In this report the authors assess and evaluate openland habitats at the Lakeshore and field scales and, in doing so, build upon the prior research of Scharf (1997) and the multi-scale assessment work of Corace (2007). The authors focus their efforts on understanding the ecological contributions provided by these habitats for openland bird species of conservation concern. A top-down analysis provides the authors with a framework to assess the conservation status of individual ecosystems at the Lakeshore and prioritize efforts within the context of contemporary environmental issues, such as the decline in populations of openland bird species across the Upper Midwest (i.e., Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin).