considered as part of a habitat complex.

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge hosts seven species of migratory shorebirds listed as highly imperiled or high priority by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and five species listed as Birds of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During the first comprehensive shorebird survey of the 674 000 ha ‘1002 Area’ on the coastal plain, we recorded 14 species of breeding shorebirds at 197 rapidly surveyed plots during June 2002 and 2004. We also estimated detection ratios with a double counting technique, using data collected at 37 intensively studied plots located on the North Slope of Alaska and northern Canada. We stratified the study area by major habitat types, including wetlands, moist areas, uplands, and riparian areas, using previously classified Landsat imagery. We developed population estimates with confidence limits by species, and estimated the total number of shorebirds in the study area to be 230 000 (95% CI: 104 000-363 000), which exceeds the biological criterion for classification as both a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of International Importance (100 000 birds) and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance (20 000 birds), even when conservatively estimated. Species richness and the density of many species were highest in wetland or riparian habitats, which are clustered along the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency preparedness and management show great potential as growth areas for Extension programming. This Commentary examines two such programs. In Brown County, Kansas, Extension's decision to get involved in emergency management resulted in significantly increased funding, a renewal of faith by local county government, and a successful response to the 2007 ice storm. In Alaska, the decision to begin teaching emergency response officials and the public how to use Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers resulted in a large new audience in a previously untapped program area outside of 4-H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]