Sam Riffell

The production of bioenergy “feedstocks” (i.e., plant-based material used for transportation fuels, heat, and power) has been expanding rapidly in recent years. Unfortunately, there are considerable gaps in our knowledge base about implications of this industry expansion for wildlife. This information deficit is likely to grow as the industry expands and rapidly evolves in new directions in the coming years. In response, The Wildlife Society (TWS) Council charged a special committee to develop a TWS Technical Review about the effects of bioenergy production on wildlife and wildlife...

The Black Belt Region of Mississippi and Alabama is the largest blackland prairie in the southeastern United States. Large, contiguous tallgrass prairies are now extremely scarce over their historic range, with <1% of the original prairie area remaining in Mississippi. Currently, restoration of warm season grasslands is a primary conservation focus on private and public lands in Mississippi. However, limited information exists on comparisons between restored warm season grasslands and remnant, intact prairies. This information is part of an ongoing study that evaluates variations in...