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Montana Wildlife and Transportation Planning Tool
No full textThe Montana Wildlife & Transportation Planning Tool (MWTPT) combines wildlife and transportation information to identify areas of greatest need for wildlife/transportation accommodations along Montana highways. Development of this tool was a key objective of the Wildlife Transportation Summit in 2018. The Wildlife and Transportation Steering Committee, which formed after the summit, assigned this task to the Data and Information Working Group (DIWG). The DIWG is a collaboration of staff from the Montana Department of Transportation, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, and representatives from the Montanans For Safe Wildlife Passage coalition. Data layers were collected to evaluate wildlife-vehicle conflict and important areas for wildlife movement and conservation along Montana Department of Transportation maintained roads. Data layers considered for the analyses were at the continental, national, regional (i.e., Northern Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, etc.) and, statewide scale, along with ecological systems within Montana. Those data were then compiled, categorized, weighted, and ranked to identify large areas (i.e., not specific locations) of greatest need for wildlife and transportation accommodations. This information has now been visualized as an ArcGIS StoryMap consisting of a series of interactive maps and includes a summary report as well as a comprehensive user guide. This presentation will introduce this exciting new product to the audience and provide information on the data and analysis features available, as well as how to use the tool to support work to reduce wildlife-vehicle conflict across the state
Bison Restoration to Temperate Grasslands is Associated with Similar Biodiversity Outcomes in upland Habitats but Strong Positive Effects in Riparian Areas in Comparison to Seasonal Cattle Grazing
No full textTemperate grassland biomes are globally imperiled, and species that rely on them are in precipitous decline as a result. The majority of North America’s grasslands are designated as rangelands and are occupied by domestic cattle, but reintroductions of bison to restore evolutionary grazing patterns are increasingly common. Grassland landscapes in western North America have undergone drastic changes since millions of bison occupied this landscape, and the biodiversity effects of bison on modern rangelands remain poorly understood. Here, we test the biodiversity effects of native versus non-native grazers in the context of a highly diverse grassland ecosystem on the Northern Great Plains of North America. We compared the effects of 2 different grazing treatments common across the region on avian diversity: seasonally grazed and manually rotated domestic cattle, and year-round, free-moving bison. We used a variety of techniques including point counts, camera-trapping and time-series remotely sensed vegetation sampling to evaluate the effects of these two treatments on grassland biodiversity in upland and riparian habitats. We found roughly equivalent bird diversity and species-specific abundance in upland habitats, at sites occupied year-round by bison and seasonally by cattle. In riparian zones, we found that woody vegetation, and native grasses/forbs increased more rapidly over time in bison pastures, and that these changes in vegetation structure were associated with increased bird diversity and cervid occupancy. Our results suggest that both native and non-native grazers can create habitat for a highly diverse assemblage of grassland birds in uplands, but year-round bison grazing has strong positive biodiversity effects on riparian habitats compared with seasonal cattle grazing
Predicting Potential Dusky Grouse Habitat in Montana
No full textEffective population monitoring protocols are needed for dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus). As a first step towards developing a method for unbiased population monitoring, we developed a habitat model to determine appropriate sampling sites. Our objectives were: 1) explore relationships between habitat characteristics and relative probability of use by dusky grouse, and 2) develop a state-wide habitat model for Montana using multiple modeling techniques. We used dusky grouse observations collected during the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation’s (IMBCR) spring (April-June) point count surveys from 2009–2020 and extracted habitat information using geospatial datasets for detected (used)/not-detected locations (pseudo-absent). We compared habitat characteristics at used and pseudo-absent locations using resource selection functions and random forests. We evaluated both model techniques using Area Under the Curve/ Receiver Operating Characteristics (AUC/ROC) and with an independent dataset. We averaged the predictions from both models to create a final habitat model for predicting dusky grouse habitat. Overall, we found a number of landscape level metrics to be important for predicting dusky grouse habitat, including tree height, tree canopy, elevation, slope, and several conifer forest vegetation communities. In the future, our model will assist in determining sampling sites for population monitoring
Real-Time Drone Data Collection for Improved Wildlife Management using a Combination of Radio-Telemetry and Thermal Sensor Technology
No full textDrones are quickly becoming a popular and valuable tool for wildlife researchers across the United States and globally. With an increasingly wide range of drone platforms and onboard sensors readily available, wildlife managers can now collect data on multiple individuals simultaneously and in real-time to directly inform actions or management decisions on the ground. This includes both radio-telemetry sensors and thermal cameras. These complementary sensors provide unique combinations of data to enable more time and effort to be directed towards managing target animals across broad landscapes, rather than searching for them inefficiently from on the ground. Such tools provide wildlife biologists with valuable real-time data for preventative measures in human-wildlife conflict areas, conservation action for endangered species as well as improving the effectiveness of invasive species control. Here we provide examples of wildlife management projects in the United States and Australia that have successfully used these sensors to provide unique insights into wildlife movements and enhance management
Testing New Technology for Wildlife-Livestock Conflict Mitigation: An Evaluation of AI Enabled Camera Traps
No full textWildlife-livestock conflicts, including depredation, disease transmission, and resource competition, challenge the economic sustainability of ranches and farms that provide important wildlife habitat. It is therefore important to explore and develop ways to mitigate wildlife-livestock conflicts. Camera trap technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to provide real-time information on the presence, distribution, and spatiotemporal interactions between livestock and wildlife while limiting the amount of useless images resulting from false positive triggers. Our objectives are to evaluate the performance of an edge AI-enabled (“smart”) camera trap and assess applications for wildlife monitoring and wildlife-livestock conflict mitigation. We will assess the performance of the AI-enabled passive infrared (PIR) sensor of the smart camera and its ability to reduce false positive images by comparing it with two traditional game cameras. The maximum detection distance and the probability of detection for all three cameras were tested in a controlled environment in January 2022. Cameras will be deployed for a field test in March 2022. In an additional field test in spring 2023, we will assess the smart camera’s ability to remotely classify wildlife images by species and remotely notify ranchers and wildlife managers of wildlife presence via cellular data connection. Timely and accurate information of wildlife presence would allow for the strategic application of conflict mitigation measures and help sustain critical wildlife habitat on working lands throughout Montana and the western United States
Testing the Tools: Highlands Bighorn Sheep Project
No full textMore than a dozen of Montana’s bighorn sheep herds have experienced all-age pneumonia die-offs in the past two decades and most have yet to fully recover. Wildlife managers have employed various strategies to help restore these herds such as natural herd re-establishment (hands off approach), augmentations, identification and subsequent removal of chronic shedders of Mycoplasma ovipneumonia (M. Ovi), and complete herd removal. Using the Highlands bighorn sheep herd in SW Montana, we designed a 5-year study to explore the efficacy of two additional tools for restoring bighorn sheep herds following a pneumonia outbreak: single detection test and removal, and selenium supplementation. Utilizing the metapopulation structure of the Highlands herd, we will collect two years of baseline information on the five sub-herds that comprise the Highlands metapopulation to 1) monitor disease exposure of individuals, 2) monitor lamb survival, and 3) estimate connectivity of sub-herds. We will then implement a single detection and removal strategy in two sub herds, selenium supplementation strategy in two sub herds, and no management intervention in the remaining sub herd. The efficacy of these treatments will be monitored for an additional two years. An increase in lamb survival, population growth and decrease in M. ovi detections in the sub herds receiving a treatment would indicate success of the management tool. Results of this experiment will add to the management toolbox of struggling bighorn sheep herds across Montana and the intermountain west
Climatic Conditions and Migration Distance Drive Timing of Autumn Migration in Mule Deer
No full textSeasonal migration is a behavioral strategy that animals have evolved to exploit seasonally changing resources. A predictable pattern for many ungulates in northern temperate landscapes is to seasonally migrate from low-elevation winter ranges to higher-elevation summer ranges, allowing individuals to exploit a diversity of forage resources during summer while avoiding extreme winter conditions. In Montana, ungulate migrations often cross multiple hunting districts, and the timing of autumn migration often coincides with hunting seasons. Here, we utilize GPS collar data during 2017-2019 from 68 female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) spanning three distinct study areas in northwest Montana to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns behind autumn migration. We first conducted descriptive summaries of the timing of autumn migrations with respect to hunting district boundaries and found that deer spanned multiple (up to 8) hunting districts across all 3 study areas. While many deer returned to winter range during archery season, some remained in wilderness until after the general rifle season concluded. Next, we related the timing of autumn migration to environmental variables like precipitation, snow depth, temperature, plant phenology (NDVI), migration distance, and estimates of relative hunting intensity. In addition, we summarized climatic and hunting variables across multiple temporal scales (2-day, 1 week, and 2 week) to identify possible lagged or cumulative effects of environmental conditions on mule deer behavior. We found that plunging minimum temperatures provided a strong cue for mule deer to begin their migration back to winter range
Comparing Ancient and Contemporary Bighorn Sheep Populations Using Bones Recovered from Ice Patches in the Greater Yellowstone Area
No full textBighorn sheep have inhabited the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) for thousands of years and remain one of the ecosystem’s significant large herbivores. Following the arrival of Europeans and domestic sheep grazing, exotic respiratory diseases introduced into the GYA undoubtedly resulted in catastrophic die-offs of bighorn sheep and strong selection for individuals that could mount successful immune defenses. Archaeologists studying receding ice patches in alpine areas of the GYA, e.g., Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains, have identified numerous ancient bighorn sheep skulls, fragments (e.g., horn cores and sheathes), and post-cranial bones, exposed by melting ice. Representative samples radiocarbon date to between 781 and 6311 calendar years before present. We hypothesized the genomes of the pre-contact bighorn sheep recovered from the melting ice would represent the historic condition of native sheep populations when they were more numerous and free of the diseases introduced by domestic sheep. We compared 26 mitochondrial DNA genomes from contemporary bighorn sheep in the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains with six ancient samples by constructing a phylogenetic tree. Using this information, we evaluated how market hunting and domestic sheep diseases may have influenced the bighorn sheep population. Because mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother, and because bighorn sheep groups of mothers and daughters tend to maintain similar seasonal ranges over multiple generations, we also evaluated if the regional spatial structure of bighorn sheep changed after Euro-American settlement. We believe this study will help determine how the bighorn sheep populations inhabiting the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains has changed over several thousand years
Motus Wildlife Tracking - Real-World Case Studies and Partnership Building
No full textThe Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. The UM Bird Ecology Lab has deployed Motus tags on several species, including Swainson’s Thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Lazuli Buntings, and Pine Siskins. We plan to deploy tags on two grasslands species, Western Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow, this coming summer of 2022. We discuss the results and research directions of tracking wild birds using Motus, as well as the partnership-building opportunities that arise from working with migratory species
Movements and Habitat Use of Northern Saw-Whet Owls During Fall Migration
No full textWe used radio telemetry to track the movements and habitat use of close to 100 Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) as they traveled through the Bitterroot Valley during fall migration in 2014 and 2015. We hypothesized that owls would travel south through the Bitterroot River floodplain. Instead, we failed to detect a signal from 19 owls the day after release, suggesting they traveled a minimum of six miles to the east or west into either the Sapphire or Bitterroot Mountains, out of range of our telemetry search. Most of the other owls traveled along the valley periphery, using forested foothills. Most owls exhibited stopover behavior, staying in the same general area for several days between movements. Our greatest nightly distance moved was 40 miles and our greatest distance tracked was 60 miles from the release site. Most owls tracked on the Bitterroot River floodplain roosted high in tall ponderosa pines, in areas with a low density of small trees but a high density of medium-large trees, saplings, and shrubs. We documented one communal roost containing at least three individuals. We only saw half of the owls tracked to an individual tree or shrub; the remaining were too well hidden to detect visually. We did not find pellets and rarely observed whitewash below roosts. These results suggest that methods relying on passive observation to detect owls and/or roost sites likely miss most roost sites, at least during migration