Page:Land Protection Plan - Wyoming Toad Conservation Area.pdf/31

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 * Chapter 2—Area Description and Resources21
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Mountain Plover

The mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) is a migratory shorebird that is native to shortgrass prairie and shrub-steppe habitat of the western Great Plains and Colorado Plateau. The plover nests in regions that were historically affected by a variety of herbivores, including prairie dogs, bison, and pronghorn. Breeding and wintering habitats for the species often reflect some measure of disturbance, be it through fire, grazing, or the presence of digging or burrowing mammals such as prairie dogs (Smith and Keinath 2004b). In Wyoming, five mountain plover breeding areas have been identified, including one in the Laramie Plains.

Archeological remains representing 12,000 years of human occupation have been found in the Laramie Plains. Although there have been few formal investigations completed in the area, evidence from the earliest Paleo-Indian occupation through the advent of rural and agricultural development by EuroAmericans in the early 20th century has been documented in a variety of geographical settings. Although these sites exhibit a wide range of artifacts and features, definite trends in site types and changes through time are clear.

Current archaeological evidence shows that the earliest humans, called the Paleo-Indians, migrated to the region at the close of the last Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago, and, although the record is thin, there was probably significant use of the area by indigenous people (Larson and Letts 2003). These people had a highly mobile lifestyle that depended on big game hunting, including for such now-extinct species as mammoths and ancient bison. The hallmarks of most Paleo-Indian sites are the spear points that are generally recovered from animal kill and butchering sites and small temporary camps. Evidence of the Paleo-Indian occupation of the Laramie Plains area is sparse and most often consists of isolated spear points.

There was a gradual but definite shift in the pattern of human use of the region beginning about 9,000 years ago. These changes were because of regional climatic fluctuations and an increasing human population, coupled with tremendous social change and technological innovation. Although this stage, which is referred to as the Archaic stage, lasted until about 2,000 years ago, it is better represented in the archaeological record than the preceding Paleo-Indian stage. The interpretation of the remains is difficult. On many sites, evidence of a greater diversity of tools and increased use of native plants is found, but the remains also suggest a more localized and less mobile population.

Approximately 1,500 years ago, the use of the bow and arrow marked the beginning of the Late Prehistoric Period. The increase in the number of known archaeological sites for this period may show a growing human population or the influx of peoples from other regions, or it may just reflect our ability to locate these more recent sites. Remains of these early occupations include fire hearths, lithic scatters (stone tools and the byproducts from making them), quarry sites, and stone circles that are probably tipi rings. Fewer than 20 of these sites have been formally recorded in the Laramie Plains.

Euro-American diseases such as smallpox and influenza probably affected Native American populations in the region far in advance of direct contact with Euro-Americans themselves, possibly as early as 1600. Similar dynamics may have occurred with Eurasian livestock diseases and native ungulates. Rocky Mountain tribes adopted the horse, imported by early Spanish colonists, as a central advancement