Browsing by Subject "Wildlife Conservation"
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Item An Assessment of Recreational Harvest Impacts on Wolves (Canis Lupus) in the Western Great Lakes, USA: Do Hunters Selectively Harvest Wolves and How Might Wolf Movement Be Affected By Deer Hunting?(2020-03) Pruszenski, JordanConservation efforts in the Western Great Lakes have helped the wolf population in this region surpass federal mandates for a recovered population. If this distinct population segment (DPS) is removed for the Endangered Species List, the state management agencies are required to maintain stable populations within recovery stipulations. This thesis explores how recreational harvest potentially impacts the Western Great Lakes (WGL) wolf population through (1) a review of recent wolf harvest seasons in the contiguous United States and the biological concerns surrounding harvest seasons, (2) an analysis of the first wolf harvest seasons in the Western Great lakes to assess evidence of hunter selection or wolf vulnerability, and (3) a review of habitat selection and movement functions that can be used to better understand how wolves respond to recreational deer hunting. In the first chapter, I synthesize the structure of wolf harvest seasons in both the Northern Rocky Mountain region (NRM) and the WGL and discuss the wolf population trends that state wildlife managers have reported within a larger discussion of the research on wolf social behavior and life history that could be disrupted by recreational wolf harvests. Wolves in the NRM have been hunted intermittently since 2009, with Idaho and Montana consistently conducting wolf seasons starting in 2011 and Wyoming since 2017. Wolves in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which make up the WGL DPS, were delisted from 2012 to 2015 and these three states held wolf seasons during this time until the wolf population was again federally protected. Wolf harvest seasons were proposed to decrease human-wolf conflict by limiting the population size in these states and to allow recreational hunting and trapping. State managers are continuing to learn and adapt the percentage of the population that should be harvested to meet the state’s wolf population size goals and have acknowledged the need for better population estimates to understand how the wolf population growth rate is impacted by the harvest rate. Although states monitor the number of wolves harvested and take biological measurements from wolves that are killed such as sex, age, and female breeding status, there has been little research into if a specific type of wolf that is vulnerable to harvest and how the removal of these individuals could impact the population stability. For wolves, pack persistence is important for reproductive success. If either the female or male breeding individual (“breeder”) are killed, packs are more likely to not have pups that year and have a higher chance of disbanding completely especially during wolf mating and breeding season, which the wolf harvest seasons overlap. The few studies of pack stability in Idaho have found that harvest did not increase breeder loss and pack persistence rates did not decrease largely because packs in this long-term study were large with an average of nine members. In the event of a breeder loss, packs with six individuals or more are more likely to replace the breeding individual and produce pups that year or continue raising pups if they were already born prior to breeder loss. However, all states in the NRM have reported that average pack sizes have decreased to six members or less since the start of wolf harvest and average pack sizes in the WGL have been between five and three individuals. Pack persistence and other aspects of wolf life history need to be monitored not only to assess population size and potential impacts of hunting, but also to monitor genetic diversity that is important for a healthy wildlife population. The second chapter is an investigation into the WGL harvest seasons to explore hunter selection or wolf vulnerability. As mentioned above, disproportionate take of individuals that are more likely to be a breeder could lead to unforeseen decreases in the wolf population due to destabilizing wolf pack structure. For this analysis, I compiled estimates of the WGL wolf population sex ratio, adult female breeder to non-breeder ratio, and age distribution from WGL state and federal necropsied wolf reports. I also compared the harvest data to estimates derived from the scientific literature, including constructing a Leslie projection matrix model of the age distribution to more accurately estimate the WGL population age distribution. The total WGL harvest data was compared to population estimates and also assessed state level to investigate varying state management impacts on the harvest results. Additionally, at each of these scales, the harvest data was separated into hunting types (i.e., rifle, bow) or trapping to explore hunter selection or wolf vulnerability by harvest method The sex ratio of harvested wolves and the estimates did not indicate a biologically significant disproportionate take of one sex over the other. At all scales, there was a higher proportion of breeding females killed than would be expected compared to the estimates. However, the biological significance of this result needs to be further investigated since sexually mature females constituted a small proportion of the overall harvest. The largest proportion of wolves harvested at all scales and harvest methods were sexually immature wolves. These findings suggest that the early wolf harvest seasons in the WGL did not result in disproportionate harvest of wolves that are more likely to be important for maintaining pack stability. However, this analysis also highlights the need for accurate population estimates to understand which wolves are vulnerable to harvesting and predict how the wolf harvest will impact population dynamics. The third chapter explores how individual wolf behavior could change due to recreational harvest seasons, as assessed through with Resource Selection Functions (RSF) and Step Selection Functions (SSF). The advancement in Global Positioning Systems (GPS) has increased the frequency and accuracy of animal location data and has made robust statistical analysis of habitat selection and movement possible. RSF compare locations where the animal has occurred (“used locations”) to alternative locations. Since it is difficult to know locations that the animal has not used, RSF commonly compare used locations to random location within the study area or animal’s home range. In a case study, I show how RSF can be used to identify changes in wolf habitat selection of forested areas, roads, and trails before, during, and after deer hunting season near Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota, USA. I discuss the benefits and challenges of using a RSF design, one of which is that the static nature of the used locations in this analysis ignores the temporal connection between these locations as the animal is moving about the landscape. SSF incorporates both the spatial and temporal aspects of animal GPS locations to more realistically constrain alternative locations to what is biologically possible for the animal and to characterize animal movement patterns. While RSF compare used point locations, SSF use two consecutive used point locations to construct a “step”. This used step is compared to alternative steps originating from the same starting location but varying in distance (“step length”) and turning angle. SSF are powerful tool that can combine a variety of habitat selection and movement pattern variables depending on the research question. I demonstrate how SSF can be used to gain insight into changes in wolf habitat selection and movement speed at varying times of day in response to the deer hunting season. Although limited by the sample size of GPS collared wolves, the RSF and SSF preliminary studies demonstrate how these tests can be used to further our understanding of indirect human impacts on wolf behavior and access to resources.Item Management and conservation implications of Blakiston's fish owl (Ketupa blakistoni) resource selection in Primorye, Russia.(2011-08) Slaght, Jonathan C.The Blakiston's fish owl (Ketupa blakistoni) is a large owl associated with riparian old-growth forests in northeast Asia. Despite its status as a charismatic endangered species, specific conservation and management efforts for the species in Russia are limited. This is because resource use by these secretive owls is poorly known. To address this information deficit, I analyzed resource selection by these owls within a 20,213 km2 study area in Primorye, Russia. Resource selection studies often begin by defining the spatial extent of a home range and then quantifying use of available resources within that home range. For animals that use habitat that are defined by linear environmental features, such as Blakiston's fish owl, traditional home range estimators often overestimate home range size, which can lead to spurious conclusions about resource availability and selection. I used a synoptic model of space use to define Blakiston's fish owl seasonal and annual home range size and within-home range resource selection, and compared results to traditional home range estimators. I also examined nest tree and foraging site selection at 14 nest and 14 foraging sites using linear discriminant analysis. I then identified areas with the highest predicted probability of use by owls to prioritize areas for conservation and management. Fish owl home range was different among most seasons, and estimated home range sizes based on the synoptic model were more biologically-realistic than kernel density-based home range estimators. Mean annual home range size (± standard error) for all fish owls was 15.0 ± 3.7 km2 (n = 7) using the synoptic model, and 38.8 ± 15.4 km2 using kernel density estimators. By season, winter home range was 7.0 ± 3.3 km2 vs. 5.9 ± 2.3 km2 (n = 3 owls; synoptic model vs. kernel density estimator); in spring 13.9 ± 5.2 km2 vs. 29.5 ± 20.4 km2 (n = 7); in summer 11.6 ± 2.8 km2 vs. 33.2 ± 11.9 km2 (n = 6); and in autumn 25.2 ± 13.4 km2 vs. 85.1 ± 56.0 km2 (n = 5). Fish owls selected home ranges that were within valleys, were close to water, and had a greater number of river channels than available sites. Old trees and riparian old-growth forest were the primary discriminating characteristics at both nest and foraging sites, respectively. Large trees were likely necessary as owl nest sites because of the bird's large body size. Moreover, old forests have many large trees that facilitated recruitment of large woody debris in rivers, which created suitable habitat for the owl's primary prey: salmonid fish. Based on resource selection functions I predicted that 54 fish owl territories could occur within my study area. I found that the reserve network contained only 21% of primary fish owl habitat and potentially contained only 7 fish owl territories. I also found that 39% of primary habitat was within current logging leases, which was capable of supporting habitat equivalent to 18 fish owl territories. The remainder of primary habitat (40%) was on federal land not presently protected or within logging leases, and potentially contained 29 fish owl territories. The current protected area network, by itself, will be insufficient to conserve fish owls because so few owl territories are actually protected. Therefore, I developed specific conservation recommendations within logging leases based on the observed resource selection patterns by the owls. My recommendations include protecting specific locations within potential territories, maintaining integrity of riparian areas, modifying road construction techniques, and closing old logging roads to reduce human access. These simple measures have the potential not only to conserve fish owls but also many other species, making this owl an effective umbrella species for the riparian ecosystems of the region.Item Sympatric nesting Eastern Prairie Population Canada geese and lesser snow geese on the Hudson Bay lowlands: Nest survival and spatial distribution.(2009-07) Reiter, Matthew EdwardThe distribution and abundance of breeding lesser snow geese ( Chen caerulescens caerulescens ) in northern Manitoba, Canada have expanded considerably during the last 30 years, and snow geese now use areas where they did not previously occur and were traditionally used solely by breeding Eastern Prairie Population (EPP) Canada geese ( Branta canadensis interior ). Breeding and migrating snow and Ross's geese ( Chen rossii ) have dramatically altered sub-arctic vegetation along Hudson Bay, but the direct or indirect effects of these growing populations on other species, particularly sympatric nesting EPP Canada geese, is not well documented. To better understand relationships between snow geese and EPP Canada geese, I evaluated factors influencing survival and spatial distribution of Canada goose nests across a range of spatial and temporal scales. I employed nest distribution data, 2001-2007, and spatial point-pattern analyses to assess (1) whether nesting Canada geese exhibited territoriality, (2) whether current spatial patterns of Canada goose nest distribution were evolutionarily stable, and (3) whether spatial patterns of Canada goose nest fate were associated with the density of nesting snow geese. In addition, I employed logistic-exposure models to evaluate factors influencing within- and among-year variation in the probability of nest survival for Canada goose nests from 2005-2007 in areas with different histories and densities of snow goose nesting. Specifically, I tested the apparent-competition hypothesis and the nesting-association hypothesis as mechanisms to describe interactions between nesting Canada geese and snow geese. I examined factors influencing the spatial distribution of nesting EPP Canada geese in a coastal tundra landscape between 1976 and 2007, and assessed whether associations with these factors have changed in light of changes to the coastal salt marsh vegetation from snow goose herbivory. Lastly, I modeled Canada goose nest count data collected during range-wide aerial breeding population surveys conducted annually for EPP Canada geese in northern Manitoba, Canada, 1987-2008. I employed mixed-effects Poisson regression to (1) quantify spatial relationships between nesting lesser snow geese and Canada geese; (2) assess factors influencing the distribution of nesting Canada geese at a range-wide spatial scale (101,500 km 2 ); and (3) evaluate how well local (i.e., nest or study area) spatial-scale associations predict range-wide distribution patterns. Point-pattern analyses indicated territoriality among nesting Canada geese and that changes in snow goose nest proximity and density may influence Canada goose nest fate. However, logistic-exposure models did not support the apparent-competition or nesting-association hypotheses as mechanisms governing associations among Canada goose nest survival and nesting snow geese; particularly relative to the strong effects of collared lemming ( Dicrostonyx richardsoni ) and arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ) population dynamics. Canada goose nest density was negatively associated with increasing distance to coastal salt marsh brood-rearing habitat; however, from 1976 to 2007, this relationship appeared to be changing to where in more recent years increased distance to salt marsh was positively associated with density of nesting Canada geese. Three models of Canada goose nest counts from range-wide aerial surveys--all containing factors related to previous Canada goose nest density (representing recruitment), distance to Hudson Bay, general habitat type, and lesser snow goose nest density--had the lowest mean-squared error among all models considered and were unbiased. The relationship between Canada goose nests and snow goose nest density suggested that the abundance of nesting Canada geese and snow geese varied similarly across habitats throughout the entire EPP breeding range (e.g., both abundant near the coast), but that very high snow goose abundance may have negative impacts on Canada goose nest density. My analyses of data from multiple spatial and temporal scales suggested that associations between the distribution of Canada goose nests and nesting snow geese was likely related to alteration of coastal salt marshes from snow goose foraging, and subsequent changes in the distribution of Canada goose brood-rearing habitat use; rather than influences related to Canada goose nest survival. My analyses highlight that a continuing shift in the spatial distribution of nesting snow geese along western Hudson Bay will have implications for the spatial distribution of sympatric nesting Canada geese.Item Tracking Wildlife Conservation in Southern Africa: Histories of Protected Areas in Gorongosa and Maputaland(2015-10) McKeown, KathleenIn this dissertation, I argue that the development and demarcation of protected areas in southern Africa has not only been a process of defining boundaries but also of defining belonging. I focus specifically on how wildlife has been determined to belong in particular areas and how these animals have been claimed as belonging to individuals, communities, provinces, nations, and regions. I focus on the histories of wildlife conservation in Mozambique and the northern part of KwaZulu Natal, with particular emphasis on Gorongosa and Maputaland during the period from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, a time of great social and political change in both South Africa and Mozambique. I have selected these areas not to propose points of comparison between conservation practices in these neighboring countries, but rather to demonstrate complex continuities, exchanges, and cross-fertilizations. Ideas about wildlife conservation crossed national borders, as did animals, their advocates, and, eventually, protected area boundaries. By employing a transnational perspective on protected area histories, I illustrate and analyze this movement of personnel, non-human animals, and conservation practices between nation-states. By interrogating the scientific knowledge production and policy-making of protected area development, my narrative foregrounds the ways that wildlife has been implicated in and impacted by ideas about where these animals belong and to whom. Conceptions of indigeneity and nativeness, which tie belonging to place, have impacted the territories and scales of protected areas, as well as what (or who) has the right to dwell within their borders. However, these categories of belonging are not inherent to the wildlife species they have been attributed to. Instead, “belonging” is a condition that is made through a complex network of biocultural interactions. It is produced through dynamic constellations of political conditions, cultural values, economic interests, scientific ways of knowing, and animal behavior.