DOCSLIB.ORG

Monitoring Wolverines in Northeast Oregon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Monitoring Wolverines in Northeast Oregon Monitoring Wolverines in Northeast Oregon January 2011 – December 2012 Final Report Authors: Audrey J. Magoun Patrick Valkenburg Clinton D. Long Judy K. Long Submitted to: The Wolverine Foundation, Inc. February 2013 Cite as: A. J. Magoun, P. Valkenburg, C. D. Long, and J. K. Long. 2013. Monitoring wolverines in northeast Oregon. January 2011 – December 2012. Final Report. The Wolverine Foundation, Inc., Kuna, Idaho. [http://wolverinefoundation.org/] Copies of this report are available from: The Wolverine Foundation, Inc. [http://wolverinefoundation.org/] Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife [http://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/publications.asp] Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation [http://www.owhf.org/] U. S. Forest Service [http://www.fs.usda.gov/land/wallowa-whitman/landmanagement] Major Funding and Logistical Support The Wolverine Foundation, Inc. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation U. S. Forest Service U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wolverine Discovery Center Norcross Wildlife Foundation Seattle Foundation Wildlife Conservation Society National Park Service 2 Special thanks to everyone who provided contributions, assistance, and observations of wolverines in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and other areas in Oregon. We appreciate all the help and interest of the staffs of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation, U. S. Forest Service, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the National Park Service. We also thank the following individuals for their assistance with the field work: Jim Akenson, Holly Akenson, Malin Aronsson, Norma Biggar, Ken Bronec, Steve Bronson, Roblyn Brown, Vic Coggins, Alex Coutant, Cliff Crego, Leonard Erickson, Bjorn Hansen, Mike Hansen, Hans Hayden, Tim Hiller, Janet Hohmann, Pat Matthews, David McCullough, Glenn McDonald, Jamie McFadden, Kendrick Moholt, Mark Penninger, Jens Persson, Lynne Price, Brian Ratliff, Jamie Ratliff, John Stephenson, John Wyanens, Rebecca Watters, Russ Westlake, and Jeff Yanke. James Short generously provided a snowmachine trailer for field work. Daarla Klages was indispensable in keeping everything running smoothly. Keith Aubry and Cathy Raley generously provided snow cover maps and unpublished data and reports. Finally, thanks to Dale Pedersen and Rod Brobeck who were our most enthusiastic cheerleaders and never doubted we would find wolverines in Oregon. Photo by Jens Persson 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................5 STUDY AREA .............................................................................................................................................................6 METHODS...................................................................................................................................................................8 Integrated Motion-detection Cameras and Hair Snags.............................................................................................8 Winter....................................................................................................................................................................8 Summer..................................................................................................................................................................9 Snow Tracking from the Air.......................................................................................................................................9 RESULTS...................................................................................................................................................................10 Winter 2010-2011....................................................................................................................................................10 Camera Deployment ............................................................................................................................................10 Wolverines Detected at Camera Stations.............................................................................................................10 DNA Analysis of Hair .........................................................................................................................................12 Snow Tracking from the Ground.........................................................................................................................13 Snow Tracking from the Air................................................................................................................................13 Winter 2011-2012....................................................................................................................................................13 Camera Deployment ............................................................................................................................................13 Wolverines Detected at Camera Stations.............................................................................................................14 Snow Tracking from the Ground.........................................................................................................................16 Snow Tracking from the Air................................................................................................................................16 Summer 2012...........................................................................................................................................................17 Camera Deployment ............................................................................................................................................17 Wolverines Detected at Summer Camera Stations ..............................................................................................17 Other Species Photographed at Camera Stations ...................................................................................................17 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................................20 Deployment of Camera Stations ..............................................................................................................................20 Winter..................................................................................................................................................................20 Summer................................................................................................................................................................21 Wolverine Detections at Camera Stations...............................................................................................................21 Understanding Reasons for the Low Density of Wolverines in the Study Area .......................................................23 Habitat Quality ....................................................................................................................................................23 Size and Connectivity with Adjacent Wolverine Populations .............................................................................24 Time Needed for Population Recovery................................................................................................................26 LONG-TERM MONITORING OF WOLVERINES IN NORTHEAST OREGON...........................................28 LITERATURE CITED .............................................................................................................................................29 TABLES .....................................................................................................................................................................33 FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................................................51 Appendix A.................................................................................................................................................................76 4 INTRODUCTION Wolverine range in the contiguous United States had contracted substantially by the mid 1900s, probably because of high levels of human-caused mortality and very low immigration rates (Aubry et al. 2007). The species is currently listed as Threatened in Oregon by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Oregon Conservation Strategy lists the wolverine as a species for which status is unknown but habitat may be suitable to support the species in the Blue Mountains, East Cascades, and West Cascades Ecoregions of Oregon (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2006; pages 367−368). At the federal level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently proposed to list the wolverine as a threatened species in the contiguous U.S. under the federal Endangered Species Act (http://federalregister.gov/a/2013-01478). In their historical review of wolverine distribution in the western states, Aubry et al. (2007) concluded that wolverines detected in Oregon in recent decades “probably represent extreme dispersal events that were not representative of self-sustaining populations” because “there is no evidence of wolverine occurrence in eastern Washington or Oregon currently.” These authors used
Load more

Recommended publications
  • MINNESOTA MUSTELIDS Young
    By Blane Klemek MINNESOTA MUSTELIDS Young Naturalists the Slinky,Stinky Weasel family ave you ever heard anyone call somebody a weasel? If you have, then you might think Hthat being called a weasel is bad. But weasels are good hunters, and they are cunning, curious, strong, and fierce. Weasels and their relatives are mammals. They belong to the order Carnivora (meat eaters) and the family Mustelidae, also known as the weasel family or mustelids. Mustela means weasel in Latin. With 65 species, mustelids are the largest family of carnivores in the world. Eight mustelid species currently make their homes in Minnesota: short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, least weasel, mink, American marten, OTTERS BY DANIEL J. COX fisher, river otter, and American badger. Minnesota Conservation Volunteer May–June 2003 n e MARY CLAY, DEMBINSKY t PHOTO ASSOCIATES r mammals a WEASELS flexible m Here are two TOM AND PAT LEESON specialized mustelid feet. b One is for climb- ou can recognize a ing and the other for hort-tailed weasels (Mustela erminea), long- The long-tailed weasel d most mustelids g digging. Can you tell tailed weasels (M. frenata), and least weasels eats the most varied e food of all weasels. It by their tubelike r which is which? (M. nivalis) live throughout Minnesota. In also lives in the widest Ybodies and their short Stheir northern range, including Minnesota, weasels variety of habitats and legs. Some, such as badgers, hunting. Otters and minks turn white in winter. In autumn, white hairs begin climates across North are heavy and chunky. Some, are excellent swimmers that hunt to replace their brown summer coat.
    [Show full text]
  • Species Assessment for the Humboldt Marten (Martes Americana Humboldtensis)
    Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Species Assessment for the Humboldt Marten (Martes americana humboldtensis) R. Hamlin, L. Roberts, G. Schmidt, K. Brubaker and R. Bosch Photo credit: Six Rivers National Forest Endangered Species Program U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, California 95521 (707) 822-7201 www.fws.gov/arcata September 2010 i The suggested citation for this report is: Hamlin, R., L. Roberts, G. Schmidt, K. Brubaker and R. Bosch 2010. Species assessment for the Humboldt marten (Martes americana humboldtensis). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, California. 34 + iv pp. ii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION .......................................................................................... 1 Species Description ................................................................................................... 1 Taxonomy.................................................................................................................. 1 Life History ............................................................................................................... 4 Reproduction .................................................................................................. 5 Diet ................................................................................................................ 5 Home Range
    [Show full text]
  • American Marten (Martes Americana) Species Assessment Prepared For
    American Marten (Martes Americana) Species Assessment Prepared for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forest September 2005 Prepared by Matt Vasquez1 with contributions by Leslie Spicer1, 2005 1 Biological Science Technician (Wildlife), Gunnison Ranger District Reviewed and Edited by Clay Speas, Forest Fisheries Biologist and Tom Holland, Forest Wildlife Biologist Cover photos taken by remote cameras at track plate and bait stations on the Gunnison Ranger District, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forest. Last Revised: September 28, 2005 Page 1 of 23 Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forest American Marten (Martes Americana) Species Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 5 SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS .............................................................................................................. 5 HABITAT CRITERIA USED IN FOREST-WIDE HABITAT EVALUATION ................................... 6 2001 MIS Habitat Criteria...................................................................................................................... 6 Rationale ............................................................................................................................................... 6 2005 MIS Habitat Criteria...................................................................................................................... 6 Rationale ............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Wolf Interactions with Non-Prey
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center US Geological Survey 2003 Wolf Interactions with Non-prey Warren B. Ballard Texas Tech University Ludwig N. Carbyn Canadian Wildlife Service Douglas W. Smith US Park Service Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, Behavior and Ethology Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Ballard, Warren B.; Carbyn, Ludwig N.; and Smith, Douglas W., "Wolf Interactions with Non-prey" (2003). USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. 325. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsnpwrc/325 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 10 Wolf Interactions with Non-prey Warren B. Ballard, Ludwig N. Carbyn, and Douglas W. Smith WOLVES SHARE THEIR ENVIRONMENT with many an­ wolves and non-prey species. The inherent genetic, be­ imals besides those that they prey on, and the nature of havioral, and morphological flexibility of wolves has the interactions between wolves and these other crea­ allowed them to adapt to a wide range of habitats and tures varies considerably. Some of these sympatric ani­ environmental conditions in Europe, Asia, and North mals are fellow canids such as foxes, coyotes, and jackals. America. Therefore, the role of wolves varies consider­ Others are large carnivores such as bears and cougars.
    [Show full text]
  • Bobcat LHOTB022604
    Life History of the Bobcat LHOTB022604 The bobcat belongs to the family Felidae, which contains mountain lion, Florida panther, ocelot, lynx, jaguar, margay and jaguarundi. Historically the bobcat ranged throughout the lower 48 states and into parts of southern Canada and northern Mexico. Bobcats are found throughout Alabama with greater abundance in the Coastal Plains and Piedmont areas. DESCRIPTION: The bobcat is slightly more than twice the size of a domestic cat. Adult males’ weight ranges between 16-40 pounds and the females between 8-33 pounds. Coloration can vary but generally is yellowish or reddish brown streaked or spotted black or dark brown. The belly and underside of the tail is white. Black spots or bars are found on the belly and inside the forelegs and may extend up the sides to the back. Their tail is short (<5 ¾ inches) with distinct black bars at the tip. REPRODUCTION: Bobcats normally breed once a year from January through March with most births occurring during April and May. After a gestation period of 62 days, a litter of 1-4 kittens is born with 3 kittens being the average litter size. HABITAT: Bobcats are highly adapted to a variety of habitats. They prefer forested habitats with a dense understory and high prey densities. The only habitat type not used is heavily farmed agriculture land. Bobcats are territorial and readily defend their home range. Their home range can vary from 1-80 square miles. Bobcats may use a variety of denning sites such as rock ledges, hollow trees and logs, and brush piles.
    [Show full text]
  • Life History Traits for Common Blue Mountains Conifer Trees 1
    WHITE PAPER F14-SO-WP-SILV-42 Life History Traits for Common Blue Mountains Conifer Trees 1 David C. Powell; Forest Silviculturist Supervisor’s Office; Pendleton, OR Initial Version: OCTOBER 2004 Most Recent Revision: MARCH 2017 INTRODUCTION There are two basic philosophies with respect to plant succession – one is based on popula- tion or community dynamics, and the other is rooted in interactions between individual plants or species (Huston and Smith 1987). A community-based model shares many similarities with a relay floristics pattern of plant succession; an individual-based model has much in common with initial floristics (Powell 2000, pages 26-30, provides a discussion about relay and initial floristics). A community model was favored early in the 20th century, an era when mutualism and in- ter-species dependence were being emphasized in plant ecology. Beginning with the latter half of the 20th century, succession has been viewed primarily as a plant-by-plant or species-by-spe- cies replacement process, and dynamics of plant succession are understandable in those terms. If we assume that succession, a species-by-species replacement process, is controlled by the life history characteristics of plants making up a community, then understanding these charac- teristics will help us grasp how succession might progress. Forest succession, for example, is controlled largely by five traits (life history characteristics) influencing competition among trees: growth rate, size, longevity, rate of seedling establish- ment, and shade tolerance. These traits have an important bearing on a tree species’ capability to compete for site resources collectively referred to as growing space.
    [Show full text]
  • Owl Eyes Activity
    EXPAND YOUR SENSES! TRY USING YOUR OWLTEX T EYES Age Range: Grades K-5 Time: 10-15 minutes Location: Indoor or outdoor space Materials: Yourself, a place to stand where you can focus your eyes on a fixed object at eye level. Instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Barn Owl v=2js74vxOXfg&feature=youtu.be Illustrations by Amira Maddison USING YOUR “OWL EYES” ACTIVATES YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION What is peripheral vision? It’s the ability to see movement and objects outside of what your eyes are directly focused on. ACTIVITY PART 1: BECOMING AN OWL Start by finding a quiet place to go and stand. Take a little bit of time to start imagining that you are becoming an owl. Notice where your feet are positioned. Make sure they are firmly positioned on the ground. Imagine that your feet have become talons and they are gripped around the branch of a tree. You are tucked away in the tree, so no one else can see you. Now it’s time to take it all in and comfortably stare into the distance. If you are outside, make sure you can see the sky and the ground. If you are inside, make sure you can see the ceiling and the floor. Notice your eyes going soft and imagine that you can now see everything happening around you. For a few minutes, take it all in. To finish, take a big breath in and when you breathe out, release that feeling of becoming an owl. Next, you will work on activating your eyesight.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Fur Harvester Digest 3 SEASON DATES and BAG LIMITS
    2021 Michigan Fur Harvester Digest RAP (Report All Poaching): Call or Text (800) 292-7800 Michigan.gov/Trapping Table of Contents Furbearer Management ...................................................................3 Season Dates and Bag Limits ..........................................................4 License Types and Fees ....................................................................6 License Types and Fees by Age .......................................................6 Purchasing a License .......................................................................6 Apprentice & Youth Hunting .............................................................9 Fur Harvester License .....................................................................10 Kill Tags, Registration, and Incidental Catch .................................11 When and Where to Hunt/Trap ...................................................... 14 Hunting Hours and Zone Boundaries .............................................14 Hunting and Trapping on Public Land ............................................18 Safety Zones, Right-of-Ways, Waterways .......................................20 Hunting and Trapping on Private Land ...........................................20 Equipment and Fur Harvester Rules ............................................. 21 Use of Bait When Hunting and Trapping ........................................21 Hunting with Dogs ...........................................................................21 Equipment Regulations ...................................................................22
    [Show full text]
  • Educator's Guide
    Educator’s Guide the jill and lewis bernard family Hall of north american mammals inside: • Suggestions to Help You come prepared • essential questions for Student Inquiry • Strategies for teaching in the exhibition • map of the Exhibition • online resources for the Classroom • Correlations to science framework • glossary amnh.org/namammals Essential QUESTIONS Who are — and who were — the North as tundra, winters are cold, long, and dark, the growing season American Mammals? is extremely short, and precipitation is low. In contrast, the abundant precipitation and year-round warmth of tropical All mammals on Earth share a common ancestor and and subtropical forests provide optimal growing conditions represent many millions of years of evolution. Most of those that support the greatest diversity of species worldwide. in this hall arose as distinct species in the relatively recent Florida and Mexico contain some subtropical forest. In the past. Their ancestors reached North America at different boreal forest that covers a huge expanse of the continent’s times. Some entered from the north along the Bering land northern latitudes, winters are dry and severe, summers moist bridge, which was intermittently exposed by low sea levels and short, and temperatures between the two range widely. during the Pleistocene (2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago). Desert and scrublands are dry and generally warm through- These migrants included relatives of New World cats (e.g. out the year, with temperatures that may exceed 100°F and dip sabertooth, jaguar), certain rodents, musk ox, at least two by 30 degrees at night. kinds of elephants (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting Landscape Change in High Mountains of Northeastern Oregon from Long-Term Repeat Photography
    United States Department of Interpreting Landscape Change in High Agriculture Forest Service Mountains of Northeastern Oregon from Pacific Northwest Research Station Long-Term Repeat Photography General Technical Report Jon M. Skovlin, Gerald S. Strickler, Jesse L. Peterson, PNW-GTR-505 May 2001 and Arthur W. Sampson Photo by Harley Richardson 1920 Photo by David Jensen 1992 Authors Jon M. Skovlin (retired) was a principal research scientist, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 97850. He now is a consultant on renewable natural resources, P.O. Box 121, Cove, OR 97824. Gerald S. Strickler (deceased) was a range scientist, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 97850. Jesse L. Peterson (deceased) was range examiner, Wallowa National Forest, Wallowa, OR, and later chief range examiner, Whitman National Forest, Baker City, OR. Arthur W. Sampson (deceased) was the pioneer range scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and later Professor of Forestry, University of California, Berkeley, CA. This publication was prepared under contract with the Blue Mountains Natural Resources Institute, La Grande, OR. All photos not otherwise credited were taken by the senior author. Cover Photos Glacier Peak is a satellite point along Eagle Cap Ridge, which is the central watershed feature of the Wallowa Mountain batholith. Upper–This photo of Benson Glacier looking south from Glacier Lake was taken in about 1920. The conspicuous glacier flow lines and crevasses affirm its activity, which had been in recession since about 1870 after the end of the Little Ice Age in about 1850. Harley Richardson captured the Benson Glacier on film when it was in rapid retreat.
    [Show full text]
  • Noah Grunzweig
    This Route is Prepared For: Noah Grunzweig December 13, 2013 Travel Beginning in Portland, OR www.betterworldclub.com Dear Noah Grunzweig: Here´s your CustomMaps travel packet from Better World Club. It includes specially prepared maps with narrative driving directions and a thick shaded line indicating a suggested route for your trip. Before you leave, you´ll probably want to become familiar with the packet. As you look at it, you´ll notice that some maps have only major roads and towns on the maps, to make them easy to read. In some instances, secondary highways may not appear on the map. However, the narrative directions and the shaded line will easily guide you to the road. If you desire a more detailed map, please call and we will provide you with a map of that particular area or state. As you flip through your travel packet, you´ll also see that the narrative directions provide time estimates, which you can use to figure approximate hours of drive time per day. In addition to the state maps, you´ll find we´ve also included some city maps showing more detail, to help you get your bearings. Finally, at the back end of your travel packet, you´ll find a "Places of Interest" section. Here we´ve indicated several sites for each state you´ll be driving through, just in case you´d like to stop and see something special on your way to or from your final destination. Below is your Travel Itinerary, or list of requested destinations. We trust you´ll have a safe and pleasant drive.
    [Show full text]
  • Black-Flies and Leucocytozoon Spp. As Causes of Mortality in Juvenile Great Horned Owls in the Yukon, Canada
    Black-flies and Leucocytozoon spp. as Causes of Mortality in Juvenile Great Horned Owls in the Yukon, Canada D. Bruce Hunter1, Christoph Rohner2, and Doug C. Currie3 ABSTRACT.—Black fly feeding and infection with the blood parasite Leucocytozoon spp. caused mortality in juvenile Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) in the Yukon, Canada during 1989-1990. The mortality occurred during a year of food shortage corresponding with the crash in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations. We postulate that the occurrence of disease was mediated by reduced food availability. Rohner (1994) evaluated the numerical re- black flies identified from Alaska, USA and the sponse of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) Yukon Territory, Canada, 36 percent are orni- to the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle thophilic, 39 percent mammalophilic and 25 from 1988 to 1993 in the Kluane Lake area of percent autogenous (Currie 1997). Numerous southwestern Yukon, Canada. The survival of female black flies were obtained from the car- juvenile owls was very high during 1989 and casses of the juvenile owls, but only 45 of these 1990, both years of abundant hare populations. were sufficiently well preserved for identifica- Survival decreased in 1991, the first year of the tion. They belonged to four taxa as follows: snowshoe hare population decline (Rohner and Helodon (Distosimulium) pleuralis (Malloch), 1; Hunter 1996). Monitoring of nest sites Helodon (Parahelodon) decemarticulatus combined with tracking of individuals by radio- (Twinn), 3; Simulium (Eusimulium) aureum Fries telemetry provided us with carcasses of 28 ju- complex, 3; and Simulium (Eusimulium) venile owls found dead during 1990 and 1991 canonicolum (Dyar and Shannon) complex, 38 (Rohner and Doyle 1992).
    [Show full text]