THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BOB GARROTT- LEAD COORDINATOR ECOLOGY AND ANIM. & RANGE SCI. DEPTS.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE YELLOWSTONE AND NATL. PARKS

WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPT. IDAHO DEPARTMENT FISH AND GAME MONTANA FISH WILDLIFE AND PARKS U.S. FOREST SERVICE THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BOB GARROTT- LEAD COORDINATOR ECOLOGY AND ANIM. & RANGE SCI. DEPTS.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON NATL. PARKS

WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPT. IDAHO DEPARTMENT FISH AND GAME MONTANA FISH WILDLIFE AND PARKS U.S. FOREST SERVICE 22 Biologists and 5 Graduate Students THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT

Funding THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT Initiated 2009

Project Goal Develop and implement comparative studies of sympatric mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the GYE. 1) Gain insight into the ecological interactions between these two species. 2) Advance our basic ecological knowledge of mountain ungulates in the region 3) Inform policy and enhance conservation and management. THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA MOUNTAIN UNGULATE PROJECT

REGIONAL DATABASES

DISTRIBUTION-RANGE DYNAMICS -MOUNTAIN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

SPATIAL ECOLOGY

HABITAT MODELS REGIONAL DATABASES

PHASE ONE • HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION – BHS: 1937-PRESENT ~22,000 RECORDS – MTG: 1942-PRESENT ~6,000 RECORDS REGIONAL DATABASES

PHASE TWO • GREATER YELLOWSTONE MTN UNGULATE PROJECT – CAPTURE RECORDS • ~150 TOTAL CAPTURES • BHS: ~110 • MTG: ~41 – GPS DATA • 86,000 – DISEASE SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION-RANGE DYNAMICS

Mtn Goats as Non-native

Nine Introduction Sites

Introduced Montana 1942-1959 Introduced Idaho 1969-1971 MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

1970 MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

1980 MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

1990 MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

2000 MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION

2013 BIGHORN SHEEP DISTRIBUTION MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF MOUNTAIN UNGULATES

OBJECTIVES Use telemetry to enhance our understanding of mountain ungulate spatial ecology

• Seasonal distribution • Movement dynamics • Resource preference • Potential competition • Disease transmission MULTIPLE STUDY AREAS

1 Upper Yellowstone , MT 1 2 , WY 4 2 3 3 Northeast GYA 5 4 Clarks Fork Canyon, WY 5 Upper Sunlight, WY 6 6 Grey Bull, WY 8 7 Gros Ventre, WY 10 7 8 Grand Teton NP, WY 9 9 Snake River Canyon, WY 10 Palisades, ID CAPTURE TELEMETRY

Dual Collaring – GPS-SOB and Micro-VHF TELEMETRY

Currently: ~40 MTG & ~100 BHS To Deploy: ~20 MTG & ~40 BHS TELEMETRY

~ 200 Instrumented Animals Total TELEMETRY EXAMPLE

The Thunderer

Upper Sunlight THE THUNDERER THE THUNDERER THE THUNDERER THE THUNDERER UPPER SUNLIGHT BASIN UPPER SUNLIGHT BASIN USING OCCUPANCY SURVEYS TO CONSTRUCT HABITAT MODELS

OBJECTIVES • MODEL MTN GOAT HABITAT SELECTION

• PREDICT MTN GOAT RANGE EXPANSION OCCUPANCY SURVEYS OCCUPANCY SURVEYS OCCUPANCY SURVEYS OCCUPANCY SURVEYS SAMPLING EFFORT

551 SURVEYS 53,098 GRID CELLS 508 W/ GOATS 296 W/ BIGHORN 35 W/ BOTH MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL

MODEL COVARIATES TERRAIN, CANOPY COVER, NDVI, & RADIATION MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - S. ABSAROKA MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE

CURRENT ESTIMATE ~ 2,100 MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE

CURRENT ESTIMATE ~ 250 MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL - ABUNDANCE Thanks for your attention MTN GOAT HABITAT MODEL – GROS VENTRE DISEASE

Initial Strain-typing Of Mycoplasma ovi.

CLIMATE AND BIGHORN SHEEP DEMOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF HISTORIC BIGHORN RECRUITMENT DATA

GRADUATE STUDENT CARSON BUTLER

OBJECTIVES

• ASSESS RELATIONSHIP OF ANNUAL BIGHORN RECRUITMENT WITH ANNUAL WEATHER VARIATION

• ASSESS POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON GYA BIGHORN POPULATIONS DATA AND METHODS

RECRUITMENT METRIC WINTER LAMB:EWE RATIOS

WEATHER DATA SOURCE SNOTEL SENSORS

ANNUAL WEATHER VARIABLES WARM SEASON & COLD SEASON PRE-BIRTH & POST-BIRTH DATA AND METHODS

MOIST

HYPOTHESES

THE RELATIONSHIP OF RECRUITMENT WITH ANNUAL WEATHER PATTERNS DEPENDS ON REGIONAL CLIMATE

DRY FINDINGS

MOIST

DRY FINDINGS

MOIST

DRY FINDINGS

MOIST

DRY FINDINGS

CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS FINDINGS SUGGEST DIFFERENT AREAS WILL BE AFFECTED DIFFERENTLY DISEASE

All captured animals sampled for respiratory pathogens UPPER SUNLIGHT BASIN UPPER SUNLIGHT BASIN