Tracking Yellowstone's Red Fox the Sediment of History: Coring Crevice

Yellowstone Science A quarterly publication devoted to the natural and cultural resources

Tracking Yellowstone’s Red Fox The Sediment of History: Coring Crevice Lake

2001 Christmas Bird Count

Volume 10 Number 1 New Year, New Perspectives

The new year brings new perspectives search that interprets Yellowstone’s natu- an impact on fox distribution in and to Yellowstone. On this mid-winter day ral history through examining core around the park. Curiosity about these as snow flurries swirl outside my win- samples from Crevice Lake. She begins issues led Yellowstone’s education pro- dow, I’m afforded this momentary lull to by studying present-day vegetation to gram coordinator, Bob Fuhrmann, to in- look forward and back in the same breath figure out how it evolved through the vestigate this elusive species. Fuhrmann’s — to endings, beginnings, and a contin- years. In the course of this process, Cathy work provides significant new informa- ued desire for better understanding. With hopes to discover how long the forests tion on this previously under-studied the arrival of the next superintendent, have been the way they are today and member of the Yellowstone ecosystem. Suzanne Lewis, and a new administra- how sensitive they were to environmen- It also establishes an important pre-wolf tion, another chapter in the Yellowstone tal change in the past, at present, and in baseline on habitat use by foxes. story begins. But just as life and death the future. Her findings on vegetation Contributing to the inventory and moni- cycle through nature, we also commemo- and climate change could prove useful in toring function of the park, park orni- rate the passing of scientist Frank a variety of fields including fire, elk, and thologist Terry McEneaney presents the Craighead and honor his pioneering work bear management. findings of the annual Christmas Bird in conservation biology and ecosystem While some of Yellowstone’s charis- Count, now in its 29th year. management. At the same time, the year matic animals have been studied in great As the new year unfolds, many chal- 2002 signals another benchmark as detail, relatively little is known about its lenges remain in understanding and pre- Yellowstone Science enters its 10th year red fox population. Historical records serving the resources of the park, and the of reporting the advances in science and indicated that Yellowstone’s red foxes Yellowstone Center for Resources re- additions to the body of knowledge on had undergone several population fluc- commits itself to addressing them. natural and cultural resources of the park. tuations and that they exhibit an unusual In this issue, Dr. Cathy Whitlock of the variety of coat colors. Also, the restora- RJA University of Oregon discusses her re- tion of wolves to the park is likely having Yellowstone Science A quarterly publication devoted to the natural and cultural resources Volume 10 Number 1 Winter 2002 Table of Contents

Reading Yellowstone’s History Through Crevice 2 Lake Sediment Records Join Cathy Whitlock as she cores into Crevice Lake to find clues about vegetation history, climate, and the role of fire in Greater Yellowstone. An Interview with Dr. Cathy Whitlock

Tracking Down Yellowstone’s Red Fox: 8 Skis, Satellites, and Historical Sightings Little is known about red fox populations in Yellowstone, but Bob Fuhrmann’s study provides a wealth of insight into the distribution and natural history of this charismatic animal. by Bob Fuhrmann

Yellowstone Nature Notes: 16 Editor 2001 Christmas Bird Count Roger J. Anderson The Christmas Bird Count is an annual tradition at Yellowstone and 2001 did not disappoint bird lovers. Assistant Editor and Design by Terry McEneaney Tami Blackford Assistant Editors News and Notes 19 Kevin Schneider New Superintendents for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks Alice K. Wondrak • Frank Craighead, 1916–2001 • Winter Season Includes Operational Changes • Historic Yellow Buses Return to Yellowstone • Interpretive Printing Publications Receive National Award • Yellowstone Proposes to Build Artcraft, Inc. Heritage Center Bozeman, Montana Yellowstone Science is published quarterly, and submissions are welcome from all investigators conducting formal research in the Yellowstone area. Correspondence should be sent to the Editor, Yellowstone Science, Yellowstone Center for Resources, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. The opinions expressed in Yellowstone Science are the authors' and may not reflect Cover: Red fox in Lamar Valley. Photo either National Park Service policy or the views of the Yellowstone Center for by Alden Whittaker. Resources. Copyright © 2002, the Yellowstone Association for Natural Science, Inside Cover: The Craigheads trap a History & Education. Support for Yellowstone Science is provided by the Yellowstone Association, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to serving the park and its grizzly bear during their Yellowstone visitors. For more information about the association, including membership, field studies, 1961. NPS photo. or to donate to the production of Yellowstone Science, write to Above: Fox tracks on Blacktail Yellowstone Association, P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. Plateau. Photo by Bob Fuhrmann. Yellowstone Science is printed on recycled paper with a linseed oil-based ink. Reading Yellowstone’s History Through Crevice Lake Sediment Records An Interview with Dr. Cathy Whitlock

ington, all in geology. When you study paleoecology, you can come at it from a geological perspective, where you’re looking at earth history, or you can come at it from an ecological perspective, where you start with the present vegetation and go backwards. Paleoecology research actually fits well into all three disciplines—geology, ecology, and geography—and I’ve been in all three departments during my career. My first job was at the Univer- sity of Pittsburgh in geology, but before that I was a postdoctoral fellow in botany at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. I love being in a geography department because geographers look at spatial patterns across the landscape and study how these patterns change through time. Cathy Whitlock’s team coring Crevice Lake. NPS photo. Paleoecology is intrinsically geographi- cal.

YS: You mentioned that you started In February 2001, former Yellowstone sity of Oregon where I’m a professor in your work in the Yellowstone ecosys- Science editor Sue Consolo Murphy and geography. tem, though, in the Tetons in the mid- Kevin Schneider skiied to Crevice Lake to 1980s? interview Dr. Cathy Whitlock. By study- YS: So do you consider yourself a geogra- ing sediment layers removed from the pher? Paleobotanist? CW: Yes, in graduate school I was floor of Crevice Lake and other lakes in interested in how the Tertiary-age for- the region, Cathy hopes to gain a better CW: That’s a good question. I describe ests in the Jackson Hole area changed understanding of past changes in the cli- myself as a paleoecologist, because I start as the Tetons lifted up. I was working mate, vegetation, and role of fire in the with the present-day vegetation and try to with Dave Love of the U.S. Geological Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In Octo- understand how it evolved. How long have Survey, who was an inspiring and en- ber 2001, Cathy presented the opening the forests been the way they are today? thusiastic mentor. But I was continu- keynote at the Sixth Biennial Scientific How sensitive are forests to environmen- ally drawn to the more recent past, Conference on the Greater Yellowstone tal changes in the past, at present, and in because I love to hike and be outdoors. Ecosystem. the future? For me, it’s great fun to look at vegetation and wonder why it has its current Yellowstone Science (YS): Would you YS: What are your degrees in? composition and pattern. Ultimately for like to start by telling us a little about me, this tie to the present has been more yourself? A short biography? CW: I received my undergraduate degree exciting than studying plants that went at Colorado College, and my M.S. and extinct a long time ago. Cathy Whitlock (CW): I’m at the Univer- Ph.D. degrees at the University of Wash- When I finished graduate school, I

2 Yellowstone Science began researching the Quaternary veg- YS: You mentioned that you had a Na- Power is looking at charcoal records to etation history of the Yellowstone and tional Science Foundation (NSF) grant, reconstruct the fire history of the water- Grand Teton area. I focused on trying to along with some other folks. What, spe- shed, because fire is a good indicator of understand how the forests developed cifically, are the questions you’re trying drought. I am looking at the pollen record since the last ice age by studying Ho- to answer here, by coring Crevice Lake? to understand past changes in the vegeta- locene pollen records. I was really inter- tion. Sheri and Lora and student Jeffrey ested in measuring the sensitivity of past CW: My colleagues, Sheri Fritz and Lora Stone are looking at the diatom and iso- ecosystems to climate and environmental Stevens [from the University of Ne- topic records in the sediments to recon- change. We know that the climate is chang- braska], and I have a grant from the NSF struct changes in the lake level through ing at present, and a lot of model projec- Earth Systems History Program to look time. We are also working with Ken tions show that there’ll be enormous eco- at long-term drought frequency in the Pierce, Joe Rosenbaum, and Walt Dean logical adjustments in the future with glo- northern Rockies. We’re interested in of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), bal warming. The only way to understand the severity and frequency of droughts in who are examining the cores for changes the sensitivity of ecosystems to future the past. In this project, we’re looking at in sediment composition and geochemis- changes is to look in the past and see how long lake sediment records in try that might indicate periods of drought. they responded to previous extreme con- Yellowstone and near Glacier National The study of Crevice Lake is a multi- ditions, such as periods of glaciation, Park. disciplinary project, and we’re hitting it drought, and extreme warming. At Crevice Lake, my student Mitch with all our specialties.

YS: And when we talk glaciation in the Yellowstone ecosystem, we’re going back how far?

CW: The last glaciation ended somewhere between 17,000 and about 13,000 years ago. That’s when the ice left the Yellowstone Plateau, the Yellowstone Lake area, and glaciers retreated back into the Absarokas. Glaciers around here (at Crevice Lake) extended down to the Chico Hot Springs area [north of Yellowstone National Park], and, as they retreated, lakes were formed in ice-block hollows and scoured basins.

YS: And you think Crevice Lake was left behind by the glaciers?

CW: Crevice Lake is a real puzzle, because this area was scoured out by large floods at the end of the glacial period. These floods formed when an ice-dammed lake in the Lamar area was drained and an enormous amount of water roared through the canyon where we are now. This flood left deposits of gravel 100 meters above the level of Crevice Lake. One theory we have is that the depression that contains Crevice Lake was a scour feature created by that flood, per- haps in a big eddy. But, in truth, we’re not sure how and when the depression formed. We know it had something to do with the deglaciation, but it’s hard to imagine the sequence of events that led to this isolated little lake. Crevice Lake is located in the north-central portion of Yellowstone National Park, near the Yellowstone River.

Winter 2002 3 layers going back to its surveys from the park, and probably taken beginning. These annual more sediment samples from Yellowstone couplets are called lakes than anyone, and Crevice is the “varves.” So Crevice Lake only lake that we’ve found that’s varved. is technically a varved Most of the lakes that are the size of sediment lake. Crevice Lake are about 10–15 meters deep at the most. Because these lakes are YS: How did you deter- relatively shallow, the water column is mine that Crevice Lake mixed yearly all the way to the bottom, was one of these varved stirring up the seasonal layers. lakes? YS: What makes varved lakes so signifi- CW: I went to the lake in cant in terms of research? Crevice Lake’s depth, combined with its relatively 1990 and collected a core small surface area, prevents the lake from turning of the upper 20 cm of sedi- CW: The sediments of non-laminated over, preserving annual accumulations of sediments ment with a small sampler lakes are valuable for understanding what intact. NPS photo. that one throws over the has happened on time scales of decades side of a raft. The sedi- and centuries, and we’ve studied a lot of ments that were recovered other lakes in the park trying to under- YS: How was it you chose to study Crev- in that sampler were indeed finely-lami- stand the broad temporal changes in veg- ice Lake? nated, and that got me really excited. In etation and climate since the last ice age. 1992 a crew and I came back with rafts But Crevice Lake, with its varved record, CW: I knew from work that had been and more elaborate equipment, and we offers the opportunity to study annual done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- retrieved a longer core of about 60 centi- variations in climate. For example, El vice that Crevice was very deep. For its Niño events happen on yearly time scales, size (6.7 hectares), it’s exceptionally and it would be nice to know the fre- deep—about 30 meters. Its great water The only way to understand quency and impact of El Niño and other depth relative to its surface area suggests “the sensitivity of ecosystems short-term climate variations over the that the water column does not mix sea- last 1,000 years. sonally all the way to the bottom. This to future changes is to look in means that the bottom waters lack oxy- the past and see how they YS: How will you recognize that when gen and do not support a benthic [cold responded to previous ex- you see it in the cores? water] fauna. Lakes that are permanently anoxic at the bottom are fairly rare; most treme conditions, such as CW: El Niño years are often associated lakes are oxygenated during fall and periods of glaciation, with lower than normal winter precipita- spring turnover of the water column. Be- tion in Yellowstone. At Crevice Lake, we cause Crevice Lake supports little or no drought, and extreme warm- may find indicators of low precipitation, benthic activity in its deepest part, the ing. snowpack, or soil moisture in the sedi- layers of sediment that are deposited each ” ment record. For example, more charcoal season are preserved intact and not dis- in a particular layer at Crevice Lake would turbed by critters living in the mud. Cores meters. We counted the laminations in indicate more fires and dry conditions. from lake sediments that preserve such that core and realized that we had recov- Particular diatoms may also indicate annual “laminations” look like tree-ring ered about 300 years of the lake’s history. evaporation rates and lower lake levels records, in which each year can be seen as Identifying layers with abundant char- associated with drought. a distinct couplet. coal particles gave us a glimpse of fire history during the last few centuries. YS: How are the layers likely to look YS: What do you mean by “laminations?” Having affirmed that Crevice Lake was different reflecting drought, or reflecting both unique and important, I’ve been the 1988 fires? CW: Lamination is just a general term for working since then to organize a group of layering. We say that the sediments are researchers to study the entire post-gla- CW: To study the 1988 fires, we’ll start annually laminated when layers are de- cial record and do it properly. It’s taken at the top of the core and count down 13 posited in discrete layers according to the eight years, but here we are. annual laminations. That 13th layer pre- season. For each year, there is a dark serves the history of events that occurred winter layer, full of organic matter, and a YS: Is this the only lake in Yellowstone in 1988. From my previous work, I ex- light summer layer, rich in summer- that’s known to be laminated? pect that that layer will have abundant blooming diatoms or carbonates. Crev- charcoal fragments, diatoms that indicate ice Lake has thousands of these seasonal CW: Yes. I’ve looked at all the lake warm summer conditions, and an oxygen

4 Yellowstone Science isotope record that suggests greater evapo- mation on past changes in vegetation what we’ve found is that there is no fire ration. The geochemistry may also show composition. On a short time scale, these cycle. Rather, fires are frequent when the changes indicating that the lake became may be changes caused by a forest fire. climate is warm and dry and less frequent slightly more saline as a result of the For instance, I sometimes find a lot of when conditions are cool and wet. Fire drought. fireweed pollen in the record after a fire frequency has continually varied as a event. More often, however, I find that result of the changing climate. I suspect YS: So drought is not necessarily indi- the pollen record registers little evidence we’ll see that same story here at Crevice cated by an ash layer, or the presence of of a fire. Pollen records are best used to Lake. fire. detect gradual changes in vegetation that are related to large-scale shifts in climate. YS: Based on this one lake, how large an CW: Right. The environment in a dry For example, if the climate became colder, area, geographically, can you reconstruct? year is different than in a wet year, and we the pollen of high-elevation trees, includ- use all our tools to look for evidence of ing spruce and fir, would become more CW: The pollen and charcoal record will these differences in the sediments of the abundant. If it got warmer, pollen of low- give us a picture of what is happening lake. These tools then provide various elevation species, such as sagebrush and within and near the watershed. proxy of drought. greasewood, would increase in the record. At Crevice Lake, we might see more YS: But certainly not in the whole eco- YS: Does the fact that you see charcoal limber pine and juniper pollen during system. layers give you any ideas about the size of periods of prolonged drought. the fires that laid down that charcoal? CW: No. That’s why you need a network YS: What will you be able to learn about of sites. The size of the lake you look at CW: No. Our goal is to get a network of fire frequency? determines the size of the geographic lakes to figure out fire size. In a particular area that you can assess. A small lake year, it will become clear that one water- CW: Many people said that the fires of collects pollen from a relatively small shed burned, while another didn’t. A net- 1988 were a 300- or 400- year event. But area, whereas the sedimentary record work of sites allows us to reconstruct this that idea was based on that the fact that from, say, Yellowstone Lake integrates bigger fire pattern. In the same way, the the oldest trees here are about 300-400 the pollen of an enormous area. One environmental history of Yellowstone is years old and probably established after learns about the vegetation history of the one piece of a bigger puzzle, that of fires. Two points, the 1988 fires and the Yellowstone Lake area by studying sev- trying to understand the history of the age of tree establishment, aren’t much eral small lakes in different environmen- entire Rocky Mountain region. evidence for cyclicity, and the lake-sedi- tal settings within the watershed. ment records allow us to look at fire YS: Don’t you also look at pollen analy- frequency over much longer periods of YS: 2000 was a major fire year in the sis? And are there certain plant species time. We’ve done very detailed fire his- western United States, but not so much in that distribute more pollen, or less, in a tory studies in the Central Plateau, and the Yellowstone ecosystem. Much of drought year?

CW: Yes. Pollen is a great tool for studying vegetation history, but it is less useful for identifying short periods of drought. Because it takes years for the vegetation to change, pollen records are not as sensitive as charcoal records to year-to-year variations in climate. You could say that pollen is a blunter tool for studying past environments. I say this because pollen is airborne and the pollen that lands on the surface of a lake eventually sinks and is incorporated into the sediments. The pollen record is an integration of the pollen rain of the watershed. From pollen data, we can’t deduce exactly where the plants were growing within the watershed. We also can’t discriminate between an open forest with widely spaced trees and a Cathy (on the left) examines a section of core removed from the bottom of Crevice closed forest with large meadows. What Lake. This piece of core will be carefully packaged in plastic wrap and aluminum the pollen record does provide is infor- foil and then sent on to a laboratory for further analysis. NPS photo.

Winter 2002 5 western Montana and Idaho burned, but record could provide a picture of envi- erties of the sediment. Even small changes we didn’t have many fires in the park, so ronmental changes across the entire West, in the level of dust or surface run-off in would you expect to see that show up in but the devil is in the details, and one the lake can be measured in the sedimen- last year’s lamination? learns more by reconstructing the history tary record. Sheri Fritz, along with folks of many small watersheds than by look- from the University of Minnesota and I, CW: No. We look at biggish microscopic ing at a single site. The Crevice Lake did a study on the northern range in the particles (100 microns in diameter), and watershed burned in 1988, so I’m hoping 1980s, looking for post-park/pre-park those particles are not transported very we’ll see charcoal from that event in the changes and evidence of erosion in the far. Small particles, like soot or ash, can sediments, but I don’t expect that we’ll Lamar area. It turned out that the biggest be transported great distances before they see much charcoal from more distant signal we got was the increased dust are deposited. From studies we did after fires. We also have a good fire history during periods of road construction. If the 1988 fires in Yellowstone, we deter- record from the Slough Creek area, from elk had an erosion impact in that area, it mined that the large charcoal particles Cygnet Lake in the Central Plateau, and was less than the impact of road building. provide the best record of fires within the from the southern part of Yellowstone at watershed and allow us to separate local Trail Lake. YS: And you’re doing similar coring fires from those that are happening else- operations in other lakes in Montana? where in the region. YS: Have you done any coring in Yellowstone Lake? CW: We are. I have a pretty good under- YS: So you’re not interested in stuff that standing of the environmental history of may be coming from Oregon or Wash- CW: We do have cores from Yellowstone the Yellowstone ecosystem, and the goal ington. Lake, and I have collected cores from now is to put Yellowstone’s history into small lakes around Yellowstone Lake as the bigger picture that includes other ar- CW: No. I suppose it would nice if one well. The vegetation history goes back eas in northwestern North America. We’re 14,000 years or more, coring lakes in western Montana and and begins with a pe- Idaho to fill in some of the gaps. riod of tundra, followed by a period of spruce, YS: How long will the process take that fir, and whitebark pine will allow you to analyze these cores that forest, and ends with we saw you pull out this week? Several the development of years? Lots of microscopic analysis? lodgepole pine forest. In addition to this CW: Lots of hours at the microscope. long-term history, we First, the cores are going to the Univer- also have studied envi- sity of Nebraska, where they will be split ronmental changes open and photographed, and a chronol- since the park was es- ogy will be established by counting the tablished in 1872. At layers and getting some radiocarbon dates. Crevice Lake, we’ll be Then sediment samples will be sent to able to identify the sedi- different laboratories. The University of ment layer that was de- Oregon will get samples for pollen and posited in 1872 and charcoal analysis. The University of Ne- compare the history braska will look at the diatoms and stable prior to that date with isotopes. The USGS will be examining what has happened in the geochemistry and sediment magne- the 20th century. For tism. It’s going to be a couple of years example, it should be before we have some results and can put possible to look at the together the history. impacts of changing elk numbers through time. YS: And about how long are those cores? Some people have claimed that rates of CW: The total depth of sediment recov- erosion may have in- ered from Crevice Lake is about 6 meters. creased when elk popu- Winter is the ideal time of year to conduct this coring lations were high. If so, YS: Representing… operation because the lake’s frozen surface allows we should see evidence researchers to core into the deepest parts of the lake of it in the magnetic CW: Probably somewhere between without using a boat. NPS photo. and geochemical prop- 12,000 and 14,000 years. But don’t hold

6 Yellowstone Science me to that until we get some radiocarbon an area, you want to know whether the CW: Well, I just get excited working dates and have a chance to count the current vegetation is typical or completely with the lake sediments. That sounds annual laminations! anomalous. Were the fires of 1988 un- dumb, but every lake tells a different precedented, or do fires of that size occur story, and you never know quite what YS: Like with tree rings. frequently? It is necessary to identify the you’re going to find until you collect range of variability for an ecosystem, so some cores. The cores contain the history CW: Yeah. that land managers know when current of the watershed, and each history is a conditions exceed the range of variabil- little different. Coring remote lakes in YS: Why can you only go back 14,000 ity of conditions in the past. Paleo-data Yellowstone has offered its share of field years? Is that as far down as the corer are one of the few ways to establish that adventures. We’ve had our gear brought goes? long-term range of variability. How dry in by helicopters and we’ve had it hauled has it been in Yellowstone in the past, and on horses and on our backs. The misad- CW: I’m guessing that’s when the gla- how often have large fires occurred? Most ventures, lousy weather, and improvised ciers left here and the lake was formed. management schemes recognize that we technology of past expeditions provide 14,000 years ago is about the time of the cannot make the national parks look like for hours of conversation and humor on floods that moved through the Yellow- they did in 1850. It wouldn’t be possible the next field trips. stone Canyon. The lake was probably and it wouldn’t make any sense. 1850 formed by that event. At least it is hard to was just one period and may not have imagine a lake here before that time. been typical of anything. Knowing the range of historical variability, on the other YS: So literally, today, we finally discov- hand, allows us to evaluate whether or ered the origin of the term, “hitting rock not the current ecosystem is pretty much bottom.” Because you pull that core out behaving the way it has for the past 2,000 and it shows approximately when the or 3,000 years. lake’s origins were. YS: And that certainly would pertain to CW: Right! We literally hit the rocks that elk management and fire management. underlie the lake sediments, and that’s as far as we can core with our equipment. CW: Absolutely. And the other consider- ation for managers is climate change. YS: Can you describe how you’re taking How much drought can these systems these cores out of the lake? take? How much fire can they take? Are we seeing the effects of global warming NPS photo. CW: We’re using a piston corer, which is now with the death of whitebark pine or a meter-long stainless steel tube with a not? So our NSF project is an effort to Cathy Whitlock has been a Professor piston in it. We lower it by rods down to tackle some of these climate questions— in Geography at the University of Or- the depth at which we want to take a using the past to establish the historic egon since 1990, where she currently sediment core. We secure the piston at range of variability. serves as Head of the Geography Depart- the bottom of the tube so it can’t move ment and as President of the American and we basically push the tube past the YS: Have you seen evidence of death of Quaternary Association. She received a piston and collect a meter of sediment. whitebark pine already in some of your Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the Then we pull it out and extrude it on the work? University of Washington in 1983, and ice surface, wrap it up in plastic wrap and has held research and teaching positions foil, put more rods on, and go back down CW: Not here. I’m doing some work in at Trinity College Dublin, Carnegie In- into the same hole. Deeper and deeper the Bitterroots where you can see the stitute, and the University of Pittsburgh. until we hit the bottom. And it’s not hard whitebark pine decline in the pollen record Dr. Whitlock’s research focuses on the to know when we reach the bottom. You in the last few decades. sensitivity of forests to past environmen- just…stop (laughter). tal changes as well as the potential re- YS: We’ve certainly heard a lot about it sponse of vegetation and fire regimes to YS: So, what’s the real application for up in the Glacier National Park area. future climate change. She has conducted your research? Is it to judge climate trends research in Europe, China, and the Pa- or climate changes and their ability to CW: Yes, it’s a big concern. cific islands, but her primary interests affect ecosystems? How might this be have been in the western U.S. Her re- used? YS: In doing this research in Yellowstone, search has been published in over 70 can you think of one outstanding episode scientific papers and books, and she is CW: There are many ways to answer of adventure, or excitement, or discovery co-editor of a volume on the Quaternary that. But for one, when you’re managing that you might share? environments of the former Soviet Union.

Winter 2002 7 Tracking Down Yellowstone’s Red Fox: Skis, Satellites, and Historical Sightings

by Bob Fuhrmann

Photo by Michael Francis.

Relatively little is known about the red the general lack of knowledge regarding gate the potential variety of red fox sub- fox population of Yellowstone National Yellowstone’s red fox population, led species living in this region and describe Park and its surrounding areas, yet a me to investigate red foxes in the kinds of habitat they use. The result variety of historical and anecdotal records Yellowstone. was a multi-faceted project focusing on indicate that Yellowstone’s red foxes Prior to this study, the only formal field methodologies and including archi- (Vulpes vulpes) have undergone several research project that examined the red val research and oral history. population fluctuations and exhibit an fox in Yellowstone was a medium-sized unusual variety of coat colors. Further, carnivore study (Gehman, Crabtree, & Biogeographic Background of the the restoration of wolves to Yellowstone Consolo Murphy 1997). Results obtained Red Fox is likely having an effect on fox distribu- from baited camera stations and track tion in and around the park, and fox surveys indicated that red foxes were During their expedition up the Mis- sightings have increased in recent years. present throughout Yellowstone’s north- souri River in 1804–1806, Lewis and Curiosity about these things, coupled with ern range. My research aimed to investi- Clark catalogued many species of plants

8 Yellowstone Science and animals. In the upper Missouri drain- Mississippi River was limited to the moun- The Influence of Wolves and Coyotes age, they reportedly identified a “great- tainous regions of the western United on Red Fox tailed fox” which they presumed to be the States, possibly including central and Rocky Mountain red fox (V. v. macroura) eastern Montana. Presently, it is believed Another area which requires more study (Cutright 1969). This sighting probably that the European red fox inhabits agri- is the question of how the restoration of came from near the Missouri in north cultural and other human-disturbed habi- wolves to Yellowstone is affecting the central Montana. In addition, Audubon tats at lower elevations (the extent of the area’s foxes. For most of the 20th century, notes that a fox similar to what Lewis and European red fox’s expansion has been Yellowstone had only two canid preda- Clark described was collected from a attributed, in part, to the widespread habi- tors, foxes and coyotes (Canis latrans). trapper before 1850 on the upper Mis- tat changes brought on by agricultural In 1995, wolves (C. lupus) were reintro- souri River. This fox was mostly gray and development), while the mountain fox duced. This reintroduction will likely have had a rather large tail, and was presum- still resides in the high-elevation mon- major impacts on the other canids in the ably collected in central or eastern Mon- tane/alpine zones of the Rocky, Sierra, ecosystem. A review of 16 separate stud- tana. and Cascade mountain ranges and the ies of sympatric coyote and red fox popu- In 1969, however, Hoffman et al., who boreal forests of Canada, Alaska, and the lations indicates that coyotes have a tre- examined sighting and trapping records northern Great Lakes states (Sheldon mendous negative impact on fox popula- in Montana, indicated that prior to 1950, 1992). However, it is unknown whether tions (Crabtree and Sheldon, in press). In the only population of red fox (V. v. there is a dividing line between these two Yellowstone, track surveys and remote macroura) inhabiting Montana was in subspecies or if there is an integrade zone cameras demonstrated that 90 percent of the higher elevation forests (e.g., where they co-exist. known fox locations occurred on the pe- Yellowstone National Park), indicating Potentially, the endemic red foxes in- riphery of or in between coyote territo- that they were absent from low elevation habiting isolated mountain ranges of the ries in the northern range (Gehman, valleys (Hoffman, Wright, and Newby lower 48 states are relics from the Wis- Crabtree, and Consolo Murphy 1997). 1969). These foxes were restricted to consin glaciation (Aubry 1983). If this Wolves are known to kill coyotes and mountainous areas of extreme western hypothesis is true, the mountain foxes may exclude them from core areas of and southwestern parts of the state. The would not be well adapted to low eleva- pack ranges. Since 1995, many coyotes discrepancies between Lewis and Clark tion grasslands under the current climatic have been killed or displaced by the and Audubon compared with Hoffman conditions and mix of competing preda- wolves. Due to decreased competition make it appear that red foxes were present tors (Merriam 1900). We know that the for space and food, foxes seemed to fill in in this region during the early 1800s but high elevation red fox has survived in the behind the missing coyotes. In one area might have disappeared between that higher elevations of the Greater Yellow- of the Lamar Valley where there were period and the 1950s, raising the ques- stone Ecosystem since the Wisconsin gla- four contiguous coyote territories con- tion: where did they go? One possibility ciation, but more information is needed taining 25–30 coyotes prior to wolf rein- is that foxes on the plains of eastern to validate the historic distribution of red troduction, there are now no coyote packs. Montana were extirpated through preda- fox within the Greater Yellowstone Eco- In this same location, a high concentra- tor eradication programs in the early de- system. tion of fox sightings have been reported cades of the 20th century. After 1950, red foxes were commonly seen in lowland and agricultural areas, especially throughout eastern and central Montana, but the origin of the animal’s habitation of these areas is unclear. If these foxes are the Rocky Mountain red fox (V. v. macroura), they could have descended from the montane habitats back to the plains following the conclusion of the large scale predator eradication programs alluded to earlier. Conversely, the European red fox (V. v. fulva) could have migrated from the surrounding region to fill the niche of the Rocky Mountain fox. European red foxes were brought to the eastern U.S. in the 18th century for fox hunts, but many escaped the jaws of the hounds or fur farms and successfully adapted to new environments. Prior to Adam Kaufman, one of Bob’s field assistants, collects data with a GPS receiver on the 1800s, red fox distribution west of the the Beartooth Plateau. Photo by Bob Fuhrmann.

Winter 2002 9 compared to what was documented in the few years prior to 1995. This indicates that wolves can have an indirect effect on the occurrence and distribution of red fox. Future studies will be able to compare habitat use patterns with what I observed in this study to determine if red foxes’ habitat use also shifts.

Yellowstone Sightings, Distribution, and a Fox of a Different Color

I began my historical research on Yellowstone’s red foxes by examining the park’s sighting records. Sighting records collected over long periods of time will often provide an indication of the presence or absence of a species, and possibly indicate major trends. The records from 1880 to 1900 indicated that foxes were frequently observed in the early decades of the park’s history (Varley and Brewster 1992). According to Yellowstone’s second superintendent, P.W. Norris, some park officials were very adept at distinguishing species and Figure 1. Historic fox sightings in Yellowstone National Park, 1892-1985. even color morphs of the red fox. Norris stated that foxes were “numerous and of various colors, the red, grey, black, and the cross varieties (most valuable of all) predominating in the order named” (Norris 1881). Shortly after the turn of the last century, however, reports of red foxes within Yellowstone National Park were spo- radic, and sightings uncommon. It appeared that the once frequently sighted red fox was on the decline. Those sightings that were reported occurred in diverse areas of the park (see Figure 1). These foxes were consistently light- and gray- colored, especially at higher elevations. Following and possibly as a result of the extirpation of wolves in the 1920s, there was a marked increase in coyote observa- tions and a decrease in red fox sightings. The frequency of red fox sightings did start to increase in the late 1980s, but this was likely the result of increased interest and reportage rather than an actual increase in red fox numbers. Two events, an official rare mammal sighting program instituted in 1986 and a coyote study initiated in 1989, marked the beginning of a period in which the number of red fox sightings steadily grew. Since Figure 2. Fox sightings in Yellowstone National Park, 1986-1996. then, red foxes have been reported

10 Yellowstone Science throughout the Greater Yellowstone Eco- Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, he can ously in the wild. Also, a red fox hit by a system in all months of the year in areas remember seeing only one fox prior to vehicle between Mammoth Hot Springs ranging from riparian communities at the 1950s, and never saw a fox track. He and Tower Junction in 1998 was about 60 low elevations (1,500 meters) to alpine did recall his father shooting a fox by percent black, with intermixed red fur tundra at elevations exceeding 3,000 m their house on Trail Creek Road around patches. When asked about this dark color, (see Figure 2). Because of the nocturnal 1920. He believes that foxes from the many current wildlife biologists in the behavior, habitat use, and relatively low lower Yellowstone River Valley colo- park had never seen or heard of anything densities of red foxes in Yellowstone, nized the Livingston and Paradise Valley like it (though Superintendent Norris had many employees and visitors have never areas beginning in the 1950s. He does mentioned this dark appearance in the seen one in the park. Many long-time remember hearing of foxes inhabiting 1880s). Other color anomalies exist, in- area residents say they have never seen a the higher elevations around Yellowstone cluding red foxes without the diagnostic fox in their travels in and around National Park, and once saw a very light- white tail tip, and a handful of a nearly Yellowstone, and an examination of re- colored one that was captured in Tom white or “ghost” color phase. cent sighting records of red fox in Miner Basin. Kolence and other trappers These findings led me to a variety of Yellowstone (Figure 2) confirms that most called these high-elevation foxes “frosty unanswered questions. What could ac- sightings occur along the road corridor, butts” because of their light color. This count for the unexpected patterns in foxes where Yellowstone’s visitors spend most pattern of red foxes’ being present in at different elevations? What might ac- of their time. In fact, most of the fox higher-elevation forests, yet absent from count for the unique coloration of foxes sightings that I personally collected in lowlands, is supported by Hoffman in the northern Yellowstone region? And Yellowstone were in the headlights of my (Hoffman, Wright, and Newby 1969). where were foxes, and why? These ques- car. Adding to the intrigue of elevational tions beckoned personal investigation into In addition to examining the park’s red distribution of fox in the northern Yellow- the current status of Yellowstone’s mys- fox sighting records, I also talked with stone region is the variation in their coat terious red fox. long-time residents in Yellowstone and colors, such as was described by Kolence. the surrounding communities to learn Analysis of park records suggests that Tracking the Elusive Mountain Fox about their recollections of foxes in this foxes at lower elevations usually have region. Trapper Martin Kolence, born in red fur. In contrast, a large percentage of To investigate red foxes in 1911 and raised around Livingston, Mon- reports from higher elevations through- Yellowstone, my colleagues and I em- tana, does not remember any foxes in the out the region, including the Beartooth ployed both old and new field techniques. “low country” prior to World War II Plateau, note a gray or cream (“frosty Snow tracking, one of the oldest forms of (pers. comm. 1995). In all of his hiking, butt”) color phase (see Figure 3). This learning about mammals during winter, camping, fishing, and hunting in the coat color has not been described previ- is a “tried and true” field technique of

100 50 Individuals 90 45 Light Color

80 Red Color 40

70 35 Number of individuals

60 30

50 25

40 20 Percent Occurence 30 15

20 10

10 5

0 0 1600 1750 1900 2050 2200 2350 2500 2650 2800 2950 3100 Elevation (m)

Figure 3. Red fox color frequency by elevation.

Winter 2002 11 The Fox Track

Our next challenge was to distinguish coyote and fox tracks from one another. Using data previously collected by James Halfpenny of Gardiner, Montana, Gehman et al. (in the medium-sized car- Intergroup Length nivore study mentioned earlier), and by me, we developed a formula: red fox <12 Inches tracks were defined as any set of tracks with an intergroup distance of less than 12 inches, a straddle of fewer than five inches, and a track length of less than three inches (Figure 4). This was dubbed the “12-5-3 Rule.” To maximize accuracy, these measurements were taken in at least three locations along a track set, Track Length because using only one of these measure- <3 Inches ments would not verify that a fox made the tracks. All three of the measurement criteria had to be met in order for a fox Straddle track to be distinguished from a coyote <5 Inches track. The most reliable and discriminat- ing criterion was clearly straddle. These Figure 4. The “12-5-3 Rule:” Measurements used to identify fox tracks measurements excluded small coyotes (not to scale). and, potentially, a few large foxes. The behavior of an animal could also bounty hunters, sportsmen, and biolo- the winter in search of food. be ascertained by looking carefully at gists. When hunting was a way of life, the On the other hand, tracking can be clues left in the snow. For example, coy- difference between reading tracks well difficult because of unpredictable snow otes and foxes travel differently. If tracks and not understanding them could mean conditions, resulting in variability in the went under something, we measured the the difference between life or death. This quality of data collected. Frequent snow, height of the object above the snow. If the study, along with others, shows that track- wind, and melting makes snow tracking object was one foot off the ground and no ing can be a very useful tool to biologists difficult and often fruitless. The noctur- belly rubs were found on the snow, this (Johansen 1989). nal behavior of red foxes in Yellowstone suggested a fox track. Also, different Snow tracking has both advantages also makes direct observation techniques odors occur from scent marks produced and disadvantages. It can provide very difficult. During this study, I observed by foxes and coyotes and we were able to accurate, detailed information on move- very few foxes while tracking and travel- distinguish them. Examining several as- ment and behavior patterns with minimal ing to transect sites. Despite the disad- pects of the track set allowed us to differ- researcher impact, the main advantage vantages, my colleagues and I decided entiate fox and coyote tracks and collect being that the research animal is usually that the most plausible and least invasive behavioral data. not disturbed. Tracking can be very cost- way to study the distribution and habitat effective, requiring only a map, clipboard, use of Yellowstone’s foxes was to track GPS Tracking and data sheets. However, additional ex- them through the snow. To accomplish penses can be incurred with the use of this, 25 ski transects were established Global Positioning System (GPS) units Global Positioning System (GPS) units between Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo., were used to collect locations and eleva- and handheld computers to gain more and Island Lake on the Beartooth Pla- tions of fox tracks observed along the accurate data. Snow tracking provides teau. Each ski transect was traversed at track transects. While skiing the transects, information during winter only but can least twice during each field season from fox tracks were systematically searched provide insights into year-round habitat December through March in the winters for on both sides of the trail, and when a utilization. Nearly all red foxes in a given of 1994–1995 and 1995–1996. In addi- set was located, the GPS unit was acti- population belong to a breeding group tion, we monitored the road corridor from vated and UTM coordinates were logged. (pair or trio), and maintain territories Mammoth, Wyo., to Cooke City, Mont., The tracks were first backtracked, so as year round. Therefore, we might be able for fox activity during both seasons. Most not to disturb the fox and bias its behav- to predict a fox’s summer range by iden- of the transects followed established ski ior. If time permitted, the tracks were also tifying its winter range, keeping in mind or snowmobile trails, allowing us to cover forward-tracked. that foxes tend to cover more ground in more than 186 kilometers. Track sets were followed for distances

12 Yellowstone Science ranging from 150 to 1500 meters. Differ- the northern Yellowstone ecosystem. hid foxes from coyotes. Foxes also used ent limiting factors determined how long Although red foxes were found to inhabit older growth Douglas-fir, spruce-fir, and we followed a track set. Some track sets almost every habitat type in the study lodgepole pine stands that provided pro- were lost because of our inability to de- area, their use patterns (preference and tective cover. Foxes remained closer to termine where the fox was traveling rela- avoidance) of specific habitat compo- escape cover when using open cover types tive to the plentiful tracks of other ani- nents differed by elevation and season. at low elevations than when they traveled mals. Other limiting factors were mal- Prior to this study, little was known in sagebrush and forested areas. Sage- function or battery failure of the GPS unit about fox habitat use in this area. My brush may provide the most protective or handheld computer. At times, tracking research suggests that foxes generally cover for foxes. was discontinued because the fox trav- prefer habitats that are close to the edge Above 2,100 m, where coyotes were eled into areas unsafe for researchers, for of a major structural change in vegeta- rare, I assumed that foxes would be more instance, areas with high avalanche dan- tion, or “ecotone.” Sagebrush and older likely to venture farther into and spend ger (i.e., steep slopes), ice that was not growth forests are important as escape more time in open areas to catch small stable enough to support a human, or cover for foxes because they provide a mammals. Instead, they utilized heavier areas occupied by a bison herd. Each high degree of visual security. Over 87 forest cover and had lower mean dis- GPS had pre-programmed function keys percent of our distance-to-habitat edge tances to edge than those below 2,100 m. to collect data such as snow type, scent measurements were <125 m from an eco- At these higher elevations, however, foxes marks, forage sites, and bed sites. Ap- tone, and 50 percent of the track sets were utilized the edge of open mesic habitats proximately every 150 m, we established <25 m from an ecotone. 27 percent and spruce-fir forests 30 per- a habitat collection point and entered it I observed distinct differences in habi- cent of the time. on the GPS. At these points, we collected tat preference between foxes tracked at These habitat differences could be the habitat characteristic data such as cover low and high elevations, however. Be- result of variations in preference between type, distance to ecotone (edge), slope, low 2,100 m (approximately 6,930 feet), two subspecies, as mountain foxes (e.g., aspect, and snow depth, and entered it on they showed less selection for old growth V. v. macroura) are reported to prefer handheld computers. GPS base station forest, even though red foxes frequenting subalpine forests and European red foxes files were used to differentially open habitats below 2,100 feet are often (V. v. fulva) to prefer more open cover post-correct GPS field files. Once cor- chased and occasionally killed by coy- types (Aubry 1983). Or, other factors rected, these data were estimated to have otes (Gese, Stotts, and Grothe 1996). may account for the difference between an accuracy of two meters or less. These foxes frequently used open and these two elevational zones. They may We determined habitat availability from sagebrush areas, and avoided coyotes have been related to sub-specific prefer- the GIS, defined as a 500–meter buffer temporally (through nocturnal behavior) ences or variations in prey availability at on either side of a tracking transect. This and spatially (by using areas outside coy- different elevations. Although it might distance was chosen because it included ote core areas). The main habitats used be conjectured that one such factor could more than 95 percent of the track sets by foxes at this elevation were mesic be the lack of coyotes above 2,100 m in followed. Other habitat variables such as meadows, and sagebrush (52%). The the winter, a recent coyote study in elevation, slope, and aspect were extracted sagebrush offered cover that effectively Yellowstone and my personal observa- from the GIS layers relative to those parameters.

Findings

Habitat Use A total of 77 kilometers of fox tracks were followed during two winter field seasons. These tracks were found on all of the trails skied throughout the northern Yellowstone region. Despite a wide range of elevations and habitats, red foxes were found to be contiguous in distribution across this area. Fox tracks were located at all elevations from 1,350 to 3,000 m. Frequent sightings in areas that were not formally examined for fox tracks, such as Paradise Valley between Livingston, Mont. (1,350 m) and Gardiner, Mont. (1,585 m), further demonstrates the contiguous distribution of fox throughout Measuring red fox tracks. Photo by Bob Fuhrmann.

Winter 2002 13 tions suggest that coyotes do not have isolated for many years (Lade et al. 1996). press). In addition, foxes seem to be bet- defended territories above 2,100 m, and More questions may be answered about ter adapted to hunting in deep snow than are absent from high elevations during the genetic separation of these subpopu- coyotes. Foxes have large feet in propor- winter, making them a non-factor in ac- lations through further analysis of tissue tion to body size when compared to coy- counting for differences in fox habitat samples. otes. An adult coyote weighs about 13.5 use above and below 2,100 m (Crabtree With no geographic barrier separating kg (30 lbs.) in Yellowstone, which is and Sheldon, in press). The dissimilar low and high elevation foxes, it might be three times as large as an adult fox (4.6 kg habitat use of low and high elevation assumed that the high elevation foxes or 10.1 lbs.), but its track size is not three foxes, however, could be associated with might disperse to lower elevations and times as large. Foxes’ sizable feet and the differences in genotypes and pheno- establish home ranges in the more hospi- long track length act like snowshoes, types I observed. table lower environments, or that low allowing them to stay on top of the snow elevation foxes might move to higher instead of sinking. Morphology elevations to avoid coyotes. However, Morphologic divergence is another pos- Some evidence suggests that there are the limited gene flow indicates low dis- sible test of population isolation, depend- genetic, phenotypic, and potentially mor- persal in either direction. In general, ing on the amount of time the populations phometric differences between red foxes canids are thought to interbreed exten- have been segregated and the extent to above and below 2,100 m in the sively (Sheldon 1992). There are wolf- which phenotype characteristics are plas- Yellowstone region. Foxes at higher el- dog hybrids, coyote-dog hybrids, and the tic. Although the morphometric data do evations may have adapted to colder cli- red wolf is thought to be a combination of not indicate that there is a statistically matic conditions, and generally have gray wolf and coyote (Sheldon 1992). significant difference in fox size along “frosty butts.” Sympatric coyotes and wolves in Ontario the elevational gradient found within the Based on an examination of 21 tissue appear to have been morphologically con- study area, high elevation foxes living in samples collected from trapped and road- verging in body weight and length over harsher environments did tend to have killed red foxes, there appear to be two the last 40 years (Schmitz and Lavigne larger bodies and smaller ears than low genetically distinct populations of red 1987). It is unusual, then, that there is elevation foxes. foxes inhabiting the northern Yellow- such limited gene flow between subpopu- Another interesting variable was stone ecosystem, separated by elevation. lations above and below 2,100 meters. hindfoot length. The trend indicated that Interestingly, although there is no dis- Foxes in the Yellowstone area have foxes at higher elevations may have larger tinct geographic barrier separating them, adapted to survive in harsh winter condi- hind feet than those at lower elevations. very limited gene flow occurs between tions at high elevations. They exploit Foxes at higher elevations have to with- these elevational zones. The fox sub- higher elevations more regularly than stand significantly deeper, less dense populations show a degree of division coyotes, which may be a spatial compe- snow, and longer periods of it. Therefore, comparable to that found between island tition avoidance mechanism on the part the hind feet should be longer and larger and mainland red fox populations in Aus- of foxes (Gehman, Crabtree, and Consolo to act like a snowshoe and reduce foot tralia, which shows that they have been Murphy 1997; Crabtree and Sheldon, in loading (lower kg/cm2). With the small sample size, this appears to be the case. Most of the foxes I observed at high elevations had very small toe pads (~3 mm wide x ~10 mm long) and an abundance of fur covering all of the pads in their entirety, including the heel pad. This could potentially keep the foxes’ paws from forming ice crystals while traveling in deep, less dense snow. In addition, abundant fur on the feet (as in lynx) decreases foot loading and increases the snowshoe effect. Such small pad size and large amounts of fur were never observed at low elevations.

Summary

Due to the small sample size and lack of genetic information from other fox populations, I was unable to determine A lighter colored fox live trapped at Island Lake, Beartooth Plateau. Photo by the exact taxonomic origin of the foxes at Bob Fuhrmann. higher elevations in Yellowstone National

14 Yellowstone Science NPS photo. Park and the Beartooth Plateau. Since this is the only study of the Rocky Moun- the mountain fox. Yellowstone Sci- ence 1(3). tain subspecies (V. v. macroura), further Cutright, P. M. 1969. Lewis and Clark: research is needed to compare the two Pioneering naturalists. University of fox subpopulations studied to those of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. other regions such as the grasslands of Gehman, S., R. L. Crabtree, and S. eastern Montana or central Wyoming and Consolo Murphy. 1997. Northern other parts of the Rocky Mountains. In Yellowstone carnivore study. Annual addition, the high elevation foxes should Report Series, U.S. National Park also be compared with the red foxes in- Service and cooperators. habiting northern Canada and Alaska (V. Gese, E. M., T. E. Stotts, and S. Grothe. v. abietorum). This would assist in iden- 1996. Interactions between coyotes tifying the origin of these high elevation and red foxes in Yellowstone Na- foxes. Depending on its origin, an iso- tional Park, Wyoming. Journal of lated fox subspecies may have existed Mammalogy, 77(2):377–382. and could still remain today in the alpine Hoffman, R. S., P. L. Wright, and F. E. regions of the Greater Yellowstone Eco- Newby. 1969. Distribution of small system. mammals in Montana. Mammals From the differences in coat color, other than bats. Journal of Mammal- Bob Fuhrmann has worked in habitat use, and morphology, it appears ogy 50(3):579–604. Yellowstone National Park for almost 10 that foxes at higher elevations (>2,100 Johansen, O. J. 1989. Lynx winter habitat years. Since 1998, he has served as the selection in central Troms County, m) are unique. This study was unable to Education Program Coordinator for the Northern Norway. Master’s Thesis, determine the exact cause of this unique- NPS, coordinating most of the student Idaho State University. ness, but did show that two subspecies of groups that visit the park. This includes a Lade, J. A., N. E. Murray, C. A. Marks, fox may occupy the northern Yellowstone and N. A. Robinson. 1996. residential program for fourth through ecosystem. This study also provided a Microsatellite differentiation be- sixth graders, a summer educational pro- pre-wolf baseline on habitat use patterns tween Philip Island and mainland gram for local students, and the Junior for low and high elevation foxes, but Australia populations of the red fox Ranger program. more research is needed. I hope that some- (Vulpes vulpes). Molecular Ecol- From 1994 to 1998, Bob researched one takes advantage of the opportunity to ogy, 5(1):81-87. red foxes in the northern Yellowstone reexamine red fox distribution and habi- Merriam, C. H. 1900. Preliminary revi- area in order to earn his master’s degree tat use after wolves have fully established sion of the North American red foxes. in fish and wildlife management from themselves in northern Yellowstone. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., 2:661–676. Montana State University in Bozeman. This study was completed as a collabo- Norris, P. W. 1881. Annual report of the While completing his degree, Bob also rative effort with Bob Crabtree, Yellow- superintendent of the Yellowstone worked full time as a lead interpretive stone Ecological Research Center; Lynn National Park to the secretary of the park ranger at the Albright Visitor Cen- Irby, Montana State University; interior for the year 1880. Washing- ter in Mammoth Hot Springs. Yellowstone National Park; Gallatin Na- ton, D.C.: GPO. Before coming to Yellowstone, Bob tional Forest; Shoshone National Forest; Sargeant, A. B. and S. H. Allen. 1989. worked at various jobs across the west- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and Observed interactions between coy- ern United States. These included re- otes and red foxes. Journal of Mam- Wyoming Game and Fish. searching stream and aquatic ecology on malogy, 70(3):631–633. the North Slope of Alaska; studying black- Schmitz, O. J. and D. M. Lavigne. 1987. birds in central Washington; and operat- Factors affecting body size in sympatric Ontaris Canis. Journal of ing a ski lift near Seattle. Bob received a Mammalogy, 68(1):92–99. Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and a Sheldon, J. W. 1992. Wild dogs: The secondary education teaching certificate natural history of the nondomestic from Lawrence University in Appleton, canidae. San Diego: Academic Press, Wisconsin. He grew up in a northern Literature Cited Inc. suburb of Chicago. Varley, J. D., and W. G. Brewster, eds. Outside of work, Bob enjoys spending Aubry, K. B. 1983. The Cascade red fox: 1992. Wolves for Yellowstone? A time with his family, including his two- Distribution, morphology, zoogeog- Report to the United States Con- year-old son. The great outdoors has raphy, and ecology. Ph.D. diss., Uni- gress, Volume IV Research and always been fascinating to Bob. He loves versity of Washington. Analysis. Yellowstone National Park, to kayak on the Yellowstone River (out- Crabtree, R. L. 1993. Gray ghost of the Wyo.: National Park Service. side of the park, of course), backcountry/ Beartooth: On the taxonomic trail of telemark ski, and hike the many trails in and around Yellowstone.

Winter 2002 15 2001 Yellowstone Christmas Bird Count by Terry McEneaney

On December 16, 2001, the Yellowstone Christmas Bird Count (YCBC) was conducted in the Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth, Wyoming, areas. This YCBC marks the 29th year for this traditional bird survey. The established center point for this bird count is the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park and extends 7.5 miles from this point in any direction, with boundary limits basically east to Blacktail Ponds, north to the mining town of Jardine, Montana, and northwest to Corwin Springs, Montana. The YCBC is divided into teams of observers to maximize landscape coverage. All bird species and total individual birds detected during the count day are included in the final results. Additional birds incidentally observed three days before and three days after official count day are included in another category called the count week totals. Since the YCBC is totally voluntary, the number of observers showing up in any given year is never known until count day. However, each year at least a half-dozen skilled observers repeatedly return to participate. Weather conditions highly influence overall participant turnout as do personal holiday plans. The number of people participating in the YCBC has little bearing on the number of bird species or individuals detected during count day. In fact, weather plays a greater role in finding birds than does the number of participants. Because of access limitations in the winter, experience has shown birds can be best counted in specific habitats. The more inclement the winter weather (e.g., cold temperatures and deep snows) the better the birding, since birds are concentrated primarily near bird- feeding stations, riparian areas, and geothermal or open water areas. Birds are also less concentrated during mild weather conditions, since natural foods are more available. Ironically, the largest number of participants show up during years of mild weather conditions when birding is just average or below

16 Yellowstone Science average (Figure 1). Hence, mild weather into the area in November. Two yellow- row could not be located due to the mild years for the YCBC result in few bird rumped warblers were also detected, winter weather conditions. rarities being detected. whereas only one was seen in 1983, 1987, In conclusion, a grand total of 95 spe- The 2001 Yellowstone Christmas Bird and 1990. Additionally, seven song spar- cies have been recorded on the YCBC Count tallied a total of 34 bird species and rows were found this year compared to (97 species with the YCBC and count 1,675 individual birds (Figure 2). The the previous record of six observed in week combined) during the 29 years the mild weather conditions resulted in an count has taken place. This year, mild average number of species and a slightly weather conditions resulted in an aver- above average number of individual age number of bird species detected, birds observed. As expected due and a slightly above average num- to the mild weather, a record of ber of individuals observed. How- 22 observers showed up for the ever, experience has shown that 2001 YCBC, tying the previ- colder temperatures and above ous record set in 1999, an- average snow depths are the other mild year. Tempera- optimum conditions for find- tures during the 2001 YCBC ing the greatest bird richness ranged from 12 to 27 degrees and abundance during the F., with 3–12 inches of snow, YCBC. Participants are re- depending on the elevation, and minded of these factors when the edge of the rivers were not even deciding on attending future frozen. YCBC’s. Regardless, the Three bird records were broken dur- Yellowstone Christmas Bird Count tra- ing the 2001 YCBC. A total of 389 com- dition continues and a fun time was had mon redpoll were detected in the count 1988. Two marsh wrens were also found by all. area this year, compared to the previous during the 2001 YCBC; this ties the record record of 148 set in 1989. The irruption of set in 2000. Four northern flickers were Editor’s Note: A more detailed sum- common redpolls was the result of a rare found in 2001, tying the previous record mary of past Yellowstone Christmas Bird superabundance of food, namely Dou- set in 1987. Species that are regularly Count results and methods can be found glas-fir seed cones, alder catkins, and detected such as the common goldeneye, in the Winter 2001 issue of Yellowstone exposed grass seed heads, coupled with hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, Science. an early winter storm forcing redpolls dark-eyed junco, and American tree spar-

22 22

20 21 20 20 19 18 17 15 15 16 15

13 13 13 13 12 12 12

Observers 11 11 10 9 10 10 99

7 6 5

2 2

0 7 1 8 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 1920 1939 1975 1976 197 1978 1979 1980 198 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 198 1989 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 Year

Figure 1. Total participants in Yellowstone Christmas Bird Counts. Photo above: common redpoll. NPS photo.

Winter 2002 17 Species Yellowstone NP Yellowstone NP Outside Yellowstone NP Totals (in Wyoming) (in Montana) (in Montana)

Green-winged Teal 25 11 36 Mallard 51 66 117 Barrow’s Goldeneye 12 12 Common Merganser 5 5 Bald Eagle 6 5 6 17 Rough-legged Hawk 1 1 Golden Eagle 2 2 4 Common Snipe 2 2 Rock Dove 26 22 48 Belted Kingfisher 1 1 2 Northern Flicker 1 3 4 Horned Lark 1 1 Gray Jay 4 4 Steller’s Jay 1 4 5 Pinyon Jay 35 35 Clark’s Nutcracker 39 22 61 Black-billed Magpie 63 8 46 117 Common Raven 49 13 58 120 Black-capped Chickadee 3 8 11 Mountain Chickadee 50 21 71 Red-breasted Nuthatch 9 10 19 Marsh Wren 2 2 American Dipper 10 28 4 42 Townsend’s Solitaire 22 5 20 47 Bohemian Waxwing 19 50 69 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 2 Song Sparrow 4 3 7 Gray-crowned Rosy Finch 120 120 Black Rosy Finch 2 2 House Finch 36 36 Common Redpoll 75 314 389 Red Crossbill 17 17 Pine Siskin 55 60 115 House Sparrow 15 120 135

Totals 552 152 971 1675

Total Species: 34 Additional Species Count Week : 2

Figure 2. Yellowstone Christmas Bird Count results from December 16, 2001.

18 Yellowstone Science NEWS¬es New Superintendents for Yellowstone lion-acre park. The park has 100 perma- and Grand Teton National Parks nent and 200 seasonal employees and an average annual budget of about $15 mil- On December 14, 2001, new superin- lion. tendents were named to Yellowstone and Prior to assuming the superintendency Grand Teton National Parks. Suzanne at Denali, Martin was superintendent of Lewis, a 22-year veteran of the NPS, will Gates of the Arctic National Park and manage Yellowstone National Park, and Preserve, an 8.2 million-acre park en- Steve Martin, a 26-year NPS veteran, compassing part of the Brooks Range of will manage Grand Teton National Park northern Alaska. He moved to Alaska and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial from Yellowstone National Park, where Parkway. Lewis and Martin will assume he was chief of concessions. Prior to that their new responsibilities in early Febru- assignment, Martin was chief of resource ary 2002. management and visitor protection at “The selections of these individuals Voyageurs National Park in northern were approved by Interior Secretary Gale Minnesota. Before Voyageurs, he was Norton because of their successful records Steve Martin, Grand Teton National the north district ranger and Old Faithful working in collaboration with others to Park’s new superintendent. Photo by district ranger at Yellowstone. Martin accomplish community conservation Steve Harrel. began his career in 1975 as park ranger at objectives,” said Regional Director Karen Grand Canyon National Park, where he Wade. During her 11-year tenure there, she supervised the Colorado River field op- Suzanne Lewis is currently the super- served in a variety of positions including eration. He earned a B.S. in Natural Re- intendent at Glacier National Park, where park technician, park historian, supervi- source Management from the University she manages over 1,013,000 acres, a staff sory park ranger, and management assis- of Arizona in 1975. of approximately 525 during the height tant to the superintendent. Chosen in 1988 of the summer season, and an annual for an international assignment to the Frank Craighead, 1916–2001 operating budget of over $11 million. Republic of Haiti, she assisted the United She began her NPS career as a seasonal Nations’ efforts to preserve, protect, and Frank Craighead recently passed away park ranger in 1978 at Gulf Islands Na- educate Haitians in the preservation of in Moose, Wyoming, his longtime home. tional Seashore. cultural resources. In 1989, Lewis was He was 85. Best known for their appointed acting superintendent for groundbreaking studies of grizzly bears Christiansted National Historic Site and in Yellowstone from 1959 to 1970, broth- Buck Island Reef National Monument in ers Frank and John Craighead were pio- the U.S. Virgin Islands. She was selected neers in the field of conservation biology in 1990 as the first superintendent for the as well as in the development and use of newly-created Timucuan Ecological and radio telemetry and other methods of Historic Preserve—a 46,000-acre national marking and tracking animals for pur- park in Jacksonville, Florida. Lewis poses of scientific research. The Craig- served as the superintendent for the heads’ activism and the degree to which Chattahoochee River National Recreation they refused to limit their findings to Area in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1997 to scientific outlets had sometimes proved April 2000, where she managed one of vexing to the NPS, since their work, as the busiest national recreation areas in well as their disagreements with the park the United States, with more than 3.5 service, were chronicled by the national million visitors annually. Lewis gradu- networks and press in addition to maga- ated in 1978 from the University of West zines and nature television like National Florida, earning a B.A. (Magna Cum Geographic. Laude) in American History. But it was their high public profile, in Steve Martin is currently superinten- fact, that allowed the Craigheads to give Suzanne Lewis, Yellowstone’s new dent of Denali National Park and Pre- the world something even more valuable superintendent. Photo courtesy Glacier serve where he is responsible for all as- than tracking technology: popular aware- National Park. pects of the management of the 6.2 mil- ness of the concept that wildlife preserva-

Winter 2002 19 NEWS¬es tion and management required an eco- has identified some serious issues related and Old Faithful will be lowered from 45 system approach. Through their research to employee health and safety, human/ mph to 35 mph to attempt to reduce and its publicity, the Craigheads showed animal conflicts, air quality, noise, and conflicts. us that even Yellowstone National Park, deteriorating visitor experiences, and that Because late night snowmobile use cre- with its 2,221,773 acres, wasn’t big or winter planning and preparation of a ates safety issues, potential wildlife/hu- complete enough as an ecological unit to Supplemental Environmental Impact man conflicts, and decreases the effec- fully provide for the grizzly and other Statement are underway and will address tiveness of grooming, Yellowstone will species that utilized the land within its these concerns in the long term. The continue to recommend that all visitors boundaries. They didn’t invent the idea, issues that have been identified, how- not travel the roads during hours of dark- but they put the term “Greater ever, require interim, short-term actions ness (specifically between 9 p.m. and 8 Yellowstone Ecosystem” onto the lips of this winter. The changes will be imple- a.m.). managers and laypeople alike. mented on the road segment between the Rough snow roads reduce the quality Frank Craighead’s legacy also includes West Entrance and the Old Faithful area, of visitors’ experience and create safety a substantial body of scientific papers a 30-mile segment of road (out of the 180 and health concerns for both visitors and and popular books published with his miles that are open for snowmobile use). employees. To help address this, Yellow- brother John, such as the classic Field The first is designed to help reduce stone will be double-grooming the West Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. exposure of employees and visitors to to Old Faithful roads on many nights. The He also authored Track of the Grizzly and high levels of air pollution and noise at park will work with the town of West For Everything There is a Season: The Yellowstone’s West Entrance Station: all Yellowstone on an experimental program Sequence of Natural Events in the Grand West Entrance permits will be pre-sold at using a town groomer in the park during Teton/Yellowstone Area. several locations in the community of mid-day. West Yellowstone, including the Cham- ber of Commerce and various snowmo- Historic Yellow Buses Return to bile rental outlets and hotels/motels. Visi- Yellowstone tors should plan to purchase their entrance passes at those community loca- This past fall, Yellowstone National tions, rather than at the entrance gate. Park acquired eight antique yellow buses Also, additional express lanes will be that were once used to transport visitors open for employees to check gate passes. through the park. Originally purchased This will reduce idle time at the gate and, by the Yellowstone Park Company be- hence, the accompanying tremendous tween 1936 and 1939, the vintage White Frank Craighead, Grand Teton build-up of exhaust fumes which has Motor Company Model 706, 14-passen- National Park. Photo courtesy Jackson adversely affected the health of gate em- ger motor coaches were part of a fleet that Hole News. ployees in years past. Pre-selling passes ultimately numbered 98 buses. The same will also give park staff an opportunity to motor coaches were used by several other Winter Season Includes Operational provide information to visitors in a more national parks, including the red “Jam- Changes relaxed atmosphere. mers” still in use at Glacier and blue In an effort to reduce disturbance of buses once used in Rocky Mountain Na- On December 17, Acting Superinten- wildlife by wintertime motorized users, tional Park. Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Mt. dent Frank Walker announced that a one- volunteers and park staff will present Rainier also purchased the same type of year operational program to help address educational programs on low impact motor coaches. The buses recently pur- winter issues in Yellowstone will be in snowmobiling at the Chamber of Com- chased by Yellowstone came from the effect this winter season. The changes merce, various hotels, and other facilities Skagway (Alaska) Streetcar Company include putting additional park person- in the community of West Yellowstone. and were in a nearly unaltered condition, nel and volunteers on the snow roads, The park will also explore the use of with the original Yellowstone National improving grooming and visitor educa- volunteers to serve as “hosts” within the Park license plates remaining on the ve- tion, and attempting to reduce employ- park to help visitors better understand hicles. Despite the fact that the buses ees’ exposure to unhealthy and unsafe and use low impact snowmobiling tech- were in great shape and appeared to have conditions. The operational changes do niques. many more years of service in them, the not limit the number of snowmobiles Park staff will be monitoring bison owners of the Skagway Streetcar Com- allowed in the park this winter season. movements on the road between West pany decided to sell them to purchase Walker noted that ongoing winter use Yellowstone and Old Faithful, and the older buses. Although still undecided as planning in Yellowstone National Park speed limit between the West Entrance to where the buses will be used, they are

20 Yellowstone Science NEWS¬es assigned for visitor transportation to the tain Paint Pots, Mud Volcano, and West of its museum collection and archives, park concessioner, Amfac, and are in- Thumb Geyser Basin. The publications which are actually scattered among five tended to provide park visitors with a were cited for their excellence in design facilities, all of which are cramped and quality historic experience. and appeal to a wide range of users. lack environmental controls and adequate fire protection. The limited space also Yellowstone National Park Interpre- Yellowstone Proposes to Build severely restricts use by the general pub- tive Publications Receive National Heritage Center lic and more than 1,000 researchers who Award seek direct access to the collections each Yellowstone’s museum, archives, and year. These researchers produce books, On November 27, Acting Superinten- library collectively protect more than 5 articles, films, videos, web sites, and other dent Frank Walker proudly announced million items—treasures such as the first media that educate millions of people that a series of eight self-guiding trail paintings and drawings ever made of about Yellowstone. booklets produced by the National Park what is now the park, including works by To correct these deficiencies, the park Service was recently awarded the grand artist Thomas Moran; more than 90,000 proposes to build a new 32,000-square- prize at the National Association of photographs illustrating park history and foot Yellowstone Heritage and Research Interpretation’s annual Media Competi- resources from the days of trappers and Center to preserve current collections, tion. the earliest explorers of the region; Ameri- allow for an estimated 25-year growth in The award was announced on Novem- can Indian artifacts; natural science col- important new collections, provide ad- ber 14 in Des Moines, Iowa, during the lections documenting the park’s wildlife, equate public access, and include a mod- annual meeting of the National Associa- plants, and geology; historic vehicles, est space for changing exhibits. The NPS tion of Interpretation, a professional or- including stagecoaches and the first bus line-item construction budget for 2002 ganization encompassing federal, state, in Yellowstone’s fleet; an archive docu- includes $6.1 million dollars for the first local, and private institutions in which menting park management from its in- phase, which includes storage for all but interpretation and education are primary ception through U. S. Army administra- oversized objects (such as historic ve- missions. tion to the present; and a library contain- hicles and large furniture), a new library, Production of the self-guiding trail ing most of the rarest publications on some work space for visiting researchers, booklets was funded by a generous anony- Yellowstone. and staff offices. Future (presently un- mous donation to the Yellowstone Asso- For decades, this growing collection funded) phases will provide for preserva- ciation. The booklets are used by mil- has been primarily housed in the base- tion and display of the historic vehicle lions of visitors each year to explore the ment of the Albright Visitor Center, a collection and for added research and lab Upper Geyser Basin (including Old Faith- building not originally designed for any facilities for the numerous scientists who ful Geyser), Grand Canyon of the of its current uses. In 1989, the park was conduct studies in Yellowstone each year. Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, Fort cited by the Office of the Inspector Gen- An estimated $6–8 million will be needed Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin, Foun- eral for the poor preservation conditions for future phases, for which the park hopes to secure private donations and grants. An environmental assessment to ex- amine the alternatives and impacts related to this facility was released in Janu- ary 2002. The preferred alternative is to locate the Heritage Center on already disturbed park land, a former gravel pit, adjacent to the town of Gardiner, Mon- tana, about five miles north of park head- quarters. Construction is likely to com- mence in late 2002 or early 2003, and completion of the first phase is antici- pated in 2004–05. Public comments related to the pro- posal may be sent through February 25, 2002 to Heritage Center, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 82190. One of Yellowstone’s yellow buses, in Skagway, Alaska. Photo by Paul Schullery.

Winter 2002 21